The CinemaChords Podcast

#40 - Author Nick Cutter Talks ‘The Dorians’: His Latest Horror Vision Examining the Fantasy of Eternal Flesh

Critically acclaimed bestselling author Nick Cutter [https://www.craigdavidson.net/nickcutter/index.html], known for modern horror touchstones including The Troop and The Deep, returns with his latest novel, The Dorians [https://www.craigdavidson.net/nickcutter/The-Dorians.html], releasing today, May 19th. Exploring ageing, mortality, and the irresistible lure of turning back time, the novel follows five elderly volunteers offered an extraordinary proposition: the chance to slow, halt, or even reverse the ageing process. But, beneath the promise lie far more sinister implications - an ancient, self-perpetuating biological force only concerned with its own survival, indifferent to morality, consequence, or human desires. To coincide with the publication of The Dorians, CinemaChords spoke with Cutter about the anxieties and ideas underpinning the novel, including ageing, mortality, the seductive fantasy of second chances, the psychological lure of immortality, and the terror of watching the body gradually betray itself. Our interview also dug into themes of artistic obsession, regret, sexuality in later life, and the influence of classic vampire fiction and The Twilight Zone on the book’s disturbing dissection of rejuvenation and decay. BUY YOUR COPY OF 'THE DORIANS' HERE: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Dorians/Nick-Cutter/9781668079560

#39 - Sara van Os Talks ‘Decomposition Book,’ Necrotic Narratives, and the Capacity of Stories for Human Connection

Author Sara van Os [https://www.instagram.com/saramcclarinet/] is a Mexican-American, self-professed decomposition nerd who has, since college, been working in hospitality while diligently collecting stories of decidedly peculiar goings-on in the workplace. Her debut novel, Decomposition Book [https://amzn.to/4nauaQe], arrives on May 7, 2026, via Dead Ink Books [https://deadinkbooks.com/?srsltid=AfmBOooyGsEnLn_0x6tYw5e9zKMw6Ih1N_AC_StLIWl9oIK-z12b4n0Z] in the UK, and on May 19, 2026, via Hanover Square Press [https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/hanoversquarepress], and is guaranteed to thoroughly gast your flabbers. The novel follows Savannah, who, after an emotionally ruinous falling-out with her best friend, retreats to her family’s isolated lake house, where she unravels in solitude. When she wakes in the woods beside a dead woman for reasons unknown, she discovers a journal that pulls her into the victim Ava’s final, harrowing days. As Savannah becomes inexorably obsessed with Ava’s story, she begins to sense her presence—and forms a bond that feels at once terrifying and strangely alluringly real. Soon, Savannah is forced to confront whether she’s losing her marbles or clutching at the only meaningful connection she has left in the world. To celebrate the book’s release, CinemaChords sat down with van Os, who discussed how she arrived at the novel’s unique format, one that does not flinch from its necrotic premise yet wriggles with pitch-black humour and delivers heart-wrenching insights into loneliness, grief, and the surprising ways people reach for connection when life knocks them sideways. We also got into how the novel serves as a more-than-welcome reminder of the power of the written word: how stories allow readers to inhabit other lives, draw strength from them, and ultimately form bonds in ways we least expect.

#38 - Tuning Into Terror: Author TJ Payne on Re-wiring Haunted House Tropes into a Clinical Nightmare

TJ Payne [https://tjpayneauthor.wixsite.com/tjpayne]’s Best of BookTok horror breakout Intercepts [https://amzn.to/4eucQn5] gets a much-welcomed reboot today, May 5th, reborn under Raven Books [https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/intercepts-9781037208973/] in a hardback edition featuring a never-before-seen bonus chapter. An absolute must for those who live for the DNA of “Stranger Things,” the high-concept chills of Stephen King’s The Institute, or the tech-paranoia of Minority Report, Payne fuses horror and sci-fi with a confident command of both, delivering dread with a clinical edge - quite literally. The book centres on Joe, who directs a black-site government facility where human ‘antennae’ - subjects pushed to the absolute brink with brutally amplified psychic abilities - are weaponized to intercept threats before they emerge. Joe maintains a cold, professional distance, shielding his conscience with the "greater good" mantra... and shielding his daughter, Riley, from the blood on his hands. But when the state’s most lethal asset turns its sights on his own blood, the question now becomes: how far will Joe go to save those closest to him?  To celebrate the release of the book CinemaChords’ sat down with Payne to discuss the journey from Tik Tok sensation to this new lease of life for the book, the genesis of the project - specifically how Payne transposed classic haunted house tropes into the clinical, creepy corridors of a government black-site - and how he kept the scares grounded and palpable in a world where the high-concept stakes were limited only by his own imagination.

#37 - Nat Cassidy on Crafting a Travelogue of Fear in His Debut Horror Anthology "I Know A Place"

It’s always a sight for sore, googly eyes to hear that more Nat Cassidy is on the way. After When the Wolf Comes Home ranked among our top reads of last year, we were particularly eager to get our eyeballs on his first short fiction collection, I Know A Place, to find out in what new ways he would use his sharp, meticulously crafted storytelling to turn everyday settings into sources of dread.This new anthology guides readers through a series of unsettling locations where darkness hides in plain sight — from a suspiciously empty gas station rest stop in the middle of the night, to a doctor’s office where a bottle of booze and a tear-stained folder sit waiting on the desk; from a tech millionaire’s haunted kitchen and a Bible-quoting ventriloquist’s dingy apartment, to a yoga retreat in the middle of the desert — serving up a “travelogue” of novellas and stories that explore fear, obsession, and the shadows lurking just beyond the light.After reading the collection, the one and only Stephen King had the following to say: “These stories are f*cking great. They rule. So read them.” He also provides an introduction to the book. There is also a Barnes & Noble exclusive edition featuring alternate cover art designed by Alan Lastufka — who also created the standard cover — alongside two additional bonus stories only available in that edition so you're spoilt for choice. Love them both, we do.To celebrate the book’s May 5th publication, CinemaChords sat down with Cassidy to discuss the anthology, including whether the novella “Rest Stop” was always intended as the collection’s central piece and scene-setter, as well as the hidden horrors of dating — explored through two sharply observed “Meet-Cute” stories (the kind that could easily spiral into a full-blown dating-from-hell anthology) and what draws him to reworking seemingly “comforting” pop culture touchstones to expose the envy, entitlement, and fate lurking beneath them.BUY YOUR COPY of "I KNOW A PLACE" HERE: https://amzn.to/4cXkx4d BUY THE EXCLUSIVE BARNES & NOBLE EDITION HERE: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/i-know-a-place-nat-cassidy/1148692534SUBSCRIBE so as not to miss out on any upcoming videos at Howard's Haunt HERE: https://bit.ly/2KUmvrp

#36 - Aimee Pokwatka Talks New Novel ‘Accumulation’: haunted homes, childhood terrors, and everyday unease

A terrifyingly close-to-home sense of everyday unease runs through all of Aimee Pokwatka [http://www.aimeepokwatka.com/]’s work, turning familiar spaces into something slightly off-kilter. The author of Self-Portrait with Nothing and The Parliament, she has also taught writers of all ages and worked as an editor on Salt Hill Journal and The Newtowner, and is a member of Yellow Studio, a creative community for women and artists in Northern Westchester. She now returns with her third novel, Accumulation [https://amzn.to/4uq4gur], published by Putnam Books on 5 May 2026, a story partly inspired by her own New York home – one she suggests might not be entirely ghost-free. Her tense, unsettling and serpentine new book lays bare the high price women pay for the promises of domesticity and motherhood, and the many ways in which families can be haunted. The story centers on Tennessee Cherish, a former documentary filmmaker turned stay-at-home mom who moves with her family into their dream home, only to find her husband increasingly absent and her children behaving strangely. As unsettling occurrences begin to pile up – from mysterious noises, a recurring doll, to extremely disturbing discoveries – she starts to suspect something is supernatural is afoot in the house and is forced to uncover the source of the haunting before it destroys her family. To mark the book’s publication, CinemaChords spoke with Pokwatka about how the novel transcends typical ghost story trappings, exploring causality and our minds’ tendency to distort and rationalize unsettling experiences. We also discuss how the story reframes childhood fears through a parent’s lens, stressing the value of confronting those fears head on. Pokwatka also shares her on own reliance on nonfiction as a way to stay grounded, a perspective that definitely helps give the novel’s supernatural elements a real sense of realism and emotional weight. Purchase your copy of the book HERE [https://amzn.to/4uq4gur].