Photo: John Everson, Bram Stoker Award-winning author, continues to captivate readers with his masterful blend of supernatural horror, psychological suspense and gothic imagination.
Award-Winning Horror, Supernatural Suspense And The Art Of Fear
Bram Stoker Award-winning author John Everson discusses gothic horror, giallo cinema, supernatural terror, The Bloodstained Doll, creative inspiration, Netflix adaptations, and writing stories that remain true to his unique vision.
J ohn Everson has spent more than three decades proving that horror can be as intelligent as it is unsettling, weaving together supernatural dread, psychological tension and fearless imagination into stories that linger long after the final page. A Bram Stoker Award-winning novelist whose work has earned widespread acclaim from critics and fellow authors alike, he has established himself as one of the defining voices of contemporary horror, never afraid to venture into the darkest corners of the human psyche.
From the award-winning Covenant to the haunting intensity of NightWhere, the gripping mystery of Voodoo Heart, and the stylish gothic suspense of The Bloodstained Doll, Everson continually reinvents the genre while remaining unmistakably true to his own distinctive voice. His fiction balances visceral horror with compelling characters and emotional depth, creating novels that are as thought-provoking as they are terrifying. Whether exploring demonic bargains, psychological obsession or supernatural evil, his storytelling demonstrates remarkable craftsmanship and originality.
Our conversation reveals the creative influences behind his latest work, his fascination with Italian giallo cinema, the evolution of his celebrated novels, and the excitement of seeing his characters brought to life on screen in V Wars. Honest, insightful and refreshingly candid, John Everson offers readers a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a writer whose passion for horror continues to shape the genre with imagination, courage and unmistakable style.
What inspired you to write The Bloodstained Doll, and how does it differ from your previous works?
I’ve been a huge fan of 1970s Italian Giallo films for years – I own more than 100 of the films, which are, at the heart, murder mystery thrillers that typically have over-the-top scenes of violence, and feature a “black-gloved killer” with psychosexual motives. I decided for my 13th novel to write my own giallo, using as many tropes of the films as I could, and that became Five Deaths for Seven Songbirds (Flame Tree Press, 2022). Readers really seemed to love that book and my publisher asked me to follow it up with another giallo-esque tale. This time around, for The Bloodstained Doll, I went for more of the gothic mystery style of director Mario Bava than the over-the-top kills of directors Dario Argento and Sergio Martino which were the inspiration of Five Deaths.
Your novel NightWhere was a Bram Stoker Finalist, and its sequel The Night Mother was nominated for a Splatterpunk Award. What draws you to exploring such dark and extreme themes?
Both novels are set in a demonic-run “sex club from hell” called NightWhere that one review called “Hellraiser meets 50 Shades”. I honestly was afraid to write NightWhere for many years because I was worried about attaching my name to a project that had such extreme sex and violence scenes. And I was worried about pulling off the scenes I needed to in order to make the story work. But the idea stuck with me because, at its core, it’s a novel of unrelenting love – a husband who tries to save his wife from her dangerously destructive desires. It’s essentially the story of a man going into hell to try to rescue the woman he loves.
Erotic horror has always drawn my interest because, to me, we are all at our most vulnerable when we open ourselves to sex with another human. We’re naked, our emotional defenses down… so to have BAD things happen during that is truly a core fear and the most ripe ground for horror.
Many of your novels incorporate elements of both supernatural horror and psychological terror. Which do you find more unsettling to write, and why?
The idea that there could be unseen entities that are messing with our lives has always been frightening to me. It’s something no human can control… so that has always been the subgenre of horror that has attracted me both as a reader and a writer. My very first novel, Covenant, which won the Bram Stoker Award the year it came out, was about a town that had made a century-long deal with an evil demon in exchange for annual sacrifices. I’ve now released 15 novels and 10 of them involve demons or supernatural forces.
Your characters Danika and Mila Dubov appeared in V Wars on Netflix. What was it like seeing your creations come to life on screen?
It was unexpected and amazing. When I first wrote two connected stories for the V Wars book series, I had no thought at all that these would end up on TV. And then, years later, when I knew V Wars was being produced, I figured the adaptation would focus only on the story arcs of the book series creator, Jonathan Maberry (there were multiple other authors who contributed, but he was the lead). Then one night I was in a bar in New Orleans working on my laptop, and I happened to look up V Wars, wondering if there was a release date for the series yet. And I saw the names Mila and Danika in the cast list and I flipped out! I wanted to yell and high-five someone but the bar was mostly empty and it was after midnight so I couldn’t even email or text anyone!
When I finally DID get to see the series, I loved the way the characters were adapted and was super excited when I saw some of the actual plot points from my stories used. In the middle of watching one episode, I yelled out “they used the soup!”
You’re also a musician and digital artist. Do these creative outlets influence your writing in any way?
I don’t think my work in other artistic mediums has influenced what I write, but the art and music of others does help my stories. I’ve written a couple stories after being inspired by horror art… and I almost always write with music on the background. It helps put my mind in a singular place and blocks out the world… and often I choose music that will help support the mood of the scene I’m writing.
Your work has been translated into multiple languages. Have you received any interesting or surprising reactions from international readers?
I’m just humbled every time I have an offer to translate my stories into Polish or German or Czech… and it’s gratifying to occasionally see good reviews from those countries because you never know how the story will “feel” in translation to someone. I’ve had a couple people in Europe reach out to me to have me send them signed copies… it amazes me that anyone would pay that much (shipping costs are insane from the U.S. to Europe) just to have my signature.
What advice would you give to aspiring horror authors looking to break into the genre?
Write what you want to read. At the end of the day, if you’re going to spend that much time creating something, it should 100% be something that you want to read, because you’re going to live in that story for a long time creating it. And if you write what you want, vs. what you think the “market” wants, you’ll be the most true to your vision. Your unique vision of a horror story is what separates your ghost/vampire/zombie tale from the thousands of others that are out there.
