ALTOONA, Pa. — Penn State Altoona faculty members Brian Onishi, associate professor of philosophy, and Jeff Stoyanoff, assistant professor of English and of women's, gender and sexuality studies, have released a new episode of their "Horror Joy" podcast. In their latest episode, the hosts continue their haunted house series with guest Ally Malinenko, discussing her middle-grade novel “This Appearing House” alongside R.L. Stine’s “Goosebumps” debut “Welcome to Dead House.”
Malinenko describes the joy of the horror genre — especially for kids — as teaching readers how to face monsters, offering catharsis and providing language to process fear and trauma. She explains how “This Appearing House” uses a haunted-house structure to explore anxiety and the lasting effects of her cancer diagnosis without centering a “cancer book,” including why the diagnosis is largely unstated for young readers. The hosts and Malinenko also dive into bullying, parent-child gaps, rules and rule-breaking in Stine’s work and the nostalgic influence of Scholastic book fairs and iconic cover art.
The full episode can be accessed on podcast providers or on Red Circle.