It Could Happen Here—CZM Book Club: Hollywood Werewolf Conspiracy by Hailey Piper

Host: Margaret Killjoy
Date: October 12, 2025

Overview

This “Book Club” episode, hosted solo by Margaret Killjoy, dives into Hailey Piper’s horror short story “Hollywood Werewolf Conspiracy.” The main focus is a detailed reading and analysis of the story, which centers on polyamorous relationships, cycles of trauma, and the cultural evolution of werewolf tropes—from folklore to Hollywood cliché. The episode serves as both a dramatic reading and a critical examination of how genre fiction can use, subvert, and interrogate the tropes it inherits.

Key Discussion Points and Episode Flow

Introduction: The Book Club Premise & Spooky Month

• [02:26] Margaret introduces the podcast’s book club: “The only book club where you don't have to do the reading, because I do it for you.”
• Emphasizes “Spooky Month”—the show’s annual deep dive into horror.
• Brief intro for Hollywood Werewolf Conspiracy:
  • A story of werewolves, polyamory, trauma cycles, and, above all, “story about story, but not in an annoying way.”
• Margaret reflects on her “complicated feelings about tropes,” setting the groundwork for how this story thoughtfully subverts them.

Reading: Hailey Piper’s “Hollywood Werewolf Conspiracy”

• [04:31-25:00] Margaret performs an expressive, immersive reading of the short story, interspersed with commentary about tropes.

Plot Recap and Thematic Highlights:

Setup:

• Selina, secluded in a cabin, prepares a makeshift silver weapon in desperation as chaos unfolds in the living room.
• The group was supposed to have a cozy, polyamorous weekend. Instead, violence and transformation—sparked by the discovery of a mysterious, tooth-and-wood idol—shred their plans (and each other).

Key Scenes:

• Selina’s frantic crafting of a silver weapon, her whispered mantra:
  • “Silver is silver,” [05:55]
• The grotesque violence—Frankie, now a werewolf, turns on their partners one by one.
• Layered uncertainty about how to actually “kill” a werewolf, heavily influenced by popular movie lore.
  • “Hollywood's fostered the popular belief that only a silver bullet can kill a werewolf, but people must have been killing the damn things since before bullets were invented.” [08:55]

Subversion and Trauma:

• Selina’s actions are increasingly fueled by desperation to “make sure” the horror is over—stabbing, dismembering, burning.
• The horror lingers:
  • Wolfish noises and doubts persist, regardless of evidence. Is the threat gone, or is the trauma haunting her?
• The narrative viciously teases “the end” repeatedly:
  • “Or is it?” echoes after every attempted conclusion. [Various points—esp. 10:34, 17:54, 29:53]

Finale:

• Selina flees in Ted’s truck, chased by the resurrected, now-werewolf boyfriends—a literal pack.
• The ending questions if there ever is a true end to horror or “the story,” blurring lines between genre expectations, psychological scars, and open narrative wounds.

Critical Analysis: Trope, Trauma & Folklore

Margaret’s Reflections

• [37:00] The story is “about trauma and never being able to leave it,” using werewolf transformations and repeated escape attempts as metaphors.
• The group’s polyamory isn’t just window dressing—it informs the sense of loss and lingering attachment:
  • “Leaving boyfriends behind and this sense that these men who have turned into monsters...there’s this, oh, trying to leave them behind in your rearview mirror, but in a weird way, they’re always coming after you.” [38:50]
• The cultural journey “from folklore to trope:”
  • “Folklore is often sort of the same story told in different ways...what is that but trope? But it’s like less conscious and more earnest in a folklore context. And yet it’s become less so in the modern context.” [39:40]
• The critique of Hollywood endings:
  • Margaret praises Piper’s approach of “stretching the wound of that moment” rather than simply sequel-baiting or delivering a jump scare.

Quotes from Hailey Piper (as read by Margaret)

• “I wanted to take that enthusiasm and confront a trope I’m not a fan of: the non-ending or is it?” [40:03]
• “I wanted to tackle the horror of that non-ending by stretching out the wound of that moment, poking around at how far it could go and maybe how cruelly it could cut.” [40:17]

Commentary from Hazel (CZM team)

• “I love how Hailey uses a trope that I’m also often annoyed by to explore the viscerality of trauma...the amygdala, where fear and trauma are processed, doesn’t encode memories with time. So...it’s really easy to feel like it’s happening right now, that you’re still living in this story. And that’s a horror story, never being able to move on, still jumping at shadows, perpetually needing to stay on edge to keep yourself safe.” [40:52]

On Prose and Literary Craft

Margaret’s Appreciation for Piper’s Style

• [41:25] Notes the story’s “beautiful prose that’s moving the action along and ties into the plot,” not just decorative.
• Relates Piper to Ray Bradbury—praised for poetic language in genre fiction.
  • “Haley is a master of these sentences that are like becoming beautiful by cutting out words and taking abnormal structure.” [41:40]

Hailey Piper Bio & Further Reading

Author Bio (as read by Margaret)

• [41:55] Piper is a Bram Stoker Award-winning writer, active member of the Horror Writers Association, lives in Maryland, and her latest works are highlighted.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Silver is silver.” [05:55, recurring trope]
• “Hollywood’s fostered the popular belief that only a silver bullet can kill a werewolf, but people must have been killing the damn things since before bullets were invented, right?” [08:55]
• “Time is another predator in the night. The only one guaranteed to catch its prey in the end.” [21:30]
• “Maybe whether the horror is over or not has nothing to do with letting fate crash to its final conclusion. Maybe it has everything to do with choosing the best time to walk out of the theater.” [23:25]
• “Even as she scratches her arms where her fingernails snag on a strange new clump of shaggy hair, she promises herself, yes, it is over. Definitely. Forever. Entirely over. Or is it—dun dun dun.” [31:48]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:26 — Intro to Spooky Month, the book, and the trope discourse
• 04:31–25:00 — Live reading of Hollywood Werewolf Conspiracy (with minor commentary)
• 29:53 — The “ending” and story wrap, before critical commentary
• 37:00 — Margaret’s deep-dive on the story’s themes and broader significance
• 40:03 — Reading of Hailey Piper’s statement on horror tropes and non-endings
• 41:25 — Margaret’s admiration of Piper’s prose style
• 41:55 — Hailey Piper’s author bio and works

Closing—Final Thoughts & Resource Mentions

• [End] Margaret directs listeners who want more Piper or more CZM content to the author and podcast websites, and thanks the audience for joining the “spooky” book club.

Summary

This episode delivers an atmospheric, thought-provoking exploration of a dark, trope-savvy short story. Viewers come away with a rich experience of both the narrative and its deeper meanings—trauma, folklore, the trap of genre conventions, and questions about how stories (and horrors) truly end. Margaret’s candid criticism and enthusiasm for prose brings extra depth to the conversation, making this book club episode rewarding for listeners, whether or not they read the story on their own.