Main Topic: Cosy Horror

Horror is usually meant to scare us, but this isn’t always the case. Sometimes it can be oddly comforting — cosy, even. Maybe this is because it’s an old favourite, or perhaps it’s something non-threatening, even hopeful.

So how do we even start defining cosy horror? What are some of the defining works of this subgenre? And how might we bring a touch of cosiness to our own games?

There is some overlap between this and our discussions of horror for the nervous (episode 307) and gateway horror (episode 337), but we take things in a different direction.

Our Guest Host

We are delighted to welcome Holly back to the Good Friends! Holly co-hosts RPG Reanimators, a podcast focusing on providing resources for GMs and players of horror RPGs. She’s also a regular on Into the Darkness, an actual play YouTube channel. In addition to RPGs, she’s an avid board gamer, space nerd, and all-around trivia enthusiast. You can find Holly over on the RPG Reanimators Discord.

Holly has previously joined us to discuss:

• Horror in Space
• Analogue Horror
• Alien

Links

Things we mention in this episode include:

• Pumpkin spice latte
• Are You Afraid of the Dark
• Halloweentown (1998)
• The House With a Clock in the Walls (2018)
• Halloween (1978)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street (1978)
• Gothic horror
• Mike Flanagan
• The Haunting of Bly Manor
• The Haunting of Hill House
• The Fall of the House of Usher
• Roger Corman’s Poe adaptations
• “Hop-Frog” by Edgar Allan Poe
• Mark Fisher

• The Baader-Meinhof Complex (2008)
• Kate Stallworth’s essay on cosy horror in the Porter House Review
• The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
• Becky Chambers
• Romantasy
• Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
• Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
• Over the Garden Wall
• Gateway horror
• Blythe Spirit (1945)
• The Ghost and Mrs Muir (1947)
• The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde
• The Addams Family
• Top cosy horror novels on Goodreads

• The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
• The Elementals by Michael McDowell
• Blackwater by Michael McDowell
• Haunted houses
• The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
• Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• The September House by Carissa Orlando
• Beetlejuice (1988)
• Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt
• Play Nice by Rachel Harrison
• Cackle by Rachel Harrison
• Practical Magic (1998)
• My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
• The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
• Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

• Urban fantasy discussion with Seth Skorkowsky
• The Good Friends of Jackson Elias Discord server
• Magical realism
• Analogue horror
• Film noir
• The Hollow Places by T Kingfisher
• “The Willows” by Algernon Blackwood
• The Twisted Ones by T Kingfisher
• “The White People” by Arthur Machen
• What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher
• “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe
• A House With Good Bones by T Kingfisher
• Snake-Eater by T Kingfisher
• Wolf Worm by T Kingfisher

• Masque of the Red Death (1964)
• Charlie Parker series by John Connolly
• Ciaphas Cain series
• Alien: Isolation
• What Remains of Edith Finch
• Foolish Mortals
• Ghosts
• Ghosts (USA)
• What We Do in the Shadows
• The Darkside Detective
• The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark
• Twin Peaks
• Direct Descendant by Tanya Huff
• Due South

• Welcome to Night Vale
• The Dark by James Herbert
• The Carrow Haunt by Darcy Coates
• Hell House by Richard Matheson
• Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates
• Don’t Starve
• Edward Gorey
• Invader Zim
• Jhonen Vasquez
• Lenore, the Cute Little Dead Girl
• Tales From the Loop
• Stranger Things
• Tales From the Loop: They Grow Up So Fast
• Brindlewood Bay

• Murder, She Wrote
• “The Paper Chase” from the Call of Cthulhu Starter Set
• “The Haunting” from the Call of Cthulhu Quick-Start Rules
• The Blasphemous Tome
• The Famous Five by Enid Blyton
• “UNLAND” from Fear’s Sharp Little Needles
• Blood Brothers
• Gilmore Girls
• Into the Darkness
• “There’s a Monster at the End of This Scenario”
• “The Great Innsmouth Caper”
• Puppetland
• RPG Reanimators Discord server

News

Patreon Changes

Patreon has announced that they are discontinuing the option for creators to charge per creation (per episode, in our case). This is the model we have always used, as it was the only option available when we started. Instead, we now have switch to a monthly subscription.

We are also taking this opportunity to change from US dollars to British Pounds, as, again, this wasn’t an option when we started.

From September 2026, our three basic tiers will be £3, £6 and £10 per month, replacing the old $1, $3 and $5 per-episode tiers. Higher tiers will simply be double the current cost, but in Pounds. This works out as roughly the same cost. The rewards for each tier will also stay the same.

Existing backers do not need to take any action. The update will happen automatically.

This change additionally allows us to enable annual subscriptions, although we are still looking into these. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please let us know.

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