iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 19h

#BuyMyBooks PRE-APPROVED FOR HAUNTING. My debut short-story collection still available from Turner Publishing (got a spotlight in their newsletter today). W/ a foreword by @richardthomas.bsky.social & some of the very best of my early stories. Some of your favorite authors liked it, too. Probably.

“Stands out for its originality and magnificent prose…”
—GOODREADS REVIEW EXCERPT
Pre-Approved for Haunting
AVAILABLE WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD!!!
Text on book cover:
PRE-APPROVED
FOR
HAUNTING
AND OTHER STORIES
PATRICK BARB
FOREWORD BY RICHARD THOMAS

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

#RecentlyWatched BUDDY. Yes please. Still remember watching Too Many Cooks for the first time and becoming a fan for life of Casper Kelly. I think Kelly is probably the filmmaker most in touch with where horror media tastes are going for the next generations.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

#RecentlyWatched Without Apparent Motive. This was great. French crime film based on an Ed McBain story. An unseen sniper is killing people and the search is on for the secret that dies the victims together. Loved it.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

#RecentlyWatched The Mangler. Based on what I remember being a pretty fun Stephen King story. Directed by Tobe Hooper. Starring Robert Englund as the lead human villain. And yet…oof.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

#RecentlyWatched The Man Who Wouldn’t Die. Another of the Lamberto Bava made-for-TV movies. This one is a real hodge-podge, dark as hell, with a cynical heart, and not a single redeemable character.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

#RecentlyWatched Peacemaker Season 2. Wild to think about trading Game of Thrones (the books!) theories with @jamesgunn.bsky.social on MySpace to the state of things today. John Cena as Peacemaker is one of the best castings of all time in superhero film-land.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Check out this photo of Senator Eric Shitt, basketball team knower extraordinaire.

Mike F @animaldrumms "Check this shit out motherfucer [I slide one foot out from under me and fall on my ass, its not clear what kind of move I was trying to do]

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The person in this photo has started taking on short 1/2 day max (so he can still walk his dog) substituting assignments at varying local SCHOOLS. And I mean I suppose it was inevitable. I DO have the cardigans for it after all.

Waiting for elevator at my apartment building; brown cardigan, black and red checkered shirt.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

#RecentlyWatched Disappearance. Who knew that TBS, the Super-Station, aired this Harry Hamlin-starring flick that is as close to being pure weird fiction as any movie I’ve seen? Family in deserted desert town that everyone claims doesn’t exist, cryptic symbols, monsters (???). What a strange pic…

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

#BuyMyBooks THE BIG ONE. Lovecraftian horror meets Michael Bay action film aesthetics. We all know you can’t punch existential dread in the face, but what this books presupposes is…maybe you can??? From me & @tonyanuci.bsky.social w/ cover by @lynnehansenart.bsky.social

THE BIG ONE

PATRICK BARB

“I FELT CONSTANTLY ON EDGE AS I FEARED WHAT FRESH HELL COULD POSSIBLY OCCUR NEXT…”

—GOODREADS REVIEW EXCERPT

THE BIG ONE

AVAILABLE FROM ANUCI PRESS AND DIRECT FROM AUTHOR

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

#recentlyread Our Cut of Salt by @deenahelm.bsky.social (got this ARC at StokerCon). Incredible. Has to be in consideration for best horror debut/first novel this year. Beautifully written, powerfully presented. Heartbreaking, horrifying, and, yes, haunting. Free Palestine.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

#pbarb2026books Best Horror of the Year Vol. 17. Finished just in time to pick up Vol. 18 . I'm in Honorable Mentions this time. PS The last story by Robert Shearman is next-level unsettling. Incredibly absurd and visceral in the best worst way possible.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

#bookmail Everywhere is a Horror Story by Kurt Fawver. A @grimscribepress.bsky.social book is always worth picking up; the curation is second to none. Loved Kurt's last collection and looking forward to diving into this one. It's a damn fine looking hardcover.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

#recentlywatched The Prince of Terror. From the recent Lamberto Bava box set from Severin. Made for TV movie with a horror director and his family's home under siege. Almost certainly the movie with the most golf-based violence I have ever seen.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

#ShudderFridayNightMovie was Strange Darling. Great performances by Kyle Gallner & Willa Fitzgerald.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

#ItCameFromTubi The Tunnel. Australian found footage film that often gets mentioned in the “worth watching” category.And I would agree. The threat inside the tunnels is an interesting one and I think the filmmakers do a good job presenting it without giving too much away.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Photos with absolute cowardly aura…

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Wild to see Ms. Rachel and Ed Sheeran together before this recent falling out. Oh, well. Free Palestine.

Ms Rachel coloring book with an orange-haired muppet

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Y’all, I already know what I’d look like in the ‘80s, it’s called photos of my dad. Also bonus points for Baby PBarb as he actually appeared in the early ‘80s, probably ‘83 here I’d guess.

My dad in a white shirt and me in a robe and cowboy boots

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Mitch McConnell’s staffers are ready for his return to Washington .

Andrew McCarthy & Jonathan Silverman from Weekend at Bernie’s

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

#pbarb2026books Classic Scary Tales illus. by Víctor Medina. Read these to the kids & they loved ‘em. Thank goodness! The Medina illustrations are cute & cool enough to still impress my hard-to-please 8-year-old & 11-year-old. Also, where else can a kid get their 1st taste of William Hope Hodgson?

The ghost Pirates by William Hope Hodgson spread

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

#pbarb2026books THE NICE HOUSE ON THE LAKE by James Tynion IV, Álvaro Martínez Bueno, & Jordie Bellaire, et al. Great character work inside a trippy sci-fi horror premise. And Bueno’s artwork is next level. Has some great backmatter with the original pitch, character notes, and sketches.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

#ItCameFromShudder BUFFET INFINITY: this one felt like Welcome to Nightvale crossed w/ some of the more esoteric programming on Adult Swim. A story told in bits & pieces from shifting TV programs and commercials. Just bummed they used some genAI in the film. Blergh.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

#recentlywatched The Stone Tape. Nigel Kneale for the win. Caught this during NecronomiCon & it def lived up to expectations. There's something so compelling about spec-fic BBC offerings from this period, managing to be retro & futuristic (albeit a retro-futurism) all at once.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

#pbarb2026books Why I Love Horror edited by Becky Siegel Spratford. Finished this a while back, but posting now. Had read some of the nominated essays previously but the whole thing is worth seeking out if you're a horror literature fan.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

#recentlywatched Well, recently-ish. Dead Boyz Can't Fly. Exploitation film with a gang of 3 would-be robbers (among other crimes) going on an assault & murder spree in a building in NYC. A movie with no heroes and no happy endings, but some of the performances are horrifyingly captivating.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

8-year-old asks “Is this drawing cool?”

A dragon

He adds “Please do not put through AI.”

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

The Birthgrave by Tanith Lee Insomnia by Stephen King Teddy Bears Never Die by Cho Yeeun (trans. by Sung Ryu) Wildwood by Colin Meloy (illus by Carson Ellis) The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hendrix

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Had a couple bookstore excursions a while back. Catching up on showing what I got. She Waits Where Shadows Gather by Michelle Tang Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

She Waits Where Shadows Gather by Michelle Tang
Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Obligatory “tired at the airport” shot before heading to Providence for NecronomiCon. Coffee is doing its thing though.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Guess they'll have to request that parents donate any extra missiles they might have lying around the house.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Unfortunately, due to a scheduling mix-up on my end, I will be unable to attend One of Us Midwest Horror Fest on September 5. But I encourage any and all to check out what is absolutely gonna be a fantastic event. And I’ll hopefully be back in 2027

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Sharing this from Facebook with alt text included.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Took this cool dude to see Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Verdict: we dug it. Great acting, some fantastic stunts, and effects. Feel like anything with The Hand counts as both because some of those shots were gorgeous.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

#bookmail Mister Magic graphic novel from Scott Peterson, Veronica & Andy Fish, adapted from the really fun/trippy novel of the same name by Kiersten White. Courtesy of my dear friends at Ten Speed Graphic.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

#bookmail It finally came a week or two ago! NOT A SPECK OF LIGHT by @lairdbarron.bsky.social illustrated by @slimyswampghost.bsky.social special limited edition hardcover from @badhandbooks.bsky.social. And damn, if this thing’s not beautiful

Not a Speck of Light jacket by Trevor Henderson

Not a Speck of Light case with Laird Barron initial signature

Title page 19/500, signed by Barron & Henderson

1st page of “Jōren Falls” with sick ass Trevor Henderson art

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Liminal space/creepypasta pro wrestling??? Okay, you have my attention… youtube.com/@tazmaskar?s...

Black and white shot of femme-presenting figure in luchador mask and white dress, arms raised before a wrestling ring with sign above that reads FEAR THE TUNNELS.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Did the damn thing (early). Voted for @peggyflanagan.bsky.social for Senate. Obviously. Miss me with the Republican-lite candidate…

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

A bit last minute, I know, but looks like I’ll be going to Necronomicon Providence in a couple weeks. Probably too late to participate in anything, but I don’t know what I don’t know. So for anyone who’s gone or is going, tell me what I need to know, do, see. 😊 Also if you want to hang, lmk!

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

#recentlywatched The gods in The Odyssey: Well, well, look at the big brains on Mr. Smarty Pants here. Guess what, nerd…

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

#Bookmail from Bookshop’s anti-Prime Day Sale Slasher Summer by @elainechen.com Muñeca by Cynthia Gómez The Summer Fun Massacre by @craigdilouie.bsky.social

Slasher Summer, Muńeca, The Summer Fun Massacre

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

More #bookmail The Din of Celestial Birds by @brianevenson.bsky.social. This signed hardcover edition from @weirdhousepress.bsky.social is PURRRRRTY. With a stunning cover by @frankwallsart.bsky.social

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

“Uh oh he’s radioactive” —A

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

#bookmail catchup: 2 more from the Paperbacks from Hell series over at @valancourtbooks.bsky.social. Such Nice People by Sandra Scoppettone & The Farm by Richard Haigh

Such Nice People by Sandra Scoppettone & The Farm by Richard Haigh

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Somehow lived in Twin Cities for 7 years and a couple weeks ago was only my first time going to Minnehaha Falls. Anyway, they look pretty cool, not gonna lie.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Very happy to have not one but TWO books in the semifinals for the Small Spec Book Awards 2026 @specawards.bsky.social in Horror for the following 2025 titles: JK-LOL (Mad Axe Media) The Big One (@tonyanuci.bsky.social) Extremely proud of both books and thrilled to be included!

“Horror Semifinalists” featuring ten horror-book covers arranged in a grid against a dark, sepia-toned background of bare tree branches. The books are JK-LOL by Patrick Barb, My Lips, Her Voice by L. E. Madrid, Puppet’s Banquet by Valkyrie Loughcrewe, Reef Mind by Hazel Zorn, Running Dry by M. Christian, Satanic Static by Bryan Holm, Song Dogs by Brennan Lafaro, The Big One by Patrick Barb, The Restless Few by James M. Walton, and We Like It Cherry by Jacy Morris. A circular blue-and-white Small Spec Book Awards 2026 Semifinalist badge appears at the lower right.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

All set up at the Book Fair for Grown-ups in Grandstand of MN State Fairgrounds. VIP hour 11am to 12pm. Then open until 7pm. Come through and buy some horror!

Your friendly neighborhood horror author

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Not in Colorado, this deer here is from here (MN) and I got a pic while on a recent hike.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Why does this ad for “faith-based debt help” seem particularly ominous? (Nevermind the shit AI…)

AI picture of hands coming up through water holding a cross and the text reads drowning in credit card debt? God has a way out. Faith-based debt help $10,000 in debt? You may qualify see if you qualify.

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Patrick Barb @patrickbarb.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

#ShudderWhateverNightMovie THIS IS NOT A TEST. An enjoyable Breakfast Club vs Zombies ensemble film. Some of the performances are much better than others in this one.

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