Monthly Archives: July 2017
DARK DISCUSSIONS rediscovers DONNIE DARKO

Photo collage by Philip Perron.
Dark Discussions rediscovers 2001’s Donnie Darko! On Stitcher, iTunes, and here: http://www.darkdiscussions.com/Pages/podcast_288.html
DARK DISCUSSIONS gets hooked (or not) on THE LURE

The masthead for DARK DISCUSSIONS episode 287. Photo collage by Philip Perron.
Dark Discussions gets hooked (or not) on The Lure, a strange little 1980s-style rock musical that toys with the original Hans Christian Andersen version of “The Little Mermaid.” On Stitcher, iTunes and here: http://www.darkdiscussions.com/Pages/podcast_287.html
DARK DISCUSSIONS delights in THE DEVIL’S CANDY

The DD masthead for THE DEVIL’S CANDY. Montage by Phillip Perron.
Dark Discussions delights in the much-admired The Devil’s Candy — an interesting little indie horror film with religious undertones set near Austin, Texas, from the director of The Loved Ones. Hear what we have to say about the movie about a passionate painter who must sell out–and gets more than he bargained for. You can listen to our episode here: http://www.darkdiscussions.com/Pages/podcast_285.html
DARK DISCUSSIONS contemplates LIFE
I won’t reveal too much about what we thought about the film (you’ll just have to listen to our episode on Stitcher, iTunes or right here: http://www.darkdiscussions.com/Pages/podcast_279.html), but there are some interesting articles about the movie’s realism floating around, one of which is here in Geekwire: https://www.geekwire.com/2017/alien-horror-movie-life-biology-space/
Life is now available on VOD and on Amazon here http://a.co/b7vDnJE and probably on other platforms.
TOT TERRORS: WHY MOSQUITOES BUZZ IN PEOPLE’S EARS
I often get asked about what influences my work as a writer. Inspired by the amazing website Kindertrauma–which is right up my alley–I’m compiling all of my childhood (and some adult) terrors.
One of the things that lead to my becoming a writer was my extraordinary love of reading, and this was instilled in me by my parents, who read to me every night before bed and sometimes during the day (they also taught me to read before I was in kindergarten, so I could disappear into my room at any time and read on my own—which I’m sure they did for their benefit more than mine, actually).
I have a number of favorite childhood books, among them Rabbit and Skunk and Spooks, The Penguin that Hated the Cold, The Monster at the End of this Book, and The Courage of Sarah Noble (this last one was hugely popular in our area because it was about a real event in my hometown). Each left an indelible impression on me, but one that frightened me—but made me understand a few things about death, moving on, and taking responsibility for your actions—was called Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears.
The book, written by Verna Aardema and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon, is a retelling of a West Read the rest of this entry