The Night Crew Podcast

In this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, horror author and host Brad Ricks takes listeners on a cinematic coffin crawl through the history of vampires on the silver screen.

🎥 Silent beginnings: Nosferatu (1922) — Count Orlok’s plague-ridden nightmare and Bram Stoker’s widow’s lawsuit.

🦇 Universal era: Bela Lugosi’s Dracula (1931) — the cape, the accent, and the birth of the sexy vampire.

💉 Hammer Horror: Christopher Lee’s blood-soaked Dracula, cleavage, and technicolor gore.

🎶 1970s experimentation: Blackula, lesbian vampires, and disco-era bloodsuckers.

🎸 1980s cool factor: The Lost Boys, Fright Night, and Near Dark.

🕯️ 1990s Gothic revival: Coppola’s Dracula, Interview with the Vampire, and From Dusk Till Dawn.

🗡️ Action-horror hybrids: Wesley Snipes in Blade and the Underworld saga.

📺 TV fangs: Buffy, True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries.

✨ Twilight & beyond: Sparkly abstinent vampires vs. HBO’s blood-soaked camp.

🎭 Modern reboots: Eggers’ Nosferatu, Renfield, Abigail, and the vampire “renaissance.”

Vampires in film reflect our fears, desires, rebellion, and immortality fantasies. From rat-faced nightmares to romantic heroes, they never truly die — they just reinvent themselves.

📚 Grab signed copies of Brad’s books → BradRicks.com

Episode Description:

Brad opens up about:

Courtney and Brad also geek out over classic horror novels, favorite vampire movies (yes, The Lost Boys wins), and Brad reveals the secret sauce behind his writing routine. And yes, bourbon is involved.

🎂 It’s a birthday celebration, horror fan confession, and behind-the-scenes author chat all rolled into one bloody good episode.

🔍 Show Notes:

New Orleans: jazz, gumbo… and vampires?

In Episode 6 of The Night Crew Podcast, host Brad Ricks takes you deep into the mist-shrouded alleyways and blood-soaked lore of one of America’s most haunted cities—New Orleans. From the eerie legend of the Casket Girls to the mysterious, possibly immortal Jacques Saint Germain, and even a modern-day vampire subculture, this episode explores why the Big Easy is the unofficial vampire capital of the United States.

We’ll visit real-world locations steeped in shadow, unravel centuries-old legends, and pay homage to Anne Rice, the queen of modern vampire fiction. Whether you believe or not, by the end of this episode, you’ll think twice before knocking on the attic shutters of the Ursuline Convent.

So grab your garlic, your beignets, and maybe a blessed crucifix—this one's gonna be bloody good.

In this episode:

🦇 Why New Orleans Is Perfect for Vampires

🧳 The Casket Girls

🧛‍♂️ Jacques Saint Germain

🏚 The Carter Brothers

🩸 Modern Vampire Subculture

📖 Anne Rice’s Undying Legacy

🗺️ Spooky Spots to Visit in NOLA

Ursuline Convent

Bourbon Orleans Hotel

Boutique du Vampyre

Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar

📚 Brad Ricks Novels

📱 Follow Brad on Socials

📖 Coming Soon: The Night Crew 2: Bloodlust — Set in New Orleans and releasing this November!

“New Orleans doesn’t just have vampire stories. It is a vampire story.”

If you loved this eerie, funny, and fang-filled episode, make sure to follow, review, and share The Night Crew Podcast. Whether you’re Team Lestat, Team Louis, or just in it for the po’boys, there’s always a seat at the vampire’s table in New Orleans.

📄 Episode Description:

n this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, host Brad Ricks sits down with horror author and screenwriter BD Prince, whose darkly twisted imagination takes center stage. From writing humorous greeting cards and jokes for Joan Rivers to creating gut-wrenching horror fiction, BD Prince shares his unique journey from comedy to the macabre.

We dive deep into his creative process, his award-winning screenplay Boondocks, and how he juggles a day job with his passion for storytelling. BD opens up about the careful balance between scares and laughs, the haunting inspiration behind his stories, and what makes clowns the most terrifying monster of all (yes, he even drops the actual name for the fear of clowns!).

If you’re a fan of psychological horror, creepy circus lore, or just want to hear how a worm farm can scar a child for life and become a great horror story, this one’s for you.

Oh—and his short story collection drops in September, so don’t miss that teaser.

🔎 What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

🧛‍♂️ Favorite Horror Creature:

BD names clowns as his current top monster—and explains why they’re way creepier than you think.

🎪 Special Mentions:

🔗 Connect with BD Prince:

📚 Support the Show:

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review, share it with your horror-loving friends, and follow The Night Crew Podcast wherever you listen!

Find host Brad Ricks and his books at BradRicks.com or follow on Facebook and TikTok: @BradRicksAuthor

Keywords

writing, horror, comedy, inspiration, storytelling, screenwriting, novels, time management, creativity, monsters

#clownbprince #TheNightCrewPodcast #HorrorPodcast #AuthorInterview

Think you know how to kill a vampire? Think again.

In this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, host Brad Ricks goes full Van Helsing, guiding you through the wild, weird, and often hilarious ways vampires are destroyed around the world.

From Romania’s classic stake-through-the-heart to the Philippines’ terrifying Manananggal-slaying tactics, we tour vampire-killing lore across 27 countries (and one very smart Transylvanian grandma). We’re talking garlic, rice, mirrors, sacred mantras, flying heads, vampire snakes, fireflies, and chicken blood. It’s practical. It’s gruesome. It’s global.

Whether you’re a folklore buff, horror lover, or prepping for your next supernatural encounter, this episode has the tools you need to stay undead-free.

🧛‍♀️ Because you never know when a vampire will knock once at your door…

In this episode:

🧄 Vampire-Slaying 101:

🌍 International Methods of Vampicide:

Europe: Romania’s Strigoi, Bulgaria’s iron stakes, Greece’s door-knocking undead

Asia: Hopping vampires (China), fetus hunters (Philippines), flying heads (Japan & Malaysia)

Africa: Tree-dwelling Asanbosam, bloodsucking fireflies, and noble nail-biting vampires

Americas: Aztec witch-vamps, Caribbean fireballs, Brazilian were-vamps, and more

Arctic Vampires?! Yes. Soul-stealing fog monsters in Inuit myths

🎬 Pop Culture Vampires:

🧳 Your Ultimate Vampire Survival Kit:

🔮 Why So Many Cultures Have Vampire Myths:

Never answer a knock on the first try

Keep rice and salt nearby

Don't sleep near a window in the Philippines

Question fireflies and grandmas

If you hear wings at night, grab the garlic and start praying

✍️ Books by Brad Ricks

📱 Follow Brad Ricks

If you laughed, squirmed, or learned something new about fireball vampires and rice-obsessed spirits, be sure to follow, rate, and share the show. The Night Crew is always watching… and maybe counting grains of rice.

keywords

vampires, vampire slaying, folklore, horror, mythology, cultural significance, vampire legends, vampire survival, pop culture, vampire myths

In this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, host Brad Ricks sits down with horror author Joe Scipione—creator of the Mr. Nightmare series—for a deep dive into the creative chaos of writing monsters, aliens, and haunted middle-school trauma. From his long road to publication, to accidentally getting punched in the face on Bourbon Street, Joe shares the inspiration behind his stories, what scares him, and how a fly helped inspire him.

You’ll hear all about his upcoming projects (including Until Sunrise and Project Vega), his love of aliens, why the Alien movie franchise still slaps, and what it’s like juggling horror with history, harmonicas, and parenting.

Whether you're a fellow writer, a fan of cosmic horror, or just want to know why Joe refuses to watch Nightmare on Elm Street, this episode is equal parts funny, inspiring, and full of the creepy-crawly stuff we love.

🖋️ About Joe Scipione

Author of Mr. Nightmare, Never Dead, The Gods Among Them, and more

Represented by Wicked House Publishing and also self-publishes select works

Website: https://www.joescipione.com

If you enjoyed this interview, leave a 5-star review, follow the show, and share it with a fellow horror nerd. For more author interviews and deep dives into vampire legends and other creepy creatures, tune in every Monday.

"I wrote Mr. Nightmare 20 minutes at a time while my daughter was on school breaks. It was the fastest book I’ve ever written—and the one people won’t stop talking about."

🧛‍♂️ Order The Night Crew Book 1

🧠 Follow Brad Ricks

Keywords

horror, writing, Joe Scipione, Mr. Nightmare, podcast, author interview, inspiration, literary influences, alien movies, horror genre

#joescipione #TheNightCrewPodcast #HorrorPodcast #AuthorInterview

In Episode 2 of The Night Crew Podcast, we sink our teeth into one of the most iconic—and undead—figures in horror history: Dracula.

From the brutal legacy of Vlad the Impaler to the shadowy genius of Bram Stoker, this episode peels back the coffin lid to explore how Dracula went from medieval warlord to literary legend to pop culture icon.

We dive into gory historical tales (yes, there will be impalement), dissect the Victorian fears hidden in the pages of Dracula, and trace the count’s ever-evolving presence on screens big and small—from Bela Lugosi to Hotel Transylvania.

Whether you’re a fan of gothic horror, historical bloodbaths, or just curious about how a 15th-century prince became Halloween royalty, this one’s for you.

🧛‍♂️ Order The Night Crew Book 1

🧠 Follow Brad Ricks

If you enjoyed the episode, follow the show, leave a 5-star review, and share it with your fellow horror fans. The Night Crew is just getting started…

Welcome to the very first episode of The Night Crew Podcast, where things that go bump in the night get their time in the spotlight. Host and author Brad Ricks kicks off the vampire series with a fang-tastic overview of bloodsuckers throughout history and across the globe.

From ancient Eastern European folklore to fetus-hunting monsters from the Philippines (yes, really), we explore where vampires come from, why they terrify us, and how they became the sexy, brooding icons of pop culture.

Whether you're team Dracula, team Edward, or just into weird vampire facts, this episode serves up history, horror, and a hearty bite of humor.

🧛‍♂️ Grab your garlic and settle in—the Night Crew is clocking in.

🧛‍♀️ Get Your Copy of The Night Crew Book 1

🧠 Follow Brad Ricks

If you liked the episode, follow, rate, and share the podcast. The monsters are just getting started…

This is a preview of things to come on the next few episodes of The Night Crew Podcast.