Supreme court ruling about Trans rights.

To start, there is no "trans debate", there are trans people and there are bigots, fascists and hate mongers who choose to define gender and sexuality in their own closed-minded, out-dated, scientifically wrong view. These people have loud voices, deep pockets and dangerous self righteousness that gives them the only push they need to bully, harass and try to erase a minority of people who simply want to live their lives with the same rights and dignity as everyone else. 

The UK sepreme court ruling was bank-rolled by the filthy rich, disgusting bigot JK Rowling, which comes as a surprise to absolutely no-one. We have been assured that trans people are still protected under the equality act, but even if someone has gone through all the trouble to get a gender recognition certificate, they are no longer deemed to be the gender that they know themselves to be. Today's ruling not only sets this country even further back on equality, but it sets a dangerous precedent for the trans community of what legal protections they have. 

As ever the UK follows suit on what the US is doing, and this scapegoating of a vulnerable community is really gaining  momentum. Many of us in the LGBTQ+ community can see that this is only the beginning. Rowling has already taken aim at asexual people just days before this ruling and she won't stop there. Any gender non-conformaty or sexual orientation that she does not understand, or care to learn about, she will attack, and she has a very large platform filled with people who take her word as gospel. This is how these dangerous bills pass.

The trans community needs amplified voices in their corner now, more than ever, so below I have listed some places to donate to, and some trans+ voices to amplify. 

Mermaids Gender

Gendered Intelligence

TransActual

Stonewall

NotAPhase

Trevor Project

Shon Faye

Eva Echo

This list is by no means exhaustive and there are plenty more resources out there. The important thing right now is to make sure our trans siblings are seen, heard and made to feel safe in a climate that is making it harder and harder for them to live safely and authentically. 

Please also write to your local MPs and tell them about your disgust and disappointment of the supreme court ruling. Make the push back deafening and make sure it doesn't let up! 

Love, peace and safety to everyone.

Positively Horror. 

INTERVIEW WITH ANNIE KNOX

Positively Horror is elated to welcome back Annie Knox for a quick catch up interview. Please enjoy the full conversation below: 

It has been a few years since you were interviewed by Positively Horror. In fact, you were my first interview after starting up, when you first released Dimension. What have you been up to since then? 

I remember, that was my first ever author interview too I think! I’ve had a bit of a mad few years, I’ve moved around a lot, had a lot of random jobs… I wound up getting into boxing a couple of years back, and now I’m training quite a lot and working at a bit of kickboxing too. I had success for a while with a little burst of anthology acceptances, so managed to get my horror author portfolio buffed out a bit. 

Snakebite books seems like it is going really well. What was your motivation for starting your own publishing company?

Thank you! To be honest I’ve been happily surprised by how many lovely horror writers and horror lovers have engaged with it. I couldn’t find consistent anthology callouts for exactly what I wanted to write, and figured why not just start my own? There’s a lot of gore and splatterpunk and extreme horror and whatnot out there at the moment, and while that’s the thing for some people, it's just not really a bit of me. I wanted to build something where kind of quirky, emotive, quite niche horror writers could send their stuff. I love digging around in the submissions pile and reading so many amazing stories, getting to know so many amazing genre authors. It’s been an incredible experience building our first book. 

As well as being a publishing company, it seems to have created a great online community around it, with the micro-shorts and newsletter etc.Was that the goal, or a happy bonus?

I mean part of the goal was always to have a community of writers, I really wanted to establish a supportive, fun, positive space for horror fans to exist. I wanted to focus on really utilising the sub-genres of horror; I feel like a lot of horror gets swept into gore or not-gore, and we all know there’s a million and one different ways to categorise horror when you get into it! Horror has been a big part of my life since I was 12, and I’ve always found a lot of comfort in it - the fight between good and evil, whatever those things may take the shape of. The fight to find courage and strength in horrendous situations. The energy and adrenaline. It’s just different! So I am really excited to be growing that community - while it was always part of the idea, I’m now seeing the potential to really push that aspect of having a company, and thinking out lots of ways to grow a stronger network for writers and readers. 

What can you tell us about the debut collection from Snakebite? 

So the debut collection is all about fun, classical creatures from horror. We’re taking it back to relative basics but really looking to find a fun variety of stories for each monster - unusual settings, quirky and relatable characters, surprising villains, surprising heroes - and a big mix of subgenres. Comedy-horror, psychological horror, folk horror, serial killer thriller, dystopian/apocalyptic, sci-fi horror, cosmic horror, gothic horror, body horror, fantasy horror - everything you can think of! My personal favourite that I think I’ve kind of made up… ‘Buddy-cop horror’. Just niche, fun, emotive, impactful stories.

Finally, do you have any upcoming projects you can talk about?

Yes, I actually have a few - obviously we are in the early stages of ‘Creature Feature Classics #2: Creatures of the Night’, but we already know what we want for the third in the series! I’m also working on a rerelease of ‘Dimension’ - a new edition with new scenes, more backstory for Steve, deeper relations within the characters. And, to be honest, just slightly better writing! I released that one in the midst of a covid/lockdown existential crisis, so I’m looking forward to putting out a new and improved version because that one means an incredible amount to me, and I want to tell the story the best I can. I have my second novel, ‘Maggie’, also releasing later this year, which I’m really excited to have my incredibly talented graphic designer Jolene Legrand working on the cover art for!

Thank you to Annie Knox for the great catch up interview. 

Follow the links below to keep up with everything from Annie and Snakebite Books 

Snakebite Books

Annie Knox Instagram

Wrath of Thorn review

It has been quite a journey since the original 2009 Thorn short, with the iconic indie slasher making numerous appearances throughout the "Mychoverse" over the years. The Thorn feature trilogy began over ten years ago, with Legacy of Thorn released in 2014. The mammoth, masked killer had already made an appearance in Slasher House (2012) and was ready for his solo killing spree. 

From there, his lore was established, as we learnt little bits about the leap year myth and the mysterious town of Avondale. 

There is even a Patreon exclusive short Eric: A Tale of Thorn, focusing on the reoccurring character portrayed by Paris Rivers. 

Mask of Thorn (2019) established even more of Thorn's story and introduced us to the magnificent final girl and Mycho favourite Eve Oliver as Bethany Lovell.

Before completing the trilogy, Thorn took one more trip into the Slasher House for Slasher House 3: Rebooted (2024).

That all leads us to Wrath of Thorn, which premiered at the beginning of the year at Horror on Sea festival to rave reviews. 

Wrath tells the story of Jessica, Bethany's daughter as she returns to Avondale with her own daughter to try to put a stop to the seemingly unkillable Thorn once and for all. 

Jessica, played brilliantly by Sophie Ash is surrounded by a stacked cast of magnificent Mycho alumni, featuring Paris Rivers, William Marshall and Eve Oliver to name just a few. 

The film moves at a fast pace, packing in story, action and horror in equal measure. Fans of the Thorn franchise and wider Mychoverse will be left completely satisfied with this end to the trilogy and will be blown away, as I was, by the final act. 

As horror appears to be having a resurgence in the mainstream at the moment, it is always good to shout about the British indie scene, because not only is it alive and well, it is thriving, and Mycho continues to knock it out of the park each time. Wrath of Thorn is no exception, and shows just what can be done with an unwavering vision, passion for the genre, and a group of like-minded people determind to bring that vision to life. 

POSITIVELY HORROR INTERVIEWS I.S. BELLE

I recently got the chance to put some questions to the wonderful author I.S. Belle. Please enjoy the full interview below:

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

I'm I.S. Belle! I work in a bookshop and I stop to pat dogs in the street. My debut novel, a LGBT found family Horror YA Zombabe, came out in late 2022. My relationship to the horror genre is complicated and picky, as it is with all genres. I could never sit down with any one genre and be happy, it had to be very, very specific subgenre. With horror, I find myself drawn to atmospheric stories where characters are deeply devoted to each other. Characters with genuine love and affection for their peers, whether that love is nourishing or destructive. I love horror where the characters are fighting tooth and nail to keep each other safe, and I'm partial to horror where they succeed. 

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

Probably Goosebumps around age 9! I was actually a huge wimp when it came to anything scary, I didn't actually get into horror until my late teens, when I realized how wide the genre was. I still shy away from horror than genuinely terrifies me - I want horror that makes my face and heart twist with "oh god that's horrible," not horror that keeps me awake at night. Which is why I only listened to The Magnus Archives before 4pm and then watched/read happy, fluffy stuff so I'd be able to sleep.

Your new book Zombabe, and it's prequel novella Babylove, feature great things like found family, queer love, and buckets of zombie gore! Which are popular with lots of readers out there. What was your inspiration for these stories?

My most direct inspiration for the Zombabe 'verse was IT by Stephen King, as well as other works such as Pet Semetary. Also Jennifer's Body. I'm ALL about devotion and the horrible things people will do for the ones they love. 

When you're writing, do you have a routine or pattern for your work? 

When I'm working on a project I try to get 1k words a day! Usually I hit it. But I usually have gaps of weeks or months between projects.

Queer stories have been gaining more and more popularity over the last few years, especially in YA, and with the rise of the push-back against queer voices it is so important to have these stories available. Do you feel that bookstagram and online bookish communities helps as a tool to get these stories into the hands of those that need them the most? 

I do! Online bookish communities do a great job of letting people know what's available out there, especially if you curate your experience.

What is your favourite horror trope?

Oh man. I think it's a toss-up between two: one, that moment where the gang gears up for the Final Battle. Everyone's bloody and freaked out and maybe they won't make it out, but for a second they're together and they're going to fight this thing. OR the inevitability trope - where the story hints the whole time that you've always been doomed, everything's locked in place from the start, and only on a rewatch/reread do you notice all the little details echoing through the story. This was always going to happen, this has already happened, this will happen again. There's something so scary about that kind of helplessness. 

What is something you'd like to see more of in the future in the genre? 

I'm torn! I want more camp. I watched M3GAN recently and my favorite scene was where she's chasing that guy through the tech lab with that huge knife while pop music was playing. I felt like the movie should've leaned into that fun campy style instead of keeping one foot in outrageous camp (singing Bulletproof as a lullaby?? The DANCING??) and one foot in sincerity - but the emotional roots/sincerity kind of fell flat for me in this one. So: more camp! More big, fun drama where you're laughing AND freaked out!

I also want horror you can chew on. Stuff you can analyze until the cows come home. Re-reading and rewatching a bunch of times trying to notice all the little details. Themes, weird formatting, music choices. There's always another heartbreaking or horrifying thing to discover if only you dig a little deeper. i.e. the costume design in Crimson Peak, the overarching plot in The Magnus Archives, pretty much anything by Guillermo Del Toro. 

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

Mike Flannagan! A great example of horror to chew on, where the characters love each other deeply and fight for each other to make it out safe. There's always more to analyse in his work, and it rewards a rewatch. Also Guillermo Del Toro and Jonothan Sims.

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about? 

Yes! I'm working on the sequels to Zombabe and Babylove right now. They'll be out later this year. There's also a project coming in in 2024 that I'm VERY excited about. I should be allowed to talk about it in 6 weeks or so. Stay tuned...

Thank you again to I.S. Belle for the great interview. To find her books, just follow the links below:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKKCV5PX?ref=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=53e0255c-beb7-49e6-ac18-87733dbdff05

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BSQHZCT3?ref=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=f042ba1e-5ae4-4277-99aa-3e2526bd8e01

POSITIVELY HORROR INTERVIEWS LIAM REGAN

While Eating Miss Campbell is tearing it up on the festival run, Writer and Director Liam Regan was kind enough to answer a few questions for Positively Horror. Please enjoy the full interview below:

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

I was a video shop kid, so everytime my mum took me inside the video rental store, I would be summoned to the horror section. Not sure what I was being summoned by, more than likely the gnarly video cover artwork. I remember picking up a rental VHS of A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, and admiring Graham Humphrey's artwork. 

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

I must have only been around five years old when I was peering down from our staircase, whilst my Mum was watching Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962) the movie disturbed me, and I'll never forget that moment. 

Your new film Eating Miss Campbell is going down a treat on the festival circuit at the moment, could you tell us a bit about the film and your inspiration behind it? 

Thanks, it seems to be playing festivals all over at the moment, which I'm truly grateful for, especially in Europe, they seem to love screening the film. However, I do love reading the divisive reviews for the movie, the film certainly seems to be splitting audiences down the middle, and for me, the best type of creative endeavours (in any genre) should always strive to do that, especially independent films. I don't want to come off as pretentious by calling the movies that I make as "art", but I truly believe that independent horror/comedy should be provocative, dangerous and most of all... fun! 

The UK indie horror scene is absolutely booming with great work from people like Mycho, Charlie Steeds and Dark Rift Horror to name just a few. How does it feel to be part of this great time for UK indie cinema?

I love it! It's such a movement to be reckoned with! And it's also great when film festivals such as FrightFest in London, Dead Northern in York and The Dead of Night Film Festival in Southport champion local and homegrown talent. 

You delight as much in the bad reviews as the good for your work, which is a great attitude to have. Did it take time to get to that point or have you always had that mindset? 

I'm still wrestling with that attitude, I remember the world premiere of Eating Miss Campbell at FrightFest in London, it was a jam packed sold out screening, everyone laughing and cheering, so the general consensus was that people enjoyed the movie, it was possibly the greatest evening of my life, surrounded by some of my closest friends. I returned back to my hotel room at around 3am the following morning, sitting on the toilet seat, and decided to look at the reviews on Letterboxd and IMDb, which was a HUGE mistake! However, when the online reviewers give you sour lemons, you have no other choice, but to make the sweetest nectar of lemon juice that's ever touched a human being's taste buds!  

What is your favourite horror trope?

Hmm, my favourite horror trope? Well, I love horror movies where inanimate objects come to life and kill, so the killer doll sub-genre, which also includes puppets, etc. So the majority of movies from Full Moon Pictures and the Child's Play films too! 

What is something you'd like to see more of in the future in the genre? 

More envelope pushing, and taking risks. I think cinema can be too safe these days, I always tend to gravitate to movies that are no holds barred. 

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

I'm going to forget someone, but I do wanna shout out Vito Trigo who plays Mr. Sawyer in both My Bloody Banjo and Eating Miss Campbell, the guy is a powerhouse of a performer. I've never met a talent with that much dedication and passion, in bringing a character to life, if I know Vito is in a movie, I'll watch that film, just for his performance alone, he's such a sweetheart of a human being too! 

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about? 

Right now we're just working the festival circuit and screening Eating Miss Campbell at film festivals worldwide. I'm looking at launching my UK Blu-ray and DVD distribution label next year "Refuse Films", we'll be releasing My Bloody Banjo: Director's Cut domestically, along with a newly acquired feature length movie titled I Need You Dead! 

Thank you again to Liam for the great interview. Please check out the link below to keep up to date on his work:

https://refusefilms.bigcartel.com/products

POSITIVELY HORROR INTERVIEWS LYNDSEY CRAINE

I recently got the chance to ask Lyndsey Craine some questions about the genre, and the upcoming How to Kill Monsters,  which has a kickstarter running right now. Please enjoy the full interview below. 

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

I’ve been acting in independent horror movies for a few years now and really enjoying it. I’ve been fortunate to work across all different types of horror which has been really fun and challenged me in many ways. My love of the horror genre has definitely grown in recent years, I used to be scared of almost every horror film going but having been in them, I’m a little less scared now! 

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

I was always scared of pretty much every horror as a kid! I think I must have been about 12 and the first horror movie I saw and actually enjoyed was Scream, it was most likely the style of that movie that made me enjoy it so much. It still scared me though! It’s my favourite horror franchise to this day. I love those films!

The kickstarter for How to Kill monsters has just gone live, can you tell us a bit about the film and the character you're playing? 

The film is based around Jamie, the sole survivor of a blood drenched massacre at a cabin in the woods, after claiming her friends were eaten by a horrific monster summon by a ritual gone wrong, she is arrested and locked up for a crime she didn’t commit. However, Jamie’s claims of innocence were of course all real and the police station is attacked by a horde of Lovecraftian monsters. Jamie teams up with a bunch of rookie cops and law breakers to fight back against the monsters. Think Evil Dead 2 meets Hot Fuzz!

I play the character of Jamie who is clearly quite naive in thinking a ritual at a cabin in the woods would go well! She has to stand up for herself against all odds and prove to everyone what she has just survived is real so you can imagine the scenarios she gets herself into. I don’t want to give too much away but she was so much fun to play and I can’t wait for you to see what she has to face in the film and the characters she meets. It’s certainly a rollercoaster of a ride for Jamie!

The UK indie horror scene is absolutely booming with great work from people like Mycho, Charlie Steeds and dark rift to name just a few. How does it feel to be part of this great time for UK indie cinema?

Firstly, thank you for saying I am a part of this! Yes it’s a fantastic time for indie horror, there are so many brilliant filmmakers out there, having been at Frightfest in London recently it was incredible to see the work people are producing for features and shorts. It’s great to see this work getting out there, I think after Covid everyone is so keen to get back to making movies. I hear that more people are wanting to jump to make their first feature films or finding creative ways to bring their film ideas to life on really small budgets and I find it so inspiring to see. To even be considered as part of this means a lot.

What draws you to acting in the horror genre? 

It’s honestly just so much fun! I think aswell, there are so many different sub genres within the horror genre so it’s great to explore those. With horror comedy for example, you can make something really scary, gory or dark but you will have that comedy aspect to pull you back to the light heartedness of the film and I think it’s fun to be able to work with both of those and almost play them off each other. It does come with a side of getting extremely messy if there’s fake blood involved, which seems to be the case in the majority of films I’ve been apart of! 

What is your favourite horror trope?

The final girl! I’ve been fortunate to play the final girl in a few of my films so it’s helped me out in terms of researching character traits. It’s always so fun to watch their journey through the film too. I also enjoy the inspecting a strange noise outside when they shouldn’t, because who doesn’t love spotting that one in movies!

What is something you'd like to see more of in the future in the genre? 

I think there has been some great strong female leads emerging in horror recently and I would love to see that continue!

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

Firstly Dark Rift Horror! After their success with Book of Monsters it’s so exciting to see them back again with their Kickstarter for How to Kill Monsters. They are the most incredible team to work with, they have so much passion for their work. I always feel so lucky to work with them. I’ve recently worked with Liam Regan on Eating Miss Campbell which got to premiere at Frightfest which was just incredible. I’ve recently worked with Relic Films UK on a feature and they are a fantastic film company and definitely ones to look out for. There is also Tony Hipwell and Miles Watts who I worked with on a really fun film called Zomblogalypse! As mentioned earlier, having been to Frightfest I got the chance to meet so many incredible filmmakers and I could be writing an essay with how many I could mention that are doing fantastic work right now.

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?

My latest film Eating Miss Campbell is doing the festival run at the moment, it had its world premiere at Frightfest which was fantastic. I have a few more films coming up too which is really exciting!

Thank you to Lyndsey for the great interview.  To back How to Kill Monsters follow the link below:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stewartsparke/how-to-kill-monsters-a-horror-comedy-feature-film?ref=project_link

POSITIVELY HORROR INTERVIEWS KEVIN T MORALES

I was recently lucky enough to ask the brilliant Kevin T. Morales some questions about the genre. Please enjoy the full interview below:

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

I’m a filmmaker with a strong background in theater and Horror really unnerves me. There’s plenty of things I won’t even watch, which sounds silly from someone who likes making it, but I think partially it’s that I don’t often feel the urge to watch something and be scared. I think I’m already scared a lot in life so I don’t often want to add to it. That said, when something is truly gripping and fantastic than there’s almost nothing better. I seek out certain films based on filmmakers I already trust. And then I will watch something if I get multiple people telling me I have to see something. What I appreciate most about the genre is it really allows you to build a Trojan horse. Your audience comes for the horror but you can surprise them with something they weren’t expecting.

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age? 

My best friend had a birthday party when I was in 5th grade and his dad rented Aliens for the party. I had my pillow in front of my face half the time. After that I started wanting to see more. My dad showed me The Terminator which of course is also James Cameron but it was seeing Silence of the Lambs in the theater that really pushed me into wanting to play in that genre.

Your upcoming feature Shadow Vaults is due out this year, and is your debut horror feature, could you tell us a little bit about it and your move into the genre? 

I’ve been writing in the genre for a while but this is the first things that I could get made. And it’s my 2nd feature so hopefully I can establish a brand of nostalgic comedy and compelling thriller/suspense/horror. Those are my two favorite sand boxes. Shadow Vaults was conceived during the lockdown. I was spending so much time on Zoom with friends, and I really got this odd deja vu from a time when people sat around camp fires and talked and told stories but we had replaced the camp fire with a lap top. So Shadow Vaults is essentially a group of friends and an invited stranger telling each other ghost stories. The aim is to create the creepy sensation you get when someone tells you about the thing they saw and can’t explain, and of course this entered my mind during lockdown when we were all hiding in our homes from this invisible threat that could kill you.

Your last feature Generation Wrecks was one of my absolute favourites of last year, how did your creative approach differ from one genre to another, if at all?  

The big difference was for Gen Wrecks, I gave Victoria and Bridget a premise and basic story, and then they wrote the hell out of it with some input from me. And I tried to capture that experience of being a teenager going away with friends on a long weekend. This time I made Shadow Vaults as a way of deflecting the stress and fear of the outbreak. I thought if I could take the stress and pretend I’m making a film, I will handle this much better and it worked. Writing it, getting cast and crew on board, arranging for gear to be sent to the actors, directing everyone over zoom was a fantastic distraction from the incredible dread I felt.

Where did you draw your inspiration for the film? 

I wanted to recreate that camp fire ghost story telling experience with some new twists. The cast is majority people of color and and majority queer. And each of the ghost stories in some way reflects the fears we had in 2020, not just with the virus.  

Generation Wrecks featured great diversity on screen, is it important to you to deliver that representation in your work?  

It’s a primary directive for me. I’m a Latinx filmmaker and for most of my childhood people really tried to erase that. As if it was something I should want to distance myself from. It matters to me that we normalize seeing people of color, queer people, and different genders in traditional roles. So that people stop questioning the existence of people. To move away from white being the default.

What is your favourite horror trope? 

Oh wow. So many. I think one thing that really gets me is when someone enters a location and it’s displaced from reality or out of time, but the character doesn’t know it. Like then Jack enters the bar in the Shining and their are people there and a bar tender and it doesn’t occur to him that the hotel is empty. He just accepts the illusion. That really fucks me up.

What is something you'd like to see more of on the future of the genre? 

I think it’s difficult to pull of but if you can, having the threat of being killed not be what’s at stake in a story. What I love in Silence of the Lambs is you’re not worried necessarily that Lechter is going to kill Clarice. You’re more afraid what he will do with her personal information he wants from her. That’s creepy.

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

Jordan Peele for sure. Del Toro. I will see anything he does. I was so impressed with Emerald Fennell’s film, “Promising Young Woman” I don’t know why that film doesn’t have a horror tag. It scared the shit out of me.

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?

Another horror film I wrote called "War Of Terror" is being produced by an Irish team. I really hope they can find the financing because I would love to bring a horror film about U.S. Foreign policy and military strategy in middle eastern countries to audiences everywhere. I also am trying to get a vampire film made, but I’m going to keep the details of that to myself for a little while longer haha.

Thank you again to Kevin for the wonderful interview! 

You can find Kevin T. Morales and his work by following the link below:

https://www.kevintmorales.com/about

 

POSITIVELY HORROR INTERVIEWS CORY CHOY

Positively Horror recently got the opportunity to ask the brilliant Cory Choy some questions about his new film, and all things horror. Please enjoy the full interview below:

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

Since I was a kid I've been fascinated by the unknown and the supernatural. A few stories really stuck with me-- The Emperor and the Nightingale and The Girl With The Green Ribbon when I was a smaller child. A Wrinkle in Time and The Martian Chronicles when I was a little older. Doctor Who, The X-files, Army of Darkness, Poltergeist, The Ring, Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity. I've also had a few personal encounters with things I can't explain-- but that would be a whole long story in of itself. The first short film I made in college, Rude Awakening was the story of a boy afraid of the dark and his cat. As a sound mixer, I've worked on more than a few horror films-- from Troma's notorious musical Poultrygeist to Matthew Lawrence's punk rock Uncle Peckerhead to the more cerebral The Sound Of Your Voice and fast-paced Body. 

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

Oops I think I just answered that!  

Could you tell us a bit about your new suspense thriller horror Esme My Love?

The description is "When Hannah notices the symptoms of a terminal and painful illness in her aloof daughter, Esme, she decides to take her on a trip to their abandoned family farm in a desperate attempt to connect before they have to say goodbye." -- but play that against the trailer and there is purposeful tension between the two. 

Where did you draw your inspiration for the film?

A woman told me about the experience she had seeing an angel when she was a new mother. To me, what she described was absolutely terrifying. However, to her, it was the most beautiful thing she had ever experienced: it was an encounter with God. Her story stuck with me. I would think about it often over the years. That's one part of the core of the story. The other core inspiration was discovered while I was shooting a music video up on a defunct farm in Hague, New York (where Esme, My Love was filmed). The place was absolutely beautiful, magical. One of the sisters that owned the property also happened to be the town historian. We talked a lot about her family history, the town's history, and the legends in the area. Esme, My Love combines those two things-- a woman's experience seeing an angel, and a family's history and lore-- and is augmented by moments that come out of my own childhood experiences. 

Three films I drew upon for inspiration were The Babadook, Tree of Life, and Old Joy. I guess Wings of Desire as well.

Esme My Love is a slow burn, with only two people in the film, what approach did you take to keep the film so compelling with limited cast and setting?

We set out to make something both Beautiful and truly Terrible at the same time. We focus on the intense love that Hannah has for Esme, but we also know that she's hiding something. It's a slow burn, but we start out with a lot of tension and emotion and try not to let up all the way till the end of the film.

The sound design and score are absolutely mesmerising, did you know what you wanted going in, or did it develop around the film? 

The ending song was chosen when we wrote the script. In editing we realized we wanted to actually make it part of the story, the diegetic world. We then based the score completely melodically on that ending song and made sure that every piece related to it in some way so that when the audience arrived there it would feel like that was the inevitable conclusion. I always knew I wanted two different composers, but what I didn't realize is that we would eventually find ourselves in a place where the composers would actually be collaborating so heavily. It was pretty cool.

On set I made sure to record things as bare bones as possible, relying on a single boom as much as possible. For sound design there were certain things we knew we wanted from the get go, but there was a lot of exploration and change as we dove in for real. Using breath and sounds of the body. Making the environment more of a living, breathing, presence.

What is your favourite horror trope?

The jump scare-- but after you've been building and building and building 

What is something you'd like to see more of in the future in the genre? 

I love magical realism. So movies like Pan's Labyrinth. Completely separately I'd love to see conspiracy theories like QAnon more thoroughly and deftly explored by horror.

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

Jennifer Kent, Bong Joon-ho 

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about? 

Absolutely! I'm gearing up to make a horror series called Dimo Duck. Right now I plan for it to be a multiverse. You can hear a podcast teaser-trailer here: https://vimeo.com/640153757

Thank you to Cory for the great interview.

Check out the links below to follow Cory's work:

www.esmemylove.com

www.silversound.us

POSITIVELY HORROR INTERVIEWS JOSH WALLACE

Positively Horror recently got the chance to ask Josh Wallace a few questions about his upcoming film, and working in the genre. Please enjoy the full interview below:

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

When I was younger I loved being scared. Me and my friends would re-enact the MTV show Fear where people would stay in allegedly haunted places and have to do challenges like sit in a pitch black abandoned morgue for an hour. We basically did that but instead of a morgue it was my family’s clearly not haunted garage. I’ve been chasing that same adrenaline rush since and it turned me into a horror buff growing up.

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

This wasn’t necessarily my introduction to horror but it is one of my favorite memories which is that when I was a child my dad convinced me and my brothers the Blair Witch Project was a real documentary before we watched it and it truly was the most terrifying movie watching experience of my life. 

Could you tell us a bit about your new comedy horror keeping company? 

Keeping Company satirizes the horrors of capitalism, politics, and classism that are so prevalent in today’s America through the classic pairing of insurance sales and serial killers. 

Where did you draw your inspiration for the film?

The Coen Brothers were a huge inspiration for the film in terms of the tone and Hitchcock was a major influence in terms of the look and feel.

It is said that the comedy and horror genres are very similar in execution, what was it like to crossing over from comedy to comedy horror?  

It’s actually scary how seamless it is to transition between comedy and horror. I think no matter what genre we attempt, Devin and I are similar in the fact that we cope with things through humor so that comedic view point will always be brought to the table. It’s the way we examine and comment on the world around us. The nice thing about horror is that, like comedy, it can also effectively examine and comment in a similar (albeit generally more vicious) way. 

What is your favourite horror trope?

People going into any scary dark place in an already scary situation. 

What is something you'd like to see more of in the future in the genre? 

It would be great to see more culturally diverse stories in horror. We are starting to see it but it feels like we’re just scratching the surface. 

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

David Bruckner, Mike Flanagan, Nia DaCosta, really enjoyed Hanna Bergholm’s Hatching

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?

I’m currently working on a tv project with Disney+ and 20th Television that’s in the early stages of development but Devin and I are also working on another satirical genre-bending film we hope to get off the ground within the next year!

Thank you to Josh for the great interview. 

To check out more from 1091 follow the links below:

https://www.instagram.com/1091pictures/

https://www.facebook.com/1091pictures/

https://twitter.com/1091pictures

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkML5g9N_azgHB7KQJ5fWLw

 

POSITIVELY HORROR INTERVIEWS AMY MCCAW

Positively Horror recently had the opportunity to ask the great UKYA author Amy McCaw a few questions. Please enjoy the full interview below. 

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

I’m the author of Mina and the Undead, a YA murder mystery set in 1990s New Orleans, and I’ve been a horror fan for as long as I can remember.

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

My first brush with horror came at a very young age. My dad owned a video shop, and I was always drawn to the forbidden horror section with the murderous dolls and strange creatures on the cover. The fact that I wasn’t allowed to watch those films only made them more appealing! I started watching horror films at age 11 or 12 at sleepovers, but I read horror from around age 9 or 10. Point Horrors were the first scary books I read and I still love them now.

Your new book Mina and the Slayers is the follow up to your debut hit Mina and the Undead, could you tell us a little about it?

Three months after the events of Mina and the Undead, Mina's settling into her new life. Despite the teething problems in her relationship with Jared, she has her sister back, new friends and a part-time job to die for. Over Halloween, Mina and the gang have planned a spooky week of Gothic restaurants, horror movies, ghostly tours, creepy carnivals and a costume ball.

But the fun doesn't last. Mina is on work experience with Detective Cafferty while the police are investigating a savage masked killer and a rise in suspicious 'animal attacks'. During her own investigations, Mina discovers a mysterious group of slayers, who are battling to control the rogue vampires.

The threats circle closer as Mina spends her days with the police and nights with the slayers. Will she and her friends survive Halloween without being staked, stabbed or bitten?

How did you find the process of writing a sequel to such a popular debut?

Everyone told me that writing a second book would be more difficult, and that was definitely true! I had as long as I wanted to polish the first book before submitting it to agents. By the second book, I was writing to a tight deadline with the knowledge in the back of my mind that people had enjoyed the first book and I wanted this one to compare. 

Writing a sequel had its benefits, because I already knew the characters, voice and the world. The challenge was making sure the book had continuity from Mina and the Undead in everything from how characters speak to location details. I also wanted it to be just as bloody and elaborate as the first book, if not more so. 

Mina and the Slayers already seems to be creating a buzz online, is the bookstagram community a big help to getting the word out there?

Thank you! I hope so. The online book community have been an amazing support for both books. Publishers will only buy more books when an author is doing well, and I have the online community to thank for spreading the word and shouting about Mina and the Undead online. I really appreciate the people who have continued to support my second book.

Where did you draw your inspiration for the series?

So many places! I think I’ve been gathering inspiration for these books since I started reading, writing and watching horror. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my favourite TV show, and I definitely aspire to write books with characters you can root for and plots that will keep you guessing like Buffy. My main inspiration came from visiting New Orleans in 2012. The atmosphere and creepy locations of the city, as well as its gruesome local myths, gave me the idea to write this book.

What is your favourite horror trope?

I have so many! My favourite two are probably the masked killer and the final girl, especially if they’re used together. Scream is still one of my favourite horror movies, and I think it’s a perfect homage to the slasher genre as well as a fun, twisty story. 

What is something you'd like to see more of in the future in the genre?

I think horror in YA fiction is having quite a moment and I’d love for that to continue! I think UKYA authors in particular are creating some amazing books that deserve to get worldwide recognition.

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

As I’m part of the book community, I’ll focus on authors for this one. I think that Dawn Kurtagich, Kendare Blake, Goldy Moldavsky, Cynthia Murphy, Kat Ellis and Kathryn Foxfield are exciting YA authors to look out for. Adam Cesare also writes brilliant books for young adults and adults, and Grady Hendrix is amazing if you’re looking to read adult horror. I’ve recently discovered Manga by Junji Ito, and the stories and art are some of the most brilliant and disturbing work I’ve come across in any medium.

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?

I’d love to write Mina book 3. I’m also working on some other projects that I can’t talk about yet, but I’m very excited about them! 

Thank you again to Amy for the wonderful interview. To find out more about Amy and buy her books checknout the links below:

https://www.amymccaw.co.uk/

https://www.youtube.com/amymccaw

POSITIVELY HORROR INTERVIEWS LEE ANN KURR

Positively Horror recently got the chance to put a few questions to Lee Ann Kurr, the brilliant director of the new film 'Student Body' which is making a big splash amongst genre fans right now! Please enjoy the full interview below:

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

I come from a classical acting background, which moved towards more of a playwriting focus, and then towards screenwriting and directing. I grew up really in love with Hitchcock films, as well as coming-of-age teen movies like John Hughes’ films, so I wanted to make something that was influenced by both.

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

I have a very vivid memory of watching The Ring at a friend’s birthday sleepover when I was in middle school. I was absolutely petrified and didn’t sleep for a week. And it’s funny– my cinematographer Luka Bazeli, his father shot The Ring. So it all comes full circle!

You have a new film out 'Student Body', could you tell us a little bit about it?

Student Body is a coming-of-age story with a slasher/ genre twist, and deals with teenager Jane Shipley as she tries to navigate difficult friendships and the invasive mentor-like figure of her math teacher. When she and her rebellious peers break into school on a Friday night to horse around, it soon becomes apparent that someone is watching and following them– and they may not be able to escape.

Where did you draw your inspiration for the film?

Many places! Hitchcock, John Hughes, films like Alien and Psycho which have more of character-driven, slow-burn front half followed by a more genre-filled/ horror-driven second half, Lynne Ramsay’s film You Were Never Really Here which deals so wonderfully with the implication rather than explication of violence, and of course other teen greats like Heathers and Clueless.

You have a wonderful and diverse cast for 'Student Body', is it important to you to have diverse representation on screen?

Absolutely, I really wanted the five main teens to feel like a Breakfast Club for this generation, and that meant having actual representation onscreen. Hughes was a wonderful filmmaker, but he was limited in some ways and a product of his time, and I think YA/ teen content is right to move beyond his limitations.

What is your favourite horror trope?

Again, I really love horror movies like Alien and Psycho that take their time. I like that we spend the front half of Alien getting to know all the people on the Nostromo and all the weird politics within the ship, before things start to get really crazy with the xenomorph. With Psycho, the shower scene doesn’t occur until midway through the film. The entire front half is about Marian Crane, a fascinating and complex woman who’s making imperfect choices while trying to get out of a conundrum. Then she has an incredible sit-down scene with Norman Bates as we get to know him a little– all before the famous

shower scene. With Student Body I wanted to give the film time to let the circumstances and relationships marinate before the genre elements really kick in and act like the burner under the pot for things to boil over.

What is something you'd like to see more of in the future in the genre?

I think it’s abundantly clear that the horror genre is extremely male-dominated, still overwhelmingly coming from a white, straight, male, cis-gendered place, even more so than other genres. I’m looking forward to other voices coming to the forefront and expanding what the genre is able to express through different points of view and life experiences.

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

Shoutout to Ana Lily Amirpour, Issa López, Rose Glass, Nia DaCosta, Anna Rose Holmer, Jennifer Kent, Julia Ducournau, Coralie Fargeat, Lynne Ramsay, and all the other amazing womxn making beautiful horror/ genre films right now.

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?

I’m aiming for my next film to be a ghost story about moving on from the trauma of the past, so hopefully that’ll become a reality soon!

Thank you again to Lee Ann Kurr for the great, insightful interview. You can catch 'Student Body' streaming now.

addressing the Jamie Clayton Hellraiser announcement backlash.

It was announced yesterday that actor Jamie Clayton, known for her roles in the L Word and Sense8, is to play Pinhead in the new Hellraiser film. The backlash to this announcement was immediate, with people flooding online horror groups with their distate at the news. It seemed that wherever I turned online I was met with negative comments regarding this casting choice. 

This right here is the reason I started Positively Horror. The way the negativity to this announcement spread, started to dwarf the voices of those welcoming, and excited by the announcement. My aim with Positively Horror is to make sure there is positivity in the community that I love, when the negativity is so loud, and seemingly impossible to avoid. 

The backlash to this announcement is some of the loudest and fastest spreading I've seen for quite some time so I felt compelled to jump on here to address it. 

I'll address the main complaints that I've come across so far;

Firstly,  people aren't happy that it is a woman in the role. I've even seen one complainant saying that it shouldn't be a woman because they arent threatening enough, if that isn't a perfect example of the deeply ingrained patriarchal, privileged worldview I don't know what is. Now, without even crediting Jamie Clayton for her acting abilities she has been shunned because she is a woman. I'd like to take a few quotes from the original source material 'The Hellbound Heart' novella which talks about the gender of the cenobites:

“He was having difficulty guessing the speakers gender with any certainty. It’s clothes, some of which were sewn both to and through its skin, hid its private parts and there was nothing in the dregs of its voice or in its willfully disfigured features that offered the least clue.”

“Only these sexless things with their corrugated flesh.”

“Not it he now saw, but she. The hood that it had worn had been discarded, as had the robes. The woman beneath was grey yet gleaming."

When the cenobites are described here, early on in 'The Hellbound Heart' they are shown to be genderless in their androgynous appearance and disfiguring body modifications, which would suggest that anyone of any gender should be able to play the part, not just a male actor because that's what you're comfortable with. 

The third quote describes one of the cenobites as revealing herself as female, which I'm sure would put the "women can't be threatening" argument to bed. So this first complaint falls flat immediately when referencing the source materail.

The second complaint is that if its not Doug Bradley its not Pinhead. Doug Bradley is phenomenal, I adore him and his portrayal as Pinhead, but guess what, if Jamie Clayton takes over the role, Doug Bradley's films don't cease to be. You can still revisit them as much as you like, and continue to appreciate him in the iconic role. Something I've begun to wonder over recent years, is why don't we as a community want to accept someone new filling a well loved role if it means we get to see more of a favourite character on screen? In the theatre world it is completely normal to have roles played by different people, and as a theatre patron you get to experience someone filling that role and giving their own interpretation. You may have favourite portrayals of Elphaba, but wouldn't be up in arms everytime you saw it on the west end with a different cast. It seems like a strong sense of entitlement to something that doesn't actually belong to you. 

The third complaint is one that thankfully I haven't seen too much of yet, but it is there, like a festering boil. The transphobic response to the role being given to a trans woman. Once again, putting aside Clayton's acting prowess just to complain that the studio is pandering to 'woke Culture'. As I've shown earlier in the post, any gender should be able to play the role, and anyone with a shred of awareness knows that REPRESENTATION.MATTERS! 

I'd like to wind down this rant by taking a quote from the man himself, Mr. Clive Barker regarding this new production,

“This is a Hellraiser on a scale that I simply didn’t expect. David and his team are steeped in the story’s mythology, but what excites me is their desire to honour the original even as they revolutionize it for a new generation.” As well as being a producer on this film, Clive Barker is the man that created Hellraiser, so if he is excited for it, surely we can be too. 

I am personally very excited for this and would like to congratulate Jamie Clayton on landing the iconic role!

Catch up with Briana Morgan

Positively Horror recently got the chance to catch up with the brilliant horror author and playwright Briana Morgan as she prepares for the release of her latest novel Mouthful of Ashes. Please enjoy the full interview below:

Last time we spoke you were just preparing to release your horror play Unboxed. Firstly, how have you been?

Yes, it’s been a while! I’ve been doing well. For about six months, I couldn’t write anything. I think I stalled out because of the pandemic and burnout in general. Since getting back into writing, I’ve revamped my Patreon, finished writing my adult horror novella Mouth Full of Ashes, and started drafting a new found footage book. I’ve also been writing a lot of short stories.

You released a short story collection since we last spoke called The Tricker Treater and other stories. Could you tell us a bit about that?

It’s a collection of stories featuring the themes of love, loss, betrayal, and sacrifice, among others. I’ve always been intrigued by horrors real and imagined, so the collection contains monsters, ghosts, and humans doing inhuman things.

If you could choose only one story from the collection to be turned into a film, which would it be?

It would be hard to pull off, but I would love to see “The Tricker-Treater” adapted into a film. I designed the monster in that one, the Tricker-Treater, and I’d love to see him on the screen.

You run a Patreon for fans to keep you with your works in progress and have fun film nights amongst other things. What is your experience with getting to interact with fans in this way?

It’s so humbling to have people supporting me and wanting to spend time with me outside of reading my work. I feel I’ve really built a community of like-minded friends and fans, and I’ve seen some genuine friendships blossom among my supporters as well. Creating a Patreon is one of the best things I’ve done as an author.

What else can people expect when joining your Patreon?

When you subscribe to my Patreon, you’ll get access to an exclusive Discord server, movie nights, behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, and more. I’m planning to start streaming video games soon, and once I hit $100/month, I’ll be posting monthly vlogs. 

What is your favourite horror trope?

It’s so hard to choose! I’ve always been a sucker for the final girl, though.

What would you like to see more of in the genre in the future?

More diversity. More disabled protagonists. Less sexual assault and exploitation of women.

You are currently gearing up for the release of Mouthful of Ashes, which is available for pre-order now. Can you tell us a bit about it?

Mouth Full of Ashes is my love letter to The Lost Boys. It’s one of the first vampire movies I ever saw, and it sticks with me as one of my favorite horror films. If you’ve seen The Lost Boys and want something queerer and more modern, this novella is for you.

Here’s an overview:

Mourning the sudden loss of her sister, Callie Danoff wants nothing more than to embrace a fresh start in a new town, leaving the haunting memories of her sister’s death behind. But when her brother Ramsay drags her to a spooky boardwalk, the two become entangled with a local vampire gang and its enigmatic leader, Elijah. Callie refuses to accept their existence... until she and her brother unknowingly ingest vampire blood. Now, they only have three days before they turn into vampires themselves.

With her carefree summer thwarted, Callie must trust a group she barely knows in order to save her family.

And is there anything else that you're currently working on that you can talk a little about? 

I have a story in the upcoming Kandisha Press anthology Slash-Her, and I’m super excited about that. I’ll also be appearing on some podcasts this fall, sharing readings on YouTube, and reviewing books for The Wicked Library. Beyond that, I’m working on a found footage book that I’m looking forward to querying.

Thank you Briana for the great interview. Please check out the pre-order link below to grab your copy of Mouthful of Ashes:

https://amzn.to/3Are9MB

And check out Briana's social media accounts below:

https://twitter.com/brimorganbooks

https://instagram.com/brianamorganbooks

https://tiktok.com/@brianamorganbooks

Hellraiser on the big screen!

The other night I went with my twin brother to see one of our long standing favourite horror films on the big screen, fully uncut! 

Hellraiser is a beautifully macabre adaptation of the Clive Barker novella The Hellbound Heart, and even all these years after its release it still packs a punch.

I first saw hellraiser when I was around thirteen and was getting into horror more and more. The hellraiser films were being shown on television late at night, and being the only person in the house that could fully work the vcr, I set it to record them without parental consent (what a rebel!). Flash forward to the next day when my brother and I sat down to watch it. We didn't know how to take it, we'd never seen anything like it and admittedly said that we didn't like it upon first viewing. Of course, this is because it was so far removed from anything in the genre that we'd seen up to this point. We were used to slashers and comedy horror in the early stages of our horror journey, and the sheer audacity of Hellraiser had left us stunned. 

We could have left it there, but it played on our minds and we had to soon revisit it and delve further into the labyrinth with Hellbound: Hellraiser 2. This is when we fell in love! 

Hellraiser was such a unique experience, with it's originality and melodramatic flair that it is a joy to experience every time I revisit it, finding new things to marvel at each time. Uncle Frank may be the monstrous antagonist of the film, but Julia is a truly magnificent villain and she will go down in history as a wicked step mother not to be trifled with. 

Getting the opportunity to see Hellraiser on the big screen made me fall in love with it all over again, and it was an entirely immersive experience letting the Christopher Young score wash over me from the title screen until the end of the credits roll. 

GUEST BLOG: SOUNDTRACK SPOTLIGHT - PSYCHO

For this Soundtrack Spotlight I have chosen ‘Psycho.’ A film by Indian writer and director Mysskin. Though he only made his directorial debut in 2006 his films have met critical acclaim and he has spanned genres from romance, thrillers, horror and even super hero action movies. 

With a soundtrack composed by Ilaiyaraaja, while not specifically a horror composer, certainly a master of the craft with a career spanning nearly four decades with over one thousand film compositions to his name. 

The music begins at the climax of the opening scene with a short sharp burst of scratchy strings holding two long droning notes while each bar is interspersed with a higher trill bringing a sense of high tension. 

During the next scene in which the parents identify the body, there is a very low single not drone in the background which adds the perfect sense of dread until the body is identified as their child at which point the music stops almost mirroring the numbness of the parents.

During the party scene the music takes on a diegetic approach in the form of a string ensemble playing at the party, this moves into a musical number as is common in Indian cinema. 

These first few opening scenes give a representation of the main motifs used throughout the rest of the film.

The next piece of music while Gautham Is listening to Dagini’s radio show is another string ensemble piece with a wind melody played over the top which breaks to silence when the serial killer arrives and then builds to a crescendo after Dagini’s abduction.

While the killer is talking with Dagini the music is again a minimal string ensemble, though this time non-diegetic, until the next scene when the killer plays a CD in his car, this time diegetic but still the same minimal string ensemble. The constant mixture from diegetic to non-diegetic of the same minimal string ensemble is interesting and builds an uneasy immersion for the viewer.  However, this technique is not carried on too much throughout the rest of the film, which is a bit of a shame as it makes you feel as though the filmmakers really had immersion in mind. 

As the film moves on the music from the opening scene is reintroduced as a theme for the killers’ murders, and as the killer becomes more erratic the piece of music also builds in instrumentation and volume, signifying his loss of control.

Later in the film we are treated to a car chase, that has some pulsing strings along with a horn melody that gets higher in pitch as the chase goes on, the constant elevation in pitch really adds great tension here.

The music becomes more sombre as the chase comes to an end and Gautham’s brother is killed. 

Later as we learn more about the killers past and motives there is a ritual scene accompanied by choral vocals with orchestral music to create a religious feeling. 

As we reach the final act, we again get some pulsing strings and horns while the killer chases Gautham in the dark.

All in all, the film was enjoyable and the soundtrack kept the suspense even if it did give up on the immersion early on. 

Check it out on Netflix (UK) now and give it a listen.

POSITIVELY HORROR INTERVIEWS CYNTHIA MURPHY

Positively Horror recently got the chance to ask the brilliant new YA author Cynthia Murphy some questions. Please enjoy the full interview below. 

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

I’m 37 and I live in Manchester with my husband and our dog, Loli, who is a mixed breed rescue from Romania. 

I’ve adored horror since being young, starting with Point Horror books and Christopher Pike before working my way up to Stephen King, when I was definitely far too young.

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

I think with books, it was MR James short stories, a book I bought without really knowing what it was before progressing to Point Horror. I still remember being terrified by those old school ghost stories. In terms of movies, I didn’t really watch any horror films until I was a bit older but I did have an incident where I flipped over the TV when I was about ten and it was on the bodybag being dragged down the hallway scene in A Nightmare on Elm Street. To be quite honest, it scared me so much I can’t believe I actually went back and watched it years later!

Your debut novel ‘Last One to Die’ is a blend of thriller, slasher and supernatural, do you have any favourite sub-genres that you gravitate towards?

I love them all. I really love a supernatural element because your imagination can go wild and it doesn’t always have to be rooted in reality. Saying that, I absolutely adore slasher movies - there is something so terrifying about being trapped in what should be a safe environment and having no escape.

Last One to Die has been very well received in the online bookish community, do you feel that bookstagram is a big help in today’s world for getting work out there?

Bookstagram and Twitter have been amazing, especially for someone who released their debut novel during a pandemic! I think the whole community is so creative and supportive and I have found some real kindred spirits over the course of the year. The support for Last One to Die has been beyond my wildest dreams and the community has absolutely helped get the word out about my creepy little book.

Your next book Win, Lose, Kill, Die is set for release early next year. Could you tell us a little bit about it?

This book has been living in my brain for about six years, seven by the time it comes out in 2022. It follows Liz, who is a student at Morton Academy, which has a reputation for only selecting the best and brightest students. Everyone there is on a scholarship, so there is a really diverse cast of characters, not just the usual super-rich, privileged kids that you often see in a boarding school novel. However, that means that everybody is thirsty to succeed and some will do absolutely anything to get what they want. Liz and her friends must figure out who is stalking the students and try to keep themselves safe, all while learning about Morton’s murky past. The story is told from two points of view – Liz and the murderer…

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

I love anything by Kat Ellis and have followed her career since her first book, Blackfin Sky. I also love Mina and the Undead by Amy McCaw, anything by Dawn Kurtagitch, Mark of the Wicked by Georgia Bowers, Kathryn Foxfield’s novels and House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland. I also have a huge TBR pile with books on it such as The Taking of Jake Livingston and Such Pretty Things by Lisa Heathfield.

And are there any other project you’re involved with that you’d like to talk about?

I’ve got quite an exciting pre-order campaign coming up for Win Lose Kill Die. I can’t talk about too much at the minute but all will be revealed around Halloween. I can say it might be re-visiting a villain that people became familiar with in Last One to Die…

Thank you again to Cynthia for the great interview. To find her work check out 

@cynthiamurphyya on social media and

https://www.waterstones.com/author/cynthia-murphy/4546077 for all releases. 

POSITIVELY HORROR INTERVIEWS REECE CONNOLLY

Positively Horror recently got the chance to ask Horror creative Reece Connolly some questions. Please enjoy the full interview below. 

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

I'm a writer, performer, and producer based in East London but originally from just outside Newcastle. I work across stage and screen, as well as creating short stories and illustrations. Pretty much everything I do has a tinge of horror to it in some way, it's undoubtedly my favourite genre. I love reading horror, watching horror, and making horror, and always have. 

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

As long as I can remember I've been drawn to it. Anything weird, grotesque, dark and unusual has piqued my curiosity. I remember as a kid seeing these huge Stephen King, James Herbert, Thomas Harris books lying around the house, which my parents enjoyed reading. The cover art would endlessly fascinate and terrify me, which also really triggered my imagination. And so that was the sort of thing I continued to seek out and grow to love and respect. 

You were in the wonderful indie flick A Werewolf In England which is available now, can you tell us a bit about that experience and why everyone should watch it? 

It's a loving homage to the Hammer flicks of old, a classic monster invasion romp set in a crumbling Victorian inn, featuring a really motley crew of rogues fighting for survival. Incredibly gory, very camp, chock-full of nods to everything from Troma to early Sam Raimi. Perfect family viewing. I'd followed the work of Charlie Steeds [who wrote and directed the film under his studio, Dark Temple Motion Pictures, who specialise in these amazing homegrown horrors] for a while, so it was so so cool and exciting to get to work on something with him and his team. Challenging too, but in the best way - I learnt so much on that set, and am very proud of the finished piece. If it sounds up your street, definitely check it out!

As well as acting You're creating a horror webcomic called the Void-Witch, with the first episode available now, what are your plans for the comic? 

It started as a quasi-experiment/challenge to myself, creating a mini-comic featuring some original characters I'd had lurking in my brain for some time. I love illustrating, but it had been an age since I'd tried writing + drawing a comic - so I thought why not! But the response to it was very warm and enthusiastic; people want to see more! And I have plans for how the story can pan out, so all I need to do now is get those stories out onto the page.  I'd love more people to get to know those characters, and see the sort of stories I enjoy telling. 

What is your favourite horror trope?

Something I love is when things subvert expectations, playing around with established rules and tropes, taking you by surprise. That's often where the really really fun things happen. Horror is so steeped in tradition and lore and cliche - so when someone comes along and takes that history and then twists it into something new and punky and unpredictable, that's super-exciting. 

What is something you'd like to see more of in the future in the genre? 

I want to keep seeing new and diverse voices being championed and supported in the horror industry. New authors, actors, filmmakers from communities and cultures that have been for so long totally unrepresented within the genre. We need more POC creators, women creators, LGBTQ+ creators, creators from different social backgrounds. And when a project comes along made by an underrepresented community, we have a responsibility as sn audience to show up for that, support it, champion it. Put your money where your mouth is. 

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

Anything Jordan Peele and Ari Aster are putting out is very far up my alley. I’m so excited to see what Nia DaCosta does with the new Candyman too. Whatever Robert Eggers is cooking up next, because The Lighthouse changed my life. And I'm obsessed with Brand New Cherry Flavour on Netflix right now - I want to crawl inside Nick Antosca + Lenore Zion's mind.

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?

I’ve got a solo show coming to the London Horror Fest this year, called SUCKER 4 U, about a man’s brief but passionate affair with the dread-god Cthulu. It’s very queer, very rude, really dark, and I can’t wait to unleash it onstage. Again, lovely family-friendly stuff. And currently also working on a Christmas show about the antichrist for a gorgeous little theatre on the North East coast. Bringing horror home!  Hopefully more film stuff too. Always ready to work with Dark Temple again [Charlie if you’re reading this plz cast me some more].  Plus, I’m always churning out new illustrations [and hopefully more comics] on my Insta art account - @beyondtheplughole - so please check that out too.  So yeh, support queer artists!

Thank you again to Reece for the interview. To keep up with their work just follow the link below. 

https://linktr.ee/reececonnolly

Positively Horror interviews Nicholas Grant

Positively Horror recently got the chance to interview the great indie Filmmaker Nicholas Grant. Please enjoy the full interview below. 

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

2.When I was young, my mom introduced me to a movie called "Silence of the Lambs" and introduced me to Hannibal Lecter. At first, when I saw that, all I saw when watching him was an old man in jail. A million things were racing through my head "Why was he in prison? Why was he locked up? This guy looks so old! He couldn't hurt a fly!" And then I realized, that wasn't the case following that escape scene in the movie. That taught me a lesson and I found out that was the point my mother was doing, that looks can be deceiving. In that moment, I learned horror isn't always about the jumpscares or what goes bump in the night, it can teach very real, very insightful life lessons through fear kinda like what the original Brother's Grimm books did to children when they read them. Ever since then, I became obsessed with the genre, watching tons of horror movies, tons of scary novels, several from my favorite authors like Stephen King and Dean Koontz.

At that moment, I began writing my own stories and "Scripts". When I saw the movie, "Lady in the Water", and I was introduced to the filmmaker, M. Night Shyamalan and I saw that this man not only wrote the movie, but he also directed and produced, it made me realize I didn't have to just limit myself to one role, I could be many and other influences like John Carpenter and Robert Rodriguez taught me the benefits of being a one man film crew.

You have been creating horror shorts that are available for free online for some time, including your vampire series 'Coven'. What do you feel are the benefits of releasing your content this way?

When doing my shorts like this, I didn't really know what people would think about my work, if they would like it or not. As I kept releasing my movies, like some filmmakers find out, some people like your work, others didn't; it's all subjective. Even some of the greatest filmmakers in the genre put out work that some of my friends either don't understand or say flat out sucks. I release them in this way because I'm still learning, testing the waters, seeing what works for me and what doesn't, what sticks, what grabs my audience and keeps them coming back.

Do you have plans to further explore your 'Coven' universe, and is there anything you can tell us about what may be to come? 

I can't say too much about upcoming Coven projects, but I can say the series will continue and there will be twists and turns many will not see coming.

Your latest short 'Pick Up' is available to watch now on YouTube. What was the inspiration behind that piece?

I've heard many stories about people dealing with strange individuals and Uber drivers who would either take them somewhere they weren't originally heading or did things that made the passenger leave, fearing they were going to meet a terrifying demise. You can get the most out of horror when it's related to things that can ACTUALLY happen because if it's real, that makes the terror real and if the terror's real, that makes you think and then that makes you scared. Great material for horror.

As well as shorts, you have a feature out called 'He'll Hath no Fury'. Do you find that your process changes from short to feature length film? 

It definitely changes especially when the story is bigger and there are more characters, details and situations you have to flesh out. With a short, you have a short amount of time to keep the audience engaged and get your point across in an entertaining, artistic or insightful way. With features, you have to try a little harder cause it is over an hour or two, you have to make sure what you put down on that page and put on that screen with make the audience wanna stay along for the ride.

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

Right now, my favorite people would have to be local talent like Melissa Marie Brown, Joseph Pascone, Paula Ramirez, Bobby Peoples, Aurora Brown, Danielle Chambers, just to name a few. They bring alot of energy and fun whenever we film together.

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?

The Coven series will continue and I plan to end the year with one more feature film however, I can't say much about it, just know that one is coming!

Thank you to Nicholas for the interview. To check out his work, follow the link below:

https://youtube.com/c/GraveyardPictures