Horror from the High Desert

Scotty Milder
  • 5.0 (7)
  • PERFORMING ARTS
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

A horror podcast hosted by author and filmmaker Scotty Milder. Loose, casual conversations about books, short fiction, and movies with some of the genre’s most exciting fans and creators. Music by JaxiusMusic (licensed from Pond5)

  1. FEB 7

    Lauren Chavez-Myers and "Dead Billy" (Part 2)

    In Part 2 of this episode, Scotty and Lauren look back at "Dead Billy," the ultra low-budget indie feature film that they made in 2012 and 2013. They discuss the initial inspiration, collaborating on both the script and the production, wrestling with the film's difficult subject matter, "planning" vs "pantsing," whether they wish they'd had an intimacy coordinator, and more. WARNING: Considering the film's themes, this conversation does touch on issues of abuse. Watch the (NSFW) trailer at https://vimeo.com/186292063?fl=pl\&fe=ti Find "Dead Billy" on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Billy-Lauren-Myers/dp/B01M4IIHFU/ Find "Dead Billy" on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Dead_Billy?id=0krpZxbLyVE\&hl=en_US Be sure to tune in to Daniel Braum's YouTube series "Night Time Logic." The series focuses on the strange, weird, and wonderful side of dark fiction through readings and discussions with diverse authors from around the world. The next episode will be LIVE at 7 p.m. EST, and will feature author (and fellow friend-of-the-pod) Gwendolyn Kiste! Follow the Facebook event at https://www.facebook.com/events/734287569466413/ You can tune in on Daniel's You Tube Channel, which is his name DanielBraum or @danielbraum7838. https://www.facebook.com/groups/429777132474382 https://www.youtube.com/@danielbraum7838 This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

    1h 18m

  2. FEB 7

    Lauren Chavez-Myers and "Dead Billy" (Part 1)

    Scotty has known and worked with actor/writer/producer/filmmaker/development-executive Lauren Chavez-Myers for over 15 years now. Aside from being friends, they collaborated on a number of shorts before embarking on the feature film "Dead Billy" (2016). In the first part of this two-part episode, Lauren talks about her life as an actor on stage, in movies, and on television, and the transition she made toward working as a TV development executive for Hasbro Entertainment. They discuss the satisfaction of creation, struggling with self-imposed pressure, balancing film and theatre work, what exactly "development" means, and more. Look out for Part 2, in which Scotty and Lauren do a deep dive into the making of "Dead Billy," and how they feel about the movie more than a decade later. You can find Lauren online at http://www.laurenchavezmyers.com You can check Lauren out on IMDB at https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0616774/ Stream the series "Manhattan" on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0DHY49RDK/ Listen to Scotty's history of the Ouija board on "The Weirdest Thing Podcast" at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-weirdest-thing/id1534847356?i=1000628043222 Be sure to tune in to Daniel Braum's YouTube series "Night Time Logic." The series focuses on the strange, weird, and wonderful side of dark fiction through readings and discussions with diverse authors from around the world. The next episode will be LIVE at 7 p.m. EST, and will feature author (and fellow friend-of-the-pod) Gwendolyn Kiste! Follow the Facebook event at https://www.facebook.com/events/734287569466413/ You can tune in on Daniel's You Tube Channel, which is his name DanielBraum or @danielbraum7838. https://www.facebook.com/groups/429777132474382 https://www.youtube.com/@danielbraum7838 This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

    1h 28m

  3. JAN 23

    Rebecca Rowland returns

    Author Rebecca Rowland ("Optic Nerve," "White Trash and Recycled Nightmares") returns to talk with Scotty about her wintry new horror novel "Eminence Front" (January 20, CLASH Books). They discuss the book's inspiration, its various influences (from Stephen King's "Carrie" to Tim O'Brien's "In the Lake of the Woods"), terrifying weather from around the country, creepy puppet shows, ambiguous endings, and more. They also take a look back at "Need to Know," a 1986 episode of "The New Twilight Zone" starring William Petersen and Frances McDormand. You can find Rebecca online at https://rowlandbooks.com You can order your copy of "Eminence Front" at https://rowlandbooks.com/eminence-front You can read Rebecca's werewolf story "Expose the Fur Below" in the anthology "Strange New Moons," available at https://www.amazon.com/Strange-New-Moons-Stephen-Kozeniewski/dp/B0DT4C1T9Z/ Check out Scotty's story about the Dyatlov Pass Incident on "The Weirdest Thing Podcast," available at https://open.spotify.com/episode/3wQWt4kI6I5ZER8sjNb7mR?si=b74b7e93757c4a9e Watch "Need to Know," from "The New Twilight Zone," at https://youtu.be/EB_naKy4IJI?si=TcXeQy-fPkgjFxqi Be sure to tune in to Daniel Braum's YouTube series "Night Time Logic." The series focuses on the strange, weird, and wonderful side of dark fiction through readings and discussions with diverse authors from around the world. You can tune in on Daniel's You Tube Channel, which is his name DanielBraum or @danielbraum7838. https://www.facebook.com/groups/429777132474382 https://www.youtube.com/@danielbraum7838 This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

    1h 9m

  4. JAN 10

    Ramona Emerson

    Diné author and filmmaker Ramona Emerson comes onto the podcast to talk about growing up as a movie fan in New Mexico, then attending film school in Albuquerque before going on to become a forensic videographer and photographer. She describes how that experience helped shaped her work as a filmmaker before she made the jump into her career as a horror/crime novelist with the novels "Shutter" (2022) and "Exposure" (2024). Ramona and Scotty talk about ghosts, writing, indie film, indigenous voices, and more. You can find Ramona online at https://www.ramonaemersonbooks.com You can get your copy of "Shutter" at https://bookshop.org/p/books/shutter-ramona-emerson/63936c010fd6ad71/ You can get your copy of "Exposure" at https://bookshop.org/p/books/exposure-ramona-emerson/8054e032b45d3d8f/ Be sure to tune in to Daniel Braum's YouTube series "Night Time Logic." The series focuses on the strange, weird, and wonderful side of dark fiction through readings and discussions with diverse authors from around the world. You can tune in on Daniel's You Tube Channel, which is his name DanielBraum or @danielbraum7838. https://www.facebook.com/groups/429777132474382 https://www.youtube.com/@danielbraum7838 This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

    1h 6m

  5. 12/27/2025

    Ally Russell returns

    Author Ally Russell ("It Came From the Trees," 2024) returns to the podcast to discuss her recent middle-grade horror novels "Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave" (Delacorte Press) and "Down Came the Spiders" (Scholastic Paperbacks). Ally and Scotty talk more about writing scary tales for younger audiences, trusting kids to choose their own spooky content, engaging all five senses in her writing, representing various identities with her characters, why spiders get a bad rap, what will happen when cats take over the world, and more! You can find Ally online at https://allyrussellbooks.com You can get your copy of "Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave" at https://bookshop.org/p/books/mystery-james-digs-her-own-grave-ally-russell/b2904f344120749b/ You can get your copy of "Down Came the Spiders" at https://bookshop.org/p/books/down-came-the-spiders-ally-russell/7908f320cf82e918/ Be sure to tune in to Daniel Braum's YouTube series "Night Time Logic." The series focuses on the strange, weird, and wonderful side of dark fiction through readings and discussions with diverse authors from around the world. You can tune in on Daniel's You Tube Channel, which is his name DanielBraum or @danielbraum7838. https://www.facebook.com/groups/429777132474382 https://www.youtube.com/@danielbraum7838 This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

    1h 11m

  6. 12/12/2025

    Mia Dalia

    Author Mia Dalia ("Estate Sale," "Alakazam") joins Scotty to talk about her rapid entry into writing during the lockdown years of the pandemic, how infamous (and beloved) "hardcore horror" author Jack Ketchum served as an influence on her own unique brand of quiet horror, the brilliance of writers like Richard Matheson and Michael Marshall Smith, her "write fast" writing process, the terrifying inspiration to be found in suburbia, and more. She and Scotty take a look at her novella "Smile So Red" (recently rereleased in her collection "Smile So Red and Other Tales of Madness" by Brigids Gate Press), and her psychological horror novel "Haven" (2024, CamCat Books). They also talk about Brad Anderson's 2001 cult-classic independent horror film "Session 9," and ask what was REALLY going on with that ending... You can find Mia online at https://daliaverse.wixsite.com/author You can find more of Mia's links at https://linktr.ee/daliaverse Read Mia's story "This Broken World" in the anthology "Choices: An Anthology of Reproductive Horror" at https://www.amazon.com/Choices-Anthology-Reproductive-Dianna-Gunn-ebook/dp/B0FJZNJVCR/ See the Facebook announcement for Mia's upcoming novel "Beautiful, Once" at https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1265732391691280\&set=a.566944001570126 Check out the Earthling Publications Modern Classics Halloween Series at https://www.earthlingpub.com/halloween.htm Read an interview with Mia conducted by Michael Marshall Smith at https://michaelmarshallsmith.substack.com/p/in-conversation-mia-dalia Read the Kirkus Reviews post about "Smiles So Red and Other Tales of Madness" at https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/mia-dalia/smile-so-red-and-other-tales-of-madness/ Be sure to tune in to Daniel Braum's YouTube series "Night Time Logic." The series focuses on the strange, weird, and wonderful side of dark fiction through readings and discussions with diverse authors from around the world. You can tune in on Daniel's You Tube Channel, which is his name DanielBraum or @danielbraum7838. https://www.facebook.com/groups/429777132474382 https://www.youtube.com/@danielbraum7838 This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

    1h 42m

  7. 11/28/2025

    HFTHD "Book Club" #4: Tamika Thompson on Tananarive Due's "The Between"

    On this fourth edition of the Horror From the High Desert "Book Club," author Tamika Thompson ("Unshod, Cackling, and Naked," the upcoming "The Curse of Hester Gardens") joins Scotty to discuss Tananarive Due's 1995 classic "The Between." They talk about the novel's seismic impact on the genre, its masterful craftmanship, and its handling of race, family, love, dreams, and much more. WARNING: There are a few mild spoilers in this conversation. Tamika can be found online at https://www.tamikathompson.com. Tananarive Due can be found online at https://www.tananarivedue.com. You can get your copy of "The Between" at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09J5378TK/ This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

    49 min

  8. 11/15/2025

    Daniel Braum returns

    Author and friend-of-the-pod Daniel Braum ("Creatures of Liminal Space," 2025) returns to talk about his brand new collection, "Phantom Constellations" (November 15, Cemetery Dance). He and Scotty talk about the porous border between horror and "the weird," writing about loss through the prism of strangeness, the power of The Cure's music, writing dark fiction with warmth and empathy, doubles, Dybbuks, and more. You can order "Phantom Constellations" from Cemetery Dance Publications at https://www.cemeterydance.com/PhantomConstellations.html You can order "Phantom Constellations" from Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Phantom-Constellations-Daniel-Braum/dp/1964780446/ Daniel is, of course, also the host of the YouTube series "Night Time Logic." The series focuses on the strange, weird, and wonderful side of dark fiction through readings and discussions with diverse authors from around the world. You can tune in on Daniel's You Tube Channel, which is his name DanielBraum or @danielbraum7838. https://www.facebook.com/groups/429777132474382 https://www.youtube.com/@danielbraum7838 This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

    58 min
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5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

A horror podcast hosted by author and filmmaker Scotty Milder. Loose, casual conversations about books, short fiction, and movies with some of the genre’s most exciting fans and creators. Music by JaxiusMusic (licensed from Pond5)

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