Musings on Willow and Tara during Pride.

Over the last few months I have been doing a rewatch of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and as it is Pride, I've been thinking a lot about Willow and Tara. Having just begun season five of the show their relationship is really starting to take more of a spotlight. I've always loved the character development in Buffy, and although season four isn't my favourite season, it has some of my favourite moments. The introduction of Tara, and the start of her and Willow's relationship, leading up to Willow coming out to Buffy always get me. The way that Willow coming out was written was so nuanced and delicate, and Buffy's reaction to her best friend's news was so supportive and loving that it was just perfect. It could have been exploitative and gratuitous, but the understated, emotional approach was just what was needed for audiences all over the world, and they kept that up for the duration of Willow and Tara's relationship, never stepping into gay stereotypes that are so often seen in film and television.

What Joss Whedon, Marti Noxon, and the cast and crew had to fight against just to get this relationship portrayed on television is astonishing,  especially considering it was in the twenty first century. I'm so glad they fought for this though, because Willow and Tara's relationship was not only something that was needed on prime time television, it was so beautifully written that it is still my favourite relationship in Buffy, and it still breaks my heart every time.

I feel that what Buffy the Vampire Slayer did by pushing for the relationship between Willow and Tara, paved the way for more LGBTQ+ representation in television today, with shows like The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. I've read articles talking about the fact that Willow and Tara's relationship was toxic, and this is true, especially when the show covered the topic of addiction with Willow's use of magic. But that is another thing that I believe is good about it. Most of the relationships in buffy are toxic, or become toxic, (as is the way in a television drama) and Willow and Tara were treated no differently. Their relationship wasn't fetishized into a 'hot lesbian couple', it was treated as a normal relationship on the show, and that adds to the importance of it.

For this reason, and many, many others, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is still my favourite show ever to be aired on television.

HAPPY PRIDE EVERYONE.

INTERVIEW: Briana Morgan talks about spooky things.

The latest interview that Positively Horror is happy to bring you is with the magnificent, multi-talented, author, playwright and editor Briana Morgan. Please enjoy the full interview below. 

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

I’ve loved spooky things for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, I watched Are You Afraid of the Dark? peeking out from behind the couch. I’ve always loved Halloween, the macabre, and the weird shit in the world. Horror is a natural fit for me.

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

I know it was early! I mentioned the show Are You Afraid of the Dark?, which I think I watched wayyy too young, when I was five or six years old. Along with Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Goosebumps, that show gave me an early start.

Your last release, Livingston Girls has been receiving great feedback in the bookstagram community, how do you feel the online community benefits your work?

Thank you! I am so honored and humbled by the positive reception the book has received, since it’s so near and dear to my heart. I don’t think I can say enough good things about the bookstagram community. It’s one of the most supportive groups I’ve ever been a part of!

Your next release, Unboxed is available for pre-order now, can you tell us a bit about it?

Absolutely! Unboxed is a horror play that centers on a paranormal vlogger, Greg Zipper, who orders a dark web mystery box to unbox for his channel. He sets out to hit one million subscribers and gets much more than he bargained for in the process. It’s a dark, fun story, and I can’t wait to share it with the world.

You go between writing novels and plays. When you get an idea, do you immediately know which format it will be in, or is that something that comes later? 

Weirdly enough, I always know going into it. I can’t say how I know, exactly; it just kind of comes to me. I will say that some stories lend themselves more to playing out on the stage. Maybe that explains it.

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

I love, love, LOVE Gemma Amor, along with Paul Tremblay, Kealan Patrick Burke, and Beverly Lee.

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

Right now, I’m working on reviewing the audiobook version of Livingston Girls, which features Valerie Rose Lohman and is going to be amazing. I’m also working on producing the Unboxed audiobook, drafting the Livingston Girls sequel, and writing an adult horror manuscript I might query someday.

Thank you again to Briana for the the interview. To find out further information on all of Briana's work just head to her website by following the link below. 
https://brianamorganbooks.com/

INTERVIEW: Faisal Hashmi on horror

Premier Dubai based genre filmmaker Faisal Hashmi recently took the time to answer some questions for Positively Horror. Enjoy the full interview below.

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

My name is Faisal Hashmi and I’m an independent filmmaker based in Dubai. Dubai is a city where almost no horror content is produced, so it’s interesting to be a director here who focuses on that genre primarily. The horror genre allows me to have a real grasp of the audience and that control is very addictive, coupled with the fact that I can tackle difficult themes within the lens of a horror film. But I am a die-hard fan of horror and seek out films from around the world, which is where channels like yours really help me discover those hidden gems that I may have missed.

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

I was introduced to her at a very young age because my mother is a huge fan of horror films. In fact, she used to watch a bunch of schlocky films on TV or VHS rentals when she was pregnant with me. So you could say that I’ve been exposed to horror films from the womb itself! It explains why I’m so in love with the genre.

Your latest short 'Amber' has been getting a great reception at screenings and winning awards. Can you tell us a little about it, and when the public might be able to see it? 

Amber is my most recent short film and it has been having a whirlwind of a reception. It’s about a barber at a highway barbershop who’s caught in a deadly situation when he realises that his first customer of the day isn’t who he seems. It’s not actually a horror short film per se, but more of a Hitchcockian thriller that keeps building in tension to an explosive finale. The plan with the film was to do a festival run around the world through the rest of the year, but obviously the ongoing pandemic has put a dent in those plans. Nevertheless, audience should expect to see it online sometime towards the end of the year.

Your short 'The Wicken' has become a viral hit and has even got people coming up with theories surrounding the mythology of the Wicken. Have you heard any fan theories and do you have any favourites?

Wicken has been a crazy experience and the film has indeed taken on a life of its own in YouTube comments where people are very passionately trying to build on a mythology and rules of the character which is the greatest feeling in the world to see from a scrappy little indie horror short made in a city without horror content. One of my favorite fan theories is someone who suggested that the Wicken actually possesses and kills the person who sends the file to their loved one rather than the one who receives it because since she was betrayed, she kills the betrayers and the whole thing is a test. I think that’s a solid theory and is backed up by what you see happen to Ethan on the computer screen.

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

Some of my favorite directors working in the genre at the moment would be James Wan, Mike Flanagan, Ari Aster, Scott Derrickson. I also am a huge fan of M. Night Shyamalan and especially the films he’s been making of late. We are living in the golden age of horror filmmaking with so many unique voices leading the way through and I hope to be a worthy part of that list myself.

And are there any projects you're involved with when the lockdown is lifted that you'd like to talk about?

I was working on writing two feature film projects before the lockdown hit, so thankfully that hasn’t been affected by the lockdown itself. It’s actually given me more time to finish them and less excuses to procrastinate. One of them is a horror anthology of six interconnected horror stories set over one night in Dubai which I’m excited about, and the other is a contained thriller with a hint of sci-fi called Fractal that I’ll actively start looking for financing for when all this is over. I also am working on an outline for a potential feature film adaptation of Wicken so we will see!

Thank you again to Faisal for the brilliant interview. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for you and your art. Follow the link below to check out the award winning, viral sensation horror short, The Wicken:

https://youtu.be/de4KccwcASc

GUEST BLOG: Soundtrack spotlight - A Nightmare on Elm Street

This month’s soundtrack spotlight goes to a classic favourite; A Nightmare on Elm Street. 

At the helm of this synth centred soundscape is composer Charles Bernstein.  This stands out as one of Bernstein’s earliest film scores, yet quite different from his earlier projects. One of which being the Oscar winning documentary ‘Czechoslovakia’.

The opening scene shows our favourite villain Freddy, making his signature glove, while this first scene plays out synth drones overlap and swell with occasional percussion leading to a crescendo into the opening credits and introducing us to the main musical theme.  This gives us our first taste of the sinister almost music-box style lullaby music.

In the next scene as the main characters walk into school we are greeted with the children’s skipping song over the music them music beautifully foreshadowing things to come. After this the music takes a backseat until everyone goes to bed at Tina’s sleepover when a single note melody begins to play, using a serial technique which helps to create unease as the melody line does not resolve in a standard way, this builds to two staccato striking chords repeated in quick succession.

During Tina’s dream/death scene the music builds to a much more percussive movement as Tina is being chased and then cuts to a high pitched drone, this is a repeated motif throughout the narrative, where more percussive sounds represent Freddy chasing his victims. This is next shown during Nancy’s classroom dream which takes on the similar style to that of Tina’s in the way in which the music builds, at first with the overlapping drones to create dread and then the percussion to create tension during the chase.

Slight deviations from the main style occur a few times during the film, such as the bridge scene where Glen and Nancy are discussing dreams, with a slightly lighter melody.  Another example is during Glen’s death scene, the percussive music used for chase scenes is replaced by high pitched repeated staccato stabbing chords.   

During Nancy’s final dream sequence and confrontation of Freddy, all of the techniques used throughout the film come together to create a fantastic crescendo.

All in all the soundtrack to this film is testament to the depth that can be achieved with synthesizers!  Go on, give it a listen.

INTERVIEW: Gemma Amor talks White Pines and more!

The latest Positively Horror interview is with the magnificent, Bram Stoker nominated author of Dear Laura, Gemma Amor. Enjoy the full interview below:

First of all, congratulations on your Bram Stoker award nomination for Dear Laura, and good luck. It's a truly brilliant story. Your new book White Pines is out now, would you be able to tell us a little about it? 

Thank you, and sure! It’s a genre-blend of cosmic-folk-cult horror and celtic lore with a little bit of body horror thrown in for good measure, too. It’s quite difficult to describe in too much detail without giving away too much, but it involves a woman called Megs, who moves back to a remote part of Scotland where she lived as a child. There is an island, some spooky trees, and some very strange locals to keep her company. 

  

What was your introduction to horror and at what age?

My earliest introduction to horror would have been the Point Horror young adult series of books, which I found mesmerising, not least for the amazing and very collectible cover designs. They were enormous fun and very accessible. Later, I studied classical literature at university and fell into Shelley and Carter, Stoker and Charlotte Perkins Gilman. I grew very fond of Stephen King in my twenties, a little late to the game, but better late than never. 

  

I discovered your work after seeing many posts about your books on bookstagram. Has this online community helped to grow the fanbase of your work? 

Bookstagram has been invaluable to me as an indie and self-published author. The entire community is so supportive and encouraging, and a vital marketing tool for me to help engage with new readers and old alike. People like Sadie Hartmann (Mother Horror) and the Nightworms crew are half the reason I have a job. But it’s also more than the benefits they offer as book readers and bloggers and grammers- its a genuine family, a community of like minded people I consider friends. It’s helped me to grow as a writer, too.  

Where do you get your inspiration?

Everywhere and anywhere. Movies, books, music, walks in the countryside, paintings, something my son will say, news articles...I see potential in all the little details of life, and try to write about normal things made extraordinary. 

What has the current lockdown situation done for your inspiration?

Lockdown has been absolutely terrible for my inspiration. It’s impossible to write when you feel stuck, trapped, anxious and thoroughly saddened by world events. Plus, schools have been closed so my priorities have changed to surviving and keeping my son happy. Writing has always been easy for me...until now!

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

Oh man, I don’t think I could choose a few, there is a staggering amount of talent in the horror community at the moment, and so many more brilliant authors, podcasters and film makers out there than I could ever hope to do justice to. I’m going to show my love and support for the entire writing community, particularly my horror family from twitter and instagram. I also need to share my deep and abiding love for the horror podcasting community, including the incredible cast and crew of the NoSleep Podcast, who do amazing things for the horror community and you really should listen if you haven’t already. If we’re talking mainstream authors, I’m all in for everything Jeff VanderMeer writes, which isn’t really horror, but I try not to limit myself to a single genre if I can help it. I read widely and don’t really discriminate. 

And are there any projects you're involved with when the lockdown is lifted that you'd like to talk about?

I do have a few projects on the burner that I can’t really talk about, but as a largely self-motivated and self-published author I can tell you about the two new books I hope to bring out shortly: Girl on Fire, a novella based on my short story of the same name, about a woman called Ruby Miller who is more of an anti than a hero, and City in Ruins, which is another short novel that I can’t really define beyond post-war-mystery, as I haven’t finished it yet, but hope to soon! I also have tons of short stories in development and lots of other bits to keep me busy. But like I said, lockdown isn’t too conducive to productivity, so I’ll keep plugging on the best I can and hope that this madness eases off soon, so I can get back to what I love- creating things for other people to enjoy. 

Thanks again to Gemma Amor for participating in the Positively Horror interview.

Follow the link below to check out Gemma's books:
https://www.amazon.com/Gemma-Amor/e/B07DNGYLNV%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share?ref_=d6k_applink_bb_marketplace

INTERVIEW: Eve Oliver, star of Mask of Thorn and the upcoming Dear Sister Margaret talks horror.

I recently asked the brilliant actress Eve Oliver some questions about the genre. Please enjoy the full interview below:
Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship to the genre?

Hi, I’m Eve, and I’ve been working as a horror actress for around 5 years now - time flies when you’re having fun! From the first time I stepped on set and started working in Independent Horror, I fell in love.  Maybe I’ve just been incredibly lucky with the production companies I work for, but on every project I have worked on, there has been a real, deep sense of team spirit and in a way, family.  I love how all-consuming the work can be, at times - it’s really pushed me outside of my comfort zone and I’ve learnt a lot about myself as a result.   Despite the incredibly rewarding work, I believe it’s been the awesome people that I’ve worked with that have made me go back, time and again for more!  It’s been an amazing journey so far, and I’m very excited to see what happens next!

What was your introduction to horror?

I feel like I kind of ‘fell into’ the genre.  A couple of years after graduating (In “Musical Theatre and Professional Dance” – so the polar opposite to horror!) I was really keen to focus on the film side of my career rather than the dance and choreography (which I had predominantly worked on this since my graduation).  I wanted to look locally, and MJ Dixon’s company ‘Mycho Entertainment’ stood out to me.  They had such a bold, vibrant and unique look to all their films and work, and I followed them for a while and made contact - keen to get involved with them one day.  It was actually MJ who put me in touch with Andy Gilbert, at ‘Hundy Gilbert Media’ where I ended up landing my very first horror / thriller role in a short film ‘Flytrap’ (2016).  It was such a fun shoot, I guess I caught the bug, and started auditioning for anything horror-related I could find! I’ve never looked back either – it’s been so much fun.

                      Still from FLYTRAP

You have become one of the badass heroines of the Mychoverse, what attracted you to the role of Bethany in Mask of Thorn?

Since I came across MJ Dixon’s work, I’d always wanted to work on his films, so I actually applied for a number of roles with Mycho, before I landed the role of Bethany.  I’d seen behind the scenes photos and videos they had posted online, and the atmosphere always looked so positive, and I loved the thought of being a part of that.  I’ve always loved performing, and if I could do what I adore, with such a positive company – I was going to do it!
The actual role of Bethany Lovell was incredibly special to me. Once I had the full script through and I could start to understand the character, I realised that Bethany; this shy, awkward, quiet girl who doesn’t fit in or want to go out and break the rules with her ‘friends’, really resonated with who I was as a 16 year old.  I had a lot of sympathy for her, and I wanted to do her character justice – all too often, characters like her are made the butt of the joke in film or TV, but I had been given this opportunity to portray her, and her awesome character arc to become the Bethany we see towards the end of the film.

                Still from MASK OF THORN

 During the lockdown, we’ve been lucky enough to see you do some singing on your social media, is that something you would incorporate into genre roles if you could? Maybe something like Rocky Horror?

OH HELL YES! I adore singing (sorry neighbours) and as I mentioned earlier, my training is in Musical Theatre and Dance, so any opportunity to sing and dance, I’ll jump right in!  Before the lockdown, I actually had a couple of projects in the pipeline which use both the horror genre and singing!  I can’t say too much just yet, but when I have a little more info to share, I’ll be telling you guys all about it – I’m very excited as it will be the first time I get to put those two skill sets together and hopefully create something really cool!

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

Of course, without a doubt Anna and MJ at Mycho Entertainment (Mask of Thorn), (Slaypril Fools ’82) are an absolute joy to work with.  They have an awesome team around them, and they have made me feel like family since day 1.  Shoots are really hard work, but working with these guys, the time flies and it’s an absolute pleasure to collaborate with them.
Hundy Gilbert were also awesome fun to work with, I worked with them on the film ‘The Edge of Extinction’ and again, the time onset with them flew! I haven’t yet seen that film, so I’m really excited to see how it turns out!
In a broader sense, there are just too many to mention, someone who I love watching their career is Milly Shapiro.  She started out in Musical Theatre, and has moved over to the horror genre and does some really cool stuff!

And are there any projects you’re involved with when the lockdown is lifted that you’d like to talk about?

Yes! A couple of projects coming up… I’m working on a film with Sophie Phillips called ‘Dear Sister Margaret’, in which I’ll be playing the role of Sister Margaret.  We should actually be part way through shooting right now, but of course the shoot has been put on hold!  This is Sophie’s debut feature film as Writer and Director, so I’m really excited to be working with her!
I’ve also been offered a role in the Amazon Prime series ‘Days of the Apocalypse’ Directed by Adam Lezemore.  I acted alongside him in a short film by MKFN last year called ‘Roundabouts’, so I’m really looking forward to working with him again!  The series is free on Prime, so if you can - check it out!

                  Cover of ROUNDABOUTS

THANK YOU AGAIN TO EVE OLIVER FOR ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS. WE LOOK FORWARD TO KEEPING UP WITH YOUR FUTURE PROJECTS. 

FOLLOW THE LINKS BELOW TO SEE SOME OF EVE'S WORK:

FLYTRAP (short film) -  https://youtu.be/41ep6_HPHu8

buy MASK OF THORN here -  https://mycho.weebly.com/mask-of-thorn.html#

Musings on the current state of things.

During these strange times of pandemic and quarantine people are turning to their favourite genre for the escape they need from the added stresses that the situation has created. The online horror communities are buzzing with film quizzes, watch parties and lots of conversation.

It is great to have the online community at a time like this, because the interaction with others, sharing the things we love can be very beneficial to our mental health.

I've seen people choosing to immerse themselves in genre films and books that focus heavily on pandemics and outbreaks, like The Stand by Stephen King, Outbreak, Contagion and The Crazies to name a few. Charles Band over at Full Moon Features has even cashed in on the whole thing by creating the Corona Zombies film!

Others have chosen to steer clear of those types of books and films, and instead settled on old favourites and more lighthearted watches. I have fallen into this second category. The VHS collectors club that I admin on has been holding weekly watch parties since the lockdown started, and we've been choosing films with a very fun element like Chopping Mall, Killer Klowns from Outer Space and Maniac Cop. I've also been delving into some of the old drive in classics for some real B-Movie comfort.

So whether you're in camp A or B, or not even able to contend with horror at all at the moment, Positively Horror hopes your physical and mental health is being looked after and that you are all staying as safe as you can.

And remember to wash your hands!