Creeping malignantly into our consciousness, keeping us awake at night with dreams of vengeful ghosts, crazed killers and inescapable supernatural terror, horror films and fiction continue to entrance audiences around the world. From the unnerving tales of the Brothers Grimm to the nail-biting films of Hitchcock and the mind-bending novels of Stephen King, scary stories have always had a peculiar hold on us.

Come with us as we journey to the chilling edge of myths and fables and fire up the shadowy depths of our imagination to examine whether there is more to our liking for a scary tale than meets the eye. Is there something about seeing horror on the page and screen that helps us to confront the very real fears that we all face in everyday life? Or are we simply biologically programmed to enjoy the rush?

Join chair, Anne C Perry, and authors, Kirsty Logan, Leah Moore and Peadar Ó Guilín, for a thrilling exploration into the human psyche and the frightening allure of the horror genre.

About The Authors

Peadar O’Guilin

Peadar O’Guilin is a powerful and original new voice in YA Fiction but has been writing curious stories for as long as he can remember.  He attended the same boarding school as James Joyce in Co. Kildare and since then, he has written plays, published short stories, and performed as a stand-up comedian. Language, landscape and the history of ancient Ireland are important themes for Peadar. His latest YA novel is The Call.

Kirsty Logan

Kirsty Logan is a professional daydreamer. She is the author of two novels; The Gloaming and The Gracekeepers, and two story collections; A Portable Shelter and The Rental Heart & Other Fairytales. Kirsty lives in Glasgow with her wife and their rescue dog.

Leah Moore

Leah Moore has written comics for the last fourteen years, most recently adapting Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by MR James, and contributing to Femme Magnifique, a feminist anthology edited by Shelly Bond. Sharing script duties with her husband John Reppion, she writes Storm Warning for 2000ad, has a frustrating amount of projects that she cannot yet announce and has a regular column in Comic Heroes magazine.

About The Chair

Anne C Perry

Anne Perry is Editorial Director of Adult Fiction at Simon and Schuster. Her notable titles include Sarah Lotz’s The Three, which sold in 28 counties, and Pierce Brown’s Red Rising trilogy, a number one New York Times bestseller.