Gatekeeping in the horror community

Over the last few weeks during another UK lock down I've noticed quite a few memes popping up on horror groups, that are very similar in nature, and are all examples of gatekeeping in the online horror community. 

Things like "if you don't know who this is you aren't a true horror fan" or "if you don't like this film you're not really into horror" etc. 

As well as not being at all funny, they are entirely obnoxious and elitist,  saying far more about the person posting than the person that maybe doesn't know the character, or doesn't like the film.

This form of gatekeeping can be very off putting to someone maybe just getting into horror, and looking into joining the community online.  Someone that could have potentially made great online friendships and contributed to insightful genre based conversation, turned away because of a slew of memes telling them why they aren't a "real fan". 

Whether you're only into modern paranormal films, or family friendly horror, or if you only like to read horror and not watch it, you are a horror fan. What defines you as a horror fan is personal to you, and if you enjoy any of the spooky jazz that makes up the vastness of the horror genre, you can quite comfortably call yourself a horror fan, without having to know the name of the personal assistant to the actor that was killed third in the eighth Friday the 13th film! Some people really enjoy getting into minute details about things, and others enjoy the exact same things just as much without ever knowing certain facts. 

I've been a horror fan for a long time, and some of these gatekeeping memes specifically attack my own tastes making out that I'm not a true fan. I have spent years collecting, watching, talking about and loving horror, and I'm not being told I'm not a fan because I don't like the Shining, and you shouldn't either, whether you're just getting into the genre or whether you've been enjoying it for a long time. Enjoy what you enjoy unapologetically, and find others who can share that joy with you!

INTERVIEW: Hailey Piper talks books!

For the first Positively Horror interview of the new year, the brilliant genre author Hailey Piper was kind enough to answer some questions. Please enjoy the full interview below. 

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with the genre?

Hi, I'm Hailey Piper! I the author of horror novellas The Worm and His Kings from Off Limits Press, Benny Rose, the Cannibal King from Unnerving, and more. This spring, The Seventh Terrace will publish my first short story collection, Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy, and later this year Strangehouse Books will publish my first novel, Queen of Teeth. I've also had a few dozen stories in different publications, and I'm known for writing queer fiction and hopping around all subgenres of horror to do so. 

What was your introduction to horror and at what age?

I can't remember a time that I didn't love monsters, and I obsessively read Goosebumps books as a kid. Definitely my earliest memory of adult horror was accidentally being shown a monster movie The Unnameable at age 5. It was very R-rated and though I only caught half of it, I doubt my brain has been the same since.

I picked up The Possession Of Natalie Galsgow after seeing many posts about your work on bookstagram. Do you feel that the bookstagram community has helped push your name out there on the horror book scene?

The community plays a big part. I love the creative photos Bookstagrammers take, and when I'm tagged, I'll often see comments by people who've never heard of me but now want to pick up The Possession of Natalie Glasgow or others. It is much appreciated.

Where do you get your inspiration, and what is your creative process? 

Inspiration can come from anywhere, there's no single source. What's important is to jot down thoughts and observations when they occur and keep them. Most of it will be junk I never use, a little of it will become story seeds, but I can't tell the difference right away, plus you never know what a later point of view will bring to old notes. Enough notes in correlation can become a story. The actual process changes for every story, but the notes give enough fertile ground that the story can grow in whichever shape or direction it needs.

What has the current lockdown/pandemic situation done for your inspiration? 

I'm sure there's been some impact, but I can't really discern how I've absorbed it, only what I've done with it. I've stopped saying no to myself with various concepts and executions; many of us have come out of 2020 a bit stranger than we went in.

Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment?

Oh, there are so many impressive and talented authors writing horror right now. Joanna Koch, Eden Royce, Sara Tantlinger, Stephen Graham Jones, Gwendolyn Kiste, Andrew Cull, I could go endlessly and still miss loads of people. My TBR pile is a mountain.

And is there anything that you're currently working on that you'd like to talk about?

I'm revising a couple larger projects right now, outlining future ones, and writing short stories; I can never write enough of those. You can keep updated by finding me at www.haileypiper.com or on Twitter via @HaileyPiperSays.

Thank you again for having me!

Thank you again to Hailey for the interview. To check out Hailey's work just click the link below:

https://www.amazon.com/Hailey-Piper/e/B07HDYFL2C/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1