Books in the Freezer - A Horror Fiction Podcast

PATREON PEEK: The Knife (#14) with Sonja @spookycurious

In Shadyside Hospital, the people are dying .....to get out! 
Okay, doesn't that sound like we should be talking about a slasher? Well, people are getting murdered, but first Laurie will  have to dive headfirst into a dark conspiracy at the heart of the hospital where she's been volunteering. HIPAA violations all over the place! 
Full episode available on Patreon. 

Horror Adaptations with Courtney Summers

Courtney Summers is back on the podcast to talk about the re-animation and adaptation of her 2012 young adult novel, This is Not a Test.
Books Mentioned:
This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
Ring by Koji Suzuki
“The Birds” by Daphne DuMaurier (From After Midnight)
Under the Skin by Michel Faber
Who Goes There by John W. Campbell
I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan
Foe by Iain Reid
Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin
The Ruins by Scott Smith
Chilling Obsession: The Wolf of Snow Hollow
Check out the Final Girl Playlist
Support the podcast on Patreon to access the newsletter, The Cold Front and the bonus series, The House at the End of Fear Street and get early, ad-free access to episodes.

Most Anticipated 2026 Horror Book Releases

So this is the new year
Welcome to 2026 listeners, it's looking like we are in for another great year of horror full of fresh voices and terrors.
It's the perfect time to join the Books in the Freezer Reading Challenge. 
Books Mentioned: 
This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
Pig Wife by Abbey Luck
A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James
I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend for $200 by Robert Brockway
Mama Came Callin' by Ezra Clayton Daniels
Cruelty Free by Caroline Glenn
Trad Wife by Saratoga Schaeffer
The Body by Bethany C. Morrow
For Human Use by Sarah G. Pierce
How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson
Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward
Dollface by Lindy Ryan
Greedy by Callie Kazumi
Dead First by Johnny Compton 
First Date by Gemma Amor
Sweetside Motel by E.L. Chen
You Should Have Been Nicer to My Mom by Vincent Tirado
Spoiled Milk by Avery Curran
Wretch: or the Unbecoming of Porcelain Khaw by Eric LaRocca
Curse of Hester Gardens by Tamika Thompson
Nothing Tastes as Good by Luke Dumas
Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker
Molka by Monika Kim
Bodies of Work by Clay McLeod Chapman
The Seventh Sister by Dawn Kurtagich
Odessa by Gabrielle Sher
The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer
Shy Girl by Mia Ballard
Not Your Final Girl by Mikayla Randolph
Accumulation by Aimee Pokwata
Make Me Better by Sarah Gailley
Femme Feral by Sam Beckbessinger
Headlights by CJ Leede
Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay
Check out the Final Girl Playlist
 
 
 

PATREON PEEK: The Secret Bedroom (#13) with Angela Sylvaine

Full episode available on Patreon
Angela Sylvaine, horror author and the internet's favorite Cheerful Goth has stopped by Fear Street to talk about what is going on in the Secret Bedroom in Lea Carson's house. We talk about Benetton sweaters, VHS rental problems, Victorian ghost girls and more

Best Horror Books of 2025 with Anna Dupre

2025 has come to an end, so that means it’s time to break down our standout reads of the year. I am joined by my friend, fellow podcaster and reviewer, Anna Dupre of the Anna Rose Reads Podcast. This was a year full of cannibalism, sweeping historicals, and weird little horny books, so a great year!
Books Mentioned:
Short Story Collections/ Anthologies
Teenage Girls Can Be Demons by Hailey Piper
Mystery Lights by Lena Valencia
You Glow in the Dark by Liliana Colanzi (translated by Chris Andrews)
The Poorly Made and Other Things by Sam Rebelein
Oddbody by Rose Keating
PUNK goes HORROR: A Mixtape Anthology edited by William Sterling
It’s the End of the World As We Know It: New Tales from Stephen King’s Stand edited by Brian Keene and Christopher Golden
Graphic Novels
A Guest in the House by E.M. Carroll
Saint Catherine by Anna Meyer
Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Hogarth
Young Adult Horror
Showstopper by Lily Anderson
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
The Overnight (#3) by RL Stine
Middle Grade Horror
Ride or Die by Delilah S. Dawson 
Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave by Ally Russell
Another by Paul Tremblay
Broken Dolls by Ally Malinenko
Non-Fiction
Sick Houses: Haunted Homes and the Architecture of Dread by Layla Taylor
There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib
Scream With Me: Horror Films and the Rise of American Feminism by Eleanor Johnson
The Midcentury Kitchen: America’s Favorite Room, from Workspace to Dreamscape, 1940s-1970s by Sarah Archer
Non-Horror
Blob : A Love Story by Maggies Su
The Favorites by Layne Fargo
The Wedding People by Allison Espach
Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O’Nan
Horror Novella
Spread Me by Sarah Gailley
The Film You Are About to See by Hailey Newlin
Horror Debut
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
The Lamb by Lucy Rose 
House of Beth by Kerry Cullen 
Good Boy by Neil McRobert   
Horror Novel
Blood On Her Tongue by Johanna Van Veen
Immaculate Conception by LIng Ling Huang
When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy
Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle
Play Nice by Rachel Harrison 
Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
Of Flesh and Blood: The Untold Story of the Cajun Cannibal by NL Lavin and Hunter Burke
Such a Pretty Smile by Kristi Demeester
What Hunger by Catherine Dang
Itch! By Gemma Amor
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
King Sorrow by Joe Hill
Final Girl Song
Check out the final girl songs here!
Support Books in the Freezer on Patreon to get access to the series, The House at the End of Fear Street, early episodes, polls and more

Locked Room Horror with Jenny Kiefer

I was joined by author Jenny Kiefer to talk about her latest novel Crafting for Sinners and locked room horror stories
Books Mentioned: 
Crafting for Sinner by Jenny Kiefer
The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica
Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix
The Troop by Nick Cutter
The Handyman Method by Andrew F. Sullivan and Nick Cutter
Exiles by Mason Coile
Rest Stop by Nat Cassidy
How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold
We Need to Do Something by Max Booth III
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!
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Carnival Horror with Chris Panatier

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!
 

FROM THE VAULT: Frankenstein Retellings with Jocelyn Codner

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

Horror Villains with Joe Hill

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!
 

A**hole Protagonists with Victor LaValle

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!