iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Ghost did the Haxan ending, I died.

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Ottawa too! We had several days of haze and meat smell

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Little Ghosts Books @littleghostsbooks.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

We had a very happy Monster Smut reading night at Evermore Books in Ottawa! Thanks so much to the Ottawa horror writers who came to read some unhinged erotica in front of a full audience. @charleneelsby.bsky.social @mmcsw13.bsky.social @shelleylavigne.bsky.social & more! Horror x Romance forever🖤👻

Chris, Madison, Chris, Atlas, Charlene & Shelley all get silly on the evermore bookstore couch

The Friday the Flirteenth monsterotica zine in front of evermore books!

Horror bookstore owner & Romance bookstore owner FLIRT?!?!

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Tip: if you go to see THE BACKROOMS while in the middle of a move, you get to go home to your own little backroom.

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

“I’m something of a Backrooms purist, I preferred the original still photo.”

Screenshot of the opening paragraph of the Wikipedia page for The Backrooms, showing the original photo of an empty yellow room that inspired the meme.

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SimzArt @simzart.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Cure. 🧛

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Little Ghosts Books @littleghostsbooks.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

Thank you to @wolsakandwynn.bsky.social for inviting us SHARP WORDS Had a ton of fun seeing other small presses and spreading the word about our little horror scene! Table full of greats @jkrawczyk.bsky.social @lormaggot.ca @mmcsw13.bsky.social @brittnibrinn.bsky.social @ttmaddenwrites.bsky.social

Sharp Words Hamilton Winter Boom Fair Jan 31 2026

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Thought it was a bit gimmicky for the theatre to give out Kleenex on the way into HAMNET - but nope, ended up sobbing through 50% of the movie. Beautiful, haunting film about the different ways people experience suffering, and the capacity of art to bridge those gaps.

Tray of individually packaged tissues outside the theatre leading into Hamnet, next to a sign that reads “You might Ham-need these”

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

It’s been a fervent wish of mine to be part of a Filthy Loot F*CKED UP STORIES anthology, and behold! And with a bunch of my favourite writers, too. Buy one for your weirdest friends this holiday season.

A pocket-sized book featuring a psychedelic illustration of a human face, skin melting to reveal half of a skull, with the title Fucked Up Stories to Read in the Daytime: More Stories to Damage Your Children

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Little Ghosts Books @littleghostsbooks.bsky.social · 02/11/2025

We’re at MEET THE PRESSES today, a festival of local indie publishers! Come see our smoll table of little horrors ft. @ttmaddenwrites.bsky.social @jkrawczyk.bsky.social @elijahbwilder.bsky.social @lormaggot.ca @fuckmaxbooth.bsky.social @mmcsw13.bsky.social @brittnibrinn.bsky.social & more! 🖤👻📚

A table of Little Ghosts Books Publications! Includes Anthologies: What Draws Us Near, Your Flight Has Been Cancelled, Little Guts, & Wet Screams.
Novellas: Misplaced, Modern Folklore, Most Likely to Summon Nyhiloteph, It Looks Like Dad, Student Bodies, How It Feeds.

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

Pit and the Pendulum-inspired Halloween costume + Mayfair Theatre Rocky Horror night. Happy Halloween!

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

8. A Chinese Ghost Story III (Hong Kong, 1991)  Tony Leung gives a fun comic performance as a naive monk ensnared in supernatural and erotic intrigue. Gorgeously shot with wonderfully crazy practical effects.

Custom poster for the A Chinese Ghost Story trilogy, with stylized pink, purple and white demons cavorting against a black backdrop

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

7. Burnt Offerings (US, 1976) A quietly terrifying evil house drama with an excellent, well-utilized cast. Oliver Reed plays to his strengths as a quiet man with anger bubbling beneath the surface; it’s horrifying to watch Bette Davis’ vivacious aunt wither.

DVD cover for Burnt Offerings, depicting the top half of a spooky house with a light in a single upper window, held up against a backdrop of ceramic gourds

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

6. A Chinese Ghost Story (Hong Kong, 1987) This wuxia fantasy romance is gorgeous, funny, and surprisingly weird, with an endearingly clueless protagonist and wonderful stop motion ghouls.

Poster for the Chinese Ghost Story, drawn by a local Ottawa artist, with two-dimensional ghouls in pink, white, and purple against a black background

Poster for A Chinese Ghost Story, the three protagonists painted in blue on a white background

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

5. The Vourdalak (France, 2023) A strange family is systematically dismantled by its patriarch, who has returned from battle without his humanity. Chilling and offbeat folk horror with a satirical edge. Couldn’t believe my eyes when the marionette came out.

The Vourdelak title card on a TV screen in front of a coffee table adorned with festive pumpkins and Halloween ceramics

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

4. Encounters of the Spooky Kind (Hong Kong, 1980) A conspiracy to cover up a politician’s affair sets the stage for ghoulish gags, feats of magic, and expertly staged man vs. zombie kung fu fights in this jiangshi classic. Very funny with just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek spookiness.

A laptop sits on a balcony table, the Cantonese and English title card for Encounters of the Spooky Kind onscreen.

A bright glowing super moon shines above an apartment building

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

3. Grave Encounters (Canada, 2011) This found footage flick about sleazy TV ghost hunters mines terror from disorientation; the best scares involve endless tunnels and exits opening onto brick walls. (Caught this one at a book party/movie screening hosted by Ottawa horror author Stephanie Anne).

I saw this movie at an screening hosted by Ottawa author Stephanie Anne; I didn’t get a photo of the screen, so I’ve attached a picture of Stephanie’s vendor table at the event, showing off her books and merch.

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Little Ghosts Fest was the best time! So lovely to read some stories, hang with the @littleghostsbooks.bsky.social crew again, and see some of my fave horror authors in person. There was a quirky and diverse vendor market and a great selection of panels that were consistently packed.

Little Ghosts Books table, featuring a bedsheet ghost in a beanie hat, and a colourful display of horror books and merch

Madison McSweeney in a floor-length black dress reading from Most Likely to Summon Nyhiloteph, seated next to other authors in a room drenched in purple lights

Packed convention hall at Little Ghosts Fest, disco ball throwing constellation-like patterns on the ceiling

Collection of merch from Little Ghosts Fest, including a black shirt featuring a cartoon of the Grim Reaper reading a novel, with the caption “A Good Story Will Haunt You.”

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

2. Brides of Dracula (UK, 1960) Deviating from its source material, this Hammer Dracula sequel is nimbler and more shocking than its predecessor. Fischer delivers twists with aplomb, as vampire ladies chew scenery; Cushing’s clinical performance plays up the central dissonance of his Van Helsing.

Blood red letters spell out “A Hammer Horror production” against the black-and-white backdrop of a castle. Next to the television screen, a green lava lamp and orange jack o lantern glow eerily.

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

1. Kwaidan (Japan, 1964) Human folly collides with an unknowable and unforgiving spirit world in this elegant and eerie anthology, which adapts four folk tales compiled by Lafcadio Hearn. At times the film feels like a stage play; surrealistic touches place it firmly in the realm of nightmare.

The film Kwaidan is queued to play on a TV in a darkened living room, flanked by the eerie green glare of a lava lamp and a glowing pumpkin on a bookshelf.

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

Open invitation to join me in my annual Halloween month movie challenge! Goal: 10 horror movies from 10 different countries by October 31st. I’ll be posting my progress here - feel free to send recs or tell me what you’re watching! #AroundTheWorldByHalloween

Graphic titled “Around the World by Halloween” featuring the a digital image of a spiderweb surrounded by 10 international horror movie posters (top to bottom: A Chinese Ghost Story from Hong Kong, Kwaidan from Japan, Satan’s Slaves 2: Communion from Indonesia, Sister Midnight from India, Brides of Dracula from England, Haxan from Sweden, The Vourdalak from France, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus from the U.S., Ginger Snaps 2 from Canada, and Thirst from South Korea.). Each movie’s country of origin is listed above or below each poster.

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

Fun fact: the title story of my new horror collection KAYFABE pays tribute to Queen Charlotte Flair and style icon Alexa Bliss. I wrote it like 4 years ago, so I thought was it a good omen when they both returned at the Royal Rumble this year. #wrestlingcommunity

My new book Kayfabe, flanked by a wooden figurine of pro-wrestler Charlotte Flair on the left and a silvery Mecha Godzilla action figure on the right. The book’s cover art is a collage featuring a Japanese illustration of a sumo wrestler fighting a frog-headed man, a floating rooster perched atop a bright red engine, and several ghoulish figures, with the title in bright red at the bottom.

The book Kayfabe is held open to display a few paragraphs from the short story (also titled “Kayfabe”) in which the protagonist watches a fictional Monday Night RAW match pitting Charlotte Flair against Alexa Bliss. In the background of the photo, a blurred television screen playing a Friday Night SmackDown woman’s match can be seen.

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

The ByTowne Cinema in Ottawa has been screening Hong Kong action movies and PEKING OPERA BLUES was the best yet. Perfect ratio of screwball comedy and spy drama, with a high-flying show-stopping climax. The theme song’s a bop, too. Fantastic.

Movie poster for Peking Opera Blues, depicting a Peking Opera performer brandishing a sword, as the central figure between two facial profiles (an actor in masculine clothes and female performer in elaborate make-up).

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Finished this @weirdpunkbooks.bsky.social novella this weekend - MUTANT CIRCUIT by Mark Jaskowski. A high-octane cosmic/body horror conspiracy thriller that reminded me of FEVER HOUSE.

Book cover - a smoky, abstract face in grey scale with the title Mutant Circuit in bright yellow, the author name Mark Jaskowski below in white

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Reposted by Madison McSweeney

🪱💀mindy💀🪱 [exorcism bondage era] @garbagesauce.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

new & restocked horror now available at b&n sioux falls!

an assortment of horror books on a carpeted floor

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

Thank you! Nyhiloteph is in good company here! 🖤

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 23/08/2025

Hit up the Capital Pride market today, lots of rad books and art! Brought home some K-POP DEMON HUNTERS prints by @vanderbander.bsky.social, a gothic poetry zine by Parker A.M. Johnston, and @stephanneauthor.bsky.social’s new book MODERN HAUNTINGS.

Florist’s colourful display of dried multicolour flowers, fluffy-haired plushies, candy, and a Salvador Dali-style melting clock, atop a Pride Flag

“Who wore it better?” donation jars paired with prints of K-Pop Demon Hunters characters, specifically the cat and the bird

Zine entitled “I Fell for Another Cannibal” by Parker A.M. Johnston

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Thanks for the Nyhiloteph shout-out! Hope you like it! 🖤😈

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

Behold! My debut collection of short stories, KAYFABE, is available for pre-order from @filthyloot.bsky.social. 6 tales of wrestlers, kaiju, pageant queens and bodybuilders facing off against the sublime and surreal. Kitsch horror! (Pre-order link in reply)

Stack of Kayfabe by Madison McSweeney; cover art features a Japanese ukiyo-e image of a frog-headed man battling a fighter, while other strange creatures frolic in the background

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

I did!! Fun and freaky in equal measure!

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

No matter how many times I’ve seen the play, it always gets me when the horrible witch says “Something wicked this way comes” and it turns out she’s talking about Macbeth.

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 02/08/2025

Spotted: GIVE UNTO US by @justinlutz.bsky.social at BMV Books in Toronto

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 26/07/2025

Popped by @littleghostsbooks.bsky.social to pick up their newest original (STUDENT BODIES by @ttmaddenwrites.bsky.social which seems right up my alley) and a spooky Paperback From Hell. Psst…there may be some signed copies of MOST LIKELY TO SUMMON NYHILOTEPH in store now.

Book display featuring Little Ghosts originals - Little Guts, Most Likely to Summon Nyhiloteph, It Looks Like Dad, Roots Run Deep, The Dillo, Misplaced, Student Bodies, Your Flight Has Been Cancelled and What Draws Us Near

Bookshelf displaying Paperbacks from Hell collection

Window display treating a plastic skeleton seated next to an old TV surrounded by stacks of horror VHS tapes

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

I was the exact target audience for The Weeknd’s HURRY UP TOMORROW (so much so that I went to see it on my birthday). Read what I thought of it at Divination Hollow Reviews:

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

Ozzy Osbourne never stopped creating diabolical, emotional music as haunting as it was heavy. (Listen to 2020’s ORDINARY MAN if you haven’t). Personal demons blending with his Prince of Darkness persona, blasting an Ozzy song on a bad day felt like having a seasoned guide along a dark road. RIP.

CD booklet for Ozzy Osbourne’s Ordinary Man album posed next to a lute-playing ceramic gargoyle and a red-stoned ring

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 06/07/2025

Thank you - he’s from Winnipeg!

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 06/07/2025

Loved RIP IT UP by Kou Machida. Surreal, mean-spirited narrative told in a linguistically playful stream-of-consciousness style. An enjoyable whirl.

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 05/07/2025

THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER by @sgj.bsky.social is one of the best books of the year so far. A darkly funny and deeply tragic horror western that plays with voice and language in an interesting way. Introduces an ingenious vampire-slaying method to the canon.

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

Happy Canada Day! Celebrate with some maple-flavoured terror

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

Made a trip to visit the tire crow (“Where the Rubber Meets the Road”) on its last day on display by Pimisi Station. Got to meet the artist, Gerald Beaulieu, as he was loading it into a U-Haul. I’ll miss this beautiful bird.

“Where the Rubber Meets the Road” public art installation - a massive dead crow constructed entirely of recycled tires.

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Madison McSweeney @mmcsw13.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

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