If you have an affinity for things that go bump in the night, then the TeenLIVE event with Darren Shan on November 12, 2010 was right up your blood-curdling alley. Have no fear (pun definitely intended) if you missed out on Shan’s edge-of-your-seat reading of Lord Loss and Birth of A Killer, because you can watch it here.

Shan drew audience members even further into his twisted world of fright by conducting readings of particularly gruesome passages. The excerpts were thoughtfully selected to delight the biggest Shan fans while giving newcomers a glimpse into his ghoulish writing style. As if Shan alone wasn’t enough to keep the audience entertained, additional elements were added to the event, such as costumed characters and creepy puppets to create the dark ambiance of the evening.

During the interview, topics covered everything from Shan’s past career aspirations, his view of modern day horror films, and the art of using gore sparingly. The audience asked numerous questions to gain inspiration for their own writing, to get answers about their favorite stories, and to find out what Shan is working on next.
 
If Shan has sucked you into the dark side, here are some additional books, movies, and TV shows that might pique your interest:

Books

Salem’s Lot  by Stephen King
This is a classic Stephen King novel that takes place in a mysteriously creepy small town in Maine. There is clearly something going on but it's hard to put your finger on it. As the story unravels, the reader learns that the seemingly wholesome town has been infected by vampires.

The Unspoken by Thomas Fahy
Six teens survive a fire that disbands the religious cult they once belonged to with their parents. Five years after the fire, the teens return to the town where the cult was and begin dying one by one. Each teen dies exactly how the cult leader predicted, prior to his own death.

Gothic! Ten Original Dark Tales, a compilation of short horror stories from various authors.
Lungewater by Joan Aiken; Morgan Roehmar's Boys by Vivian Vande Velde; Watch and Wake by M.T. Anderson; Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Nameless House of the Night of Dread Desire by Neil Gaiman; Dead and the Moonstruck by Caitlin R. Kiernan; Have No Fear, Crumpot Is Here! by Barry Yourgrau; Stone Tower by Janni Lee Simner; Prank by Gregory Maguire; Writing on the Wall by Celia Rees; and Endings by Garth Nix.

The Monstrumologist: William James Henry, edited by Rick Yancy
If gore is what you are looking for, The Monstrumologist is just for you. This is the tale of Will Henry, the 12-year-old assistant to the Dr. Pellinore Warthrop who studies monsters. Throughout the book, Will gives gruesomely-detailed accounts of his run-ins with monsters.

Movies

The Omen
A 1976 classic horror movie, featuring an American couple living in Europe who have a baby. The baby dies shortly after delivery. The father switches his dead baby for a live one in order to prevent the mother from realizing that their real child has died. As the boy ages, strange things start to happen around him, and the father figures out that the baby he took from the hospital is the demon spawn of the devil.

Night of the Living Dead
A 1968 black-and-white zombie movie taking place in rural Pennsylvania. Five people end up taking refuge in the same farmhouse, attempting to flee the ghouls that tried to attack them. The group is able to watch the news on a television set and learn that the recently dead are attacking the living. Unfortunately, no one can agree on the best course of action, so some of them leave the farmhouse only to be attacked themselves, eventually attacking the others.

TV Shows

Salem’s Lot
A 1979 television miniseries based on Stephen King’s book, listed above.

Masters of Horror
A 2005 horror television series that aired 60-minute episodes each week. Some of the episodes were directed by well known horror movie directors, such as John Carpenter (Halloween), Joe Dante (The Howling), and Tom Holland (Child’s Play).