Bad Books for Bad People

Dec 23 2024 107 ep. 82 mins 2.6k
Bad Books for Bad People Podcast artwork

Every month (or so), Tenebrous Kate and Jack Guignol cover the weirdest, kinkiest, and most outrageous fiction we can unearth. The books discussed range from classics of gothic literature to startling works of new weird, from romantic potboilers to horror epics, from cult favorites to obscure pulp treasures. Join us for a smarter-than-average look at WAY-weirder-than-average books.

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Episode 81: Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? - Wait'll We Tell You

Dec 23 2024 83 mins  
Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? is a 2021 graphic novel that pairs historical true crime author Harold Schechter and Eric Powell, writer and illustrator of the monster punch-up comic The Goon. Jack and Kate revisit the horrifying true tale of the Butcher of Plainfield–this time, in comic book style. What impact did this case have on pop culture, and why does it continue to fas

Episode 80: Hoodtown - Heels, Homicide, and Horny Times

Oct 14 2024 96 mins  
Christa Faust’s 2004 novel Hoodtown takes the reader to an alternate universe Los Angeles, where crime drama is brewing in an underground culture populated by masked wrestlers. Skulls will be cracked and butts will be fingered when Jack and Kate get in the ring with this pile-driving mix of murder mystery, romance, and action. Why is it important to be nice to your local exotico?

Episode 79: The Shadow on the Glass - Lovecraftiana Meets Victoriana (and Gets Cheeky)

Sep 16 2024 89 mins  
Outside of your hosts’ beloved Warhammer 40k novels, can tie-in game fiction be good? Jack and Kate aim to find out by discussing The Shadow on the Glass, a 2024 novel that pairs podcast-favorite author Jonathan L. Howard with the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game. Where are all of London’s fanciest spiritualists and psychics disappearing to? Can an A-team still be an A-team if

Episode 78: Sudden Death - The Most Dangerous Game Is Tennis

Aug 16 2024 101 mins  
Sex. Sacrilege. Murder. Tennis. This podcast is all about three out of those four things. Sudden Death, a 1978 novel by Peter Brennan (creator of TV shows Judge Judy and A Current Affair), marks the first time Jack and Kate are venturing into the world of sports thriller fiction. Buckle up, because underneath those tennis whites there’s a seething underbelly of drama and corrupti

Episode 77: The Old House of Fear - Gothic Thrills for the Conservative Mind

Jun 20 2024 98 mins  
Russell Kirk is best known for his influential work of post-war political philosophy, The Conservative Mind. But his best-selling work–by far–was a 1961 gothic thriller The Old House of Fear. Jack and Kate wander through the mysterious isolated islands of Scotland on a hunt for Commie rabble-rousers, damsels in distress, and shaky real estate investments. Does getting shot duri

Episode 76: Joyland - Murder, Manhood and MILFery

May 19 2024 108 mins  
Stephen King’s 2013 novel Joyland is the author’s second effort for publisher Hard Case Crime. Jack and Kate are ready to track the clues in this story of murder, romance, and amusement park professionals. What happens when the King of Horror gets a chance to be the Crime Writer Guy? Can the main character of his book ever achieve full carny acceptance? Why doesn’t the magica

Episode 75: Live Girls - Vampire Hookers vs. Ping Pong balls

Mar 23 2024 118 mins  
Ray Garton’s 1986 horror novel Live Girls may have the perfect bad book pitch: vampire hookers in seedy vintage Times Square. Jack and Kate travel back to a golden age of sleaze and encounter smokeshow bloodsucking strippers, donut-inspired dirty talk, and dancefloor remixes of “The Old Rugged Cross.” What perverted compulsion makes a vampire turn the worst dudes in the world

Episode 74: Nightmare House and Airport 77

Feb 19 2024 108 mins  
Once again, Jack and Kate trade reviews of books from their archives. This time around, Jack explores the terrifying mystery and romance of Rae Foley’s Nightmare House (1968) and Kate plunges straight into disaster with Airport 77 (1977). Why is dealing marijuana a worse crime than murder? Does a nightmare dude make a nightmare house into a nightmare home? Whose dick will be comp

Episode 73: Best of 2023

Dec 24 2023 95 mins  
Jack and Kate look at what they've read and watched in the year that was 2023 and make some recommendations in the world of books and beyond. The rules of engagement are simple: the hosts each choose one movie, album, TV show, and book that was the best experience of its kind, regardless of when it was actually produced. A little bit new, a little bit old, and a whole lot of weirdn

Episode 72: Spawn - Welcome to 90s Hell

Nov 27 2023 128 mins  
Todd McFarlane’s Spawn is one of the great comics success stories of the 1990s, and yet… our hosts remain in semi-complete ignorance of this undead superhero. Jack and Kate decide to educate themselves by reading the first 18 issues of the series where they encounter a world of bedazzlement, from shape-shifting demons and mafia cyborgs to a controversial Neil Gaiman collab. Oth