Light some candles and gather ‘round the pentagram, because things are getting satanic (panic!) on this episode. Author Clay McLeod Chapman joins us to talk about the 2009 film House of the Devil. We talk about the cultural context of the early 1980s, Greta Gerwig’s pizza performance, and the anxiety-making pacing of the film. Tangents include Cabbage Patch dolls and the forbidden television of our childhoods. Next, we chat with Clay about his new novel, Whisper Down the Lane, which was inspired by the McMartin Preschool trial of the 1908s. We all loved this book, so we kept the chat about it spoiler-free! He tells us about why he is drawn to this subject matter, as well as what’s coming up next for him and his writing. (Also, there’s a fantastic story about one of Clay’s readings in New York that you absolutely do not want to miss!) Read along with us for our next Bookpisode on Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo (May 17th), and then take a detour with us for our third-ever Hatepisode (though some of us might not hate it?) on Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline on May 31st. Subscribe to Book Squad Goals on your favorite podcast app, and go read Whisper Down the Lane right away!

TOC
:30 welcome Clay! And movie intro
4:52–icebreaker
15:30-what was the satanic panic?
22:37–authenticity
27:35–pacing
46:35–the ending
49:29–Clay McLeod Chapman and Whisper Down the Lane
1:17:40–what’s on the blog? What’s up next?

NPR Review: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114084025
Filmmaker interview: https://filmmakermagazine.com/1392-ti-west-the-house-of-the-devil/#.YIbCun1Kg-Q