Horror

Among those who like horror, different people have different preferences for one kind of horror or another. Mrs. RM tends toward the visual blood, guts and gore stuff. Me? I like things like Lovecraft’s stories (racist pig though he seemingly was). So, in spite of his social “ickiness,” which really should be a word, I find the whole Cthulu mythos thing (for instance) more than a little fun. Lovecraft said he wrote “weird fiction.” There is a type of horror we might call eldritch horror. Eldritch, as it happens, can mean weird or ghostly. And so, we come to a place I once called home.

When I was a kid, we lived off and on in a part of East Tennessee the locals called “upper Middle East Tennessee.” Sitting squarely in the Appalachians, it was a wondrous place for a teenage boy who loved being outdoors. Appalachia has its own culture (with subcultural differences based on any number of things) with its own folklore. Sometimes, folklore and horror can overlap…

There is a podcast, now in its third season, called Old Gods of Appalachia. It is a horror anthology podcast with a significant eldritch component. Though there is certainly blood, guts and gore, at least on occasion, its eldritch or weird feel is part of what I enjoy. The other part is the respect with which it treats the culture of Appalachia (which we’ll pronounce as “Appalatcha,” out of respect for the section of Appalachia where it makes its home).

The stories are great. Anyway, if you like eldritch horror, if you have appreciate the culture in that part of America, or if you’re simply curious, you can check it out here. If you decide you like it, I recommend using a podcast player so you can set your queue preferences.