AFFLICTED, a Horror Audio Drama from the minds behind the NIGHTLIGHT Podcast, is coming in October of 2022. Described as Lovecraft Country meets True Blood this seasonal anthology podcast needs our support. I've chipped in, and you can too thro

A Brief Hiatus and Convention Announcement

May 31st, 2022 1m 36s

Taking a brief hiatus to prioritize some writing work that pays the bills. Planning to return for the remaining 5 episodes of the season in early July. In late July, I'll be at the Midsummer Scream Halloween & Horror Convention in Long Beach, C

25: The Dead Have Highways

May 24th, 2022 34m 38s

There are more cars on the road than ever before, driving faster than was legally allowed or even possible in different parts of the past. Yet most of us don't think of roads as particularly scary in an everyday, real world sense. Still, storie

24: People Scream at Carnivals

May 17th, 2022 32m 32s

On my way to looking at the Bradbury classic Something Wicked This Way Comes, I dip, dive, dart and drop through some other stories--real and imagined-- that feature frightful fairs and alarming amusement parks. ----------------------My debut n

23: Hostile Hotels

May 10th, 2022 32m 39s

Beyond being and easy excuse to entertain my appeal for alliteration, this episode's title gives us two words with an unexpected history. Said history underlines the fears that we can have of staying as a guest in a strange place. From murderou

22: Hospital Horrors

May 3rd, 2022 32m 16s

Despite a ton of misplaced distrust in medicine and medical staff plaguing society in recent years, there are still many valid reasons to be nervous about going to the hospital. In fact, the very nature of hospitals--what they're designed for--

21: You Are Never Seen Again

Apr 26th, 2022 29m 45s

Sometimes, people disappear. There is something uniquely terrifying and captivating about the prospect of vanishing, or having someone you care about vanish. Even when there is a likely answer, the lack of absolute certainty regarding the fate

20: Webs We Weave

Apr 19th, 2022 29m 1s

I dare say most of us have something we're hiding. For many of us it's something relatively mundane and harmless, but that may still cause us some embarrassment if exposed. For some it could be something for which you're largely blameless, but

19: An Ignominious End

Apr 12th, 2022 32m 23s

As a famous, catchy PSA song puts it, there are many "dumb" ways to die. Of course, for the dying person, the fact that their demise might be seen as laughable to observers with some distance likely wouldn't make their death any more palatable.

18: Depths of Hatred

Apr 5th, 2022 32m 7s

Hatred is not strictly an unproductive, seemingly unnatural emotion. Sometimes hate is understandable, and even a motivation, if directed against an injustice or imbalance. Unfortunately, we too often see it deployed in service of maintaining i

17: The Electric Chair and Three Shocking Years

Mar 29th, 2022 34m

The electric chair was once the go-to method of execution in the United States, and "the chair" still holds a unique position in America's history of capital punishment. In aftermath of more than a decade of debates about how "cruel and unusual

16: It's a Mad, Maddening World

Mar 22nd, 2022 39m 48s

Placing someone in a world that doesn't make sense to them--that operates on its own, unpredictable form of "logic"--creates ideal conditions for comedy (Looney Tunes), absurdist fantasy (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)... or horror. Which ca

15: The Fear of Being Alone

Mar 15th, 2022 30m 49s

For episode sources, scripts and more, visit healthyfears.com. For my publication credits, visit JohnnyCompton.com The opening theme for Healthy Fears: “Dark Game Background Loop” by Claudiu D. Moga aka NikNPhaser, licensed through Envato.The c

14: Losing Control

Mar 8th, 2022 33m 25s

For something we have relatively little of in the first place, control is something many of us dread losing. Maybe that initial scarcity of it is the root of the degree of our fear. After all, you'd be more afraid of spilling a cup of water if

13: Dead and Unburied

Mar 1st, 2022 33m 19s

Generally speaking, societies across the world agree that our beloved dead ideally belong in a certain, final resting place, and that place is out of sight. The idea of people who are dead--or who should be dead--remaining among us is a consist

12: Buried Alive

Feb 22nd, 2022 34m 32s

One of the three hints for the classic coffin riddle indicates that the person "using" the coffin--the person within it--doesn't know it. This isn't always the case, however. In this episode I explore the long-held fear of premature burial, fro

11: Fighting With Fear

Feb 15th, 2022 28m 20s

From Sonny Liston to a couple of iconic 80's film heroes, multiple people and characters have provided examples of how fear can motivate you to win a fight.HealthyFears.comJohnnyCompton.comOpening theme for Healthy Fears - "Dark Game Background

Trailer

Healthy Fears Podcast Trailer

Feb 1st, 2022 33s

Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/healthy-fears. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trailer

Season 2 Announcement (Also... Where Have I Been?)

Feb 1st, 2022 6m 14s

Season 2 of Healthy Fears will begin in earnest starting February 15th, 2022, and continue with weekly episodes through a 20-episode season.Also, with this announcement, I explain what's been going on with my writing, and anything else that kep

"Feariversaries" - October 5th - 11th 2020

Oct 5th, 2020 37m 15s

*Bonus Episode* - Every Monday in October I plan to release a "Feariversaries" episode (apology-sans-correction for the corny title) covering important releases and other milestone dates in Horror history. This episode covers October 5th to Oct

10: Natural Fear

Oct 2nd, 2020 30m 7s

The natural world is many things, including incredibly violent. Eruptions, earthquakes and storms can release more ferocious energy than any weapon human beings have ever used. One can only imagine how horrifying it would be if nature actually

9: In a While Crocodile(s Will Try to Eat You)

Sep 22nd, 2020 35m 10s

What has sharp teeth, a powerful bite and deadly-fast reflexes? Well, a lot of things that can kill us, as it turns out, but in this episode we focus on a certain heavy, armored, toothy reptile which appeared in 3 films (2 of which were actuall

8: Monsters You Never Heard Of

Sep 2nd, 2020 37m 36s

There are likely many more creatures, cryptids and fearsome critters that you're unaware of than there are ones you're familiar with. In fact, even the devils you think you know may be more unknown to you than you realize. And it's only natural

7: Trust. Fall.

Aug 25th, 2020 41m 40s

Putting trust in anyone is inherently risky. Even those closest to us can ultimately prove untrustworthy--whether they are malicious or simply misguided--in dangerous ways.This week's episode focuses on The Haunting of Hill House (2018 series)

6: Beware the Outsider

Jul 21st, 2020 30m 20s

Some outsiders are too powerful and malicious to be anything but frightening. Carnivorous river monsters pretending to be human, for instance.Primary subject of this episode: Michael McDowell's Blackwater Saga. Get bonus content on PatreonSuppo