Summertime is the perfect time to read about slasher fiction, especially set in summer camps. Notoriously popularised in ’90s horror flicks like I Know What You Did Last Summer or Friday the 13th, setting stories within a place that is supposed to be relaxing is what makes it so engaging to readers. Horror often relies on people making rash decisions under states of stress, but in this novel, where the main character is supposed to be at a relaxing destination, you can understand why.
With Heads Will Roll being released as a paperback through Penguin Books in August 2025, our interview with Josh Winning covers his love for horror, queer representation in the horror genre, and the influence of the ’90s horror flick boom.
About Josh Winning
Josh Winning is the critically acclaimed author of Burn the Negative, which was long-listed for a Bram Stoker Award, Heads Will Roll, and The Shadow Glass. He is a senior film writer at Radio Times and has written for Total Film, Gay Times, and Den of Geek. During his years as a film journalist, he has been on set with Kermit the Frog (and Miss Piggy), devoured breakfast with zombies on The Walking Dead, and sat on the Iron Throne on the set of Game of Thrones.
Josh lives in Suffolk with his cat Penny and dreams of one day convincing Sigourney Weaver to yell “Goddammit!” at him.
For any readers unfamiliar with it, can you give an elevator pitch for Heads Will Roll?
After being “cancelled” online, a washed-up sitcom star escapes to a digital detox camp where all technology is confiscated, only to discover that somebody there has an axe to grind…
Can you tell us what drew you to the landscape of the slasher and horror genre? Were these stories you were interested in when you were younger, and how does that correlate to your writing now?
I was a teenager during the ’90s teen horror boom, so I grew up loving Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Halloween H20, and Urban Legend, to name a few. Those films are ingrained in my DNA and turned me into a lifelong horror fan — they’re the reason I love pacey, high-concept, character-driven horror stories, and they’re what I’m channelling whenever I write now.
I do think that the main thing I love about those films is the characters, whether it’s kickass Gale Weathers fighting for her life in a sound booth, or Jamie Lee Curtis confronting her demons in an isolated prep school. The characters are what had me going back to rewatch again and again, and they’re the reason I still love those films today.
Heads Will Roll features a queer protagonist in Willow, a sitcom star on the verge of being cancelled. Why do you believe that horror is an especially pertinent genre in which to explore the queer experience?
A lot of us queer kids grew up feeling misunderstood, different, isolated, afraid, and othered — horror is a feeling that we experienced on a visceral level, every day. Books and movies provided us with a safe space to vent that fear, anger, and frustration — to unmask evil and see it vanquished. Horror is a great playground for queer writers because it’s a genre where anything goes — we have freedom to explore the kinds of stories that may not fit the mainstream, and there’s beauty in that. Horror is a genre where all are welcome, which is why a lot of queer people have made it their home.
I also think that a lot of gay men in particular identify with the kickass women of horror; we understand their struggle and admire their inner strength, their ability to survive. And, yes, all right, we also have the hots for their boyfriends (Freddie Prinze Jr, woof!). Women in horror have always inspired me, which I hope is evident in the characters that I write.
Out of all of your books, do you have a favourite character? What about their story or personality particularly resonates with you?
You know, I am terrible at favourites! I don’t want anybody to feel left out. However, I have real affection for Laura in Burn the Negative because she has this tough outer shell that hides real inner pain. Her habit of blurting out inappropriate things when she’s nervous is so very me.
I drew a lot from my own experiences of being a film journalist while writing her, and the result is that she’s become sort of inseparable from me. Another favourite is the puppet monster Kunin Yillda in The Shadow Glass; she’s unapologetically evil, which was incredibly fun to write.
What is it like as a writer to put yourself into the mind and motivations of a convincing and impactful slasher villain?
The only way to do that is to understand how, from the villain’s perspective, they are the hero. They’re righting some horrible wrong and punishing people who they believe deserve to pay some terrible price. Tapping into that anger and resentment was draining at times, but it also felt like a healthy expression of the kind of dark thoughts we all have from time to time.
I do think that there has to be an element of fun to a slasher villain, too — if they’re not enjoying what they’re doing, why should the reader?
Have you found that your experience as a film journalist helped you with your writing journey? I know films like Labyrinth inspired The Shadow Glass, but what films inspired Heads Will Roll?
I wouldn’t be an author if I hadn’t had the training ground of being a film journalist. Journalism taught me how to be precise, fast, and collaborative — and of course, watching a ton of films every week offered a crash course in storytelling. In terms of films that inspired Heads Will Roll, there were a lot, and there are “easter eggs” for most of them sprinkled throughout the book (I’ve probably forgotten half of them!).
Friday the 13th is the biggie because it’s the granddaddy of summer-camp horror movies, but I also thought about films like Urban Legend, which adheres so strongly to its central concept, Sleepy Hollow, which gave me the Upstate New York setting and the axe-wielding killer, and The Howling, which is set in a recuperation facility in the woods where all isn’t quite what it seems.
Are there any books or stories by other authors in the horror and slasher genres that you feel are underrated and would like to recommend?
Dawn Kurtagich writes really rich, psychological horror like The Madness, which is amazing, and I loooove Kat Ellis’s cinematic horrors Harrow Lake and The Devouring Light.
The Haunting Between Us by Paul Michael Winters is a great queer horror ghost story, and I insist you check out Cicada and Her Wicked Roots by Tanya Pell. Finally, I love everything that Brian McAuley writes and really recommend his slasher novels Candy Cain Kills and Breathe In, Bleed Out.
Thank you so much to Josh Winning for speaking to us about his love for all things horror! We love hunkering down under blankets, dimming the lights, and sitting in candle (or torch!) light to read some of our favourite horror books, or watch our favourite flicks! But… Beware of what’s in the dark with you…
If you’d like to read more about Josh Winning or his books, click here. If you’d like to connect with his socials, he is on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
If you’d like to explore more of Bookstr’s love of queer horror, read this article!
Check out more of Bookstr’s horror recommendations on Bookstr.org.
