A Nostalgic Nightmare: Exploring the Comfort of Horror

This week on Horror Joy, we're taking a trip down memory lane. For many of us, our love affair with horror began at a young age, fueled by Goosebumps books, Are You Afraid of the Dark, and the iconic horror paperbacks found on the revolving racks at local grocery stores.

Nostalgia and Horror: A Twisted Embrace

Nostalgia, with its roots in homesickness, offers a sense of comfort and belonging. But horror, while evoking strong emotions, can also be deeply comforting. It disrupts our sense of security, only to draw us back in, promising a strange warmth.

Our Nostalgic Journey:

• Tom Deady's The Rack: We chat with Tom about his love for Salem's Lot and the process of curating his anthology of horror stories.
• Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories: A discussion on the power of simple illustrations, the performative nature of storytelling, and how horror prepares us for adulthood.

Join us as we spin the rack of horror and revisit the nostalgic thrills that first captivated us. Let's stick together, because you never know what horrors await!

Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

Geoffrey Chaucer

Gwendolyn Kiste

The Life of Chuck (in If It Bleeds) by Stephen King

The Life of Chuck directed by Mike Flanagan

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Tom Deady

The Rack