Staring Into the Abyss: A Podcast

Staring Into The Abyss podcast is a round-table discussion of all things horror. Join hosts and authors Richard Gerlach, Matt Brandenburg, and Villimey Mist as they discuss a horror story of the week, along with the latest releases in horror films, television, games, and literature every Thursday.

Contastic!!! 04/18/2024

Contastic!!! 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. /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/30863218

The Mother of All Monsters by Paula D Ashe 03/28/2024

The Mother of All Monsters by Paula D Ashe 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. /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/30568503

The Haunting of Velkwood with Gwendolyn Kiste 03/14/2024

The Haunting of Velkwood with Gwendolyn Kiste 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! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/30354813

Abyss Spotlight on Black Horror Writers 02/22/2024

Abyss Spotlight on Black Horror Writers 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! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/30049618

Grasshands with Kyle Winker and Laurel Hightower 02/15/2024

Grasshands with Kyle Winker and Laurel Hightower 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!! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/29951473

The Wishing Pool - Tananarive Due 02/08/2024

The Wishing Pool - Tananarive Due 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!! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/29841353

2023 in the Abyss! 12/21/2023

2023 in the Abyss! 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! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/29166418

Visitation Rights by Kealan Patrick Burke 12/14/2023

Visitation Rights by Kealan Patrick Burke 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! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/29056598

The Plastic Priest with Nicole Cushing 12/07/2023

The Plastic Priest with Nicole Cushing 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! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/28956423

A is for Alphabet by Steve Rasnic Tem 11/30/2023

A is for Alphabet by Steve Rasnic Tem 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! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/28842478

Cold, Black & Infinite with Todd Keisling 11/02/2023

Cold, Black & Infinite with Todd Keisling 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! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/28484642

Spooky stories with Matt Wildasin 10/26/2023

Spooky stories with Matt Wildasin 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! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/28419728

The Library Policeman by Stephen King 10/19/2023

The Library Policeman by Stephen King 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! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/28355138

The Abyss Wants Them Back! 10/12/2023

The Abyss Wants Them Back! 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! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/28286786

Ringing the Changes by Robert Aickman 09/14/2023

Ringing the Changes by Robert Aickman 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! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/28020594

Gore by Matt Wildasin 09/07/2023

Gore by Matt Wildasin 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! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/27956937

Into the River by Clara Madrigano 08/31/2023

Into the River by Clara Madrigano 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!! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/27890994

The Woman in the Wood by Daniel Mills 08/24/2023

The Woman in the Wood by Daniel Mills 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! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/27829617

Pretty Good Neighbor by Jeffrey Ford 08/10/2023

Pretty Good Neighbor by Jeffrey Ford 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! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/27695193

Venio by Gemma Files 08/03/2023

Venio by Gemma Files 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! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/27633918

Gavin's Field by Steve Rasnic Tem 07/20/2023

Gavin's Field by Steve Rasnic Tem 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! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/27508719

Why Didn't You Just Leave Kickstarter 07/13/2023

Why Didn't You Just Leave Kickstarter 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! Support the Kickstarter: /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/27443502

Gordon by Caitlin Marceau 06/22/2023

Gordon by Caitlin Marceau 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! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/27226734

Horror Story by Carmen Maria Machado 06/15/2023

Horror Story by Carmen Maria Machado 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. /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/27146949

The Tulsa Experience by Lawrence Block 06/08/2023

The Tulsa Experience by Lawrence Block 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! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/27070806

Sticks by Karl Edward Wagner 06/01/2023

Sticks by Karl Edward Wagner 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! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/27001377

Do you read Uncle Steve? 05/25/2023

Do you read Uncle Steve? What's up Doc? This week the Abyss crew is joined by Daniel Barnett to dissect Stephen King's legacy (and put it next to the child's heart on King's desk). Before this deep dive, they discuss Primal Fear, the Dungeons & Dragons movie, From, Zachary Rosenberg's The Long Shalom, Humanity Lost by Meghan Douglass, Daemons of the Shadow Realm, Frank Bill's Back to the Dirt, Polyphemus by Zachary Ashford, House of Rot by Danger Slater, and the WGA strike. Now sit around the camp fire and listen to Uncle Steve tell you a tale! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/26937129

Wild Acre by Nathan Ballingrud 05/18/2023

Wild Acre by Nathan Ballingrud Are you ready to dig into the dark side of a werewolf attack? Robert P. Ottone joins the Abyss gang to discuss Nathan Ballingrud's Wild Acre. Before their trip into Ballingrud's America they chat about Last Prayer, Blood on the Tracks, Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, For You and Only You by Caroline Kepnes, Scott J Moses' Our Own Unique Affliction, Ghost Eaters by Clay McLeod Chapman, Witchboard, and Yellowjackets. /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/26865972

The Intoxicated Years by Mariana Enriquez 05/11/2023

The Intoxicated Years by Mariana Enriquez Hey y'all wanna getta taste of this podcast? The Abyss gang takes a rough trip with Mariana Enriquez's story The Intoxicated Years. While they read between the lines and see the real life horror, they ramble about Kids vs Aliens, Silo, Fired on Mars, Dennis Lehane's Small Mercies, Saint's Blood by Ryan C. Bradley, Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories by John Jackson Miller, Mandalorian, and Corporate Body by R.A. Busby. Now listen in and question what you are hearing! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/26799534

Abyss 150 episodes! 05/04/2023

Abyss 150 episodes! The Abyss crew has been creeping around for 150 friggin' episodes and they've tried like hell to learn a thing or two. This week they share some of their favorite, stick with you, stories they've read or talked about on the show. Before they wax poetic, they dive into their current consumptions and discuss Evil Dead Rise, Don Winslow's City of Dreams, Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane, Little Miss Apocalypse by Danger Slater, Shane McKenzie's Addicted to the Dead: Relapse Edition, Salamander Justice by Tamika Thompson, The Mandalorian, Dungeons & Dragons Honor Among Theives, and Morgan K. Tanner's An Army of Skin. Thank you all for staying with us for 150 episodes! /episode/index/show/staringintotheabyss/id/26732685

Staring Into the Abyss: A Podcast

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