There are, at this point, many podcasts dedicated to Halloween Horror Nights Orlando, but there are few that are truly, routinely year-round, and even fewer still like Fear and Beer. There is an at-home quality with the show and its three splendid hosts of Nick, Jamie, and Shamus, a certain rough-around-the-edges charm that increases its appeal; when Nick waxes poetic about the beer he’s drinking for that night’s episode or Seamus’s dog barks in the background, it feels as if you’ve transcended the technological divide and are hanging out right there with them, in their homes. This is less a show about the latest news or rumors of HHN – though, certainly, those subjects get tackled in due course – and more about metaphorically chilling at your favorite event with your friends, lounging around in the fog, sharing blinky-cup drinks while shooting the breeze.

That is why you should listen to Fear and Beer, and it’s why we on the Horrors Untold team started to partner with them months ago (full disclosure: for the episode where they were crazy enough to interview me about the book and its creation, my then-kitten was literally bouncing off the walls, helping to make us fit right in). It’s also why I wanted to get to know the hosts better – why they started up the show, what they think about their ever-growing audience and the sense of community they’re building, and where they think this whole horror- (and beer-) loving enterprise may yet go.

Below is my interview with Jamie, Shamus, and Nick in its entirety.

Marc (Horrors Untold):

I’d like to start by asking how each of you came to do the podcast, and when, and why.

Shamus:

Nick and I are probably going to have a similar answer. After covid kinda started shutting everything down and being cooped up inside for so long, we got bored, figured we’d both enjoyed HHN and horror in general for so long, why not do something with our time and started getting together and recording the podcast in his bedroom on $20 Amazon microphones.

In the five years since, we’ve grown to where we are now.

Nick:

We’ve mentioned it plenty of times but sometimes people forget: Shamus and myself are cousins. Growing up, not only did we love horror and Halloween, but we also made “movies” and recorded fake radio shows for fun.

During the dark ages of covid, we started kicking [around] the idea of starting something up, and we settled on HHN/horror. We’ve shifted slightly to be more HHN-focused, but with our new “Shudder Sundays” series, we get a chance to talk horror movies again. 

Jamie:

When Nick and Shamus started up Fear and Beer during the covid era, I was immediately intrigued. I’ve been a fan of the horror genre and Halloween Horror Nights since I was a kid, especially being an Orlando local for 29 years. Although I was a big scaredy cat back then, something about it always mesmerized me. 

After doing some convincing and a couple of guest spots on episodes, the two of them eventually invited me to join full time about two years ago. It’s fulfilling for me that I get to talk about something I love, and it’s even more enjoyable that there’s so many people who have an appreciation for HHN and Halloween/horror in general like we do.

Marc (Horrors Untold):

What’s the secret sauce, do you think, for your show – a certain approach, the interplay of you hosts, the ability to use AI to create fake HHNs?

Nick:

I think a few things can be attributed towards our “success,” if you will. We make it a point to be very casual in the sense that while we typically have an overall episode plan, we still freeflow often. That always tends to lead to a more “sit down and talk” feel versus [a] robotic question-and-answer [approach]. We don’t hide our opinions, for better or worse (everyone always likes to make note of the Shamus-versus-Dwagonz saga a few years ago ).

I also think we have a very creative catalog. While we cover announcements, speculation, and what-have-you, we also do very fun, out-there episodes. Most recently in that “creative” realm, we did an HHN Cinematic Universe episode, where the three of us and our guest, Ryan (fortheloveofthemeparks), picked various houses/scare zones and “pitched”‘ it as movie. We went into the style, the director, and the actors we would cast.

And yes, the AI HHN episode. It was fun to see what it cooked up (which it didn’t really cook up – it just took past houses and gave them a new name, lol).

Marc (Horrors Untold):

What’s the gameplan moving forward?  Are there certain benchmarks you want to hit, or certain avenues you want to go down, or certain projects you dream about?

Nick:

I wish I could say I have a definitive gameplan, but I’d definitely be lying. We map out our “Shudder Sundays” a month in advance. As for our weekly HHN episodes, we’re in that timeframe where I can’t plan too far out. New rumors or, even, announcements seem to be constantly around the corner, and we pivot to the most recent rumblings as to stay relevant and on time.

As far as benchmarks, I’d again be lying if I said I didn’t look at follower counts and all that stuff. I don’t have a number in mind, but I do look to keep growing those. I feel like the more followers/listeners we get, the more things we’re able to do.

We’ve been able to attend some media nights, host trivia nights, host a costume pizza party, an HHN scavenger hunt, and had a booth at Spooky Empire so far. I have other things I’d like to do down the road (hosting a movie-theater watch and hosting a live episode recording are probably on top of that list).

As far as HHN goes, for me it’s always been a benchmark to be invited for a media night. I know people I have talked to about it don’t put too much stock in it; however, it’s been a goal for a few years, and I don’t want to abandon it. For me, it’s not about being acknowledged or held up to a higher regard – I just personally set it as a goal and want to see it through at some point.

Where are we going? Only time will tell. We’ll continue doing our thing, and if people gravitate towards it, that’s awesome; if not, we’ll keep grinding.

Shamus:

Not sure if we have a set gameplan in the long term, other than to keep creating content. I know that we want to continue growing our reach on YouTube and want to continue to create more unique video content (“Shudder Sundays” or our scavenger hunt, for example).

Marc (Horrors Untold):

Oftentimes, when we embark on these creative endeavors – managing a blog, hosting a podcast, publishing a book – they take crazy turns that we never would’ve expected or have certain moments or encounters that are surprisingly, wonderfully meaningful to us. (When I left my last editor-in-chief job a few years back, I was literally moved to tears by all the farewells from all the writers at the site – I never saw that coming.) Can you guys just spend a few minutes and list a few of those for me?

Nick:

It is hard to pinpoint all those exact “wow” moments. It has definitely been a snowball effect year after year. Seeing someone wearing our shirts still blows my mind every time and will never get old. Life is expensive these days, and to see someone spend their hard-earned money on this silly little HHN podcast doesn’t go unnoticed.

Whenever we are at the parks (HHN or just a Universal day), people have stopped us to chat for a bit, ask to take a picture, and it truly blows my mind. We’re just fans ourselves who happen to have put our thoughts out there in podcast form. People tell us it makes their day when we have time to say hi, but honestly it means so much to me, as well.

Last year’s trivia event was an absolute eye-opener. I believe it was our second time running a trivia event, and we were preparing for a big night, but this one was huge. We had over 100 people show up, filled every table and barstool in the bar, and had one of the best nights with all the other amazing HHN podcasts by our side.

Another moment that really stands out to me that shows the impact on not just the community, but making these friendships with other creators, was the “Helping Pups” episode our friends Matt and Hunter from The Catacombs of Halloween Horror Nights did last September. Jamie and myself had to have an expensive emergency surgery for our dog, Daisy. They took it upon themselves to rally all the troops (Tim and Ash from The RIP Tour, Dakota from The Horror Nights Gauntlet, Duff and Jonathan form HHN 365, Kenneth and Gary with Pangolin and Rush of Fear) and put together a special paid episode where the profits went towards Daisy’s medical bills for us. When they told us about all the work they had already done for us, and then to have all the listeners support the episode, as well, really showed us what a great community we have around us.

Also, at Spooky Empire a few years ago, I gave Mike Aiello one of our shirts, and someone sent me an Instagram post of him wearing it. That was really cool to see!

Jamie:

For me, one of the most rewarding aspects of what we do is when people actually come up and engage with us at the event (or wherever it may be) to tell us they enjoy and listen to the podcast. It’s mind-boggling to me that people actually listen! That may sound silly, but it really makes my day, and I know I can say the same for Nick and Shamus. 

Coming from never having done a podcast before, I didn’t know what to expect, but it has been nothing but wonderful. Of course, there’s some bad days when maybe we’re lacking on ideas or feeling uninspired, but truly everyone who supports us makes it worth it.

As for how the HHN scene has changed, I think it has always been changing. The evolution of the event from what it was in their opening year of 1991 to now is nothing short of a milestone. 

Maybe it’s because we were kids back then, but one thing I have noticed that has “changed,” and maybe not for the positive (for some), is the element of the scare; the houses used to be intense. I don’t think we’ve really experienced that kind of fear until Insidious: The Further came about last year. This aspect doesn’t lessen the event for me because I just love being encompassed in the atmosphere. It could be the nostalgia factor for me, but regardless, it’s an amazing feeling, sharing that experience with like-minded individuals, as well.

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