Books in the Freezer - A Horror Fiction Podcast

Come one! Come all to my conversation with author Chris Panatier. We are talking about his book Shitshow from Sobelo Books and carnival horror.  Movies Mentioned:  Carnival of Souls Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 Final Destination 3 House of 1000 Corpses Big Fish Nope Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Books Mentioned:  Shitshow by Chris Panatier Geek Love by Katherine Dunn Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard Ride or Die by Delilah S. Dawson The Only Harmless Great Thing by Bo Bolander Hide by Kiersten White Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney Final Girl Song Check out the final girl songs here! Merch is finally available! Join the Reading Challenge! How to support Books in the Freezer We are on Patreon! Check us out! There’s a lot of fun going on in the Patreon community. At the Final Girl level you can get episodes early and find out about topics and guests beforehand. Axe-Wielding Maniacs get to be part of a Voxer group chat and join in Netflix movie nights. Malevolent Spirits get everything that’s been mentioned and bonus episodes!  

This is a repost of an episode from 2024 where Jocelyn and I discussed Frankenstein Retellings!  Have you watched the new Guillermo Del Toro Frankenstein? What did you think of it?    Shownotes here

Author Joe Hill is on the show this week to talk about his latest book King Sorrow and whether a horror story is only as good as its villains.  Books mentioned:  King Sorrow by Joe Hill The Fireman by Joe Hill The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien The Secret History by Donna Tart  Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez  The Passage by Justin Cronin The Reformatory by Tananarive Due The Gunslinger by Stephen King Fright or Flight: 17 Turbulent Tales edited by Bev Vincent and Stephen King Double Feature by Owen King The Trap  by Tabitha King Save Yourself by Kelly Braffet Rovers by Richard Lange 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill  Locke and Key: The Golden Age by Joe HIll Sea Dogs by Joe Hill  Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brien The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn Dracula by Bram Stoker Let the Right One In by John Ajvde Lindqvist Final Girl Song Check out the final girl songs here! Merch is finally available! Join the Reading Challenge! How to support Books in the Freezer We are on Patreon! Check us out! There’s a lot of fun going on in the Patreon community. At the Final Girl level you can get episodes early and find out about topics and guests beforehand. Axe-Wielding Maniacs get to be part of a Voxer group chat and join in Netflix movie nights. Malevolent Spirits get everything that’s been mentioned and bonus episodes!  

I was thrilled that Victor LaValle was able to join me to help recommend books with jerk main characters. Be sure the check out the new paperback editions of four of his books and catch The Devil in Silver on AMC in 2026.  Books mentioned:  The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle The Changeling by Victor LaValle The Shining by Stephen King American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson Boy Parts by Eliza Clark Dark Places by Gillian Flynn A Personal Matter by Kenzaburo Oe Final Girl Song Check out the final girl songs here! Merch is finally available! Join the Reading Challenge! How to support Books in the Freezer We are on Patreon! Check us out! There’s a lot of fun going on in the Patreon community. At the Final Girl level you can get episodes early and find out about topics and guests beforehand. Axe-Wielding Maniacs get to be part of a Voxer group chat and join in Netflix movie nights. Malevolent Spirits get everything that’s been mentioned and bonus episodes!

Full episode available on Patreon It's Fear Street Friday and this week we are heading to Camp Nightwing! I was very happy to be joined by Liz Sower from the fantastic Ghosts in the Burbs podcast.  Synopsis: Who killed the counselor? “I could kill you!” screamed Geri Marcus. Could she? Would she? something is very wrong at Camp Nightwing, and junior counselor Holly Flynn is determined to solve the mystery before it destroys the camp! The trouble begins with frightening acts of vandalism. After each, a red feather is left behind—signature of the culprit. Suddenly, one of the counselors is dead. “An accident,” say the police. But Holly knows better—and she knows she’s next. Holly can’t trust anyone now, not even her best friend, as she stalks the camp killer—and hopes that it soon won’t be “lights out” for her!

Neil McRobert is back on the pod today. This time as a published author!! We are here to talk about his fantastic novella Good Boy and the horrors of small towns.  Books Mentioned:  Good Boy by Neil McRobert\ Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare The Ghosts of Sleath by James Herbert The Low Low Woods by Carmen Maria Machado Jackal by Erin E Adams The Night Country by Stewart O Nan Itch! by Gemma Amor The Poorly Made and Other Things by Sam Rebelein The October Film Haunt by Michael Wehunt It by Stephen King Final Girl Song Check out the final girl songs here! Merch is finally available! Join the Reading Challenge! How to support Books in the Freezer We are on Patreon! Check us out! There’s a lot of fun going on in the Patreon community. At the Final Girl level you can get episodes early and find out about topics and guests beforehand. Axe-Wielding Maniacs get to be part of a Voxer group chat and join in Netflix movie nights. Malevolent Spirits get everything that’s been mentioned and bonus episodes!

I was joined by Hailey Piper to talk about her latest short story collection, Teenage Girls Can Be Demons, and Coming of Rage horror. This collection includes several fan favorites including, "Benny Rose, the Cannibal King" and "Unkindly Girls." Listen to our conversation about why rage accompanies coming into yourself and your powers.   Books Mentioned:  Teenage Girls Can Be Demons by Hailey Piper A Game in Yellow by Hailey Piper Chlorine by Jade Song The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow Penance by Eliza Clark The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix   Final Girl Song Check out the final girl songs here! Merch is finally available! Join the Reading Challenge! How to support Books in the Freezer We are on Patreon! Check us out! There’s a lot of fun going on in the Patreon community. At the Final Girl level you can get episodes early and find out about topics and guests beforehand. Axe-Wielding Maniacs get to be part of a Voxer group chat and join in Netflix movie nights. Malevolent Spirits get everything that’s been mentioned and bonus episodes!

  I was joined by the wonderful Tiffany Gonzalez (@tiffanyconlibros) to talk about what to read for Latine/Hispanic Heritage month! Books Mentioned: A Sunny Place for Shady People: Stories by Mariana Enriquez (translated by Megan McDowell) Things We Lost in the Fire: Stories by Mariana Enriquez (translated by Megan McDowell) What Happened to Ruthie Ramirez by Claire Jimenez The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas The Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas Candelaria by Melissa Lozada-Olivia Dreaming of You: A Novel in Verse by Melissa Lozada-Olivia Goddess of Filth by V. Castro The Queen of Cicadas by V. Castro Tiny Threads by Lilliam Rivera Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk (translated by Heather Cleary) Monstrillio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything by Rachel Vasquez Gililand House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica (translated by Sarah Moses) The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica (translated by Sarah Moses) Through the Night Like a Snake: Latin American Horror Stories edited by Sarah Coolidge Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent by Julia Alvarez The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez Loteria by Cynthia Pelayo Somebody is Walking On Your Grave by Mariana Enriquez (translated by Megan McDowell) Jawbone by Monica Ojeda (translated by Sarah Booker) Feebleminded by Ariana Harwicz (translated by Carolina Orloff and Annie McDermott) You Glow in the Dark by Liliana Colanzi (translated by Chris Andrews) Five Midnights by Ana Davila Cardinal Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez (translated by Megan McDowell) anything by Charco press Check out the final girl songs here! Merch is finally available! Join the Reading Challenge! How to support Books in the Freezer We are on Patreon! Check us out! There’s a lot of fun going on in the Patreon community. At the Final Girl level you can get episodes early and find out about topics and guests beforehand. Axe-Wielding Maniacs get to be part of a Voxer group chat and join in Netflix movie nights. Malevolent Spirits get everything that’s been mentioned and bonus episodes!

Full episode available on Patreon Hailey Piper is visiting the House at the End of Fear Street today to talk about the Fire Game? Is this RL Stine's Crash, or is this a story about bored small town teens who are peer pressured into starting fires because a hot guy from the nearest Ohio city told them to? 

I was joined by author Brian McAuley to talk about his latest horror novel and horror set in the desert!   Books Mentioned:  Breathe In, Bleed Out by Brian McAuley Mystery Lights: Stories by Lena Valencia Black Mad Wheel by Josh Malerman Mary: An Awakening of Terror by Nat Cassidy In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson Spread Me by Sarah Gailley Tantrum by Rachel Eve Moulton Welcome to Night Vale by Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennet Sundial by Catriona Ward Sundown in San Ojuelas by M.M. Olivas Check out the Final Girl playlist

This episode was originally posted November 2020 and despite it being almost 5 years old, it's still a fun listen. Will Rogers and Kristen Anderson from the Guide to the Unknown Podcast and I all read the three books in the Psycho trilogy (?) by Robert Bloch.  You can find Will and Kristen online @gttupod  

Today I am joined by librarian, author and horror lover Becky Spratford to talk about the upcoming essay collection she edited, Why I Love Horror, with essays from some incredible names in horror. We are talking about the books and media that made us into horror fans at different points in our life . Books Mentioned:  Why I Love Horror edited by Becky Spratford Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrews Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson House by Frank Perreti and Ted Dekker The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones It by Stephen King A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay Becky's post on fighting book bans:  https://raforall.blogspot.com/2025/06/why-we-need-horror-authors-in-fight-for.html  Final Girl Song Check out the final girl songs here! Merch is finally available! Join the Reading Challenge! How to support Books in the Freezer We are on Patreon! Check us out! There’s a lot of fun going on in the Patreon community. 

I was very excited to have authors Brian Keene and Christopher Golden on the show to discuss The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales from the World of the Stand, an anthology they have teamed up to edit with a stellar list of contributing authors. We talk about the legacy of the Stand, how the anthology came to be and of course, we recommend some post-apocalyptic horror books Books Mentioned:  The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales from the World of the Stand edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene The Stand by Stephen King American Rapture by CJ Leede White and Other Tales of Ruin by Tim Lebbon The Silence by Tim Lebbon Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Every Kingdom Divided by Stephen Kozeniewski On The Beach by Nevil Shute The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham Shownotes: https://booksinthefreezer.com

This was originally recorded as a Patreon exclusive episode last year, but is now available on the main feed. If you love Rachel Harrison, horror books or Mitski songs, this episode is for you! Books Mentioned: Play Nice by Rachel Harrison (Bug Like an Angel) So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison (Me After You) Ghost Eaters by Clay McLeod Chapman (I Bet On Losing Dogs) Such a Pretty Smile by Kristi DeMeester (Stay Soft) The Unsuitable by Molly Pohlig (The Pearl) Annie Bot by Sierra Greer (Me and My Husband) Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang (Liquid Smooth & Your Best American Girl) Maeve Fly by CJ Leede (Bag of Bones) House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson (Love Me More) Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth (Class of 2013) Sign Here by Claudia Lux (The Deal) Final Girl Song Check out the final girl songs here! Merch is finally available! Join the Reading Challenge!

Full episode available on Patreon.  It's Fear Street Friday on the House at the End of Fear Street.  I was joined by Alex, you might know her as The Bookubus online, to talk about the 10th entry in the series, Ski Weekend. Synopsis: Snowbound! “Red” Porter was a stranger they’d met on their ski weekend. But Ariel Munroe, Doug Mahr and his girlfriend Shannon Harper were grateful he was there when they set out for home on the icy roads. Thank heaven for Red! He spotted the hilltop lodge when they were stranded by the blizzard. He took charge when they stumbled into strange surroundings, scared, tired and looking for refuge. But can he save them when their refuge becomes a trap? Suddenly their hosts are acting very sinisterly. Doug’s car is gone. The phones are dead. And the house is full of guns. If they steal one, maybe they can escape! Until a shot is fired and the real terror begins…

What's your favorite gas station scene in horror?  Books mentioned:  Rest Stop by Nat Cassidy Tales from the Gas Station: Volume One by Jack Townsend "Gas Station Carnivals" by Thomas Ligotti from the collection Teatro Grottesco Final Girl Song Check out the final girl songs here! Merch is finally available! Join the Reading Challenge! How to support Books in the Freezer We are on Patreon! Check us out! There’s a lot of fun going on in the Patreon community. At the Final Girl level you can get episodes early and find out about topics and guests beforehand. Axe-Wielding Maniacs get to be part of a Voxer group chat and join in Netflix movie nights. Malevolent Spirits get everything that’s been mentioned and bonus episodes!

our picks are mysterious and important. please enjoy each book recommendation equally Books Mentioned: The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi The Candy House by Jennifer Egan The Redemption of Morgan Bright by Chris Panatier Pines by Blake Crouch Short Stay in Hell by Stephen L. Peck We Had to Remove This Post by Hannah Bervoets Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle Misery by Stephen King Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang Final Girl Song Check out the final girl songs here! Merch is finally available! Join the Reading Challenge! How to support Books in the Freezer We are on Patreon! Check us out! There’s a lot of fun going on in the Patreon community. At the Final Girl level you can get episodes early and find out about topics and guests beforehand. Axe-Wielding Maniacs get to be part of a Voxer group chat and join in Netflix movie nights. Malevolent Spirits get everything that’s been mentioned and bonus episodes!

Full episode available at https://patreon.com    It's another Fear Street Friday and you know what that means! Stoker-award winning author Emily Hughes came on the show to help me talk about the escalating shenanigans that happen in The Stepsister, a horror story about possibly being sabotaged by your new stepsister, the ninth entry in RL Stine's Fear Street series.    Check out Emily's Book Horror for Weenies here!

Author Rae Wilde is on the podcast to talk about her latest book I Can Fix Her and horror centering around toxic relationships.  If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available: 800-799-7233 Books Mentioned: I Can Fix Her by Rae Wilde I Do Not Apologize for My Position on Men by Rae Wilde Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn In the Dream House: A Memoir by Carmen Maria Machado Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca Sundial by Catriona Ward Shoot Me in the Face on a Beautiful Day by Emma E. Murray Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin Hexis by Charlene Elsby A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson Final Girl Song Check out the final girl songs here! Merch is finally available! Join the Reading Challenge!  

You know what time it is! Time to talk about the horror books coming out in the second half of the year. Which book are you most looking forward to?  Books Mentioned: Come Knocking by Mike Bockoven My Ex, The Antichrist by Craig DiLouie Angel Down by Daniel Kraus Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez House of Beth by Kerry Cullen Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle Black Flame by Gretchen Felker-Martin The Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Canas The Game in Yellow by Hailey Piper This is My Body by Lindsay King-Miller Feral and Hysterical: Mother Horror’s Ultimate Reading Guide to Dark and Disturbing Fiction by Women by Sadie Hartmann It’s the End of the World As We Know It edited by Brian Keene and Christopher Golden Breathe In, Bleed Out by Brian McAuley Play Nice by Rachel Harrison We Are Always Tender with Our Dead by Eric LaRocca Shitshow by Chris Panatier Showstopper by Lily Anderson Coffin Moon by Keith Rosson Broken Dolls by Ally Malinenko Galloway's Gospel by Sam Rebelein Spread Me by Sarah Gailley Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature edited by Becky Spratford Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave by Ally Russel The October Film Haunt by Michael Wehunt The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlotte-Bonne Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Phillip Fracassi Teenage Girls Can Be Demons by Hailey Piper Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward King Sorrow by Joe Hill Crafting for Sinners by Jenny Kiefer Good Boy by Neil McRobert Itch! by Gemma Amor Shiny Happy People by Clay McLeod Chapman Acquired Taste: Stories by Clay McLeod Chapman My Name Isn’t Paul by Drew Huff Dark Sisters by Kristi DeMeester Patreon: https://patreon.com/booksinthefreezer