Ep 07: Matt Cardin | The Fine Line Between Horror and Religion
Matt Cardin is a writer, editor, musician, as well as college professor and administrator. With a Ph.D. in leadership and a master’s degree in religious studies, he focuses frequently on the intersection of religion, horror, art, and creativity.
His works include the weird and cosmic horror fiction collection To Rouse Leviathan, the overview Horror Literature through History, and the book Mummies around the World: An Encyclopedia of Mummies in Religion, History, and Popular Culture.
In this interview, Matt and I discuss the relationship between religion and horror, he explains what inspired him to approach these subjects as a scholar, and he distinguishes between horror authors who use religious elements intentionally as opposed to those who just use it as window dressing.
Subscribe to the show on
Become a member of Monster Complex: https://www.patreon.com/monstercomplex
Subscribe to the free Monster Complex online magazine: https://www.monstercomplex.com/mag-sub-registration
Find Matt Cardin Online
FURTHER READING
Supernatural Q&A: John J. Zelenski (The Journal of Ezekiel Walker)
200 Authors Every Horror Reader Should Know
Think “The Exorcist” Was Just a Horror Movie? The Author Says You’re Wrong. (Washingtonian)
Matt Cardin: ‘What drew me to religion was the same thing that drew me to horror’ (Sublime Horror)
Supernatural Horror, Spiritual Awakening, and the Demonic Divine (Teeming Brain)
The Power of the Cross: Vampires in Christian Fiction (FamilyFiction)
Christian horror author Q&A: Mike Duran (REQUIEM 4) (FamilyFiction)
The Redemptive Power of Dark & Disturbing Art (Mike Duran)
Straight Out of Hell: 10 Sinister Tales of Holy Horror (The Lineup)
Horror and comedy both make us jump—which is why these elements work together so well together. Looking at books from authors like Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Tanya Huff, Kelley Armstrong, John Scalzi, Diana Rowland, and Kevin J. Anderson, plus many authors you should meet.