In this episode of the **M3 Bearcast**, Malcolm Travers is joined by horror enthusiast and critic **Mark O. Estes** to dive deep into the chilling world of Johnny Compton’s celebrated novel, *The Spite House*.
What makes a house "haunted"? Is it the spirits of the dead, or the lingering energy of the living? Malcolm and Mark explore the southern gothic atmosphere of Compton's Texas-set thriller, which follows a father and his two daughters on the run. They’ve accepted a cryptic offer: stay in a "spite house" and document its paranormal activity for half a million dollars. But as they quickly discover, the rules of this haunting—and the nature of the "ghosts" within—break every traditional trope of the genre.
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* **The Anatomy of a Spite House:** The history of homes built out of pure defiance and how that negative energy manifests.
* **Beyond the Grave:** Why the entities in *The Spite House* are more disturbing than traditional ghosts.
* **The Science of Fear:** A look at how our environment, gut biomes, and even the history of diseases like tuberculosis shape our narratives of the supernatural.
* **The "Twist" (No Spoilers!):** How Johnny Compton pulls the rug out from under the reader by redefining what it means to be a "source" of energy.
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### **Recommended Listening**
If you enjoyed Mark’s insights on horror and the paranormal, be sure to subscribe to **Mark O. Estes'** podcast, **Midnight Social Distortion**, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
