I really enjoyed chatting to critic and writer John Bleasdale about film, life, writing and a life of loving stories. We had a surprising amount in common, not least our love of Horror movies and Don't Look Now.  John's books include Darkness Visible, a remarkable study of film director Jonathan Glazer, and, more recently, the novel Connery. 

Hear our conversation here

Dr Alessandra Pino introduces a new episode of "A Curious Appetite" (link below)...

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6qC4WdhRvvgDlfmc1Cup4u...

"Today’s guest is the brilliant screenwriter behind Ghostwatch, Afterlife, Gothic, The Guardian, and one of my favourite supernatural films, The Awakening. We talk about séances as the perfect storytelling device, Dickens and “The Portrait-Painter’s Story” and how it inspired one of his stories, belief and doubt as the engine of ghost stories, food, eggs, and everyday objects in horror. Volk also discusses his excellent short story collections The Good Unknown (2023) and The Confirmed Bachelors (2025). 

"There is a moment from Ghostwatch that has stayed with me since childhood. The poltergeist makes itself known through a ruined dinner when the family’s mackerel suddenly appears covered in something that looks disturbingly like saliva. I remember thinking how awful it was that not only were they experiencing something terrifying, but they now could not even sit down and eat their meal. Because horror does not just interrupt fear. Sometimes it interrupts dinner!

"Part of this conversation also appears in Haunted Magazine #49, out now. Listen now and let me know what you think. If you enjoy it, please share and follow the podcast."