The People in the Dark

In this episode Chris is joined by short story author James Dermond to discuss the 1976 Richard Donner film, The Omen. They talk about their initial reactions to the film, how it has influenced popular culture over the years and the inspired casting choices. James also talks to Chris about his series of short story collections, Doorways to the Unseen, and his meticulous approach to research and editing.Check out James' books and links  -James' WebsiteJames' Amazon Author PageDoorways to the Unseen 1Doorways to the Unseen 2Doorways to the Unseen 3Doorways to the Unseen 4My book:AstarothJust the Thing podcast:Just The Thing (buzzsprout.com)

In this episode podcaster Spooky Sarah Says joins Chris to discuss the much maligned horror-sequel Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2. They talk about their initial reactions to the original Blair Witch Project, how the sequel attempted to build on the story and director Joe Berlinger's deliberately antagonistic approach to the studio. Also discussed are the fascinating supplementary films and books that have added to the Blair Witch legend over the years.Check out Sarah's podcasts and links  -Spooky Sarah Says on TwitterSarah's WebsiteFinal Girl's Feast podcastMy book:AstarothJust the Thing podcast:Just The Thing (buzzsprout.com)

In this episode author and brother of the host, Peter Regan, talks about the 1979 film Time After Time, in which H.G. Wells time travels to present-day San Francisco in pursuit of Jack the Ripper. Peter also talks about his own book, The Strange Case of Robert Louis Stevenson, and how the film may have influenced his work. There is also some chat about video games, blood in 1970s movies and the challenges of writing characters based on real people.Links to Peter's book -The Strange Case of Robert Louis Stevenson on AmazonPeter's blogMy book:Astaroth

In the most bloody episode yet, Chris Regan talks to extreme horror author Judith Sonnet about The Church, the 1989 Italian horror movie directed by Michele Soavi. Judith and Chris also talk about Andrea Bianchi's 1981 zombie movie, Burial Ground as well as discussing Judith's own books The Clown Hunt, Torture the Sinners and Repugnant. The conversation moves to cover the appeal of gore in horror, how horror gore is different to violence in real life and writing diverse characters.Links to Judith's pages and works -Amazon Author PageThe Clown Hunt on AmazonTorture the Sinners on AmazonRepugnant on AmazonJudith on TwitterMy book:Astaroth

In this episode author James Lefebure talks about one of Stephen King's lesser known works, Rose Madder, and its influence on his own recent book, The Books of Sarah. Both books deal with domestic violence so we cover some dark subject matter, but we also talk about managing a dual narrative, writing dialogue and there's an interesting tangent on found footage movies.Links to James's pages and works -Amazon Author PageThe Books of Sarah on AmazonThe Books of Sarah on GodlessJames on TwitterJames on TikTokReview of Starvecrow by Paz vs StuffMy book:Astaroth

A conversation about the 1981 John Landis movie An American Werewolf in London with horror author D E McCluskey.Links to Dave's pages and works -Amazon Author PageCrackThe TwelveTime RipperDave on TwitterDammaged Productions Facebook PageOther works mentioned:Men, Women and Chainsaws by Carol CloverMy book:Astaroth

In this episode playwright and podcaster Christina Alagaratnam talks about R.L. Stine's horror series, Goosebumps. We also talk about Christina's play, Face to Face, a dark drama about a woman confronting her father's killer which does share some thematic connections with the Goosebumps series, as we discover in the episode.Christina's play, PlayFight, will be performed at Theatre Peckham on 2nd and 3rd June, 2022.Tickets can be purchased from the Theatre Peckham website Christina's website is https://chrissysnotebook.com/You can follow her on Twitter and InstagramHer podcast is The Night WriterMy book, Astaroth, is available here.

Each week on The People in the Dark, podcast host Chris Regan talks to a writer or creator about their horror influences.In this episode Cassie Carnage opens the puzzle box to discuss Clive Barker's 1987 classic, Hellraiser, and its influence on her love of horror and her writing. Other topics discussed include rural Michigan folklore, Richard Matheson's A Stir of Echoes, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House and the likely origin of most haunted house stories.Click the links below to check out Cassie's books:DevouredWe Are All MonstersHere's a link to my book, AstarothAlso, here's a link to the Doug Bradley book we discuss in the episode.