Episode 199: Horror Short Stories
This week, Josh and Dietrich sit down to talk about horror short fiction, and quickly find themselves talking excitedly about the genre that may have come to define the short story more than any other. They talk about the horror short story's place in schools, where students get to take a break from Shakespeare and other classic novels with gruesome tales from Poe and Shirley Jackson. Dietrich gleefully talks about The Pit and The Pendulum giving him nightmares, Josh talks about the joy of telling We Can Get Them For You Wholesale to a group of students backstage at a play, and they talk about why these horror classics, among so many others, linger with people long after they read them in class. Dietrich talks about the eerie nightmare of On The Anatomization of an Unknown Man, Josh talks about the stories he loves to disturb his classes with, and they get far too excited talking about The Monkey's Paw and I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream. Before that, Dietrich revisits the same Stephen King masterpiece that Josh just finished raving about in the last episode, and Josh discovers a noir novel set in a truly unique location that's one of the best he's read in years. Finally, they wrap up with a horror movie about a blind psychopath, an app that has echoes of the old Choose Your Own Adventure books, and a television show that uses a superhero story to explore the culture, history, and music of Harlem. If you have questions or comments, you can reach us at librarypolicequestions@gmail.com.
