124 – State of the Horror Nation 2022, with Emily Hughes & Janelle Janson

Send us a text

It’s that time of year again. A time to reflect, to look back over a tumultuous twelve months, and to talk about the horror books that helped us survive them.

2022 has been a helluva year for the good kind of horror. Far too much for one man to cover. So I’ve drafted in some highly qualified friends – Emily Hughes and Janelle Janson. They have their fingers right on the arterial spurt of the genre – and they have each read far more than me.

Together we deliver this year's State of the Horror Nation – talking about big issues in horror, the key books we’ve adored…and the dozens and dozens of titles we’re looking forward to in 2023.

We raise a glass to a late and beloved horror icon, we make some new year’s resolutions, and Janelle and Emily get a bit squeaky about their big horror crush. Bet you can guess who (it’s not me!)

Thanks for all your support this year.

Books picked:

• Ghost Eaters (2022), by Clay McLeod Chapman – ep. 110
• A Child Alone With Strangers (2022), by Philip Fracassi – ep. 120
• Echo (2022), by Thomas Olde Heuvelt – ep. 78
• Our Share of Night (2022), by Mariana Enriquez
• All the White Spaces (2022), by Ally Wilkes – ep. 76
• We Are Here to Hurt Each Other (2022), by Paula D. Ashe
• Mary: An Awakening of Terror (2022), by Nat Cassidy – ep. 101
• Burn the Plans (2022), by Tyler Jones – ep. 81
• Just Like Home (2022), by Sarah Gailey

 Books anticipated: 

• Don’t Fear the Reaper (2023), by Stephen Graham Jones 
• Silver Nitrate (2023), by Silvia Moreno Garcia
• Vampires of el Norte (2023), by Isabel Cañas
• Pinata (2023), by Leopoldo Gout
• Tell Me I’m Worthless (2023), by Alison Rumfitt (already out in UK)
• Spite House (2023), by Jonny Compton
• Lone Women (2023), by Victor Lavelle
• Everything Darkness Eats (2023), by Eric LaRocca
• Episode 13 (2023), by Craig Dilouie
• House of Good Bones (2023), by T. Kingfisher
• Nights Edge (2023), by Liz Kerin
• The Edge of Sleep (2023), by Jake Emmanuel
• The Drift (2023), by C. J. Tudor
• Bad Cree (2023), by Jessica Johns
• Maeve Fly (2023), by C.J. Leade
• A Light Most Hateful (2023), by Hailey Piper
• Looking Glass Sound (2023), by Catriona Ward
• The Beast You Are (2023), by Paul Tremblay
• The Salt Grows Heavy (2023), by Cassandra Khaw
• Burn the Negative (2023), by Josh Winning
• How to Sell a Haunted House (2023), by Grady Hendrix
• Abnormal Statistics (2023), by Max Booth III
• The Insatiable Volt Sisters (2023), by Rachel Eve Moulton
• Camp Damascus (2023), by Chuck Tingle
• Extended Stay (2023), by Juan Martinez
• House of Cotton (2023), by Monica Brashears 

Support Talking Scared on Patreon

Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram,

Support the show

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices