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Still Scared: Talking Children's Horror

Still Scared: Talking Children's Horror

By: Ren Wednesday Adam Whybray
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 A podcast in which one film lecturer and one scaredy-cat discuss creepy, spooky and disturbing children's books, films and tv. Art
Episodes
  • Robert Cormier Megamix

    Robert Cormier Megamix
    Mar 26 2026
    Ee-i, adio spooky kids, and welcome to our Robert Cormier episode, in which Ren Wednesday and Adam Whybray discuss three books by the American writer known for his 'deeply pessimistic novels'. We talk about I Am The Cheese from 1977, Fade from 1988 and The Rag and Bone Shop from 2001 (published posthumously), an unsettling, ambitious and chewy trio of novels that lean into the 'disturbing' element of our 'creepy, spooky and disturbing' purview. Transcript available here: https://stillscared.podigee.io/74-robert-cormier Content note: General discussion of dark themes and we read an extract from I Am The Cheese in which the protagonist is chased by a dog and it might be a bit intense for listeners afraid of dogs.
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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • John Wyndham's Chocky

    John Wyndham's Chocky
    Jan 21 2026
    Happy new year, spooky kids! In this episode your hosts Adam Whybray and Ren Wednesday return to John Wyndham with his last book, Chocky from 1968, and the TV adaptation from 1984. We talk about Chocky's unusual parental perspective, Wyndhiam masculinity and possession horror, and digressions include Sonic Spinball, the works of Donald Winnicot and Cat Stevens' prog rock album. Transcript in the show notes!
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    1 hr
  • Stone Cold and Hydra

    Stone Cold and Hydra
    Nov 10 2025
    Happy belated 8th (!) anniversary to Still Scared, spooky kids! In this episode, your hosts Ren Wednesday and Adam Whybray are returning to the British children's author Robert Swindells, and his novels Stone Cold from 1993 and Hydra from 1991. These two very different examples of children's horror give us plenty of scope to discuss the varied expressions of the genre, and this episode's digressions include the creation of the Honey Monster, the genius of George Elliot and the surprisingly specific prudishness of pre-teens. Enjoy! And just a warning, Stone Cold is on the grittier side. There’s a serial killer character and a bit more violent. Nothing too explicit, but it’s not as fun as some of our other topics. Hydra is pretty fun though, so you can skip to the end if you just want that one, at 52.00.
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    1 hr and 17 mins
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