Meghan: Hey Brian. Thanks for agreeing to join us here on Meghan’s Haunted House of Books, New Year’s Day Edition. What is your favorite part of Halloween?
Brian: All of it? If I had to pick one, it’s seeing “normal” people get into spooky stuff for a night. It’s cool watching everyone briefly care about the things I care most about!
Meghan: Do you get scared easily?
Brian: Yes. I got so freaked out answering these interview questions I had to turn a light on. I suspect most horror writers scare pretty easily.
Meghan: What is the scariest movie you’ve ever seen and why?
Brian: As a kid, Killer Klowns From Outer Space, which is also the first horror movie I ever saw. As an adult, probably Aterrados, it’s so incredibly frightening.
Meghan: Which horror movie murder did you find the most disturbing?
Brian: Weirdly, the most disturbing murders I’ve seen have not been in horror films (Tig’s daughter in Sons of Anarchyor Andrea in Breaking Bad, anyone?) If we’re going strictly horror, I’ll say something like The Strangers.
Meghan: Is there a horror movie you refused to watch because the commercials scared you too much?
Brian: I put off watching The Ring because of the commercials. Don’t think I ever caught up with that one, actually. Shoot.
Meghan: If you got trapped in one scary movie, which would you choose?
Brian: Killer Klowns. I know their weakness—those big honkin’ red noses. I’m coming for YOU, clowns!
Meghan: If you were stuck as the protagonist in any horror movie, which would you choose?
Brian: Ash in Army of Darkness. Chainsaw/boomstick action in medieval times would be one hell of a party.
Meghan: What is your all-time favorite scary monster or creature of the night?
Brian: So many! I’ll keep it simple and go with the Monster from Frankenstein, though, hard to top!
Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween tradition?
Meghan: What is the creepiest thing that’s ever happened while you were alone?
Brian: Heard footsteps in my college dorm room. My roommate was in bed asleep.
Meghan: Which unsolved mystery fascinates you the most?
Brian: The Black Dahlia, been obsessed with that since I was a kid.
Meghan: What is the spookiest ghost story that you have ever heard?
Brian: The girl with the green ribbon always unsettled me. That or any variation on the ghost hitchhiker.
Meghan: In a zombie apocalypse, what is your weapon of choice?
Brian: Gonna keep it simple and go shotgun. It’d be fun to come up with something ridiculous, but two barrels of buckshot seems like the most practical way to survive.
Meghan: Okay, Brian. Let’s have some fun… Would you rather get bitten by a vampire or a werewolf? Werewolf, I love the sun too much
Meghan: Would you rather fight a zombie apocalypse or an alien invasion? Zombies, at least you’ve got a chance of outsmarting them. Any alien invasion would end rather quickly at this stage in our technological advancement.
Meghan: Would you rather drink zombie juice or eat dead bodies from the graveyard? I’ll go with the non-reanimated dead body, if I must.
Meghan: Would you rather stay at the Poltergeist house or the Amityville house for a week? Poltergeist house.
Meghan: Would you rather chew on a bitter melon with chilies or maggot-infested cheese? Bitter melon, for sure.
Meghan: Would you rather drink from a witch’s cauldron or lick cotton candy made of spider webs? Witch’s cauldron, cool shit might happen!
A film he co-wrote and produced, A Haunting in Ravenwood, is available now on DVD and VOD. His short Reel Trouble won Best Short Film at Gen Con 2022 and Best Horror Short at the Indie Gathering, and is currently schedule to screen at several other festivals.
Find him on social media (@thebrianasman) or his website.
Man, Fuck This House — Sabrina Haskins and her family have just moved into their dream home, a gorgeous Craftsman in the rapidly-growing Southwestern city of Jackson Hill. Sabrina’s a bored and disillusioned home-maker, Hal a reverse mortgage salesman with a penchant for ill-timed sports analogies. Their two children, Damien and Michaela, are bright and precocious.
At first glance, the house is perfect. But things aren’t what they seem.
Sabrina’s hearing odd noises, seeing strange visions. Their neighbors are odd or absent. And Sabrina’s already-fraught relationship with her son is about to be tested in a way no parent could ever imagine.
Because while the Haskins family might be the newest owners of 4596 James Circle, they’re far from its only residents…
Return of the Living Elves — When Christmas supply warehouse manager Jimmy tries to help new employee Tommy find a last-minute gift for his girlfriend, they accidentally unleash a long-forgotten and very seasonal genetic experiment with a taste for human flesh. As elf-zombie hybrids take over the small town of Pine Canyon, California, Jimmy fights to survive alongside a Christpunk named Landfill, and a mysterious, PTSD-stricken soldier. Hold onto your stockings because the goddamn elves are back, baby!
Meghan: Hey, Marc! Welcome BACK to Meghan’s HAUNTED House of Books. It is ALWAYS a pleasure to have you join in our festivities. Let’s jump right in – Do you get scared easily?
SC: Yes, but only if I’m thinking of the future of our current civilization.
Meghan: What is the scariest movie you’ve ever seen and why?
SC: Two come to mind. The Descent is the first and only movie I ever watched in a theater alone. That mixed with the claustrophobia of being underground made it one of the scariest. The second is The Exorcist. I was young and Regan’s eyes haunted me for a long time after my first viewing. More than the movie itself, it was her eyes.
Meghan: Which horror movie murder did you find the most disturbing?
SC: The Strangers. I can’t remember an exact kill from it, but the premise of the murders disturbed me. “Because you were home.” Nothing else. Not revenge. Not an obsessive love interest. Just because you’re here. To think that murder could be completely random disturbs me.
Meghan: Is there a horror movie you refused to watch because the commercials scared you too much?
SC: No. But when I was a kid, the commercials for Cronenberg’s The Fly gave me nightmares. “Be afraid. Be very afraid.” My mom had me draw a picture of a scary image from the commercial and then we tore it up and burned it. The ritual helped. However, when I got older, I really enjoyed the remake.
Meghan: If you got trapped in one scary movie, which would you choose?
Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween tradition?
SC: It used to be going to haunted house attractions. I would try to go to as many as possible throughout October. Now, I enjoy sitting in my driveway and passing out candy.
Meghan: What is your favorite horror or Halloween-themed song?
SC: Uh, man, this is difficult. “Halloween” by the Misfits is great. “Hellraiser” by Motorhead also gets me in the mood. I think “Hellraiser” was originally on the March or Die album, but I heard it on the soundtrack for Hellraiser III and I’ve associated it with horror movies ever since.
Meghan: Which horror novel unsettled you the most?
SC: We Need to Talk About Kevin. The concept of being a parent was psychologically horrifying to me as a younger man.
Meghan: Which unsolved mystery fascinates you the most?
Meghan: In a zombie apocalypse, what is your weapon of choice?
SC: Rifle, pistol, and shotgun. That should cover all the bases.
Meghan: Okay, let’s have some fun… Would you rather get bitten by a vampire or a werewolf?
SC: Vampire
Meghan: Would you rather fight a zombie apocalypse or an alien invasion?
SC: Probably easier to survive a zombie apocalypse, but I’m so damn curious about aliens, I’ll go with the ETs.
Meghan: Would you rather drink zombie juice or eat dead bodies from the graveyard?
SC: I just vomited in my mouth
Meghan: Would you rather stay at the Poltergeist house or the Amityville house for a week?
SC: Amityville
Meghan: Would you rather chew on a bitter melon with chilies or maggot-infested cheese?
SC: Bitter watermelon chilies
Meghan: Would you rather drink from a witch’s cauldron or lick cotton candy made of spider webs?
SC: I’m slightly arachnophobic so abracadabra give me that witch’s brew.
Boo-graphy: SC Mendes is the co-host of Horror Business – a podcast dedicated to helping authors make a career of their writing. He produces the Don’t Fall Asleep Podcast with Spencer Dillehay and is also the co-owner of Blood Bound Books – an independent publisher whose mission is spreading hope through dark fiction. Mendes has been publishing dark fiction under various names since 2009. The Order of Eternal Sleep, his sequel to The City, released in January 2022, and he is hard at work on the series finale. SC attempts to keep up with readers on Facebook, his website, and welcomes fan/hate mail in his mailbox.
There is a civilization buried deep beneath our own. A place spoken of only in whispers. If you are desperate enough, you will find it. But remember, all knowledge comes at a price.
The bodies were discovered six months after Max Elliot turned in his badge. All that remained of the victims were piles of flayed skin and organs. The bones of each body had been stolen. This torturous method of execution had only been seen once before, and that case remained unsolved. Confident of a connection between the grizzly murders, the police turn to the one man they believe can help. With the allure of closure to his own personal tragedy, Max Elliot agrees to reinstatement for one last case. But the clues lead the unstable detective down a path he never could have imagined. A mysterious drug, a world beneath our own, sex and violence on an unprecedented level, and creatures as ancient as sin itself.
Three years after Max Elliot goes missing, an anonymous tip brings Detectives McCloud and O’Neil to a residential arson on the outskirts of Chinatown.
The majority of the house survived, but the six bodies inside were reduced to gnarled heaps of blackened limbs.
A hidden door to the basement reveals a strange ritual space. Sealing the room, is the image of a serpent and obelisk, reminiscent of Ming’s scarred palm. On the black altar, they find an unidentifiable language and symbols that lead to more questions. Dark magick. Suppressed news reports. Dirty cops.
Besides the nightmares inspired by the crime, something else from the hidden basement is following them. Infecting them. Providing a glimpse to the mental anguish coming to consume us all.
Meanwhile, a secret order is poised to complete their greatest ritual yet. The Rites of Eternal Sleep will usher in the long night. And when the Black Sun rises, the surface will never be the same.
Under the influence of dark forces, McCloud will need all the help he can get to unravel the many veils of The Order before time runs out.
Meghan: What is the creepiest thing that’s ever happened while you were alone?
Davide: While I was sleeping in a teepee tent in the monument valley I kept hearing someone thumping at the tent from outside. Every time I went checking outside there was no one. No prints in the sand, nothing. I’m pretty sure it was an unfriendly native American spirit.
Meghan: Which unsolved mystery fascinates you the most?
Davide: The assassination of JFK is probably at the top of the list.
Meghan: What is the spookiest ghost story that you have ever heard?
Meghan: In a zombie apocalypse, what is your weapon of choice?
Davide: Shotgun.
Meghan: Let’s have some fun… Would you rather get bitten by a vampire or a werewolf?
Davide: Vampire
Meghan: Would you rather fight a zombie apocalypse or an alien invasion?
Davide: Zombie apocalypse
Meghan: Would you rather drink zombie juice or eat dead bodies from the graveyard?
Davide: Jeez. I’m going to have to go with zombie juice, whatever that is.
Meghan: Would you rather stay at the Poltergeist house or the Amityville house for a week?
Davide: Amityville
Meghan: Would you rather chew on a bitter melon with chilies or maggot-infested cheese?
Davide: Melon.
Meghan: Would you rather drink from a witch’s cauldron or lick cotton candy made of spider webs?
Davide: Drink from the witch’s cauldron.
Boo-graphy: Davide Tarsitano is an author of novels and short stories.
He was born in Italy in 1989. He was raised in Cosenza, a small town in the south, and educated in its public schools. He eventually found his way to University of Calabria and to University of Modena and Reggio Emilia where he graduated, respectively, in Mechanical Engineering and Automotive Engineering. He currently works in the race car industry in North America.
By the time he was fourteen, he had written short stories and a full screenplay of a horror movie, never produced. In the following years his interest broadened towards cosmic horror, science fiction, and dystopian fiction.
He met his wife in 2016 and married her in 2019.
In 2018 he started to write his first horror novel, The Tooth Fairy, which represents his debut as an author.
Johnny Hawk is a successful entrepreneur in the tech field, escaping from his former life after an utter breakdown. During his trip across the country, his route crosses with Wendy Jag, a beautiful woman who works as a dentist in New Mexico.
As the attraction between the two lost souls escalates furiously, they engage in a passionate and daring physical affair. For the first time in a while Johnny finds some peace and hope for the future.
But he cannot imagine that behind those innocent and deep eyes Wendy is a profoundly disturbed woman, tormented by the demons of her past: a childhood made of abuses, losses and nightmares filled with darkness. As Wendy’s feelings for Johnny grow stronger, the fight inside Wendy’s chaotic subconscious begins.
The Tooth Fairy, a dormant and malevolent side of her personality is reawakening, silently awaiting…to take over.
Meghan: Hi, Eric. Welcome to Meghan’s (Haunted) House of Books AND our annual Halloween Extravaganza. It’s a pleasure to have you join us here today. What is your favorite part of Halloween?
Eric: Years ago I started to decorate my yard with recreations of famous horror movie characters. While the project has grown to an almost annoying level of work, the reaction of the trick ‘r treaters is worth it. Added to that, is the reaction of the neighborhood and people who have seen previous years as they begin to drive by the house to see if I’ve started to set up.
When my son was in school, the way his friends or classmates would let their parents know where he lived was to tell them he was at the “scary house”. Everyone in Elementary and Middle School called our house this.
One time when I was getting my wife’s sewing machine fixed in a little shop about 30 minutes away from my house, and one town over, the guy taking my information stopped and looked at me when I gave my street address. He said, “You know that house that does the Halloween stuff … that place is so cool. My kids make me start driving by there the first week of October to see if it’s up.” I offered a smile and said, “Yeah, that’s my house.”
It’s great to see all the parents, teenagers, and kids stop and take pictures and discuss their favorite scary movies.
Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween tradition?
Eric: My favorite tradition when my son was younger was taking him trick ‘r treating. Now though I think my favorite tradition is one I hated just 10 years ago – carving pumpkins. My family and friends get together the night before and everyone carves a pumpkin to display at my son’s Godparents’ house. I hated doing it in the beginning but I’ve embraced it as I look for unique and obscure stuff to carve now. Everyone always did cute and popular characters but I wanted to make sure horror movies were represented and started doing 2 or 3 every year to get more stuff out there. I enjoy seeing which ones get the biggest reaction.
Meghan: If Halloween is your favorite holiday (or even second favorite holiday), why?
Eric: Halloween was always special to me. It’s one of the few times my dad and I could come together over the horror genre. He hates anything scary but he loved coming up with awesome and terrifying costumes when I was younger. Plus there’s something magical about Halloween: the costumes, the sense of adventure when you head out to trick or treat, and the sense of the unknown that comes with it.
Meghan: What are you superstitious about?
Eric: Just about everything. I’m a “knock on wood” kind of guy. I like to think I’ve mellowed out on superstitions as I’ve grown older, but I’m sure my wife would say I’ve gotten worse.
Meghan: What/who is your favorite horror monster or villain?
I think Vincent Price’s performance of Nicholas Medina in The Pit and the Pendulum is one of my favorite singular villain performances; although if we were being fair to the characters, he was much more the victim than the true villain. Yet in the end, Price is diabolical as he embraces his madness and takes actions into his own hands.
In more modern films, I find choosing a favorite monster like picking a favorite child, just impossible. If I had to rate the big 4 it would be Jason, Freddy, Michael, Leatherface, but that doesn’t mean I love any of them more or less than the other. I’d throw in the Thing and the Jeepers Creepers monster as favorites, but I’m not sure I’d have the same top monster if you asked me tomorrow.
Meghan: Which unsolved murder fascinates you the most?
Eric: 6 & 8 are connected. When I was younger I had a fascination with serial killers. I read as much as I could and watched all the specials as I tried to understand what made these people tick. Now, I’m not sure I care but one killer has always intrigued me. Jack the Ripper.
I read everything I could get my hands on when I was a kid. I worked through the clues, and enthusiastically tried to solve the case – when I was 10. Now I am still interested, watching movies and documentaries on the subject whenever I have the time. But I stopped really researching it. I may have to go back and see if, with some distance and more life experience, I can piece it together.
Meghan: Which urban legend scares you the most?
Eric: I was always terrified of the people living in the sewers. When I was a kid, like 6 or so, I saw a TV ad for a Hill Street Blues episode when a group of homeless come from the sewers and take a police officer. They hold him underground and then cue the ominous music and fade to black. Since I wasn’t old enough to watch or really care about the show, I never found out what happened to the guy. So in my imagination, they tortured, cooked, and ate this guy. So that’s the one that haunted me for a very long time.
Meghan: Who is your favorite serial killer and why?
Eric: So as I mentioned in 6, I’m not sure I have a list of favorite serial killers, but I do find the whole idea of Jack the Ripper to be fascinating. The setting, the conditions, the back story, and the brutality all add up to an amazing story.
Meghan: How old were you when you saw your first horror movie?
Eric: I remember seeing the last 5 minutes or so of Friday the 13th Part 2 on TMC. I was watching it while I was supposed to be watching cartoons or something. I think I was 7 or 8. It was both terrifying and thrilling to experience.
The first full-length horror movie I watched by myself was A Nightmare on Elm Street. I was home alone; my parents were at a party nearby. I think it was a premiere and I was 9ish. In my blog, I went over a list of movies that weren’t horror but were scary that my father showed me at a young age. I believe these may be the movies that helped me develop a love for the horror genre. So I wasn’t all that bothered by violence or nudity at this point… or so I thought. Freddy and the idea of someone coming for you in your sleep really rocked my world. The scene where Tina is killed was the kicker, and I had all the lights on in the house and every stuffed animal I could find piled around me. I made sure our Doberman was sitting with me for the rest of the night until my parents got home. Funny thing, I finished the movie and had no trouble going to sleep. Most importantly, I was hooked.
Meghan: Which horror novel unsettled you the most?
Eric: The Exorcist is the one that freaked me out the most, but I was 10 or 11 when I read it. My mother played a part in this particular book freaking me out. I was up late reading, into the good parts and I decided I needed some water. My mom and I were the only ones home as my father was off on a business trip. My bedroom was at the end of an L-shaped hall. I left my room, walked the turn (where my parents’ room was), and turned to walk to the end of the hall where there was a door that opened to the rest of the house. Because it was so late, I was trying to be quiet. As I turned the knob to open the door, my mom put her hand on my shoulder, totally unaware of what I was doing or what I had just read.
It always surprised me that no one called the Base Police that night as I’m sure I screamed louder than I ever had before or ever would again. If the door wasn’t in front of me, I may have just run and kept going until I couldn’t run anymore. Of course, my mother is the kind of person who screams at anything that shocks her or startles her, so I’m sure she yelled as well. I’m just happy I didn’t piss myself, lol.
Meghan: Which horror movie scarred you for life?
Eric: I’m not sure any scarred me for life. Off the top of my head, I can think of 3 that left an impression on me in the theater. I saw Event Horizon in a newly constructed super theater. Now when you go to the theater you expect a totally immersed experience. That wasn’t always the case, in fact, I’ve been to theaters where there 1 working speaker – and we liked it fine. But in the 90s big movie houses started popping up with huge screens and so many speakers, Marshmello would be jealous.
The reason Event Horizon left an impression, other than it’s awesome, was the use of sound throughout the speakers. It added a new level of unexpected pleasure to the horror experience.
The second movie that comes to mind is The Strangers. It stood out because of the way the director and editor were able to add to the tension and build a tangible sense of dread throughout the theater. I mean, it tells you at the beginning how it’s going to end, and yet they still do an amazing job of putting you on the edge of your seat.
The last movie is the Blair Witch Project. I saw this one opening night with 3 friends in a packed theater. I’m not sure there was one open seat by the time it started. Sometimes with a full house, you’ll get a couple of people who throughout the film pull your attention away, not this night. It was one of those unique experiences where the entire theater bought into the experience. It was amazing. Everyone laughed, gasped, jumped, and lost their minds at the exact time; most important, they did it at the correct times. And the ending… so perfect for that environment; it ended, the room exploded in loud voices and screams of horror and everyone ran to leave the theater. It was like someone had announced a bomb threat, that’s how fast the place emptied.
You don’t get that at home. Hell, you rarely get it at the theater, but when you do it is such a sweet memory.
Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween costume?
Eric: I hate dressing up now. I’m a fuddy-duddy as the kids like to say. I loved costumes as a kid and I even won for scariest costume when I was 10. It was a pain, literally, to get in and out of, but it was pretty cool. I was wrapped like a mummy, but my face looked like all the skin had been burned off and it was just red muscle and flesh. I also dressed up as a werewolf once, and that was a cool costume.
That said, my favorite costume was my son’s first Halloween. He was a big kid and already walking when the time came. In fact, he was so big he’d outgrown the 18-month old costume I got him the year before thinking he’d be a cute gorilla. So we went to the store and got him an alligator costume. It had a long tail, I think it helped with balance, but with my son, it just added to the memory of how cute he was as it swished back and forth as he ran down the hall all dressed up to trick ‘r treat.
The next year he was a dragon and I was a skeleton knight and his mom was a witch. I think that was the last time we dressed up… at least themed.
Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween-themed song?
Eric: It’s probably Time Warp from Rocky Horror or This is Halloween from Nightmare Before Christmas. That said, I’m a big music fan and like most of the themed or monster stuff.
Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween candy or treat? What is your most disappointing?
Eric: Favorite is Snickers or Twizzlers. I’m a big guy so I’m not really disappointed with any candy choice, but my least favorite would be Mounds or Almond Joy.
Meghan: Thanks again, Eric, for stopping by. Before we go, what movies and books should we stay awake on Halloween enjoying?
Eric: There are so many to choose from… movie I’d say Trick ‘r Treat as #1, then I’d go with Halloween 3 or 2. Just depends if I’m in the mood for a slasher movie or supernatural.
Lastly, when I was a kid we didn’t have all these ways to watch things. Most people didn’t own a lot of VHS tapes, and there were no streaming services so when holidays approached you would know that one of the big 3 networks would play some of the old (and create new) classics. Usually, it would be a few days before the big day and many times they would be on back to back depending on who had the rights and what else was being shown. 2 that I enjoyed when I was a kid and make a point to still watch today are It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown & Garfield In Disguise Halloween Special. And so with that, I’ll leave you with words of wisdom from everyone’s favorite fat cat: Candy, Candy, Candy, Candy…
Boo-graphy: Eric Butler is an Army brat who now calls Texas home. A lifelong fan of horror and pop culture, he finally decided to sit in front of a computer to share all the stories rattling around his head. He lives with his incredibly patient wife and teenage son in a house overrun with Huskies and cats.
Donn, TX — There’s a place in Texas the locals avoid at all cost, where the lost go missing and the damned reside. You won’t find it on any map, there are no road signs to guide you, and once there, may God have mercy on your soul. For when the scarecrow awakens, the harvest of the living begins.
Welcome to Donn, TX Gateway to Hell
1952 On the back roads of Texas, Debbie grows ill and her husband, Jerry, stops at the only motel they’ve seen for miles. He hopes a little rest will help calm her stomach, but in Donn, TX, there can be no rest once the harvest begins.
1969 Frank is back from Vietnam but struggling to reconnect with the world he once knew. Jane is convinced a road trip to Houston will help them both find the connection they are missing. First, they need to drop off her younger sister and her best friend at the university, and then the honeymoon the war put on hold can finally begin.
Except now they are lost on the back roads, and each mile brings them closer to Donn. If only they hadn’t exited the highway …
But now it’s too late; for the harvest is nearing its end, and the scarecrow requires its due.
Meghan's Haunted House of Books 