Morbid Book Club: Victorian Psycho By Virginia Feito

Morbid

In this episode of Morbid Book Club, host Grady Hendrix and author Paul Tremblay discuss *Victorian Psycho* by Virginia Feito, exploring its dark humor, unsettling themes, and ambiguous ending. The conversation delves into the novel’s grotesque portrayal of Victorian high society, its blend of horror and satire, and the psychological complexity of its characters.

Key takeaways

• The novel’s ambiguity enhances its horror, reflecting the uncertainty of life and challenging readers to interpret events without closure.
• Feito uses dark comedy and direct address to create a complicit relationship with the reader, blurring the line between horror and satire.
• The book subverts Victorian ideals of elegance by exposing the era’s filth, cruelty, and moral decay through grotesque details like arsenic-laced green dresses and cannibalistic rituals.

Transcript preview

Hey weirdos, this episode is brought to you by Ashley. Your home should show off who you are. As the largest furniture store brand in North America, Ashley can help you create a comfortable, functional, and stylish home that you can feel proud of. And in a price range that works for you. store or head to Ashley.com to find your style. All right brothers we're going to get into the actual intro but first big red has something to tell you today we've somebody very special on the pod in the pod lab the second p.ache keel's pod lab welcome to the pod lab it's still a little bit under construction but we're working on it. We have. Thanks Mikey. That was badass. We have Paul Tremblay on the pod today. Paul is the critically acclaimed New York Times best-selling author of Head Full of Ghosts The Paul Bearers Club, Cabin at the End of the World, and actually that one has already been adapted to a film. It's knock at the cabin, I believe it's called. So go check that out. Cabin at the end of the world and actually that one had has already been adapted to a film it's knock at the cabin I believe it's called so go check that out and a A head full of Ghost is going to be adapted to a movie. So cool. Wait for that. His newest release right here, Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep, which is an amazing title. It's coming out June 30th. That's wherever you can find books. We have actually already recorded with Paul, and had a fucking fantastic time. He's so nice. He's phenomenal. His books are phenomenal, and I urge you to go check them out. And we're really excited for you to see our conversation with him. Whoa! Before we get into the episode, we do just have to thank our sponsor one more time. Ashley is such an icon. I'm not talking about myself. I'm talking about this gorgeous furniture that we're sitting on. I'm talking about this gorgeous furniture that we're sitting on. It's gee. we are sitting on and our feet are upon and our drank are upon. We got this is the Revion Lake sofa that we're sitting on. It's comfy. It's really comfy. It's chic. I love the color and it's washable which is nice. I got the love seat over there and then we have the mainly coffee table which I'm actually ordering another one to put in my living room downstairs because I love it so much. I like to say really quick that the shweps on there was a mistake. I'm not talking to you right now. And finally these are the core stone tables the end tables. What I love about these is that I feel like I'm like a QVC girl. I love that you can dress them up like the shelves you can kind of just like put all your kuturramants all your zincor your your trinkets your chochies your hara movies your a walla your game that you crafted with your sister and hunt a killer you just put anything on the end table so thank you to Ashley for sponsoring today's episode and for sending us this really cool furniture because it's sick and without further ado let's get into it yeah hey weirdos I'm Ash I'm Elena and I'm Grady Hendrix no wait I'm Paul we said Paul you can be whoever you want to be today and he chose Grady Hendrix oh yes this is morbid This is a very special morbid. We have an inmate we already introduced him but I'm going to introduce him again I'm gonna do this is Paul Tremblay if you don't know him go figure it out because there's a body of work that you need to get into right now. He's an amazing writer and you're missing out if you haven't read his books. So get to it. And also there's several adaptations that have been happening lately. Yeah, thank you so much. The most recent would be a handful of ghosts wrapped filming in the Dublin area, which is where actually Victorian psycho was filmed in Ireland as well. Oh, that's cool. Virginia and I talked a little bit about. wrapped filming in the Dublin area which is where actually Victorian psycho was filmed in Ireland as well. Oh that's cool. Virginia and I talked a little bit about but anyway yeah wrapped and probably be out a year from now. Yeah super excited. I'm really excited for that that's actually one of my favorite of your books. Thank you so much. Very excited about that. It's gonna be a scary movie. I think they didn't they didn't pull any punches. So the directors was weird we were talking my wife and I on the way over the the director is our Austrian niece and nephew like it like just kind of fun that you Oh my God that's so cool that is funny like us like us or I should say an aunt nephew yeah yeah there you go right cool that's so cool I love that well that we mentioned Victorian psycho yes that's what we're gonna be talking about today yes This was actually your pick which we were very excited and at first I had heard about this book It's by Virginia Fido excuse me and I've heard about this book Everywhere like I'm on tick talk like book talk loves it I've heard about so many people have told me you have to read this book and it's been on my my t-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-a-bure for ever. I ate this book up in one day like one yesterday literally just ate it up it's so easy to read it is such a good book I think it's so unique yeah I feel like I've never read anything quite like this yeah truly yeah and we're gonna get really into it in a minute minute but first I want to talk to you about you okay because you guys got to know who Paul is I'm not Victorian you're not Victorian are you a psycho only when I don't to be determined yeah we'll figure it out through this so we were actually just talking about this congrats I'm finally becoming a full-time writer thank you That's incredible. I appreciate that. Yeah, it's a little weird little daunting Yeah, I've been a high school math teacher for 30 years and people usually react more in horror to that than they do the horror writing I was gonna say that's horror to me. Yeah, no I totally get it you know at a small school local to hear and they were always super supportive let me be the weirdo are a agnostic math teacher in a Catholic boy school. Oh hell yeah that's awesome. That's a story in and of itself that you need to write a thing. So very thankful. They're never, you know if I missed a day or two to go to like a festival or something they were great. Oh that's so cool. Yeah, that's so rare. Yeah, I can see why you stayed there's like I mean my artistic writerly safety net. And then, you know, I could write a book and if it was weird, that's okay. And if I needed to say no, I could because I didn't have to like do what the publisher said or what people expected. I know, and I think that actually makes it better. I feel like you probably were a little able to be more free and creative with that when you have that safety net because when it's all on you it's like like this has to work it has to be what everyone likes. No 100% always admire friends who make a go of it you know full time and that's how they've been supporting their family for years I mean that's a pressure that I'll have to figure out. My kids are older now so they're on their own. So what. So who cares? Well you're on their own. when I saw I think I saw you post about it and I was like wait a minute like he's not full time doing this what the hell but you you seem to have come to the full time side of writing at the right time because I feel like horrors having kind of like a cultural renaissance right now like we even like with movies and stuff like back rooms weapons sinners brancens and session Why do you think that's happening right now? Yeah, I mean, it's hard to answer. I'm not sure. I mean, I think some of it was funny. Let me back up, so I had a full of ghost was the book that sort of made me like that broke out. And we were, when we were trying to sell that in early 2014, a lot of publishers, sell that in early 2014 a lot of publishers were like but it's horror and like it was we eventually did get a publish which was amazing but just it's not that long ago like now like 11 12 years later it's like you know that people are like the publisher's weekly reports and like oh the sale like the publisher acquisition of horror novels is up 25% from last year which was up 25% from the year before and it's just you know the worst case scenario person in me that you know powers my books is like oh no it's gonna be a bubble that pops yeah like that's not right there it's going to happen but no I mean I think it's an healthy place we're finally getting to see it's not just you know white straight authors look like me and Grady it's you know we're getting to see way more own voices and you know to me that's like one of the most exciting parts about what we're seeing both in film and and in publishing oh yeah I agree I think it's like different point of views coming into it's I think finally people are being open to that which is nice and I love it and I love seeing them like win awards I love all of like seeing this happen I'm like it's time it's our time no I mean the other part of is I think you know well I mean I'll talk about Jen X a little bit like I mean so many of us of us grew up reading Stephen King and watching the movies and then you know the later reading Stephen King and watching the movies and then you know the later half of the previous decade you know so many of us were now publishing books like you know the children if not of Stephen King but of of that time yeah like I said there's less of it there's still a stigma with horror which I hope never leaves frankly I mean I always want horror Horror should be poking and prodding at uncomfortable things and on the boundaries so I hope it doesn't lose that Yeah, so I think honestly get out has a lot to do with it like when that came out like that was the first time Broader culture especially academia and mainstream reviewers were like oh there were I remember I remember culture especially academia and academia and mainstream reviewers were like oh there were there I remember literal articles in New York Times like do we need to take horror seriously because of that movie they were like way to where it did change the landscape a little that movie is flawless I love that movie so good now do you remember the exact moment that you realize that you wanted to write horror had like a love terrified relationship with horror. That's how I feel. Yeah. Yeah. Still like if I'm alone in the house I'm not above sleeping with like a desk lamp on. Oh yeah same. Or you know noise machines still go up the basement steps too quick just because I'm ridiculous. But I mean I wasn't even like a huge reader as a kid like I was just sort of like a nerdy math person you know loved the Celtics you know took me from here and it wasn't until college where I met my wife Lisa she bought me right after I graduated two things happened my last and I hope this isn't too boring you can cut it I had to take a English requirement. I was in a freshman English class second semester senior year. Oh damn. It blew my mind. I had like the stereotype experience and the teacher was a big punk music fan and I was too so we connected but anyway. One of the stories I read in that class was Joyce Caroloats is where are you going where have you been. I remember reading it and I actually said aloud I didn't know people wrote things like this. to get a master's degree. That's when I was reading everything Stephen King wrote. And from Dance Macabre, I branched out to like Peter Strav and Clyde Barker and Shirley Jackson. And then two years after that I got my first teaching job, and I had the weird itch to try writing a story. Like, why would I try writing a story? Like I can't write a whole book. I love that though. I love that's how I'm a whole book. I'm not. I'm not. I love that though. That's how I felt too when I first started writing like the my first book I was like I don't know how to write a story like I can't write a whole book what am I doing like I'm just imagine everybody feels that way when I feel like everyone has to feel that way you know in the beginning being like I'm not gonna get to the end of this this is going to be something someone reads. Right. I'm terrible at writing advice, so I don't give it. The only thing I tell, especially to younger people, it's like, hey, you know, hopefully you come to this realization a lot earlier than I did, but hopefully you come to the realization that it's okay to like things. And it's getting harder and harder and harder to do that. Yes. And I mean, that's such an important, it has to be, it has to be your first step. about it and maybe want to try it yourself. I mean that's such an important. It has to be your first step. Yes. I'm so glad you said that because I'm constantly trying to tell my kids that. I'm like I want to tell you now when you're young like you can't be passionately excited about things and not feel weird about it. Like I feel like we have got to a place now where like, you can't. And everything's cringe. And it's like, that's so cringy that you're into it. It's like, stop. I hate that. You need. Unless they like Grady Henrich's books. Then we should really stop. Stop. I love Grady. Grady is a friend. I just like making fun of him. You love Grady. We had him on and we had the most fun with him. He's great. great. He is so much fun. He's so funny. He was really fun with the Would You Rather. So get ready for that. Yeah. Yeah. And actually like this kind of leads into my, what I wanted to talk about next. So speaking of like a love of writing and getting passionate about things, AI, I have to rant with you about it because I think we feel the exact same way about it. with AI and it's making me crazy that it's become a thing and I feel like you need to go through the whole like being inspired to write something coming up with the idea like working through it at some point like reading your own writing and being like oh my God I'm a genius and then the next day reading it and being like I'm a hack and I should never do this and then fighting through that feeling and coming out on the other side like you need to have that full experience and I feel like all of a sudden we're gonna get these books that don't have that behind it and I feel like you need that injected into the book for it to be. Yeah I had no no interest in reading it. I mean the whole idea to me is reading something or watching a movie or any other piece of art what the connection is oh this person felt like I did. Yeah, it feels like I do too right. And there will never be any of that. No, you know, never mind that they steal our books. years, it's myself other horror leading the way. Christopher Golden, another horror writer in Richard Kaudhrey, and also weirdly, well not weirdly, but like, not horror writer, but Sarah Silverman, we were the first four and spent two years as a part of it. They can, there's so many lawsuits they consulted it all to one, so that like I didn't continue because they also chose different lawyers, was weird but yeah no I mean you know I'm sorry if it makes people uncomfortable but like you're not a writer or a visual artist if you're using it your scab to use like we don't have a union but I'm gonna use union terms you're a scab exactly yeah it's stolen work yeah it just at the end of the day makes me crazy and it's just no humanity behind it like AI can't at the end of the day. Makes me crazy. And there's just no humanity behind it, like AI can't come up. I mean you can always see it in like metaphors and stuff that you'll see written by AI. You're like that doesn't even make sense. Because you don't have the capacity as a computer to compare two things. Like you just don't. It doesn't make any sense. It's, I mean, in one way, it's help crystalline. viewing art but you know it's the connection components it's like I don't why do we have to defend this or yeah or explain why that this is important exactly and it makes it so you have a book coming out on June 30th and it's dead but dreaming of electric sheep I love that title first now such a good title and it has some like AI components in it like in the story it's about that the plot seems so interesting to me can you tell us a little bit about it's a little bit about it's about it's about it's I'm bad at the quick pitch. I'm terrible at it so don't worry. I think that's like a thing across the board with all the way. Yeah. So the main conceit is that there's someone who's like my age and billed working for, well not Google because I didn't want to get sued. I think I called them Sicilian, a giant tech company in the Silicon Valley. He's working on campus in the mailroom and he doesn't drop dead but he has a massive stroke where you know he can breathe and his heart's beating but he's not you know there's no consciousness he's in a vegetative state so they say. He signed his body directly to over to the company though prior to this happening. game. So most that happens off page. The semi estranged 24 year old daughter of the CFO, she was an ex professional gamer, is hired to basically weekend at Bernese him across the country. Oh my God. So I'm hopeful, like I hope that a big chunk of this book, maybe the first two thirds of her chapters, Julia's chapters is definitely satire and hopefully very funny. Yeah. Even though it's, you know, ultimately a serious thing. So the book is split between her chapters and chapters are titled You, which is from the point of view of the man with a tech in his head. So he is still conscious because of what they've put in his head. He's going through like a phantasmic Oracle, Hellscape. That's gonna be good. Yeah, I love a dual poo be Love that's really cool and to think about just like Being unconscious but conscious at the same time that's that's wild That's honestly my no definitely very horrific yeah very black mirror And the control aspect of it is my literal worst nightmare I am the biggest freak in the world the idea of somebody controlling me when I can't right yeah no one of my fears right in the book is even though the premise seems absurd I am the premise. I'm the best I am the book is like I am the book is like I am the book I am the done before it can actually happen. I was going to say before you did go there was a story where some company has brains and jars like some companies do apparently like futurama right and they were testing either both pain medication or addiction to drugs testing the brains and one of the spokesperson said you know the wiring is almost taken out of what it would take for them to be conscious almost. Stop I hate you're like speed writing. you're like please hurry. Oh my God. Oh I hate that. I want to go back to something that you said earlier because I related to that so much. I'm such a horror fan but I'm also such a frady cut and you said the same thing. I wonder do you have any fears that you've never explored in your writing that you would eventually want to someday? Um, that's a great question. I don't think no one's ever asked it in that way. I mean there's some fears that I won't write about just because it's too scary for me. war stuff really anything that brushes up against that is too much for me. That's how I feel too. I don't write about it. Avoid. So I won't watch Oppenheimer. Yep. I'm sure it's a good movie. End of the world stuff to me is like too real. Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I use so much of my own life, much of the segrint, in my family, in my books. You know, it's hard to say what's coming next. And I wish I was someone who had like a a bullpen of ideas and for novels I just go from novel and then I'm like oh no what am I going to do now? Oh man and just try to start from scratch and hopefully there's some inspiration so. All right that's so interesting. I can't say like I definitely want to try this or that's the kind of know like I'm just totally focused on the thing I'm working on. Yeah that's cool you got to see it through. Yeah. I have the weird like, you're like sometimes I'll look at them and I'm like I'm like I'm like I'm like I'm like I'm like I'm like I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm just to that I also have the weirdest dreams that I feel like I do yeah nightmares I should say I feel like so many of your ideas come from a little blip in your dream yeah or my kids weirdly their kids are scary where like they'll tell me a little bit of a like nightmare or something that they're scared of and I'm like can I use that like is that cool if I put that in a book? Are you even ask that permission? Yeah like is it I know I should just take I'm like I'm like I'm like I'm like I'm like I'm like I'm like I'm like nightmare or something that they're scared of and I'm like can I use that like is that cool if I put that in a book? Are you even asked them permission? Yeah like is it I know I should just take I'm like I made you so my poor children my poor children yeah I've done taking things without permission including a head full of ghosts I scarred my wife Lisa with it because young Mary the eight-year old character was definitely our daughter Emma when she was eight years old that was her personality yeah that's that's so cool. That's so cool. without permission. Just take it. Including a handful of ghosts, I scarred my wife Lisa with it because young Mary, the eight-year-old character, was definitely our daughter Emma when she was eight years old. That was her personality. Yeah. That's so cool. I mean, hey, you have to write what you know, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I think my youngest had an imaginary friend. Well, well, he'll always find you. like she said don't worry the mister will always find you like I think it's because they were playing hide and seek her and my husband and they were like hiding under a blanket and he was like who we hiding from like who's finding and she was like the mister and he was like I'm sorry what and she was like don't worry he'll always find us and he was like I hate this I hate this what is that's terrifying that's great for okay Don't worry he'll always find us and he was like I hate this what is that mean I know a broke title the mister will always find you the mister will always find you I like it yeah yeah I'm going back to scary memories or anything like that do you know the care can you think of the first story that ever scared you so badly that it's still with you to this day. Maybe you read it or you heard it. Oh yeah so I mean for me it was all movies I mean I think I'm trying to think age-wise there was I mean in this when I say this era I don't want to give away where you guys lived in the New England area. Sure I was I'm old enough that it was a program called Creature Double Feature that played man this was like late 70s early 80s on Saturday so they show two movies the first movie. The first movie was always like Godzilla or a Kajju movie. A Kajuji movie. movie or black and white. You know, some of the work, like just dumbest horror movies that get, and eventually were on mystery science theater. Right. Oh hell yeah. Those gave me nightmares. I had a attack of the killer shrew nightmares. Nightingare that