Welcome

A few words about The Veil: On the Weird, the Numinous, the Terrible

I’ve been writing about horror books, film and culture for a long time as a contributor to Rue Morgue and other magazines and newspapers. I also contributed a horror books column to the Toronto Star for several years until I was hobbled by the inevitable burnout that goes with hack work. In the process, and in writing my own horror and suspense fiction, I've been whittling away at the Big Questions. Like, what is the horror genre and what isn’t it? What needs and emotions does horror satisfy? How does horror WORK? What historical, theological and literary/folk traditions continue to feed it? I’m also interested in why artists and fans came to the genre and the books, movies, and life experiences that made them a horror fan.

I created The Veil to scratch that itch and to offer readers deep dives on horror-related topics (and artists) that are too often treated with generalizations and platitudes. Along with my own essays, memoir pieces and Top Ten lists, I’ll be publishing interviews with authors, filmmakers, and academics. I may even publish a few short stories. I’m also hoping readers will give full vent to their memories, crackpot theories, and hot takes in the comments section (while remembering that we’re all fans here, and none of this need be personal).

UPDATE: During a long hiatus from publishing The Veil, I wrote and sketched out a number of think pieces, memoirs and short stories that engage with, however elliptically, the idea of horror as a means of engaging with the spiritual/the numinous/the enchanted. This gargantuan bolus of material will hopefully engage and challenge readers as it is doled out in a series of posts whose frequency will depend on how much time I can steal from my Other Lives as an Assistant to the Bishop of a RC Diocese, a coach and curator of Little League Baseball (Canadian version) team, and a general dogsbody/cook/gardener to my family.

The Veil will ALWAYS be free, but a subscriptions will get you full access to the newsletter and website on a timely basis.