Payton McCarty-Simas

Payton McCarty-Simas is an author and film critic based in New York City. Their academic and critical writing focuses primarily on horror, sexuality, and psychedelia. Payton’s work has been featured in Bright Lights Film Journal, Film Daze, and The Brooklyn Rail among others. Their first book, One Step Short of Crazy: National Treasure and the Landscape of American Conspiracy Culture, was released in November 2024.