Folk Horror, Ancient Gods, and the Bloodlines of Vampire Lore — With Jack Finn | ep 21

💀 Episode Description:

On this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, Brad sits down with horror author Jack Finn, whose work twists folklore, ancient monsters, and reimagined legends into something entirely his own. From The Seven Deaths of Prince Vlad to his upcoming Culling of the House of Boars, Jack’s take on vampires, werewolves, and pre-Christian folklore is anything but traditional.

Jack talks about growing up on creature features, discovering that he was a horror fan long before he realized it, and how Romanian folklore (and trips to Transylvania) shaped his writing. He walks through the origins of the Strigoi, why he prefers monsters who aren’t the real villains, and why humans—especially in wartime—are often far scarier than anything supernatural.

Brad and Jack break down folk horror from both the European and American perspectives, discuss writing process, finding your narrative voice, killing beloved characters, and the strange Google searches that come with being a horror author. Jack also talks about his duology The Wolves of Kalinin, his new title’s release from Crystal Lake Publishing, and how his military deployments shaped the emotional realism at the heart of his stories.

A thoughtful, folklore-rich, monster-deep conversation you won’t want to miss.

🎧 Press play… if you dare.

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🕸️ Show Notes / Topics Covered:

🧛 Jack’s Origin Story & First Novel

• Always wanted to write but lacked time/confidence

• Trips to Romania → inspiration for The Seven Deaths of Prince Vlad

• Reframing Dracula as the hero and Van Helsing as the villain

• Early success on KDP → picked up by a small press

📚 Books & Series Discussed

• The Seven Deaths of Prince Vlad

• The Wolves of Kalinin duology

• New release: Culling of the House of Boars (Strigoi/ancient vampire origin myth)

• Upcoming Crystal Lake Publishing release (He Who’s Done Evil)

• How each book pushes folklore, history, and monster myth in new ways

👹 Folk Horror, Ancient Beasts & Monster Philosophy

• Why folklore inspires him more than modern demonology

• The appeal of monsters that predate modern civilization

• European folk horror vs. American folk horror (Nevill, Brom, Brogden, Barnett, etc.)

• Why the creature is rarely the real villain in his work

• Viewing monsters from their perspective, not the victim’s

🧠 Writing Process, Craft & Career Lessons

• A pure pantser—stories begin with one vivid scene in the woods

• How outdoor hiking/kayaking fuels story ideas

• Finding your unique author voice

• The curse of the “new shiny idea” while drafting

• Why editors make you better—and why authors need thick skin

• “Kill your darlings” and why beloved characters must sometimes die

🎖️ Real-World Experience

• Deploying to Afghanistan three times

• Human cruelty vs. supernatural horror

• Bringing wartime realism into monster fiction

🎬 Influences & Horror Favorites

• Saturday creature features

• Return of the Living Dead, The Ritual, The Witch, Cabin in the Woods

• Gerald Brom, Adam Nevill, David Barnett, James Brogden

• Fascination with ancient deities, old gods, forgotten lore

🎣 What Scares Jack?

• The woods

• The unknown

• The ancient world beneath our modern one

• And, most of all… people

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🔗 Guest Links:

Website: www.therealjackfinn.com
Socials: @therealjackfinn (Instagram, Twitter/X, BlueSky, Facebook)
Books available on Amazon + Crystal Lake Publishing

(All links to be added in show notes)

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🔥 Keywords:

Jack Finn, Culling of the House of Boars, Wolves of Kalinin, Seven Deaths of Prince Vlad, Strigoi folklore, Romanian vampire lore, folk horror, ancient gods horror, folklore horror, monster mythology, Brad Ricks, The Night Crew Podcast, Crystal Lake Publishing, horror author interview, forest horror, pre-Christian myth, creature features, Eastern European folklore, werewolf fiction, vampire reimagining, horror writing advice

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🧛 Hashtags:

#TheNightCrewPodcast #JackFinn #FolkHorror #VampireLore #Strigoi #HorrorPodcast #IndieHorror #AuthorInterview #CrystalLakePublishing #MonsterLore #WerewolfFiction #AncientGods #HorrorCommunity #WritingHorror #FolkloreFiction