I have been a fan of horror since I was about six years old.
Well, at six, I was terrified having gotten a sneaked glimpse of “The Exorcist,” and spent weeks drawing levitating girls with distended bellies but…let’s just say later I had an appreciation for a good scare.
I’ve read countless horror novels; watched thousands of films and TV series; and even co-produced and co-written an homage to classic characters, including “Carrie” and "The Ring’s” ‘Samara,” in the second season of a buzzy Web series, “Human Resources.”
And when I worked for the Tribune RedEye years ago, one of my annual Halloween traditions was to write a “Kyles Files” column counting down the most frightsome films I’d ever seen, and inviting readers to enter their own “scare dare” candidates. I always enjoyed learning about revisiting ‘70s peak horror or celebrating modern classics, including “The Conjuring,” “It Follows,” and “Terrified,” to name a few.
Most recently, I launched a newsletter on the Substack platform called “I Dream of Screams.” It’s a bi-monthly themed round-up of the best in the genre, across books, series and films. If you, like me, need an escape from the current horrors going on in this country, give it a look and if you like it, I welcome new subscribers.
As I always say, the more, the scarier. See you there.