Staring Into the Abyss: A Podcast

The Abyss always comes back! In this week's episode the gang gathered together to discuss Katherine Silva's Undead Folk. Before diving into some grief, they chat up Expedition 33, Thunderbolts, Sinners, Daniel Barnett's Nightmareland Chronicles, Pilgrim: A Medieval Horror by Mitchell Luthi, Josh Rountree's Death Aesthetic, Tales of the Dying Earth by Jack Vance, You, and Withernot. Now join us by the fire and listen in!

Happy Death Day to us all!!! This week the gang welcomes John Cady to discuss his book series Angela of Death. Before learning about the intricices of Death, they chat about Martha Wells' Murderbot Diaries, Lily by Daniel Barnett, 825 Forest Road, Charlene Elsby's The Organization Is Here to Support You, TRVE CVLT by Michael Bettendorf, and Eric LaRocca's This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Distrubances.    Read Angela of Death

Come on down and get yourself some horror podcast fun!! This week the Abyss gang dives into mother daughter trauma and cyber bodies in Kelsea Yu's In Our Skin. Before that they chat about The Rule of Jenny Penn, Ghoulish Book Fest, Ryan C. Bradley's Say Uncle, Puppet's Banquet by Valkyrie Loughcrewe, Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins, and The Devil in the Family.  Read In Our Skin

Hey yo Children! Welcome back to the podcast hour! This week the Abyss crew tackles She Sheds Her Skin by Raven Jakubowski. Before diving in, they chat about Common Side Effects, Invincible, Evil, Daredevil: Born Again, and Ghosts. Now sit down and listen in!

Do you have a minute to accept head slugs as our lords and saviors? This week the gang go on a pulpy adventure to Mars to discuss The Vaults of Yoh-Vombis by Clark Ashton Smith. Before removing their hats and giving their craniums up to the slugs, they chat about Pantheon, The Pitt, S.M. Stirling's Conan: Blood of the Serpent, The Heritic, The Black Maybe by Attila Veres, Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle, and Duncan Ralston's Puzzle House. Now give in to the head slugs and let them do their thing!

Roll for sanity! This week the Abyss gang dives into P. Djèlí Clark's The Dead Cat Tail Assassins. Before they get deep into this world, they discuss Cobra Kai, Captain America: Brave New World, Grotesquerie, Dexter: Original Sin, Brian McNaughton's The Throne of Bones, and Interplanetaries by Clark Ashton Smith. Awww, looks like you rolled a one, so you have to listen now!

Holy crap we still exist! That's right folks, the Abyss gang is back! This time they discuss a bit about what they are looking forward to in 2025 as well get back into the swing of things by chatting what they've consummed recently. 

Run! The Season is upon us! This week the Abyss crew asks the question "is it really boring being an antichrist?" as they talk about Gemma Files' Little Horn. Before finding the answer they chat about Creature Commandos, Brian Asman's Good Dogs, Vermus, Dark Property by Brian Evenson, The Hour of the Oxrun Dead by Charles L Grant, and Smile 2. Now pick up some coffee and check out that crazy face monster!   Read Little Horn

It's the last friggin' month of the year! We at the Abyss thought it might be fun to discuss some things we liked throughout 2024. From graphic novels to movies to anime to books, it's a great look at what was happening. Now grab some eggnog and listen in!

Do you believe in bones? This week the Abyss crew gets Ghoulish with Max Booth to discuss their newest book I Believe in Mister Bones. Before they start questioning what those bones are doing, they chat about Heretic, Justin Lutz's Give Unto Us, The Flick by Annie Baker, Sinclair Lewis' It Can't Happen Here, and Tone-Bone by Kyle Winkler. Now strap those jaws to a garage door opener and listen in!   Buy I Believe in Mister Bones 

Grab your plastic pumpkins and Dollar Store skeletons! It's time for our annual Halloween season tradition of having Matt Wildasin on to discuss spooky stuff! This year we chat about what gets you in the mood for October. Before putting on our costumes, we review Teacup, Jonathan Maberry's The Dragon in Winter, Milk & Cereal, Critters, Bone Tomahawk, and Absolute Batman. Now turn the lights low, hand out some candy, and listen in!

Come get your podcasts here!! This week the whole Abyss crew is together to dig into some tasty Bonesoup by Eugenia Triantafyllou. Before visiting a witch for cooking tips, they chat up The WNUF Halloween Special, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Voidcon recap, Uzumaki, The Platform 2, Don't Hold Your Breath, and Whispers IV edited by Stuart David Schiff. Now make sure you eat every bite and listen in!   Listen/read Bonesoup

Did you hear they're making podcasts now? The Abyss crew, minus one, get together to discuss a demon with Sara Gran's Come Closer. Before they dig in, they chat about A Sunny Place for Shady People by Mariana Enriquez, The Circle, and Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2. Now slide those headphones on and listen in!

Y'all wanna buy a packet of flesh? This week the Abyss gang explores the wretched carnival district in LC von Hessen's The Carnival is Dead and Gone(in Cosmic Horror Monthly). Before they make a strange deal they discuss I was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones, Anthony Engebretson's Lumberjack, Morgana and Oz, Marvel's new run of Ultimate Spiderman, Stay on the Line by Clay McCleod Chapman, and Katherine Silva's Undead Folk. Now put on your mask and close the blinds, things are going to get Ligottian!   Read The Carnival is Dead and Gone

Somehow Staring Into The Abyss returned!! That's right, after a month of silence part of the gang is back. This week we take a look at what we've been reading and watching while we were gone, chatting up Danger Slater's Starlet, Umbrella Academy, A Spectre is Haunting Greentree by Carson Winter, Nathan Ballingrud's Crypt of the Moon Spider, Glass Stories by Ivy Grimes, Alien: Romulus, Scavenger's Reign, The Book of Bill by Bill Cipher, Baghead, and Taunt. Now, keep staring into that void and maybe we'll come back soon!!!

You all wanna do some magic?! This week the Abyss gang is joined by Shaun Hamill to discuss his new book The Dissonance. Before digging into his writing process and influences they chat about Trap, Patrick Barb's The Children's Horror, Longlegs, House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias, John Fram's No Road Home, Deadpool & Wolverine, Invaginies by Joe Koch, What We Do In the Shadows, and Scavenger's Reign. Now let's go in the woods and learn some secrets!

In a very special Abyss episode: sequels! The gang sits down to discuss horror fiction sequels and ask why don't we see more of them. Before this deep dive they chat about Josh Malerman's Incidents Around the House, Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook, Moses Ose Utomi's The Lies of the Ajungo and The Truth of the Aleke, City in Ruins by Don Winslow, Longlegs, The Haunted Bath, and Haunted Reels: Tales From the Minds of Professional Filmmakers. Now get ready for the gang to be serious!!!

Let's join the abyss crew on vacation!!!! They found this cool little house in Hawaii, Marc Laidlaw suggested it in his story Paradise Retouched. Before they check out the pictures on the wall, they discuss My Favorite Thing is Monsters vol 2 by Emil Ferris, Ryo Hanada's Betwixt: A Horror Manga Anthology, and The Acolyte. Now listen in as we try to figure out who's whistling outside...   Read Paradise Retouched 

Remember when TVs had static? Crazy times! This week the Abyss gang find the truth behind the world in Mark Samuels' The Age of Decayed Futurity. Before freezing to death they discuss Thomas Ligotti's Michigan Basement, Ancient Images by Ramsey Campbell, A Cure For Wellness, Under the Banner of Heaven, Rob Ramierez's Doomsday Daytrip, and Cold, Black & Infinite by Todd Kiesling. Now strap in and get ready for the future!

Awww yeah, magically horror times ahead!! This week the Abyss gang discuss two short stories! Spirit Tasting for Ridley House, April 2016 by Alex Acks and You Were Once Wild Here by Carlie St. George. Before the dive into these amazing tales they take a look at Under Paris, Nathaniel Benchly's The Visitors, Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult, and Violent Faculties by Charlene Elsby. Now sit back and enjoy! Read Spirit Tasting for Ridley House, April 2016 Read You Were Once Wild Here

[Insert witty welcome here] This week the Abyss gang is joined by Matt Wildasin to discuss his new book The Vast. Before entering the apartment that might be from Silent Hill, they chat about In A Violent Nature, Furiosa, Clarkson's Farm, Bodkin, and Late Night With the Devil. Now fight back thoses ghosts and listen in!  Buy The Vast

You want the weird? I got your weird right here! This week the gang digs into some weird media outside of the book world. Before they get there they discuss Animal Well, I Saw the TV Glow, Carnosaur by Harry Adam Knight, Stephen King's You Like it Darker, Perchance to Dream: Selected Stories by Charles Beaumont, and Smarty Pants. Now let's get crazy, wait, no, I mean, let's get weird!

Calling all ghost and trauma enthusiasts! The Abyss crew wants you! Join them and Laurel Hightower as they delve deep into narcissim and hauntings in her newest book: The Day of the Door. Before exploring the past they discuss Matthew M. Bartlett's Creeping Waves, Rebel Moon, A Spectre is Haunting Greentree by Carson Winter, Michael Tichy's The Winnowing Draw, Them, Late Night With the Devil, The Fall of the House of Usher, Welcome to Your Body: Lessons in Evisceration, Dredge, and Peter Walker's Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving. Now, don't look behind you and listen in!   Buy The Day of the Door

It's time kiddos! The Abyss crew talk with Sean Malia Thompson about his upcoming book Clear Lake Killer: 1974. Before that they discuss 2023, serial killers, and dive in to Abigail, Infested, Love LIes Bleeding, Humane, Baby Reindeer, and The Circle. Now dig and enjoy!

Oh goodie, another podcast episode! This week the Abyss gang is joined by Madeleine Swann to discuss how reality can be better and her new book Reality But More Fun. Before diving into this wacky theme park they chat about The First Omen, Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again by Shigeru Kayama, The Boogeyman, American Fiction, Fallout, and Michael Tichy's The Winnowing Draw. Now step into the headset and listen in!

How many times can we say con in this episode?? This week the Abyss crew takes a look at cons. They share their opinions on do's and don'ts, expectations, and their general thoughts about those fun things that happens when creatives get in one giant space. Before con talk, they discuss Harlan Ellison's Greatest Hits, Suzume, Where Wolf by Rob Saucedo, and Fallout. Now strap in and get your con education!   *Note: this is just our opinions and thoughts, by no means does this represent everyone's experience at a con. 

Dear listners, have we got a podcast for you! This week the Abyss gang digs into the layers of being a parent to a serial killer with Paula D Ashe's The Mother of All Monsters. Before they chat about the extreme measures taken to ensure your child stops, they discuss Late Night With the Devil, The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa, The Program, Quiet on the Set, and Kelly Link's White Cat, Black Dog: Stories. 

What's scarier than a haunted neighborhood? A new episode!! This week the Abyss gang is joined by Gwendolyn Kiste to discuss her newest book The Haunting of Velkwood. Before diving into the grief and ghosts, they chat about Poor Things, The Crimson Labyrinth by Yusuke Kishi, Jamison Shea's I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me, FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans, The Program, Joshua Hull's Mouth, and Happiness. Be just a little afraid as we dig in to the past and listen in!

It's time, Abyss time!!! On this week's episode the Abyss crew sit down to spotlight some of their favorite Black horror writers and their books. Before the deep dive they discuss All the Fiends of Hell by Adam Nevill, Maurice Broaddus' Knights of Breton Court, The Kill List, Mark Russell's Cereal, Enchanted Pilgrimage by Clifford D. Simak, Invincible, and The Marvels. Now listen in and hopefully you'll find a new favorite writer!

Hey kids! You have your moss ready? Good, because you'll need it when the Abyss gang chat with Kyle Winkler and Laurel Hightower about Winkler's Grasshands! Before they dive into libraries and nature, they discuss the last issue of Vastarien, Hailey Piper's Even the Worm Will Turn, From the Belly by Emmett Nahil, Richard Mirabella's Brother & Sister Enter the Forest, Michael Cisco's Pest, and Dan Chaon's Sleepwalk. Now, start eating that moss and listen in!!

Ahhh yeah!!! You can't escape the Abyss! The Abyss crew is back and discussing Tananarive Due's The Wishing Pool. Before they tell you why you should be careful what you wish for, they chat up True Detective, American Fiction, Cobra Kai, Adam Nevill's All the Fiends of Hell, The Hangman Feeds the Jackal by Coy Hall, MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios by Joanna Robinson, Robert E Howard's The Coming of Conan, American Nightmare, Hailey Piper's Even the Worm Will Turn. Now get ready for another year of Staring Into the Abyss!! Read The Wishing Pool

Happy Abyssmas!!! Don't spend time with your family, spend it with the Abyss crew as they take a look back at 2023. Hear about some of their favorite things from the year, about potatoes, Iceland winter traditions, and elbow pics. We'll be back in 2024!

Another Christmas in the trenches!! It's time for some warm and fuzzy holiday feelings as the Abyss gang sits down to enjoy Kealan Patrick Burke's Visitation Rights. Before they check for presents, they discuss Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, The Boy and the Heron, P.L. McMillian's Sisters of the Crimson Vine, Godzilla Minus One, Terrified, and When Evil Lurks. Merry Christmas ya filthy animals!   Buy Dead of Winter

It's time to learn about a new religion! The Abyss gang is joined by Nicole Cushing to discuss her new novella The Plastic Priest and discover the word. Before sitting in the church, they chat about Godzilla Minus One, Speed Racer, Garrett Cook's A God of Hungry Walls, Chaindevils by Matthew Mitchell, Kristopher Triana's Along the River of Flesh, Wise Guy, and Milan Kundera's The Farewell Party. Now grab those action figures and listen! Buy The Plastic Priest

When this baby hits 88 miles per hour... your podcast is going to explode! The Abyss gang gets all time travelly this week when they discuss Steve Rasnic Tem's A is for Alphabet. Before, or after, they step into the phone booth, they chat about Thanksgiving, Alex Jenning's The Ballad of Perilous Graves, Along the River of Flesh by Kristopher Triana, Bernardo Esquinca's The Secret Life of Insects and Other Stories, Megg & Mogg, Thomas Ligotti's Noctuary and The Spectral Link, and Only Murders in the Building. Now, remember to not mess up the timeline and listen in!   Click here to read A is for Alphabet

What's up people of earth?! Part of the Abyss gang is joined by Todd Keisling to stare and chatter about Keisling's Cold, Black & Infinite: Stories of the Horrific & Strange. Before digging into the collection they discuss Five Nights at Freddy's, Barbie, Alan Wake 2, Brainwyrms by Alison Rumfitt, Manly Wade Wellman's John the Balladeer, Appendage, The Dark & The Wicked, and Fright Night. Now take a step into the unknown!

It's almost time children, do you have your masks ready? This week the Abyss gang sits down by the fireside to chat local spooky legends with Matt Wildasin. Before they freak themselves out they discuss The Crow, The Fall of the House of Usher, Frost Bite by Angela Sylvaine, Jordan Peele's Out There Screaming, The Vile Thing We Created by Robert P. Ottone, and Red Lagoe's Impulses of a Necrotic Heart: and Other Afflictions. Now, check that those marshmellows don't burn and enjoy!

Aww snap, it's happening again! This week the Abyss gang ventures into your local library with special guest Rami Ungar to discuss Stephen King's The Library Policeman. As they attempt to check out how to get rich books they chat about When Darkness Lurks, The Fall of the House of Usher, Chet Williamson's The Crow: Clash by Night, House of Rejects by Dustin McNeill, Brian Evenson's Fugue State, Land of the Dead, Christopher Golden's All Hallows, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and Robert P. Ottone's The Vile Thing We Create. Now watch out for that librarian!   Buy HANNAH and Other Stories

Some things can't be killed. After a temporary break to reclaim their sanity, the Abyss gang trudges back to the depths to discuss what has been consuming them for the last couple of weeks. Find out about A Black and Endless Sky by Matthew Lyons, Maggots Screaming! by Max Booth III, Bauldur's Gate III, Susan Hill's The Man in the Picture, Ben Arzate's Music is Over!; or The Facts Concerning the Disappearance of Juntaro Yamanouchi, No One Will Save You, and Castlevania: Nocturne. Now discover how the Abyss is endless!

The bells are ringing! This week the Abyss gang is joined by Daniel Braum to talk about those damn bells in Robert Aickman's Ringing the Changes. Before dancing the night away they chat up Braum's The Serpent's Shadow, God is a Bullet, Kiersten White's Hide, The Changeling, and White Cat, Black Dog: Stories by Kelly Link. Now if only those bells would shut up so you could listen! Buy The Serpent's Shadow

Doom comes to Abyss town!!! This week the Abyss crew gets jacked up to chat Matt Wildasin's Gore. Before punching a demon in the throat they talk One Piece, Don Winslow's Savages, The Secret of Ventriloquism by Jon Padgett, Keirsten White's Hide, Invasion, and How to be a Cult Leader. Now punch in the cheat code and get some! Buy Gore

Let's all go down to the water! The Abyss crew visits a small village in Brazil to check out Into the River by Clara Madrigano. While stopping by a masoleum they chat up Bones and All, Horror in the High Desert, Blood on the Tracks, Chuck Tingle's Camp Damascus, Tribal Screams by Owl Goingback, Shadow of the Sith by Adam Christopher, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Hell of a Boss, and Caitlin Marceau's A Blackness Absolute. Now it's time to get outta here before the water rises!! Read Into the River

Greetings and welcome stranger! Listen as the Abyss gang get into trouble reading a strange journal titled The Woman In the Woods by Daniel Mills. As they creepily dig into a stranger's thoughts they chat about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Cobweb, Solar Opposites, Daniel Braum's The Serpent's Shadow, Experimental Film by Gemma Files, Howls From Hell, Afterparty, Netflix's The Midnight Club, Renfield, Consecration, Talk to Me, Twisted Metal, and Into the Sublime by Kate A. Boorman. Did you get all that? Now, let's see what this journal says about those woods! Buy Among the Lillies by Daniel Mills

Hey, we're podcasting over here! The Abyss gang is hanging out in the Jersey swamps to chat about Jeffrey Ford's Pretty Good Neighbor. Before the lizards appear they discuss This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal E-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, Daniel Braum's The Night Marchers, Vastarien vol 6 issue 1, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and Philip Fracassi's Boys in the Valley. Now get in the car and listen in! Read Pretty Good Neighbor

Ooooh buddy, this is happening! The Abyss gang has pens in hands and are following Gemma Files' writing prompt from her story Venio. Before they describe what's behind the door, they chat up Stephen Graham Jones' My Heart is a Chainsaw, Talk To Me, Shin Kamen Masked Rider, Twisted Metal, The Wind Began to Howl by Laird Barron, David Peak's Corpsepaint, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Evil Dead Rises, Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi. Now, put those ears up to the wall and listen in! Listen to Venio by Gemma Files

Ahhh yeahh boyyeeee, let's go to Vermont! This week the gang travels to a quaint town in the middle of nowhere to check out Gavin's Field by Steve Rasnic Tem. As they play with some bugs they discuss I Am A Ghost, The Walking Dead: Dead City, Eric Williams' Toadstones, Geek Love by Katherine Dunn, Fake Documentary "Q", Skull Island, From, and Lucy A. Snyder's Sister, Maiden, Monster. It's time to explore the woods, enjoy! Read Gavin's Field

Hey! Don't go in that basement....unless you really need to, then just ignore the monsters, it's cool. This week the Abyss gang is joined by Nadia Bulkin, Julia Rios, and Christa Carmen to discuss the Kickstarter campaign for Why Didn't You Just Leave. Before they explore the attic, they talk their favorite haunted house stories and movies, including Ghostwatch, Mike Flanagan's Haunting of Hill House, Kane Pixel's Backrooms, The Haunting of 13 Olúwo Street by Suyi Davies Okungbowa, and I Am A Ghost. Now, just accept the noises in your house and listen to us! Read The Haunting of 13 Olúwo Street Support the Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cursedmorsels/why-didnt-you-just-leave

Hey yo, check this crazy podcast out! This week two of our hosts are joined by Aquino Loayza to chat about Gordon by Caitlin Marceau. Before diving in, they dig into Across the Spiderverse, From, Black Mirror, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, The Pope's Exorcist, and Willy's Wonderland. Now get ready to listen some cat talk!

Greetings and well met stranger! Sit here with the Abyss crew and listen to them tell you a tale of broken relationships with Carmen Maria Machado's Horror Story. They might get distracted first and discuss things like How to Blow Up a Pipeline, Shivers, The Witch Part 1, Shortwave Publishing's Obsolescence: A Dark Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Anthology, Encyclopedia Sharksploitanica by Susan Snyder, Criminal Minds: Evolution, and The Unholy. Are you comfortable? Good, because this is going to be a good one.  Read Horror Story

Hey, listening to a podcast? That's cool. Why not go on a trip with the Abyss crew and Judith Sonnet as they go and have The Tulsa Experience by Lawrence Block. Before they take the tour they discuss Barry, I Think You Should Leave, Diablo IV, John Langan's Corpsemouth, The Man Without a Transit Pass by Jaroslav Hasek, Jonathan Raab's Project Vampire Killer, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Slasher, Lure by Tim McGregor, and The Jade Unicorn by Jay Halpern. Now, let's just stop by a grocery store real quick as we listen!

Hey, come here and check out these lattices! The Abyss gang is joined by Zachary Rosenberg as they chat about the great Karl Edward Wagner's Sticks. Before they tromp through the woods they discuss Succession, Preston Fassel's Landis: The Story of a Real Man on 42nd Street, True Detective, Our Own Unique Affliction by Scott J. Moses, Caroline Kepnes' For You and Only You, The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw, Whalefall by Daniel Kraus, and John Langan's Technicolor. Now, listen to us and don't go in that cabin!