Writer Brian McAuley joins the Capes and Tights Podcast for Episode 195 on October 30, 2024. To prepare for the conversation, we have compiled five books and movies by McAuley you should read or watch.
Brian grew up in Weird, NJ on a steady diet of Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark? episodes. He received his BA in Creative Writing and Horror Theory from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study before getting his MFA in Film from Columbia University.
As a WGA screenwriter, Brian has written five films for the Lifetime Network in addition to writing and producing the award-winning thriller Dismissed for BoulderLight Pictures. He sold his TV series pitch Affliction to Syfy Network in a pilot development deal and penned an episode of Fuller House for Netflix.
Brian’s debut novel Curse of the Reaper was published through Simon & Schuster and named one of the Best Horror Books of 2022 by Esquire. His Christmas horror novella Candy Cain Kills released in 2023 through Shortwave Publishing with the sequel dropping on November 12, 2024.
McAuley is also part of the Punk Goes Horror anthology coming in March 2025 and his latest book Breathe In, Bleed Out drops Fall 2025 from Poisoned Pen Press.
Curse of the Reaper
Decades after playing the titular killer in the 80s horror franchise Night of the Reaper, Howard Browning has been reduced to signing autographs for his dwindling fanbase at genre conventions. When the studio announces a series reboot, the aging thespian is crushed to learn he’s being replaced in the iconic role by heartthrob Trevor Mane, a former sitcom child-star who’s fresh out of rehab.
Trevor is determined to stay sober and revamp his image while Howard refuses to let go of the character he created, setting the stage for a cross-generational clash over the soul of a monster. But as Howard fights to reclaim his legacy, the sinister alter ego consumes his unraveling mind, pushing him to the brink of violence. Is the method actor succumbing to madness or has the devilish Reaper taken on a life of its own?
Dismissed (2017)
A straight-edged teacher finds trouble when an honors student is willing to do anything to get an A.
Brian McAuley served as the screenwriter for Dismissed.
Candy Cain Kills
When Austin’s parents drag him and his little sister Fiona to a remote cottage for Christmas, he’s less than thrilled about the forced bonding exercise. But after learning that their holiday getaway was the site of a horrific crime, this family on the rocks will have to fight for their lives against a legendary killer… because Candy Cain is slashing through the snow with a very long naughty list.
Nanny Cam (2014)
An ambitious, professional ad executive watches as her gorgeous new nanny slowly bonds with her daughter and husband.
Brian McAuley served as the screenwriter for Nanny Cam.
Candy Cain Kills Again: The Second Slaying
After surviving the horrors of Christmas Eve at the Thornton house, Austin, Mateo and Fiona head to the Church of Nodland to get some confessions from Pastor Wendell and his congregation. Little do they know that Candy Cain is coming to town to wish one and all a very merry axe-mas!
