Horror/Stories

Horror/Stories is back for a super special Halloween episode! And we are talking about the FILM OF THE YEAR -- Obsession. Join siblings Sarah & Matty and some fearless guests for some improv, movie trivia, film analysis, and spirited shenanigans. Note: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Special Guests:

Bryan Farrell -- https://www.bryanfarrellauthor.com/

Dana Sweeney -- https://www.danasweeney.com/

Episode Chapters:

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:07:13) Obsession movie recap

(00:12:42) Describe the movie to someone who hasnt seen it

(00:17:52) The storytellers lens

(00:24:14) Why this movie has been such a sensation

(00:29:33) How scary was this movie

(00:37:47) Witch ethics

(00:41:03) Mapquest edition trivia

(0043:53) Sell me a one wish willow improv break

(00:50:31) Pick a cursed object

(00:55:57) The gift

(00:58:04) The friend group

(01:01:36) The third one wish willow

(01:09:28) The moment when Bear becomes unforgivable

(01:16:15) Obsessed with the cat

(01:19:15) Family edition trivia

(01:22:22) Give me your best impression improv break

(01:25:34) Categorizing this horror movie

(01:32:17) Horror movies that hurt to watch

(01:37:41) Wrap up

A conversation with Jamie Jackson, Donna Taylor, and Sarah's bestie Sam about Chris McKay's 2023 masterpiece, Renfield. We discuss vampires, our favorite moments from the film, and debate whether Renfield can be classified as 'folk horror.'

Guests Anastasia (formerly of Bibliophilia and the Philosophers' Degrees podcast), Bryan Farrell, and Nenia Campbell join the podcast to discuss the iconic 1999 found footage film, The Blair Witch Project.

Theme Song by Matty B. Follow Horror/Stories on Instagram @horrorslashstories_pod

EPISODE GUESTS:

Anastasia (@ascorpiocrone)

Listen to Bibliophilia and the Philosophers' Degrees

Bryan Farrell (@paranormal_punk)

Bryan's website

How to Contact the Living

MAW (IndieReads Exclusive)

*For MAW'S initial release (from Oct 10th 2025 until Dec 31st 2025) as part of a special charity collaboration with Indie Reads, 100% of sales will be donated to RED CROSS UKRAINE and UNICEF'S GAZA CRISIS EMERGENCY APPEAL.

Nenia Campbell (@alwaysbeebooked)

Little Deaths

Nenia's Author Page

OTHER LINKS:

The Scooby-Doo Project

Disclosure: Horror/Stories is an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earns a commission if you make a purchase through our affiliate link or storefront.

Did you know we have FREE bonus episodes on the Horror/Stories Patreon? For example, this previously Patreon Exclusive episode on Zach Cregger's unnervingly comedic 2022 debut film, Barbarian. Listen today and check out patreon.com/horrorslashstories for more FREE bonus episodes.

Author Azalea Crowley joins the podcast to talk about Kenneth Dagatan's 2023 film In My Mother's Skin. Together, we discuss things that are "creepy cute," explore Filipino folklore, and consider how folk horror stories reflect human behavior.

Azalea Crowley (she/they) writes for those who find beauty in the dark and unusual. Her unique brand of horror romances combines the grotesque with the gorgeous, while her fantasy romances combine the adventure of a TTRPG and tragic backstories—because reasons.

From the misty Pacific Northwest, Azalea creates darkly whimsical adventures where love blooms in unexpected and dangerous places. Weaving Indigenous, Filipino, autistic, disability, and LGBTQIA2S+ representation, she offers stories with inclusive worlds.

For readers who crave both light and dark, Azalea Crowley invites you to embrace your inner misfit and discover that monsters can fall in love—and keep their fangs.

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In My Mother's Skin (2023): Stranded in the Philippines during World War II, a young girl finds that her duty to protect her dying mother is complicated by her misplaced trust in a beguiling, flesh-eating fairy.

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Links:

Filmmaker Magazine Interview with Kenneth Dagatan: https://filmmakermagazine.com/118553-interview-kenneth-dagatan-in-my-mothers-skin/

Manananggal Doll: https://creations.mattel.com/products/monster-high-corazon-marikit-doll-hxj09?srsltid=AfmBOopaOWslFOn9xfjW7QdxyLrzwon7-JZQVPA5XdPpbGN_zaprZJl6

An uproarious, unhinged, and slightly scandalous conversation with visionary author Dana Sweeney about Alex Garland's film Men (2022).

You can find out more about Dana's work on our Season 1: Episode 10 "Dana Sweeney and the End of the World" and on her website: https://www.danasweeney.com/

Follow Dana on social media @danasweeneyauthor

Author J.C. Murphey joins the podcast to talk about Joko Anwar's 2019 folk horror film, Impetigore.

References:

Asia Society at the Movies: 'Impetigore' Q&A: https://youtu.be/BZ7Zj7Q6-c8?si=vtB0di_SNK4_M0vx

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J.C. Murphey is a lover of romance but writer of dystopian and dark fantasy fiction. Follow her on Facebook (J.C. Murphey), Instagram (@authorj.c.murphey), and TikTok (@j_c_murphey) to keep up with her latest projects or general antics.

In this episode, Veronica and Lizzy, co-hosts of the Spill the Spice Podcast, join us to talk about the Robert Eggers' 2015 folk horror film, The VVitch. Tune in for a conversation on mental health, religious trauma, and our guests' personal ghost stories.

ABOUT SPILL THE SPICE PODCAST:

Spill the Spice Podcast is a podcast for readers who crave the dark, the dirty, and the deeply personal.

Every month, we sit down with incredible indie and traditionally published authors, diving into their creative process, their stories, and the fire that fuels their work. We also dive into the real stuff, mental health, trauma, identity, and how stories become sanctuaries. Through honest conversation and unfiltered curiosity, we unravel what makes romance more than escapism.

This is a space for passion and permission. For book lovers who want more than just spice, they want meaning in the burn.

https://www.spill-the-spice-podcast.com/

Lyndall Clipstone, author of Tenderly I Am Devoured (out July 1, 2025!), joins the podcast to talk flower-threaded horror and Ari Aster's 2019 folk horror revival film, Midsommar. Episode recorded early May 2025. Theme song by Matty Allen.

Lyndall Clipstone writes dark tales of flower-threaded horror. She is the critically acclaimed author of The World at the Lake’s Edge duology, Unholy Terrors, and the upcoming Tenderly, I am Devoured. She currently lives in Adelaide, Australia, in a hundred-year-old cottage with her partner, two children, and a shy black cat.

Tenderly, I am Devoured (July 1, 2025)

Perfect for fans of Saltburn, A Study in Drowning, and Don't Let the Forest In, Tenderly, I Am Devoured is a moody, monstrously Gothic romantic folk horror in which a young woman must bind herself to a dangerous chthonic god with the help of the son of a rival family to save her family's legacy—and herself—from ruin.

Visit www.lyndallclipstone.com and follow Lyndall on social media (@lkclipstone on Instagram) for more information about her books!

Folk horror season is here! In this episode, we ask what folk horror is, our favorite folk horror books and movies, and the folk horror books/movies we're most looking forward to reading this season! Episode recorded early May 2025.

Theme song by Matty Allen.

Books Mentioned:

• Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
• My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
• The Bone Drenched Woods by L.V. Russell
• It Waits in the Forest by Sarah Dass
• The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson
• Daughter of the Merciful Deep by Leslye Penelope
• Tangleroot by Kalela Williams
• La Reina by JD Yanez
• Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
• Souls Triology by Harley La Roux
• Eclipse Ritual by Kate Rivenhall
• Bloodroots by Richie Tankersley Cusick
• Scarecrow by Richie Tankersley Cusick
• What We Harvest by Ann Fraistat
• Small Favors by Erin Craig
• Gothictown by Emily Carpenter
• She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran
• This Cursed House by Del Sandeen
• I’ll Be Waiting by Kelly Armstrong
• Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong
• Black Wicket by Bea Northwick
• The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
• Raise the Blood by Nenia Campbell
• Waking the Moon by Elizabeth Hand
• Never Whistle at Night (Anthology

Movies Mentioned:

• Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror
• Blood on Satan’s Claw
• The Wicker Man
• The Witchfinder General
• Incantation
• The Wailing
• The Langoliers
• Midsommar
• The VVitch
• The Blair Witch Project
• Exhuma
• The Medium
• La Llorona
• When Evil Lurks
• His House
• Pan’s Labyrinth
• Hereditary