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Episode 6: James Swanton on The First Omen, Frankenstein's Creature, & crafting terrifying monsters
Description
In this episode of the Scream To Screen horror podcast, Chris and Lucy are joined by actor, writer and stage performer James Swanton.
Horror fans will know James from a wide range of roles across stage, film and television – including recent appearances in The First Omen and Apartment 7A, as well as frequent collaborations with director Rob Savage on films like HOST and DASHCAM.
Alongside his screen work, James has built a really distinctive career in theatre, particularly through one-man shows and classic Victorian ghost stories. His solo performances of Dickens and adaptations like Frankenstein’s Creature have earned huge praise, and he’s become a staple of seasonal ghost storytelling in the UK. He’s also starred in BBC horror, including Inside No.9 and Mark Gatiss’s A Ghost Story for Christmas.
We talk to James about how he built a career from fringe theatre and solo shows into major horror productions, how his love of classic literature and monsters feeds into his screen work, and what it’s like to carve out a niche as a modern horror performer.
We hope you enjoy our chat with James!