S.E reid talks real life ghost stories, sasquatch and scary movies.

S.E. Reid is an author and editor living on a patch of wooded wetland in the Pacific Northwest with her craftsman husband and her two big goofball dogs, Finn and Huck. She loves to hear and tell stories about nature, history, ghosts, and God, and when not writing she loves to cook nourishing food, read widely, and tend to her vegetable garden. You can find links to all of her writerly shenanigans and published books at her website: http://sereid.com

Can you remember your first introduction to horror? How old were you?

I was easily spooked as a kid, so I mostly avoided scary stuff, but my very first introduction to a fascination with horror was a set of Time/Life books at our family’s cabin that were all about “Mysteries of the Unknown.” There was a book on ghosts, a book about UFOs, a book about psychic phenomena, etc. I was about eight or nine, and those books TERRIFIED me, but I was also couldn’t put them down. To my detriment; they always gave me nightmares. 😂

Imagine you’ve picked up a book and all you know about it is that it’s got your worst fear in it. What’s the book going to be about?

I don’t think of myself as especially claustrophobic, but I HATE the idea of getting stuck or trapped somewhere with no way out. Caves/underground is a big one. Or drifting in outer space. (shivers)

What’s your favourite spooky book of all time?

Every October I read a short story anthology called “Haunted Nights” (edited by Ellen Datlow) as well as a collection of Shirley Jackson’s creepiest short stories called “Dark Tales”, and they both put me in an instant spooky-season mood. It’s the best Hallowtide combo.

Do you believe in ghosts?

You know, I think maybe I do. I definitely believe in what they represent for us as people, and societies around the world and throughout time; the things we grieve, the things we allow to “haunt” us or guide us. I don’t know if I believe in literal ghosts, but as someone who cares very deeply about honoring my ancestors and also the land around me, I do believe in the influence of things we can’t see. And ghosts might just be our culture’s method of symbolizing something we find difficult to explain any other way.

Have you ever seen a ghost? Do you know anyone who says they have?

The closest I ever got to seeing/experiencing a ghost was at a camp where I worked for a few summers. Some of the buildings at the camp were famously (among the staff) haunted, and I definitely had a spooky, itchy feeling when I had to go into those places by myself. Some of the first-hand ghost stories from the other staff were pretty wild, too! My favorite: during a nighttime staff-only group game of hide and seek in one of the lodges, a counselor I knew claimed to have her ankle grabbed when she was hiding alone in one of the dark rooms. She was absolutely terrified, and no one else was hiding anywhere near her. 😱

The best scary film out there in the last 10 years?

I’ve loved SO MANY movies over the last ten years, and picking a “best” is impossible, but based on how many times I’ve seen it….I’m going to say “The Ritual.” The book it’s based on is terrific also, but the movie is one of my all-time folk horror favorites.

What’s the scariest film out there of all time?

Another impossible question. But for me? Personally? “Hereditary.” It’s unsettling as hell, emotionally exhausting as well as horrifying, and one of the few horror movies I enjoyed that I don’t think I can watch a second time.

What was the last book you read that made you want to sleep with the lights on?

“The Lamb” by Lucy Rose. Not so much because it was scary, but because it was sad, disturbing, horrific, and also bizarrely beautiful….it clung to me for a long while after I finished it.

What are your favourite spooky podcasts or documentaries?

I know it’s a classic and I’m sure I’m not the only one, but I do enjoy “Lore” by Aaron Mahnke. It’s always a good time.

Is there a scary book or film you’re just not brave enough to try based on the trailers or reviews alone?

My “line” with horror tends to be excessive gore/torture or sexual violence. There are a few more extreme movies that I’ve heard are well made or compelling for whatever reason, but I just know it’s going to be too far for me, so I’d rather not. Other than that, I’m usually happy to give most movies or books a try.

Do you like Halloween?

I loved it as a kid, but I went through a period in my teens/twenties when I was a real Halloween grinch. I came around in my late twenties and thirties, though. I’m not a fan of the commercialization and the excuse to spend buckets of money on cheap decorations and costumes (grump grump grump) but I think there’s something very meaningful about a night set aside to honor the things we’re afraid of — face them head-on, and learn to live alongside them. These days my observances of Halloween are very personal and dear to me, and I look forward to them.

Why do you think people enjoy scary stories so much?

There’s something really cathartic about facing our fears and “surviving” them, even if the characters in the story are ill-fated. As the reader or viewer, we get to be thrilled by the experience and emerge on the other side. There’s something really powerful about that, I think.

What is scarier? Aliens or vampires?

Ooo. Though I don’t gravitate toward aliens in the scary stories I seek out, I think aliens are probably scarier. Because aliens are probably something we would struggle to understand, and that’s really spooky. Things are scarier when we don’t know what motivates them, or how we could defend ourselves if they wanted to harm us.

Is there a place near you or a place you’ve been that is quite spooky? Can you tell us about it?

Washington State is full of spooky places! One that I love is Port Gamble, on the Kitsap Peninsula. It has a lot of its vintage buildings and houses still intact, and an absolutely gorgeous historic seaside cemetery full of graves from the early settlement of the peninsula. It’s genuinely a beautiful place to visit, and also delightfully creepy in the fall.

Have you ever been scared by a book that wasn’t specifically horror?

I’m a huge fan of Tana French’s crime thrillers, and she definitely toes the line of horror in some of her work without going full-on, but her book “Broken Harbor” is one of the most psychologically disturbing non-horror books I’ve ever read. Really well written, but yikes.

What is a horror book you think more people should read?

I always think folks should seek out the classics, especially if they’re new to horror or curious about scary fiction. Shirley Jackson’s short horror is so atmospheric, and while “The Lottery” is great, she’s definitely got more fun stuff to read than just the work folks have heard of. Also, while he’s famous for fantasy writing, Lord Dunsany has some truly eerie and weird short stories that veer into the macabre. “Thirteen At Table” is a great example, as well as “The Two Bottles of Relish.”

What’s something you read or watched as a kid that you probably shouldn’t have?

Like I said, I was easily spooked as a kid, so even tame stuff would scare me witless. Once at a friend’s house we watched “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” and the climactic scene with Christopher Lloyd’s true form disturbed me so bad I had nightmares for weeks. 😂

Do you have a regional or local monster/spirit legend where you’re from? Can you tell us about it?

We have a handful around here, and even though it’s a little cliche, Sasquatch is the classic. What surprised me when I moved out to a more semi-rural area of the state is that everyone around here has a Sasquatch story, and it’s not even considered that unusual. Folks we know and trust, long-time residents of the area, claim to have seen them in the woods, heard them howling, or even been spooked by one looking in their windows or trying to get at their livestock. As the housing developments moved in, the mysterious creatures were driven further and further south and west, following the last remaining deep woods in the region where they still reside. Personally…I remain agnostic. But I do wonder!

Find more from S.E Reid:

Substack

Website

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‘everyone around here has a Sasquatch story’: S.E Reid talks scary movies, Halloween and ghosts.