Podcast
The Dark Mind Podcast
Hosted by Vincent Midgard · EN
Join your intrepid host, Vincent Midgard, as he interviews writers and filmmakers who produce works in dark literature and film, including horror, noir, gothic, as well as nonfiction and documentaries on dark subject matter.
17episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Horror of Being Seen but Not Known, Mark Mustian
2w ago01:08:00Tap to summarizeMark Mustian joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss his newest novel, Boy With Wings.The book follows Johnny Cruel, a boy born different in a world desperate to call him angel, devil, freak, miracle, or monster.Together, we explore Southern Gothic fiction, literal wings, freak shows, turpentine camps, Jim Crow racism, religious fear, and the brutal cost of being seen as spectacle before being understood as human.Mark also discusses writing across difference, researching sideshow history, the emotional horror of being buried alive, and how faith, doubt, race, and memory shape all three of his novels.We also talk about The Gendarme, Armenian genocide, the publishing gaps between his books, his work as a public finance lawyer, his years as a city commissioner, and his role as founder of the Word of South Festival.Website: https://markmustian.comSocial mediaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/markmustianauthor/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markmustian/X / Twitter: https://x.com/MarkMustianLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mustian-17066776Mark Mustian author page on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3463600.Mark_MustianPlaces to buyBarnes & Noble, Boy With Wings: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/boy-with-wings-mark-mustian/1146600022Bookshop.org, Boy With Wings: https://bookshop.org/p/books/boy-with-wings-mark-mustian/143eb36ac6f04f87Audible author page: https://www.audible.com/author/Mark-T-Mustian/B0CSF8JY2YSupport The Dark Mind Podcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast
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Trauma, Home, and Haunted Landscapes with CJ Leede
3w ago01:02:44Tap to summarizeCJ Leede joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss her new novel Headlights, a slow burn supernatural thriller set in the high country of Colorado.We explore serial murder by proxy, violence as a contagious force, and the terrifying loss of control at the center of the story.CJ talks about grief, death, trauma, home, and why Headlights became one of her most hopeful books.The conversation moves through Colorado’s beauty and danger, the shadow of The Shining, FBI procedural research, haunted landscapes, and horror as a way of telling the truth.We also discuss Maeve Fly, American Rapture, Catholic guilt, rescue dogs, writing on the road, and the strange places where darkness becomes meaningful.Official Websitehttps://www.cjleede.comInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/ceejthemoment/Tor Publishing Author Pagehttps://torpublishinggroup.com/author/cj-leede/Simon and Schuster Author Pagehttps://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/C-J-Leede/242938571Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21833637.C_J_LeedeBuy CJ Leede’s BooksAmazon Author Pagehttps://www.amazon.com/stores/C.J.-Leede/author/B0B5N5BC88Barnes and Noble Author Searchhttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/CJ%20LeedeBookshop.org Author Searchhttps://bookshop.org/search?keywords=CJ%20LeedeBooks A Million Searchhttps://www.booksamillion.com/search?query=CJ%20LeedeTarget Searchhttps://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=CJ%20LeedeHeadlightsAmazonhttps://www.amazon.com/s?k=Headlights+CJ+LeedeBarnes and Noblehttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Headlights%20CJ%20LeedeTargethttps://www.target.com/p/headlights-by-cj-leede-hardcover/-/A-1007397194Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240019947-headlightsMaeve FlyBarnes and Noblehttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/maeve-fly-cj-leede/1141976651Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/93030763-maeve-flyAmerican RaptureGoodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221524220-american-raptureSupport The Dark Mind Podcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast
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The Bomb Under the Table with Brian Sepanzyk
4w ago01:03:10Tap to summarizeBrian Sepanzyk joins the show to discuss his short film Defile and the way empathy can curdle into survival horror.The conversation explores remote cabin dread, moral gray zones, relationship collapse, and the fear that begins when your alarm bells go off too late.Brian talks about building unease before violence, using the woods as a boundary between the ordinary and the monstrous, and deciding what to leave unexplained.We also get into his other films, including Compulsion and In the Shadow of God, along with his work developing Into the Abyss.Along the way, Brian discusses indie filmmaking, VFX work, writing under pressure, editing painful cuts, horror influences, and the creative outlet he finds in his band Waingro.Website and professional profile:https://image-engine.com/crew/brian-sepanzyk/IMDb:https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1559870/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/briantologist/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/BSepanzyk/Defile coverage and interview pages:https://www.leagueoffilmmakers.com/defile-when-horror-becomes-a-mirror-for-modern-anxiety/https://readrange.com/brian-sepanzyk-in-the-shadow-of-god/YouTube interview and short-film pages:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nUFupbEKFkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX9R-IBvfLAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpaAr5HhB2kTo watch or stream his short films and related work, these are the verified platform pages I found:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX9R-IBvfLAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpaAr5HhB2khttps://letterboxd.com/film/defile-2025/I did not find verified Amazon or Barnes & Noble purchase pages for Brian Sepanzyk’s films or books in the current search results, so I’m not listing unverified storefront links here.Waingro official music pages:https://waingro.bandcamp.com/musichttps://waingro.bandcamp.com/album/sportshttps://waingro.bandcamp.com/album/iiiSpotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/1tqsK5Px4s5tH6Mkehw6DkApple Music:https://music.apple.com/us/artist/waingro/935148728Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/waingrovancouver/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/waingro_van/Support The Dark Mind Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcastFilm and interview pagesBuy and stream film workMusic and band linksSupport The Dark Mind Podcast
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Ride the Spiral with Ben Young: Grief, Fibonacci, and the F You Universe.
May 2601:17:52Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Vincent sits down with author Ben Young to discuss his new novel Ride the Spiral.Ben talks about turning real life grief, parenting struggles, and the search for answers into cosmic horror.The conversation explores neurodivergence, desperation, mental health, string theory, absurdism, and the terror of not being able to fix the people you love.Ben also discusses the influence of Stephen King, Tool, heavy music, indie horror, and the process of writing characters who are already at the end of their rope before the monster appears.Ride the Spiral is available through Aethon and Wicked House, and signed copies and more of Ben’s work can be found at benyoungstories.com.Ben Young Websitehttps://www.benyoungstories.comBen Young Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/benyoungstories/Ben Young Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/benyoungstories/Ben Young TikTokhttps://www.tiktok.com/@benyoung_storiesRide the Spiral from Wicked House Publishinghttps://wickedhouse.com/book/ride-the-spiral/Ben Young on Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/author/list/43073675.Ben_YoungStuck on Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/196306469-stuckHome on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/Home-Ben-Young-ebook/dp/B0CWXW5F63/Ride the Spiral on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/Ride-Spiral-Cosmic-Horror-Novel-ebook/dp/Support The Dark Mind Podcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast
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Kathleen Rhodes on Faith, Fangs, and the Monsters That Shape Us
May 1901:03:51Tap to summarizeKathleen Rhodes joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss her new novel Vampire Missionaries.We talk about Mormon missionaries, vampires, religious pressure, dark comedy, and the horror of questioning what you were raised to believe.Kathleen also shares how her background in psychiatric mental health shaped the way she writes trauma, identity, resilience, and characters at their rawest.We also discuss her debut novel The Dark Road, Jungian psychology, inner demons, child protectors, and the strange space where horror and healing meet.Vampire Missionaries is available now from Dead Sky Publishing.Kathleen Rhodes websites and social linkshttps://thedarkroad.nethttps://deadskypublishing.com/portfolio-item/vampire-missionaries/https://go.authorsguild.org/members/9245https://crimereads.com/author/kathleenrhodes/Social mediahttps://www.instagram.com/kathleenrhodeswrites/https://x.com/kathleenRho1https://www.facebook.com/kathleen.rhodes.7106/Where to buy Vampire Missionarieshttps://www.amazon.com/https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/vampire-missionaries-kathleen-rhodes/1147739683https://www.target.com/p/vampire-missionaries-by-kathleen-rhodes-paperback/-/A-1010435925https://bookshop.org/p/books/vampire-missionaries-kathleen-rhodes/cd33bdb282ebdb73https://www.indigo.ca/products/vampire-missionarieshttps://www.goodreads.com/author/list/50927687.Kathleen_RhodesSupport The Dark Mind Podcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast
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Ian Domowitz on Paracelsus, Golems, and the Future of Fantasy
May 1201:13:32Tap to summarizeIan Domowitz joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss Initial Condition, the third novella in his dark fantasy series The Mechanic’s Diary.The conversation explores Hanzi Boss, a being bred through a 16th century alchemical recipe and taught language like a machine learning to speak.Ian and Vincent dig into golems, homunculi, Jewish mysticism, artificial intelligence, consciousness, and the terrifying idea that speech itself could be treated as a crime.They also discuss why lived experience may matter more than training data, how ancient myth can give fantasy credibility, and why Ian refuses to let generative AI write his fiction.The episode moves from dark fantasy into philosophy, ethics, writing craft, Wall Street, military life, and what it means to create a being that was made by man but still wants to understand its place in the world.Official Websitehttps://www.iandomowitz.comIan Domowitz on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/iandomowitz/Ian Domowitz on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/iandomowitzIan Domowitz on Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6684744.Ian_DomowitzIan Domowitz Books on Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/author/list/6684744.Ian_DomowitzIan Domowitz on Academia.eduhttps://independent.academia.edu/IDomowitzIan Domowitz on Mediumhttps://uxdesign.cc/@idomowitzBuy Ian Domowitz on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0D5LQ7LZ3Buy Initial Condition on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FN1F1QVYBuy Ian Domowitz on Barnes and Noblehttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Ian%20Domowitz%22Buy Initial Condition on Barnes and Noblehttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Initial%20Condition%22%20%22Ian%20Domowitz%22Buy Ian Domowitz on Bookshop.orghttps://bookshop.org/search?keywords=Ian%20DomowitzBuy Four Laws for the Artificially Intelligent on Bookshop.orghttps://bookshop.org/p/books/four-laws-for-the-artificially-intelligent-ian-domowitz/0660ff188ff10887Buy Ian Domowitz on Apple Bookshttps://books.apple.com/us/search?term=Ian%20DomowitzBuy Ian Domowitz on Kobohttps://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?query=Ian%20DomowitzStream Ian Domowitz on Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/search/Ian%20DomowitzAuthor Talk with Ian Domowitz on Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/episode/76z0kuQuHPUGub2VsJuxXwSkull Session with Dan Henk and Ian Domowitz on Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/episode/6NTPRLPOClviwkE8CM9fQhAuthor Talk on Apple Podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/author-talk/id1551896025Support The Dark Mind Podcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast
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Erin Louis: The Stripper, the Skeptic, and the Storyteller
May 500:57:24Tap to summarizeErin Louis joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss her grounded horror thriller There's No Grave Like Home.The novel follows Georgia, a former exotic dancer in her mid-forties forced to return to the rural hometown she fled decades ago after inheriting her estranged father's house.Erin opens up about how growing up as an outsider in a small town shaped the antagonists and the atmosphere of the book.We explore how over two decades of working as an exotic dancer became an informal sociological study that fuels everything she writes.Erin talks about her transition from afterlife satire in the Hellbound series to a more serious, real-world horror approach.We get into her writing process, her refusal to be boxed into any genre, and why her characters tend to take the wheel.Erin also shares her journey through secular advocacy, her work with the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and how losing her mother without the comfort of an afterlife changed the way she copes through writing.We discuss the emotional weight of starting over in your forties, the pressure of perception, and finding fulfillment on the other side of it.This is a raw and honest conversation about horror, identity, grief, and the lives we live between the pages.Websitehttps://www.erinlouis.comBiohttps://www.erinlouis.com/bioBloghttps://www.erinlouis.com/blogSocial MediaFacebookhttps://www.facebook.com/erinlouis666/Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/erinlouis666/TikTokhttps://www.tiktok.com/@erinlouis666Blueskyhttps://bsky.app/profile/erinlouis666.bsky.socialGoodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11119009.Erin_LouisLinktreehttps://linktr.ee/erinlouis666Buy Erin Louis’s BooksAmazon Author Pagehttps://www.amazon.com/Erin-Louis/e/B00QSHHOW6There’s No Grave Like Home on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GFNWL3ZNThere’s No Grave Like Home on Google Bookshttps://books.google.com/books/about/There_s_No_Grave_Like_Home.html?id=8KvG0QEACAAJSouth of Heaven on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/South-Heaven-Erin-Louis/dp/1953905552South of Heaven on Bookshophttps://bookshop.org/p/books/south-of-heaven-erin-louis/854f3f79c35de9ee?ean=9781953905550Hell Awaits on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0F3JH8J66Colleen on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/Colleen-Erin-Louis-ebook/dp/B0CJ759BS4/Stripper Noir on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/Stripper-Noir-Armand-Rosamilla-ebook/dp/B0BPNBJP28The Dead Shall Rise on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/Dead-Shall-Rise-Mysteries-Thrillers-ebook/dp/B0CCQ89QP8The Dead Shall Rise on Bookshophttps://bookshop.org/a/15248/9781957133577Dirty Thoughts and Awkward Boners on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B7S1QK67Expose Yourself on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/Expose-Yourself-Risks-Question-Everything-ebook/dp/B07W1B4R3QDirty Money on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/1544767226Think You Want To Be A Stripper on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/Think-you-want-be-stripper/dp/1723577030AudiobooksAudible Author Pagehttps://www.audible.com/author/Erin-Louis/B00QSHHOW6Dirty Money on Audiblehttps://www.audible.com/pd/Dirty-Money-Audiobook/B0BRTJPKV3Hell Awaits on Audiblehttps://www.audible.com/ac/Hell-Awaits-Audiobook/B0FQDQ8NC5Dirty Thoughts and Awkward Boners on Audiblehttps://www.audible.com/ac/Dirty-Thoughts-and-Awkward-Boners-Audiobook/B0BM1QHCF3Think You Want To Be A Stripper on Audiblehttps://www.audible.com/pd/Think-You-Want-to-Be-a-Stripper-Audiobook/B0829D1MFSStripper Noir on Audiblehttps://www.audible.com/pd/Stripper-Noir-Audiobook/B0C3WVKM3SSouth of Heaven on Audiblehttps://www.audible.com/pd/South-of-Heaven-Audiobook/B0CB76Y5GWExpose Yourself on Audiblehttps://www.audible.com/pd/Expose-Yourself-Audiobook/B0815SJML4Colleen on Audiblehttps://www.audible.com/pd/Colleen-Audiobook/B0CWWY32V1Signed CopiesEmail Erin Louis for signed copieserinlouis666@gmail.comSupport The Dark Mind Podcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast
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Andrew Adams: Body as Currency
Apr 2801:08:24Tap to summarizeAndrew Adams returns to The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss his new Cemetery Dance Publications novel, Crossroads, Inc.The book is set in the dying backwoods town of Glanton, where the air is toxic, the water is undrinkable, and the people have been forgotten.When a life insurance company called Crossroads, Inc. rolls into town offering cash advances on policies repaid in severed body parts, what begins as desperation quickly becomes compliance, addiction, and the normalization of the unthinkable.At the center of the story is thirteen year old Hannah Cassady, the skeptic of her family and the one who sees the lie before the adults do.At the center of the company is Samuel Sterling, a smooth talking CEO in a purple suit with pearly white veneers who never needs to raise his voice to get what he wants.Andrew and Vincent dig into the seed of the premise, the Faustian roots of the title, and the way the novel layers body horror on top of addiction, economic collapse, and manufactured hope.They talk about Hannah as the moral compass of the story, the Cassady siblings as a single unit splintering under pressure, and the slow normalization of mutilation inside a community that has run out of options.They also get into the real world echoes behind the brew, the opiate crisis, legalized vice, and the way desperate people respond to anyone who finally acknowledges their suffering.Beyond the book, Andrew opens up about his path from welder and aerospace engineer to writing sixteen books in under four years, the grind of the indie horror world, and what it meant to land at Cemetery Dance Publications.He talks about his literary influences from Cormac McCarthy and A Clockwork Orange to Hunter S. Thompson and Ronald Malfi, his friendships with writers like Duncan Ralston, Emma E. Murray, and Jyl Glenn, and the daily reality of writing at night around a full time job and a family.This is a conversation about bodies as currency, hope as a trap, and the quiet horror of watching a town talk itself into giving up a piece of itself one finger at a time.Website: https://www.symposiumofthereaper.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrew_adams_author/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrew_adams_authorThreads: https://www.threads.net/@andrew_adams_authorGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/567299.Andrew_AdamsBuy Crossroads, Inc. from Cemetery Dance Publications: https://www.cemeterydance.com/CrossroadsInc.htmlCrossroads, Inc. on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GPYZJYSL/Andrew Adams books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Andrew+Adams+horror&i=stripbooksAndrew Adams on Audible: https://www.audible.com/author/Andrew-Adams/B0BYD1LQXYAndrew Adams on Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/andrew+adams+horrorAndrew Adams on Godless: https://godless.com/products/andrew-adamsSupport The Dark Mind Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast
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Daniel Grace and the Psychology of Damnation
Apr 2101:06:14Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Dark Mind Podcast, Vincent Midgard sits down with author Daniel Grace.They discuss Grace’s debut novel, In the Wake of Golgotha, a dark literary thriller that reimagines Judas Iscariot and Pontius Pilate in modern New York.The conversation explores guilt, reincarnation, capital punishment, faith, betrayal, and the psychological weight of history.Grace also talks about the philosophical core of the novel, the challenge of humanizing figures history has flattened into symbols, and the uneasy line between destiny and choice.The episode also touches on his background in advertising, his work in the wine world, and how those experiences shaped his life as a writer.If you’re drawn to dark fiction that wrestles with morality, memory, and the long shadow of spiritual violence, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.DANIEL GRACE — AUTHOR LINKSOfficial Websitehttps://www.danielmarkgrace.comBook — Purchase & StreamAmazon: https://www.amazon.com/Wake-Golgotha-Daniel-Grace/dp/B0D4P7V7H9Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-the-wake-of-golgotha-daniel-grace/1148623446Koehler Books: https://www.koehlerbooks.com/book/in-the-wake-of-golgotha/Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/in-the-wake-of-golgotha/id1881627596Audible: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/B0GTRKQ1P6Social MediaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielmarkgrace/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmarkgraceWineryIl Molino di Grace: https://www.ilmolinodigrace.itContactAuthor Email: danielmarkgrace@gmail.comPublisher (John Koehler): john@koehlerbooks.comSUPPORT THE DARK MIND PODCASTPatreonhttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast
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Erich Cannon on Practical Effects and Personal Demons
Apr 1401:14:06Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Dark Mind Podcast, Vincent Midgard sits down with filmmaker Erich Cannon to discuss his feature film His Monster.They explore the film’s roots in Japanese folklore, its addiction allegory, and the emotional terrain of grief, denial, and spiritual drowning that drives the story.Erich also talks about practical creature effects, the influence of The X-Files, writing from personal experience, and why the Oregon coast became the perfect setting for this kind of dread.The conversation also moves through his journey in sobriety, his DIY approach to filmmaking and distribution, his early work as a production assistant, and the hard lessons that shaped Compassionate Disaster Films.They also touch on Braving Rapids, his connection to Phantogram, his producing work on The Cuckoo Clock, and the creative life he is building in Joshua Tree.This is a thoughtful conversation about horror, recovery, folklore, discipline, and the monsters people live with.WebsitesCompassionate Disaster Films: https://www.compassionatedisasterfilms.comDirector Portfolio: https://www.compassionatedisasterfilms.com/erichcannonSocial MediaInstagram (Personal): https://www.instagram.com/erichcannonInstagram (Company): https://www.instagram.com/compassionatedisasterfilmsX (Twitter): https://x.com/erichcannonFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/compassionatedisasterfilmsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erich-cannon-0b5284a5Where to Watch & StreamHis Monster (2026) & Columbia River Canoe Project (2024)Currently on theatrical and festival tours. Check the official site for screening dates and locations:https://www.compassionatedisasterfilms.comBraving Rapids (2025)Tubi (Free): https://tubitv.com/movies/100038953/braving-rapidsFandango at Home (Vudu): https://athome.fandango.com/content/browse/details/Braving-Rapids/4192853Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Braving+Rapids+movieFall City (2018)Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Fall+City+movieApple TV: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/fall-cityPoint B (2015)Tubi (Free): https://tubitv.com/search/Point%20BAmazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Point+B+moviePhysical Media (DVDs)Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Erich+CannonSupport The Dark Mind Podcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast
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