Editor's Column: Honeymooning with Horror

Founder Sarah E. Jahier

Hey, check it out…this is new! For your entertainment and my sanity, I’ll be spewing sharing my opinions in a weekly/monthly/whenever-I-get-to-it column. Topics will vary widely and I’ll talk about whatever I please in the realm of horror! Onwards, Fatal Fiends! 

Horror and I have been going steady for many years now. Our relationship fluctuates a lot – from volatile to comfortable to passionate. Horror can be a fickle lover, turning its back and being unavailable at times, but I still stick with it. Even when the bad boy of movie genres gives me bad remakes or PG-13 bubblegum horror, I tend to stand by its side.

Lately, though, I feel like I’ve been in a slump with the genre. I know that it can be capricious, but lately I hadn’t been feeling the love as much as I used to. While people praised Shutter Island, I felt like an old grouch grousing about it. The same can be said of numerous new horror movies I’ve seen in the theater or on DVD, which is why my reviews around here have been pretty sparse. Something is just missing and I’m not sure if it is me or the genre itself that’s grown stale.

Is this just another bump in the road in my relationship with horror or is the honeymoon finally over…for good?

I remember the days when horror and I were first becoming acquainted, horror aggressively pursuing while I played coy and peeked out from behind my fingers. I quickly became acclimated to the genre and it itself showed me its many different sides. From giallo to J-Horror to exploitation to ghosts to vampires to zombies to slashers and everything in between it seemed that horror proffered endless possibilities. From then on we were inseparable. We would spend our evenings and weekends together, me bathed in horror’s warm, red glow and my love and affection of the genre seemingly endless. As the years wore on though, we started to change. We started bickering about the smallest things – I felt horror was starting to get sloppy and becoming repetitive and derivative. With the market inundated by dumbed-down remakes, reimagings, reboots or whatever catchy phrase they were branding these cinematic abortions as, I struggled to find horror worth watching. Spending time with my go-to genre now seemed more of a chore rather than a pleasure. The thrill was gone. Horror turned its back for a while, calling me cynical and critical, insinuating that I was no fun anymore.

Finally, I decided to take a break from horror. My horror movies sat collecting dust on shelves and my Netflix queue was filled up with comedies, TV shows, dramas, quirky indies, even some Disney movies (but no romcoms…I wouldn’t go that far!). I enjoyed my time away from horror, but after a few days/weeks a sense of separation anxiety set in and I truly began to miss horror. I missed the shock value, the blood and guts, the predictable (and not-so-predictable) storylines, the spooky atmosphere, the scares and the sense of community. It was a short break, but I realized I just couldn’t ignore horror’s alluring siren call and wished to be held in its monstrous gaze once more.

Horror and I are now back together and going steady, but I still yearn for the days when the genre made my stomach turn flip flops and released a nervous fluttering of butterflies in my stomach. I’ve explored many areas of my favorite genre and wouldn’t trade it in for the world, but horror’s down-times are still hard to bear. However, I’ve learned that during these lean times in the horror genre make for a great opportunity to step back, take a break and in the end fall in love with horror all over again.

I’ll admit that horror doesn’t give me the butterflies like it once did and is completely unreliable, giving us turds like Return to Sleepaway Camp along with wonderful gems like Zombieland, but our love is fate. I can’t deny that the genre makes me cranky sometimes, and while I may lament its demise on occasion, I all know that horror is what I love and despite its flaws I’ll continue to love it year after year.

Yours truly,
Fatally Yours

Interview with GoreZone Magazine Editor Bryn Hammond

I’ve been a fan of the UK-based GoreZone Magazine for quite some time now and always delight in flipping through its glossy, well-informed pages. So, I was tickled blood-red when the opportunity arose to interview their mastermind and editor-in-chief, Bryn Hammond.

Bryn Hammond has been entrenched in the horror genre for quite some time now and he’s loved the genre for so long he can’t remember exactly how he fell head over heels for it. Before becoming editor-in-chief to one of the best horror mags around, he was a screenwriter, filmmaker and actor in the genre, endeavors he still actively pursues. He is currently acting in the remake of The Driller Killer as well as Monitor and hosting a TV show.

Check out our interview with the engaging Mr. Hammond below.

Fatally Yours: When and how did you first become interested in the horror genre?

Bryn Hammond: WOW. I have loved horror since forever. I can’t recall how I got into the genre but I’ve always preferred a scare fest to a romcom any day. Horror is the king of all genres and always will be.

Fatally Yours: What is the one horror film or book that most profoundly affected you?

Bryn Hammond: There have been so many. I recall my mom buying me The Lost Boys for Christmas one year and scaring the shit out of me by telling me that at the end of the movie there’s this huge monster that sucks everyone out of their beds. I was totally freaked! Of course that didn’t happen, but what did was, I became addicted to the genre even more. I’d spend every waking hour in our only video shop, a 20 minute walk away from my home, looking at the old VHS covers and renting all of them. I still love the old VHS cases; they’ve given me fond memories. My nan used to take us to car boots and I would rummage through all the old VHS tapes to find horror flicks I had yet to see. It was at one of these car boots I discovered Critters 4, which I didn’t know had been made.

I also recall the day Child’s Play 3 got released in the UK. I pulled a sickie from school as I had pre-ordered the movie to rent! I was obsessed; I really wanted a Chucky doll. That same day my mom was working late and we had a babysitter looking after us. My dad, who used to beat up on my mom, climbed the garden fence and tried to break into the house. It was terrifying and left a stamp on my brain. Now, if I watch that movie I get the jitters; I seem to get beamed back to that moment, seeing my dad in a mask climbing the fence. A horrifying situation to be in as a child. Now I think about it, maybe the need to be scared was to make me feel human. I had seen an awful lot of violence as a young child and pretty much became desensitized by it, and the only way to feel fear was to watch a horror movie. I’m sure a doc would have a field day with me!

Fatally Yours: How did you first become involved in the horror industry and how did your film, The Summer of the Massacre, come about?

Bryn Hammond: Well, I started out as a model at a young age, and was always writing stories and scripts growing up. I’d contact the names on the backs of VHS tapes, asking them if they would read my material. While most kids of 9 and 10 were out playing knock-a-door-run, I was in my room with my typewriter, creating comic books.

As I grew older my need to be involved in the industry grew. I ended up writing and producing my own TV show on a Sky channel, which lead to me having my own radio show on a station called Bridge FM.
This went on for years until I got into a really bad relationship, which kind of kicked me from pillow to post. I lost interest in everything I was doing and my passion died, which is generally the consequence of unhealthy relationships. I was working at a very well-known TV station at the time but my mental state was all over the place and I ended up homeless. I became soulless for a period, but eventually found light at the end of the tunnel by reading. If it wasn’t for turning on the TV one Saturday afternoon and watching Marilyn Monroe in How to Marry a Millionaire, I don’t know how my life would have turned out… I watched all her movies and surrounded myself with books about her. I just loved her get-up-and-go attitude; even through trials in life, she climbed that steep hill to reach her goals.

At this point I left my whole life behind and moved forward. I met my soulmate, got myself back on track, and my life became complete within six months. I was offered a record deal, but my self-esteem was shattered so nerves took over during the audition, and I stuffed it up by sing-talking the words. But as one door closes, another opens—this is when I revisited the Summer of the Massacre script.

I hunted for a director for ages, but they all complained that there was no budget. My partner had a camcorder in the shed and, as the story goes, I asked where the ‘on’ button was and began to film! I pulled together the cast from a website called UKSCREEN, purchased some software I found online and, well, the rest is history. I made the movie and it got picked up.

Fatally Yours: What made you want to pursue publishing GoreZone Magazine and how did you go about it? 

Bryn Hammond: Well, when I was really young I did a church magazine. It got banned as it had horoscopes in it. It was a gossip horror mag, and the first issue had Freddy on the cover as it was a Halloween special. I also did a lot of comics as a child; I just loved the whole picture selection process. I would read magazines for hours, whether it be in my room, on the bus or in the bath. When I stayed at my nan’s she would take me shopping and I’d spend hours in WHSmith and the local newsagent, who had shelves high of magazines.

Skip to age 24, I started working for a local paper and got the buzz back. I toyed with loads of names, and GoreZone Magazine stuck. We registered the name and own 100 per cent copyright so ignore what certain bloggers are saying… I can’t waste my energy on negative people; life’s too short. The rest is history.

When I held the first issue in my hands back in 2005, it was the most exciting feeling I have ever had. I make sure the mag covers everything I want to read, how I want to read it. I hate ass-licking column inches; I want a blunt read that tells me what’s happening behind the scenes and what the likes of Eli Roth do when the cameras stop rolling. Does he go home and chill with a bottle of wine, or does he go out clubbing and have midnight orgies with the girls from the Playboy mansion? I love gossip and I love horror even more. I think we balance that well in our magazine.

Fatally Yours: Can you run us through a typical day of being Bryn Hammond and exactly what running GoreZone Magazine entails?

Bryn Hammond: Okay, today has been a slow day as we went to print last night. So I got up and made myself a herbal tea. I’ll jump in the shower with R&B blasting in the background, get ready, open the mail and then head to the office. I normally have another tea and chinwag with Dean, who deals with marketing, to go over what we’ve done the night before. Following that, I go into the design studio and speak with the design team, then I head to speak with sales before I finally make it to my office to go over emails and open my mail. I look at up-and-coming movies, go into meetings and the day has gone before I know it. I head home at about six o’clock, have tea, check my two adopted kids are cool and go over their homework with them and play with my two adorable cats, Mimi and Beanie. Then I hit my home office to work on anything I have outstanding in the States. GoreZone being worldwide, my day doesn’t stop at 6pm UK time.

Fatally Yours: What sets GoreZone Magazine apart from other horror genre magazines?

Bryn Hammond: Well, I’d like to think we have a lot more passion. Everyone who works for GoreZone Magazine really wants to be here. If we have any loose screws, we fix them. My sidekick is Naila, our chief subeditor. She’s a talented, strong female and brutally honest.

I like to think we have a great balance of articles and we are slick, sexy and well-rounded. Our readers really get it that you don’t have to have a monster ripping a head off on the cover to sell copies, because the name tells them what the product is. We don’t dumb down like other mags and we are polished but we are not perfect there’s always room for improvement. I believe we are only as good as our last issue, so always work hard to make sure we get better and better and better.

I also adore the readers. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be doing the job I love. GoreZone Magazine readers are amazing and I love hanging out with them at our film festival. You can ask any of the readers; they are my extended family. I have some of them on my cell phone and call them now and then to say hi and ask what they think of the mag. If they say it stinks, I’ll find out why and make sure I make them happy in the following issue.

I also always reply to their emails. It may take a while, but I will reply—as I said above, if it wasn’t for the readers, I wouldn’t be doing the job I love. If they’re happy, I’m happy. I think that’s what makes us as a company stand out from other magazines. Not naming any names, but I remember as a child writing to one magazine and getting a nice reply, saying hey don’t give up your day job.

Fatally Yours: As editor-in-chief, how do you ensure that GoreZone remains successful?

Bryn Hammond: Well, I am very ambitious and will make sure we are always a success by keeping on looking ahead. I avoid looking back and just keep running; I don’t see the point in stopping. I will keep pushing boundaries with the magazine and keep getting better and better…

Fatally Yours: Besides GoreZone, what other magazines, websites, etc. do you enjoy?

Bryn Hammond: I love Esquire, it’s amazing. I actually bought the latest issue yesterday when on my way back from my personal doctor—Doctor Brunt, who makes me look youthful. DiCaprio is on the cover. I was disappointed that he was holding a cancer stick in his hand, as it doesn’t set a very good example to people who look up to him. I also love FHM and NME.

In terms of online, I love your website, it’s really cool. I always enjoy reading Michael Varrati material, and I really like the gossip sites as well, such as Perez Hilton and Mr Paparazzi. I have a load of love for Bloody-Disgusting, as do I for the Sun’s website. I don’t have time to pick up the paper on a daily basis, so I like to just get a quick celebrity gossip catch up during my lunch break.

I’m a pretty normal guy when it comes to the Internet. I have a healthy relationship with my computer. I don’t often go online, but when I do I go to sites that I know will be fun and not just print unhealthy, negative, self-loathing opinions. I spoke with director Jeff Broadstreet about certain unhealthy websites and we both agree on many topics. He’s an awesome guy, and I think people shouldn’t be so judgmental. Go rent Night of the Living Dead 3D—it’s a cool beer movie.

Fatally Yours: In addition to being the editor of GoreZone, you are also an actor and filmmaker, set to star in the upcoming remake of The Driller Killer among other projects. Tell us about your past roles, your filmmaking work, and any upcoming films you are working on!

Bryn Hammond: You know what, I’ve always loved acting. I think acting gives people a release and an escape from their own world.

Remember when you were a kid and you played movies? That’s what I think acting is. When I was at school, all my friends were playing Thundercats. Not me—I was playing Return of the Living Dead 2!
One thing I do hate about acting though, is that the girls always get all the best roles. I loved Mindy Clark’s role in Return of the Living Dead 3. I wanted that role! I loved  Suzanne Snyder’s awesome death scene in Return of the Living Dead 2, and I absolutely loved Beverly Randolph’s role in Return of the Living Dead. When I was a kid I’d learn their lines and practice their facial expressions in front of the mirror.

I love strong female roles. Actually, talking of strong female roles, my horror icon is not Jason, Freddy or Leatherface. It’s Amelia Kinkade from Night of the Demons. Angela is the most kick-ass villain ever.
Anyway, back to me acting. I play a tramp in the Driller Killer remake and a mental patient in Monitor. This Monday I’m filming a show for Sky TV. It’s in the vein of the best 100 horror flicks, which I’m very excited about. That’s why I saw Doctor Brunt, for a botox top-up to decrease the lines!

Fatally Yours: Horror films, though popular, are mostly viewed as subversive movies that, according to some, are only a step above pornography. For horror fans, it’s sometimes hard to convince others that the genre is much more than just blood & boobs. How would you convince someone that the genre has much more depth?

Bryn Hammond: I wouldn’t. If they can’t see beyond the fresh-faced, tight-topped talent, then they are very narrow-minded and are clearly watching The Texas Dildo Massacre. 

I think horror is one of the most diverse genres of all. It has comedy, thrills and chills. Horror also crosses over to all genres. Just look at Tim Burton’s work.

I know there is a lot of snobbery that goes on and people bitch slap horror, but it’s a genre that handles various topics with care. For example, look at A Nightmare on Elm Street’s homoerotic theme, or take a look at Single White Female’s subtext, with the character of Hedy who suffers borderline personality disorder.

People who say horror is only one up from porn clearly haven’t watched many movies, or if they have, they are picking them off the wrong top shelf. Porn of the Dead wasn’t directed by George Romero, I’m sad to inform them.

Fatally Yours: What are your thoughts on the modern horror climate? 

Bryn Hammond: I’m loving the horror climate. I think horror remakes are getting a little OTT but I am looking forward to seeing the new Nightmare on Elm Street. The trailer looks really cool.

I know a lot of my staff are gonna have a moan at me come Monday morning when they read this, but I really enjoyed the remakes of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Amityville. Amityville gave me night terrors. And Jennifer’s Body was amazing—I loved the whole Clueless meets Lost Boys feel to it.
I loved Paradise Lost. It really took me back to when I was on holiday in a small Turkish town—let me tell you, it will be the last time I go back there; it was terrifying. The villa was great, but the location was just like the setting for Paradise Lost. I just watched Tony last night and thought that was really gritty, Revolver did an amazing job on that movie. Also, Black Christmas was fun.

There’s always going to be bad movies out there, but if they’re awful I just avoid them. It’s no good to bitch about them and think to myself that I’ve wasted a couple of hours of my life. Best to press eject and never speak of it again!

Fatally Yours: Is there any kind of horror film you find difficult to watch or refuse to watch?

Bryn Hammond: I hate true-crime movies. I find them extremely upsetting and disturbing. I really enjoy documentaries, but can sometimes be freaked out by them. Recently, I settled down pretty late with a bottle of wine to watch the Amanda Knox murder case. It left me having to check the doors and windows. I woke up the next day and refused to take my head from under the bedsheets, as I was terrified what I’d find when I came from under! I know, it’s strange!

Fatally Yours: What people in horror do you look up to and admire?

Bryn Hammond: Gosh, well, I really admire people who get up and go and get what they want, and don’t let anyone stop them in their path. My personal idols are Hugh M. Hefner, Iona Willis and Anna Wintour. These people are really iconic editors to me and I hope to be able to achieve just half of what they have managed. I’m still young and I’m still learning, and I hope that one day I can sit at a table with them and discuss the politics of being an editor.

Fatally Yours: Who is one person you would love to feature in GoreZone Magazine and why?

Bryn Hammond: This is a hard one. One person I have my eye on is Traci Lords; I’d love to do a cover with her. She’s so pretty and so talented. I find talent a real turn-on—I love brains and ambition.

I’d also like to do covers with Susan Ward and Sarah Buxton. Gosh, there are so many people I’d love to work with. I’d really love to do a cover shoot with Kellan Lutz, Thomas Dekker and Traci Lords. Now that would be one hell of a sexy cover shoot—both men on dog leads and Traci doing her famous lip curl!

Fatally Yours: What are your favorite horror films of all time?

Bryn Hammond: I have so many. Return of the Living Dead 3, Pet Sematary 2 and Warlock 2 are particular favourites. I loved 90s horror, especially the period of 1992–94; there were so many amazing movies released. Okay, most were direct to DVD, but the quality of the output was just amazing. I loved Killer Tongue as well. What a crazy movie that was.

My all-time favourite horror movie is Night of the Demons though.  But, depending on my mood, my top 10 list will change ever so often.

Fatally Yours: What can we look forward to in the coming year with GoreZone Magazine? What kind of goodies do you have planned for us, Bryn?

Bryn Hammond: Loads more freebies, for one. We are currently shooting episode five and six of our FREE DVD series, Emily Booth’s GoreZone Movie Massacre, copies of which come as a covermount with the mag. We’ll also be giving the mag some new looks, adding some new columns among various other things. There are some amazing covers in the pipeline, one of which we shot just a week ago. It’s stunning. I can’t say too much at this point, but fans of Freddy and Monroe are going to love it.

We’ll be holding an awards ceremony, at our third international film festival. The whole shebang will be hosted by Emily Booth and Christa Campbell on 2–3 October, at the Prince Charles Cinema. Tickets are on sale now from our online shop at www.gorezone.co.uk/shop. There is also our music festival on 9 April. We have the likes of Die So Fluid playing, which I’m excited for. I’m having a real horror themed costume designed, as it’s a zombie night. We’ll be decorating the Roadmender like the nightclub from Hellraiser 3.

It’s all go. I want to say a huge thank you to all our readers for making my dreams a reality. I am thankful for your support as well. You guys rock.

GoreZone Magazine is on sale monthly in all good newsagents including HMV, Barnes and Noble, Spar, FPI and Forbidden Planet.

Visit: www.gorezone.co.uk

Interview with Fatally-Yours Founder Sarah Jahier

Sarah "Fatally Yours" Jahier

Written by Michael Varrati

Hands down, women are cooler than men. This isn’t so much a divisive statement in the battle of the sexes, nor is it me betraying my gender, it’s just a sheer empirical fact.

I know no men who could deal with pregnancy with the grace a woman could, in fact, most men I know complain at the slightest ache. The fact remains that men can’t get pregnant because they couldn’t handle it…but women can.

When soldiers are dying on a battlefield or a child is scared in the dark, wherever there is a dire situation, it is our mother’s we call for and whom we wish were there to protect us. Dads may be tough, but moms are the fighters when it comes to their babies, and we all know not to cross a mother.

Hell, even gay men, who should have no real reason to pay attention to women at all make them their idols…and why not? Comparing Liberace and Cher is no contest: Girl’s got more personality and attitude than a whole room full of dudes combined.

So, with this in mind, when we here at Fatally-Yours set out to celebrate Women in Horror month, I was more than okay with the festivities. Some of my favorite performers in the genre (Jamie Lee Curtis and Mary Woronov, to name a few) are women, and the female sex has contributed to fright films far more than any other genre that I can possibly think of, even if I strain my brain to the max.

Most of the event’s highlights come this month in the form of interviews with prominent women in horror, a project that was spearheaded and primarily conducted by our editor, Sarah Jahier. But for all her attention to other women within the genre, I thought it would be nice to turn the lens around and give our lovely ringmaster her due. Without Sarah, and in fact many other female editors within the field, a lot of horror publications wouldn’t even exist, and it is through her careful juggling of all the writers, her love of horror, and her ability to put up with each and every one of our psycho needs that Fatally-Yours is the success that it is and looks as great as it does.

So for women in horror month, I took a moment to sit down with a woman who I greatly enjoy working with and think very highly of, Fatally-Yours’ own editor, Miss Sarah Jahier.

Sarah "Fatally Yours" Jahier

Michael Varrati: Let’s start with one of your favorite questions for some of the ladies you’ve interviewed: What are your first memories of the horror genre and how did you fall in love with it? 

Sarah Jahier: I grew up on an isolated ranch in Northern California, where we had no electricity except for a generator we ran only a couple of hours a night. So, instead of growing up on TV and movies, I grew up on books. There was a small library in town, and I ransacked its shelves for anything by Stephen King while in elementary school. When I was in junior high and high school I loved Anne Rice’s books and just couldn’t get enough of anything spooky! So my fondness for the genre originated from horror books, but when we moved to a bigger town and a house with electricity I remember renting the schlockiest horror movies I could find with a high school friend! Horror back then was just for laughs, but then I saw The Texas Chain Saw Massacre for the first time and everything changed! That film scared me like no other and I’m still seeking a film that can chill me to the bone to the extent that TCM did. After TCM, I just couldn’t get enough horror films. A film class in college led me to broaden my horizons in horror and introduced me to Italian gialli, Asian ghost stories, and German Expressionist films and so on. From there, they say, the rest is history.

Michael Varrati: Naturally, this love had to have continued, otherwise I imagine there would be no Fatally-Yours. What does horror mean to you, and what about it continues to keep you in its thrall? 

Sarah Jahier: Like I mentioned, I’m still searching for that illusive visceral thrill that I first experienced with TCM. A horror film that rattles me to the bone and yet has me begging for more! I just love the adrenaline rush of being scared, but I like horror movies that mess with your head and burrow into your brain to perturb you hours, days, weeks, months and hopefully years down the road!

As for what horror means to me, it means a multitude of things. Horror provides that pleasurable rush of adrenaline, it is a cathartic experience where fears can be explored in a safe environment, it is fun and silly entertainment, it is an examination of the darker side of life, which I’ve always been fascinated with, and I think its dark view on mankind is more realistic than all other film genres out there. Believe it or not, I also use horror movies as a way to relax – they are like a security blanket to me!

Michael Varrati: Bela Lugosi once said, “It is women who love horror. Gloat over it. Feed on it. Are nourished by it. Shudder and cling and cry out-and come back for more.” Do you suppose this to be true? If so, what is it about the horror genre, which has notoriously objectified women and has a fandom that is generally thought of to be male, that you feel appeals to the female gender? 

Sarah Jahier: Even though some films objectify women and treat them as little more than pieces of meat, more horror films are embracing strong female characters. And strong female characters or not, women still enjoyed being scared just as much as men do. Plus, as Bela was referencing, women grow up with their own horrifying experiences. We have to deal with blood once a month not to mention the body-horrors that go along with being pregnant or dealing with women-centric diseases, infections, disorders, etc. like post-partum depression, breast cancer, STD’s and so on. To quote Bela Lugosi again, “It is women who bear the race in bloody agony. Suffering is a kind of horror. Blood is a kind of horror. Women are born with horror in their very bloodstream. It is a biological thing.”

Sarah "Fatally Yours" Jahier in a Dance Party Massacre tee

Michael Varrati: Often, horror films (especially slashers) have a female protagonist, popularly referred to in the genre fandom as “the last girl”. Do you think, in this case, female leads are empowering or are further reinforcement of sexual victimization?

Sarah Jahier: I think it really depends on the context of the movie. Some films feature a smart Final Girl who is resourceful and doesn’t rely on someone else to save her. Other films, though (past and present) feature a woman who survives, but only because the men around her saved her. Those films irk me, because they show that a woman can’t survive without a male’s help. And really, shouldn’t we be past the whole “damsel in distress” thing anyway? Luckily, most horror films feature kick ass “final girls” who stop at nothing to survive or get revenge on someone who has wronged them. We are also seeing more strong female villains, which, in my book, can be just as important as how heroines are portrayed.

Michael Varrati: What women in horror do you admire, look up to, or are inspired by? Who would you say are your favorites? 

Sarah Jahier: When I started Fatally-Yours, I was greatly inspired by the few women writers that I found on the web, including Heidi Martinuzzi of Pretty/Scary, Stacie Ponder of Final Girl and Staci Layne Wilson of Horror.com. I am still inspired by these three hardworking ladies, who wear their passion for the genre on their sleeves!

I also admire all women who are involved in the horror genre, from bloggers to actors to artists to directors to authors and so on! It’s been so exciting to see so many new female horror writers in the last couple of years, especially on many horror sites.

Michael Varrati: How did Fatally-Yours get its start? Clearly you were a horror fan, but what lead you to go from casual fan to creating this site and establishing yourself as a genre goddess? 

Sarah Jahier: Hahaha, “genre goddess”! You are too kind, sir! Well, I’m not sure if I’m there yet, but thank you! Fatally-Yours started after I graduated college. Believe it or not, I loved school and I really missed my horror film class I had taken my last semester. As mentioned earlier, it really exposed me to many different horror sub-genres that I was in the process of exploring. I really wanted to continue writing about film, so *ta-da* Fatally-Yours was birthed! I started it mainly to get ideas out of my head and put to paper how horror films affected me and which new ones I discovered, but soon it kept growing and growing and growing…

Michael Varrati: Do you feel Fatally-Yours has achieved the goals you have set for it? Is there anything you’d like to see done with the site that you have not yet had a chance to do? 

Sarah Jahier: Well, at first it was sort of my own space to express my thoughts, but then it kept growing and evolved to a place where horror fans could discover new films/book/etc. I’ve always wanted it to be about expressing my love of horror and sharing it with others (hence our motto, “For the Love of Horror”) and I feel that we’ve achieved this (in no small part thanks to my wonderful staff of writers…I definitely couldn’t do it alone!), but there is always more to be done! I say there is always room for improvement, and I hope to keep expanding Fatally-Yours in one way or another.

Sarah "Fatally Yours" Jahier

Michael Varrati: What advice would you give to young women looking to go into the horror genre, whether it be as a horror journalist, such as yourself, or the writing, directing, or performance aspects of the field?

Sarah Jahier: Believe in yourself and follow your heart. If you want to do it, then do it and don’t let anything stop you. Anything is possible, so aim high! Be fearless, but respect those that come before you. Never close yourself off to an opportunity because who knows where it may lead! With that said, don’t compromise your beliefs and stay true to who you are. Don’t let people just use you for your pretty face or body, show them how talented you really are!

Michael Varrati: Okay, now that we have some of the more serious stuff out of the way…how about a few fun ones. Here’s a scenario question: You’re the “last girl” and you get to lock horns with any of the great horror movie villains. Who’d it be and why? Also, would you fight to just survive…or are you out to draw blood? 

Sarah Jahier: Oh, so many monsters and so little time! I would love to go up against the sisters in Ginger Snaps, though “against” is probably the wrong word…I would probably join them! I think they are some of the best female characters in a recent horror flick and just so dang cool! Thanks to writer Karen Walton for dreaming them up and giving us some REAL female characters! I also have a big thing for Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty, which I know isn’t a horror flick, but she is definitely one cool villain! I’m really hoping Tim Burton does something cool with his upcoming re-imaging of the story where he is planning on telling the tale from Maleficent’s point of view. I would also love to pit myself against any of the black gloved killers in giallo films, just to see if I could outsmart them! And I would definitely be out for blood!

Sarah "Fatally Yours" Jahier in a custom SEIBEI zombie hunter tee

Michael Varrati: You’ve made it pretty well known that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (’74) is your favorite horror film of all time…but what is your least favorite? I often consider this answer as telling as what we like the most. 

Sarah Jahier: Oh geez, ok, least favorite…hmmmm…one recent flick that comes to mind is Return to Sleepaway Camp. The memory of watching that is still painful to this day. I also don’t enjoy realistic, snuff-type horror films, like the August Underground or Guinea Pig series or equivalent. They aren’t bad films by any means, but I just don’t particularly enjoy these types of horror films. I like my horror to be an escape and entertain me while still staying smart, but those realistic films just seem to be in it for the shock value. Besides the cool special FX, I don’t understand their appeal.

Michael Varrati: …okay, now that you’ve revealed your least favorite horror flick, here’s the real challenge: Say something nice about the film. 

Sarah Jahier: Ok, I’ll say something nice about Return to Sleepaway Camp – it has Felissa Rose in it! As for the realistic gore-type films, I will say their special FX are amazing…but a bit too realistic for me, if that makes sense.

Michael Varrati: According to your F-Y profile, you enjoy throwing horror movie nights. What would you say is the perfect double feature for a girl’s night in? 

Sarah Jahier: Mmmmm the possibilities!! Ginger Snaps and The Descent are some great female-centric horror films that I would love to share with all my girlfriends. Recently, I also absolutely loved Jennifer’s Body (I don’t understand why people didn’t like that movie!) and at the end of the month I am showing that to some friends alongside the campy and hilarious Zombie Strippers. How’s that for a double-feature!?

Sarah "Fatally Yours" Jahier

Michael Varrati: Alright, the next few questions are also culled from your FY profile. You’ve listed your favorite directors, I’m going to name each of them and I want you to select just one of that director’s films to represent what you think is best about their body of work, and if possible, why. Let’s start with George Romero.

Sarah Jahier: Sheesh, I really need to update my profile, don’t I?! I’ll tell you what, I’ll select my favorite film from each director and tell you why it is so relevant to the horror genre as well as explaining why I love it so. I can’t guarantee I’ll pick the film that best represents his oeuvre.

George Romero – Night of the Living Dead. It contributed so much to the horror genre, and has that gritty immediacy that most horror films nowadays lack.

Lucio Fulci – Don’t Torture a Duckling. Sure, there is Zombi 2, which I also love, but my absolute favorite is Don’t Torture a Duckling. Not only did it deal with taboo issues (killing children, among others), but it did so in a beautifully photographed way!

Dario Argento – Suspiria will always be my favorite Argento film and one I believe shows his filmmaking at its best. The narrative might not always make sense, but the sheer beauty of the colors he uses and skillful use of sound throughout the eerie movie just kills me every time!

Takashii Miike – All of Miike’s films (well, at least the thriller/horror ones, probably not so much his children’s movies) are exhilarating rides of violence and breaking taboos. I think Audition is probably his most straight-forward work, though, and while the tension simmers until it reaches its boiling point at the end of the film, it still manages to creep under my skin and leave me unsettled. It’s not just the violence, but the overall mystery and tension throughout the film! Runner-up would be Ichi the Killer.

Roman Polanski – I love Polanski’s POV techniques, especially in The Tenant, that make you feel like you are in the protagonist’s shoes and as they slip into madness so do you. I think The Tenant is an underrated film in the horror community and doesn’t get nearly enough props. People usually talk about Polanski’s Repulsion, which I also like, but The Tenant is just a near-perfect exercise in skewed perspectives and expectations.

Tim Burton – Edward Scissorhands. All of Burton’s films are about the gothic visuals, and I think Scissorhands is one of his most wonderfully vivid and fairy tale-like creations. This film is just a magical experience.

Sarah "Fatally Yours" Jahier in a Headstone City tee

Michael Varrati: Now that we’ve just worked through all your favorite horror directors, I’d like to take a moment to point out…they’re all men. This leads me back to the theme of the interview and our celebration of the month, who, if any, do you consider to be a great female director within the genre? 

Sarah Jahier: See, what did I say about updating my profile?! This is an excellent point, though, and I would like to point out that while men may become known for their horror movie work, women directors usually don’t. I also think women directors move on to other genres and tend to be more varied in their careers. Is that because as a woman director it is hard to make a name for yourself in the horror genre or is it because they tend to move on to other genres? Well, I’m not sure, but I do hope we see more women directors in the horror genre in the years to come.

As for right now, I really can’t wait to see more of Devi Snively’s work as well as that by Michelle Fatale. I also hope that Heidi Martinuzzi does more films, because I absolutely loved her short film Wretched. As for “bigger” names, I really admire Kathryn Bigelow for giving us Near Dark, Mary Harron for American Psycho, Mary Lambert for Pet Sematary and Antonia Bird for Ravenous. Still, these directors have branched out to other genres and haven’t really given us any other horror films (or at least ones that were as good as these films). I see many more female filmmakers making horror films, though, so hopefully we will be seeing a lot more female-helmed horror in the future!

Michael Varrati: You’ve really spear-headed the celebration of Women in Horror month with an intensive series of interviews with a vast array of ladies within the genre. Is there anyone out there who you didn’t get to interview that would be a dream come true for this event? I suppose living or dead could apply, this being horror, after all. 

Sarah Jahier: I would love to interview Cassandra Peterson for her role as Elvira. I just love the sassiness and brassiness she brought to that role! I also would have loved to interview producer Debra Hill for all the contributions she made to the horror industry, contributions I think she doesn’t get enough credit for. Most people don’t realize she, alongside John Carpenter, brought Halloween to life! It would be a dream come true to interview Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, screen siren Barbara Steele and scream queen Linnea Quigley!

Many thanks to you Sarah, for taking time out of your schedule to answer these questions, and on behalf of all us here at Fatally-Yours, thanks for being OUR woman in horror!

Follow Sarah on Twitter!

Gore Gore Dancer Interviews Fatally Yours

The lovely Aleata Illusion of Gore Gore Dancer Review was gracious enough to interview me for Women in Horror Month!

In the interview you can check out such tantalizing tidbits as what got me interested in the horror genre, how Fatally-Yours.com came to be, my favorite female horror personalities and insight into my favorite horror film of all time!

Check out the interview HERE!

Many thanks to Aleata and Gore Gore Dancer Review for the fun opportunity!

Interview with Publisher Jessie Lilley

Jessie Lilley has been publishing and editing small press magazines for 20+ years. She is the original publisher of the much acclaimed Scarlet Street: The Magazine of Mystery and Horror, Worldly Remains: A Pop Culture Review and is currently Editor-in-Chief of Mondo Cult Magazine and MondoCult.com. Her freelance work has appeared in the pages of Los Angeles’ Valley Scene Magazine and Perth, Australia’s Messenger along with a host of small press publications and websites related to horror films and music.

Jessie also edits biographies, including the memoir GLORIA by Bond-girl Gloria Hendry; an in-depth and candid look at the life of an African-American actress coming up in the extraordinary time known simply as ‘The 60s”. It is currently available at amazon.com.  Another project which was completed in the fall of 2009 is the biography of character actor Paul Reed, Sr. by his son Paul, Jr. A delightful remembrance by a loving son and a retelling of the stories his father told him about making a mark in “the business” in early 20th century New York City. Entitled You Grew Up, the book is scheduled for release later this year. Jessie is currently editing a series of children’s books called Rowdy and Me. The first in the series, Rowdy Comes Home, is due to hit bookstores by Easter.

Jessie lives in Santa Cruz County, CA at the top of a hill at the end of the road with her husband, musician David Paul Campbell, three fine and rescued cats and various, visiting doggies.

Fatally Yours: How and when did you fall in love with horror? 

Jessie Lilley: When I was a little girl and I saw Henry Daniell in Val Lewton’s The Body Snatcher on Million Dollar Movie out of New York. It scared the very devil out of me at the time, but it would seem I loved being scared.

Fatally Yours: What does horror mean to you? 

Jessie Lilley: That’s hard to answer. There are so many different aspects of it. When I think ‘horror’ my mind turns to Frankenstein, Zacherley, Stephen King, Godzilla – I could go on and on. Between the books, films both classic and current and all the conventions with their myriad and costumed attendees, the mind simply boggles. So what it means to me really, is endless fun.

Fatally Yours: How did your career in horror start?

Jessie Lilley: Ha! Through the back door. Back in the 80s, my friend Richard Valley called me at work one day, complaining about the Sherlock Holmes VHS tapes he had bought. It was the series from Granada Television in the UK that starred the now-legendary Jeremy Brett. It seems the original VHS release was missing bits and pieces from each episode and it was driving Richard to distraction. He asked me if I’d call the company and complain because by now they weren’t taking his calls anymore. So I did. Long story short, I introduced myself as the publisher of a Sherlock Holmes newsletter – which didn’t exist – and asked them for a quote as to what they were going to do about the missing segments. What they did was pull the tapes, remaster them at their own expense and send me a complete set at no charge. They then asked if I’d run an ad for the tapes in my newsletter. I called Richard and told him they now wanted to advertise and he said, “Oops.” So we gathered the crowd together, wrote some articles and printed the thing. We noticed though that Holmes and mystery wouldn’t fill the book so we added some horror articles as well as we were all fans of the Universal classics.

Fatally Yours: Why do you think the horror genre has primarily been a boy’s club?

Jessie Lilley: Mainly because the boys were the ones that wanted to promote horror so they could bring their girls to the movies and have an excuse for the girl to climb all over them in the last row. Why else? Seriously? Okay. I’ll be good. Up until fairly recently, girls were supposed to grow up, marry, have kids and keep the house. Boys were supposed to grow up, marry and support the girls and subsequent offspring. That nonsense has thankfully been eradicated from society and we girls are allowed to play in the pool, too. Quite frankly, it no doubt never occurred to the majority of women to get involved in the “business” of horror unless they were actresses. It certainly hadn’t occurred to me. There I was, a good little suburban housewife, working 9-5 and keeping the house for my first husband and all of a sudden I’m publishing a magazine and being invited to sit on panels at horror conventions. Mr. Lilley was not amused. The marriage ended.

Fatally Yours: Have you noticed an increase in women getting involved in the horror genre? Do you think women’s roles in horror, both behind and in front of the camera, are changing?

Jessie Lilley: Of course there’s an increase. I’m no longer the only woman publisher in the small press horror mag business. In fact, I’ve been around so long that I’m not considered news anymore and haven’t been for more than a decade. Within the publishing realm alone, there are so many more women editing, writing and publishing in small press that what I did back then seems almost unimportant. As to performance, directing, producing, etc. I say again, of course. It has to. As with all generations, as the times change the roles of the men and women living through those times change. Alien is still, in my opinion, the best example of how women’s roles have changed in horror films. And I believe that Sigourney Weaver is responsible for that change. The script certainly, but her performance nailed it and broadcast to the world that here’s a woman who doesn’t trip over a grain of sand while engaged in a panicked and headlong rush into the night to escape a shambling mummy that couldn’t make it from the living room to the bedroom in less than half an hour. Not only did Ripley kick ass in that film, the monster she strove to defeat was female as well!

Fatally Yours: What elements can females bring to the horror genre that are lacking in males’ perspectives?

Jessie Lilley: The mother instinct. Whether you’ve borne children or no, there is something in what I believe to be the majority of women that nurtures. Men are not natural nurturers. Women are. Also, when it comes to beating on male monsters, women are better at it because it’s part of their natural defense mechanism. While a man meeting a man will assume an attitude of bonhomme, a woman will always have certain defenses up. Whereas a man can be blindsided by another man’s evil intent, a woman has a better chance of being prepared out of hand.

Fatally Yours: Do you think it’s harder for women to be taken seriously in a genre that seems to be dominated by males? 

Jessie Lilley: Not any more. Yes, it was so once, but within film, literature and the arts in general, I would have to say no. There will always be people who are not taken seriously in one form or another, but that problem stems from their lack of self esteem or their unwillingness to learn their craft before entering the main arena. Men of earlier generations may well still have a hard time accepting women in certain roles, but by and large, they’re dealing with it. And quite frankly, what they may say in the privacy of their homes as opposed to how they behave in public is their business and no one else’s. Everyone has the right to their opinions, whether we all agree with them or not. One must make allowances for the values of past generations. They worked well then and ours work well now. I have a great respect for people in general and I have no qualms about yelling for help from my husband if I need it. By the same token, he’s been known to yell for help from me. ’Twas ever thus; men and women rely on each other to get through life. That’s not a bad thing girls; the war is over and we won. Now it’s time to get to know our adversary and enjoy him. He’s not such a bad sort.

Fatally Yours: Do you ever get annoyed at how women in horror movies always end naked or with their clothes ripped off?

Jessie Lilley: Hell, no. It’s the nature of the beast. And what’s wrong with it anyway? Something there you haven’t seen before?

Fatally Yours: What horror movie would you say is equally fair in terms of men being objectified or at least, losing the same amount of clothes?

Jessie Lilley: Regarding the clothing, any Hammer film; spectacular stuff going on in those. As to objectification, the concept is bullshit on at least two levels. First of all, what’s wrong with women being admired? I’ve never had a problem with it. When I had a killer body, I was always pleased when men admired it. I have never understood why women dress to the nines and then get insulted when someone compliments them on the way they look.

Second, women are not the only ones who have been objectified, if you will, in film. Men have been so from all the way back to the start, but the intellectual femmes have chosen to ignore that fact. Just for fun, I opened one of the film books I have – there are several – and looked at some of the pictures from RKO, MGM, Warner Brothers, etc. Get a load of how many men have their shirts off, stripped down to the waist, sweaty, muscular, heaving pecs stirring the blood of the female filmgoers of the 20s, 30s, 40s and so on. Have you ever seen an Errol Flynn film? How about Clark Gable? Or pick almost any western and chances are you’re going to catch the hard body of countless males sweating away in the desert heat. You think the moguls put that on screen for any reason other than to get the women flocking to theatres? Not a chance. Men got their peep shows as well. Busby Berkeley pointed out back in the 20s or 30s that we were all grownups here. What’s wrong with showing ladies in their smalls? Nothing. It’s all about getting asses in seats. As the years went on, more and more garments were able to be removed in front of the camera and sent out to the public at large so now it’s not just panties and bras, but more titillating bits as well. Big deal.

But further to this point, I will hearken back to Alien again and its Mama Monster. If you wish to discuss objectification, tell me why in many of the older films the monster was usually male? That’s just objectifying the men in horror films as poorly and unfairly as having the ingénue being incapable of outrunning the mummy I mentioned earlier.

So let’s go back to Hammer studios. Hammer was a grand studio when it came to equal rights. There was an entire book written and published my Midnight Marquee Press called Bitches, Bimbos and Virgins, which totally missed the point of Hammer Studios. I swear the person who wrote that book did not view the same films I did. It was either that or she viewed them in a parallel universe. You want to talk about equal opportunity objectification? Check them out. I swear the men are disrobed more often than the women and the monster/villain/bad guy in the horror films was a woman nearly as often as it was a man. And leave us not forget Roger Corman. He directed Wasp Woman, among others. Does that sound like the monster was a man? No. How about Gorgo? Forry Ackerman trashed the fairy tale but had one of the greatest captions in a horror mag ever, to wit, “London Bridge is falling down when Gorgo’s Mama comes to town.” She preceded Ripley’s gruesome adversary by 18 years.

This will require some more study, but I’d say somewhere in the 1940s, the villains of the piece became interchangeable. It could be a man or a woman, depending on the writer’s mood. This would be a direct result of World War II, wherein women were out and about, building the machines of war that the men used overseas. Women were also in the military at that point so the roles were changing across the board. You’re aware, I assume, that the current Queen of England, Elizabeth II was a mechanic during WWII. The harpies who continually bellow about women being misused in horror films don’t know the history of the genre. If they’d pay attention and actually research their chosen subject, they might find out that their entire thesis is way the hell off base.

Fatally Yours: Do you feel you’ve become desensitized to stereotypical scenes in horror like the half-naked girl screaming and running for her life in slow motion? Or are these types of familiar horror tropes still effective and necessary? 

Jessie Lilley: Not when a film is done well. The problem, as I see it, is that there are many badly made films available from both yesteryear and today. When a good one comes along, I don’t care if their all running about starkers as long as the film is well made. Are the tropes necessary? Of course they are! You still have to get the asses in the seats. When the film is badly done, the only thing worth watching is the naked bodies charging around. When it’s well done, you don’t notice clothing or the lack thereof because you’re completely caught up in the tale.

Fatally Yours: How do you feel about the old stereotypical view that women are “soft” and not able to endure horror as well as men? 

Jessie Lilley: It’s crap. Women never had a problem with horror. Well, most women. It’s just another way to make your man feel manly, by acting frightened of the celluloid beast.

Fatally Yours: What women in horror do you admire and why?

Jessie Lilley: I can’t name them all so I will name only one because of personal reasons. I have a long-standing friendship with Ingrid Pitt whom I both love and admire. She has such a lovely time of it in the films she made. She obviously had fun, took the work seriously and writes about it and other things to this day with grace and strength combined. She is magnificent.

Fatally Yours: What advice would you give women who want to become involved in the horror genre?

Jessie Lilley: Learn about it. Realize that horror didn’t start with Nightmare on Elm Street. Thomas Edison made a silent Frankenstein film before your grandparents were born for God’s sake. There’s a lot to learn, know and love in the older films and stories. Lighten up on the stereotype thing and enjoy it.

Fatally Yours: What has been your best experience while working in the horror community? What’s the worst?

Jessie Lilley: The best is a four-parter beginning with the friendship I shared with Robert Quarry, which never would have come to be were it not for my work on Scarlet Street.  Second is the friendship I share with Brad Linaweaver who is not only my publisher at Mondo Cult but has been a close friend and confidant for these past 7 or 8 years. Third was the joy I had in knowing and laughing with Jeremy Brett. That man called at the damnedest hours! Finally, and by far the absolute best is the series of events that led to my moving from New York to Los Angeles where I met my husband, David Campbell. All in all, the best part of this business is the many people I’ve met, some whom I dislike but most whom I truly enjoy. Good, solid friendships have formed over the years and it’s hard to fault a business that gives you that kind of return.

The worst is, hands down, discovering the petty jealousies that people can have and watching while those same jealousies shatter lives.

Fatally Yours: What was your biggest challenge as publisher of Scarlet Street, the magazine of Mystery and Horror, and what is your biggest challenge now as editor of Mondo Cult?

Jessie Lilley: On Scarlet Street it was getting the money to pay the printer. If you go into small press, as we did, believe me you’ll never get rich. You’ll have more headaches from trying to get the bills paid than anything else. I’m still in debt from those days and wonder sometimes if I’ll ever get out of it. On Mondo Cult, the biggest challenge is getting the time to put the thing together. I work a full time job, keep the house, freelance my writing around, I’m starting up a record label with my husband, not to mention assisting him with his musical career and running around on the Harley with him and on occasion I sleep.

Fatally Yours: What’s the last truly frightening horror film/book you saw/read?

Jessie Lilley: I haven’t been frightened in a long time. I’m still waiting for another truly thrilling piece to shoot me up through the ceiling. The last one I saw was a little known film that ran on Brit telly called The Woman in Black. It scared the hell out of me. To this day it continues to do so. There may well be one out there now, but this past year I’ve not been to any films. My husband has been ill and our time and money have been spent getting him back on his feet. Happily, that’s where he stands now so I may well get out of the house again soon.

Fatally Yours: What are your favorite horror films, books, etc.?

Jessie Lilley: For pure enjoyment, I love the Universal classics and the Hammer films. I’m also a huge fan of the Amicus releases. I don’t think much of more current horror films. CGI bores me and gore doesn’t frighten me. Shock value doesn’t send me the way well-built suspense does. I have a special place in my heart for Army of Darkness as I enjoy the comedic aspects of it. I restate my love of A Woman in Black and also note that while I’ve enjoyed Stephen King in the past, my current favorite horror author is Jack Ketchum. He has, shall we say, a happy talent for composition. I’m also very fond of the more staid romantic ghost stories of Barbara Michaels. I’m a huge fan of the boys from TAPS and also of The Ghost Whisperer. Let’s here it for Prime Time!

Fatally Yours: What are your goals while working in the horror genre?

Jessie Lilley: To educate the younger generations on the older films and books. It annoys the hell out of me to read some of the things being printed where the at times brilliant works of past filmmakers aren’t considered worth watching for such absurd reasons as the fact that they’re in black and white. Or, equally absurd, that the films ‘objectify’ women. It makes me want to bash heads together.

Fatally Yours: Do you have any upcoming projects you’d like to share with us?

Jessie Lilley: My publisher has informed me that he’s ready for another go at this and I expect to announce Mondo Cult 3 for 2010 sometime in the next couple of months. We’ve also got a fledgling discussion forum going on at MondoCult.com where all are welcome and there is the Mondo blog of course, where I rant on about anything from horror to the legalization of marijuana to the health care bill. All comments are welcome. I’m also quite pleased to have been accepted as a writer at Horrornews.net.

Interview with Journalist Jovanka Vuckovic

Jovanka Vuckovic is an award-winning writer, artist and film critic who hails from mixed disciplines; she studied Physical Anthropology at McMaster University and spent five years as a digital effects artist at CBC Television, where she earned a Gemini Award for Best Visual Effects. She also studied genre film and literature in depth during her seven-year tenure as the Editor-in-Chief of Rue Morgue Magazine. Vuckovic is currently writing a genre tome for a major publisher and prepping her first film, The Captured Bird.

Fatally Yours: How and when did you fall in love with horror? 

Jovanka Vuckovic: My mother always says that I’ve loved monsters since before I could speak. When I could hold a crayon, I’d draw monsters. When it was my turn to choose a video on movie night, I’d run for the horror section of the video store. It’s just always been in my blood. I can’t explain it. When it comes to horror, I feel like Lt. Ripley in Alien 3 when she says, “You’ve been in my life for so long, I can’t remember anything else.”

Fatally Yours: What does horror mean to you? 

Jovanka Vuckovic: Escapism, entertainment and joy are words that come to mind. Besides being a great springboard to exorcise our own fears and anxieties, the horror genre is a really creative arena to work in. It can be extremely thoughtful or just downright fun, or both.

Fatally Yours: You are most well known for being the former editor of Rue Morgue, but how did your career in horror start?

Jovanka Vuckovic: My career in horror began when I studied forensic anthropology in university and realized that there is a stark difference between what happens in real life and what happens on paper. Working with the dead gave me the perspective I needed to really appreciate living, which only made me appreciate my beloved horror films and literature that much more. There was the horror of my real life and the cathartic escapism and highly conceptualized violence that movies offered. Seeing what a real body looks like after it’s been dredged out of the sewer system by a roto rooter suddenly makes zombies, vampires and werewolves kind of silly – pure entertainment. Also, I was better able to relate to the anxieties sublimating in more thoughtful genre movies – that existential dread that some movies possess – I understood it and felt a profound connection to such films.

But I guess formally my “career,” as the public knows it, started with Rue Morgue. Before I took over the reigns there, I was an erudite fan like everyone else. I had done a lot of unpublished writing because I was a digital special effects artist (which I did for 5 years after I left forensics) and had a lot of time on my hands as my machine rendered shots. So I wrote about horror. Not reviews per se, but my own philosophical leanings on the genre. I had already been volunteering and traveling to conventions with Rue Morgue in my spare time so I knew them quite well. I was trying to help the fledgling, bi-monthly Canadian fanzine grow by attending events and getting the word out about the country’s only horror periodical. I noticed the magazine didn’t have very many female contributors and felt that needed to change so I eventually sent some writing samples to the previous editor, who felt I had a hidden talent for writing, was honest as hell and knew a lot about horror – three things he was looking for in an editor. The more he read the more he became convinced I was the person that should take over the magazine. He offered me the job as Managing Editor about three months later, just as I was about to move to LA for a gig at a high profile effects shop. I thought about it for a little while and eventually took a pay cut of over ¾ of my paycheck to work for the Rue Morgue. I thought it should at the very least be an interesting experience for a few years. So I took the job as Managing Editor and two and a half years later, I was the Editor-In-Chief. In my seven-year tenure at Rue Morgue, I investigated and studied the genre in-depth, sort of like a massive university research project. When you watch, read and listen to horror day-in, day-out for that many years, you end up becoming an expert on it – especially if it was already something you’ve loved your whole life. As cliché as it is, you really can achieve anything you want in the world if you set your mind to it. One day I was a digital effects artist, the next day a magazine editor. Now I’m about to be a mother, an author and a filmmaker. What a trip life is! I’ve never been happier and more certain that I’m on the right path than I am right now.

Fatally Yours: What was your biggest challenge in your position as editor of Rue Morgue?

Jovanka Vuckovic: Getting the issue out on time every month. That was a constant challenge. I dreaded my deadline more than my period and both came once a month!

Fatally Yours: Why do you think the horror genre has primarily been a boy’s club?

Jovanka Vuckovic: What hasn’t been a boys club? I recently saw a news blurb that stated women made 74% of what men made who were doing the same jobs last year. It’s hard to believe, but women are still discouraged from some occupations. Filmmaking is one of those occupations. It’s always been a technical art and women have traditionally been discouraged from the technical arts. And since horror films are made the same way all films are, it tends to be no different in that regard. I’d love to think that there will be total equality in the horror community some day but there will always be those lug heads that make it difficult for us. The guys who feel they need to comment about a woman’s appearance on message boards or ask for nude photos. That happened to me quite a lot. Some people are just ignorant and that will unfortunately never change. The trend here is objectification. Whether you make a horror movie, run a magazine, write horror fiction or make horror music, there will always be that handful of people out there that want to reduce your value as a contributor by making comments about the way you look while they’re commenting on what you do. This rarely happens to men. Their work is judged solely on the merits of the work. I mean, when do you ever read men arguing whether Stephen King is hot or not online? It ain’t happening. His appearance doesn’t come into the picture, which is the way it should be. At any rate, when it comes to horror, it’s just one of those interests – along with comic books, sci-fi, toy collecting, motorcycling and enjoying strip clubs – that women have traditionally been discouraged from being a part of. These were male-dominated boys clubs for a long time. Thankfully, things are slowly changing. At the very least, it’s nice to know that now over 50% of filmgoers are women, which means the ladies are shelling out for scary movies just as much as men are.

Fatally Yours: Have you noticed an increase in women getting involved in the horror genre? Do you think women’s roles in horror, both behind and in front of the camera, are changing?

Jovanka Vuckovic: Definitely. I’m seeing way more women at horror conventions now than when I first started going to them, and some of these ladies are more than just fans, they are starting up their own websites, small presses, fanzines and making independent films. It’s great to see more women who believe they don’t have to take their clothes off to be a contributing member of the horror community.

Fatally Yours: What elements can female filmmakers/authors/journalists/etc. bring to the horror genre that are lacking in males’ perspectives?

Jovanka Vuckovic: I wouldn’t say the male perspective is totally lacking per se, but that’s just my point of view. Unlike a lot of mainstream female critics, I don’t think of horror films as inherently misogynistic or unsympathetic to women. There are many different types of horror films, so I’m obviously reticent to generalize them. There have even been plenty of horror movies that deal with “women’s issues.” Perhaps with women at the helm, those issues might be dealt with a little more sincerely and with more authenticity. But I wouldn’t say that a woman could do a better job depicting the horrors of pregnancy and motherhood any better than The Brood, The Bad Seed, Inside and Grace have, and they were all directed by men. I think sometimes people take horror films a little too seriously. Without question, there are those films that merit academic inquiry, but I’ve never entirely embraced the “feminist” perspective on horror films. While I agree with some of it, I don’t always see the machete as the fleshy knife that penetrates the unwilling woman. Sometimes a knife is just a knife.

Fatally Yours: Do you think it’s harder for women to be taken seriously in a genre that seems to be dominated by males? 

Jovanka Vuckovic: Yes, I do. That’s because some men still look at us as sexual objects, regardless of the position of power we are in.

Fatally Yours: Do you ever get annoyed at how women in horror movies always end naked or with their clothes ripped off? Do monsters not like men’s abs?!

Jovanka Vuckovic: The modern scream queen seems to pride herself in getting naked, so no, it doesn’t really bother me. But I don’t rent movies just because there are naked broads in it; I guess that’s the difference between most male viewers and myself. I want and expect more from my horror films, which is why I love movies like The Thing so much. There’s not a single vagina in it and it remains one of the best genre movies ever filmed. Actually, now that I’ve said that, I suppose you could find a vagina or two somewhere on The Thing if you looked really hard. [Laughs]

Fatally Yours: What horror movie would you say is equally fair in terms of men being objectified or at least, losing the same amount of clothes?

Jovanka Vuckovic: I really don’t search out movies that have an express interest in evening the gender odds so I’m not the best person to ask. I’m most interested in stories that are well told. I don’t think I would get any more enjoyment out of watching a bunch of men being stalked, stripped and slashed than I would women. It’s formulaic and boring. This, to me, is the greatest downfall of the slasher subgenre, which tends to produce derivative pictures that aren’t very thoughtful. But I will say that there is assuredly still a gender bias in the entertainment industry as a whole when it comes to nudity. For example, Mick Garris once expressed to me that he came up against some unfair censorship while making Masters of Horror: he was told that female frontal was okay but male was not. He’s a pretty progressive guy and he understands the television business is male dominated, but even he had to laugh about the fact that dicks are just out of the question. Apparently dicks make men uncomfortable. Try to wrap your head around that one.

Fatally Yours: Do you feel you’ve become desensitized to stereotypical scenes in horror like the half-naked girl screaming and running for her life in slow motion? Or are these types of familiar horror tropes still effective and necessary? 

Jovanka Vuckovic: The former. I’m bored of seeing that sort of thing in the movies. While I can appreciate its efficacy in past films, I’d like to see the horror film EVOLVE.

Fatally Yours: Do you feel that other people view women as being “soft” and not able to endure horror as well as men? How do you fight this stereotypical view?

Jovanka Vuckovic: I find it amusing anyone would think that a creature that bleeds for seven days out of each month and doesn’t die would be disturbed by the sight of a little karo syrup and red dye. It’s interesting to note that in the experience of most tattoo artists, they will tell you that the majority of people who pass out or puke from pain or nervousness are men, not women. Us women are made of much tougher stuff than some give us credit. As a woman who is six months pregnant and planning a totally natural, unmedicated home birth, I can say with total assurance that I am not afraid of anything, not the least of which a little fake blood. The day men can give birth is the day I’ll stop thinking of them as the weaker sex.

Fatally Yours: What women in horror do you admire and why?

Jovanka Vuckovic: I admire every woman who’s contributing to the genre without selling herself out. But I’d love to see more women making movies. There are plenty writing horror fiction, but I’d like to see more ladies infiltrate the film business.

Fatally Yours: What advice would you give women who want to become involved in the horror genre?

Jovanka Vuckovic: Work hard and don’t ever get used to the taste of shit. Self-respect is everything. I had to deal with sexist bullies almost daily in the magazine business. But I found the best way to deal with them is to stand your ground, be honest and fair to yourself and do things on your own terms – not theirs. Your integrity and self-respect is worth more than a lousy paycheck or anything those people have to offer.

Fatally Yours: What’s the last horror movie that made you think “this is some effed up shiznit!”? 

Jovanka Vuckovic: The Human Centipede. That’s some truly “effed up shiznit.”

Fatally Yours: Besides working on building a lovely family (congrats on the pregnancy!) what upcoming projects are you working on?

Jovanka Vuckovic: I’m currently working on a big coffee table book for a major publisher on the history of zombies. It’s something I started before I left the magazine and have to finish before Violet, my baby, comes in May. It’s been like a huge research project but I’m having fun doing it. I’m also working on my first short film, The Captured Bird, which is being executive produced by one of my heroes. He’s a great man who genuinely wants to see people he believes in succeed. I won a grant for about half of the funding to make the film and we’re sourcing the rest right now, so we should be shooting by the end of the summer. It’s sort of a poetic, dark fable… with monsters. It’s definitely unconventional. Those are the kind of movies I’m interested in making. My producers and I are building a website for the film where people will be able to find out more about The Captured Bird and even be able to get involved in it. I am really fortunate to have so many talented filmmakers and artists on board with this project. My friends in the horror community have really stepped up to the plate for me and I owe them all big time. That’s all I can say at the moment but there should be a formal press release in the next month or so. For now, I’ve got this book, a bunch of other writing projects I can’t discuss at the moment, and a baby to give birth to first!

Fatally Yours: Where can people find more info on you?

Jovanka Vuckovic: They are in construction at the moment but thecapturedbird.com and jovankavuckovic.com will be up and running soon. In the meantime, feel free to add me on Myspace, Facebook and Twitter.

Interview with Ravenous Romance Editor Lori Perkins

Lori Perkins is the Editorial Director of Ravenous Romance, a new publisher of erotic romance ebooks and audio books, and has been a literary agent for 20 years.  Perkins has edited 12 erotica anthologies. She is also a published author, as well as an adjunct professor at NYU’s Center for Publishing.

Perkins is President of L. Perkins Agency, which has foreign agents in 11 countries and working relationships with Hollywood agents. Perkins was the agent for How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale by Jenna Jameson, which made the New York Times best-seller list for seven weeks. She was also the agent for J.K. Rowling: The Wizard Behind Harry Potter by Marc Shapiro, which was on the NY Times Children’s best-seller list.

In addition, Perkins is the author of four books –The Cheapskate’s Guide to Entertainment: How to Throw Fabulous Parties on a Budget, excerpted in Redbook and Family Circle magazines The Insider’s Guide to Getting a Literary Agent, chosen by Amazon.com as one of the top 100 books on writing; and The Everything Family Guide to Washington D.C. and The Everything Family Guide to New York. She has also written numerous articles on publishing for Writer’s Digest and Publisher’s Weekly.

Prior to becoming an agent, Perkins was a journalist who received her B.A. in journalism and art history from N.Y.U., where she later taught feature article writing. She was the founder and publisher of a local newspaper in Upper Manhattan.

Perkins is a native New Yorker with a 17 -year-old son who attends the Bronx High School of Science, just like his mom.

Fatally Yours: What does horror mean to you?

Lori Perkins: Wow. Good question. My first reaction was that I better strap myself in for this interview.  And that’s what good horror means to me too – a ride that will make me hold on for dear life.

Fatally Yours: How did you fall in love with the horror genre? 

Lori Perkins: Through Dark Shadows, a daily horror soap opera that riveted me as a kid. And then through books. I loved Poe as a pre-teen. Dracula was the first book I took out of the adult library at 12. Read ‘Salem’s Lot at 14 in Belfast, ME in one sitting with the lights on. I didn’t really see horror movies until I was in high school, although I do remember being scared by Frankenstein.

Fatally Yours: How did your career as a literary agent begin and how did it lead up to your online publishing company, Ravenous Romance? 


Lori Perkins:  I was a journalist when I got out of college and started my own newspaper in Upper Manhattan. One of my editors worked for a literary agent, and said I should be my writers’ agent, since I was always telling them where to sell their articles and what the pitch was. So I sold the newspaper and became an agent, and thought I would represent journalists and authors of the Great American Novel. Except what I was always reading was horror. One day the head of the literary agency asked if anyone in the office had read any books by this guy Stephen King. And when I told her I had read all of them, she said, “Poof. You’re now the horror agent.” And I was. I went into the slush pile, found a bunch of horror novels, and sold four horror first novels in a month.

I’ve been a literary agent for two decades, during which time I have sold more than 250 vampire novels. I love horror from the high brow to the slasher.

When we started Ravenousromance.com, we were going after the established erotic romance ereader. We knew she loved those vampire romances, so we gave her quite a few of them (I think we have seven vampire series at RR as I type). But we also have made a name for ourselves as the epubisher that does really good horror romance, with the launch of Hungry For Your Love, our zombie romance anthology, as well as Hal Bodner’s For the Love of the Dead, our M/M (that’s gay in mainstream fiction) zombie romance novel. We’ve got werewolves (gay and straight) and ghosts and shape-shifters galore. The “paranormal” romance category is a best-seller in women’s eficiton.

Fatally Yours: Why do you choose to pursue horror and romance/erotica as opposed to other literary genres? What interests you in these genres?

Lori Perkins: It’s what I read for pleasure, so I am well-read in it. I believe that to be a successful agent, author or editor in a genre, you have to read what’s been published in both the past and the present.
When I met Dean Koontz as a baby agent in 1987, he told me that I was pretty well-read in the genre for a horror agent, and that also gave me the seal of approval to go forward with it.

I also loved Anais Nin’s Delta of Venus and Little Birds when they were published when I was in high school, and was disappointed that no one else was writing anything like that. When I was a teen-ager, I wrote in my journal that I wanted to establish a women’s erotica magazine when I grew up. Ravenousromance.com is really not that far from that dream.

Fatally Yours: What criteria do you use for Ravenous Romance when going through book submissions? Have you ever turned something down because it was too explicit/violent/gory/etc.?

Lori Perkins: RR novels must be erotic romances, which means they must have happy ever after or happy for now endings. And they must develop the love relationship. We’ve had one novel that was too gory, so we asked the author to cut to white space for the gore. The book has received high praise from the readership, so it was the right move for our audience. But I’m a good editor, and a fixer by nature, so I can usually fix anything. It’s up to the author to go along with my suggestions.

Fatally Yours: What sub-genres in horror (vampires, zombies, werewolves, etc.) and romance are you sick of? What sub-genres do you want to see more of?

Lori Perkins: You can always re-invent the mythos, so I am never sick of anything. I know that just when you think you can never read another teen vampire novel, one will come along that will blow you away.

Fatally Yours: Has the Twilight trend helped supernatural adult books sell more?

Lori Perkins:  I think it’s more Laurel K. Hamilton and Sherlyn Kenyon, and the success of HBO’s version of Charlaine Harris’ series with True Blood. Twilight is really aimed at the teen market, although we know those mothers want to run off with Edward too.

Fatally Yours: How have the horror and/or romance literary genres changed from when you first started in the business?

Lori Perkins: ‘80’s horror was very Judeo/Christian with a smattering of American Indian/Hispanic/voodoo mythos and the main characters were all white males and the books were set in the suburbs. Today, you cannot sell a male dominated horror novel, and the more diversity you have, the better.

Fatally Yours: Has there been any subject or trend that has surprised you with its popularity? 

Lori Perkins: I wasn’t surprised by the zombie trend, as much as I was amazed by its scope. This is by far the most creative zombie epidemic we’ve seen, and there is just so much more to come.  I loved Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and was really happy to see the big budget Zombieland.

I am personally thrilled by all this vampire/zombie apocalypse fiction.  I thought I was the only one prepared for that particular end of the world.

Fatally Yours: Why do you think vampires are always so hot and sexy in erotic fiction? What other monsters would you like to see sexed up?

Lori Perkins: Vampires are the ultimate bad boys, which are a staple of romance fiction.  And so oral, please! In the words of Stephen King, “who wouldn’t want to stay up all night and live forever?”
I have never understood why Succubae and Incubi haven’t made it big in erotic fiction, as well as ghosts. I think shapeshifters will be big next year.

Fatally Yours: Do you think the characters in traditional “bodice rippers” have evolved from the stereotypical helpless female and macho male that saves her to stronger, more independent women and more sensitive men or are the characters pretty much the same? 

Lori Perkins: They’re the same, but with contemporary mores. The alpha male’s a werewolf instead of a pilot or cop, and the women is an educated every woman vet who happens be a perfect match for his DNA, and her biological clock has been ticking since 30.

Fatally Yours: Overall, do you think female characters in romance novels set feminism back or advance it forward? How and why?

Lori Perkins: Both. The paranormal female characters are exponentially more kick ass (like Buffy), but ultimately she’s still looking to be swept off her feet. In paranormal fiction, she can at least save his ass (and sometimes she’s more physically powerful in her supernatural state, she gets to sweep him off his feet – or at least knock him on his ass).

Romance novels are not issue oriented – they are relationship oriented, so that is where this fiction can advance feminism. Certainly the men in these pages do more dishes and baby-sitting and foreplay than the men of the general population. And they are much more emotionally available.

Sometimes the manipulation that the characters have to use in order to get to that happy ending seems retro.

Fatally Yours: It seems that horror films and novels have always featured sex and violence. Why do you think the two have successfully been paired? What is the attraction between sex and violence?

Lori Perkins: Sex and violence are both roller coaster rides. They both release the same endorphins.

Fatally Yours: Why do you think the romance novel genre is mainly dominated by females? Do women authors also dominate the horror-romance/supernatural romance genre?

Lori Perkins: Women buy 75% of all books published books, so they know what they want to read. As long as horror romance follows the paranormal romance format, it will be written by women. But a man could take the format and turn it inside out and have a break out novel, sort of like what Robert James Waller did with Bridges of Madison County.

Fatally Yours: The audience for horror-romance novels is obviously a bit different from the standard romance novel audience. Who would you say is the target audience for the horror-romance hybrid novels?

Lori Perkins:  It’s three audiences – women who love romances, both the men and women who love erotica, and horror readers, but horror readers were described to me in the ‘80’s as 17 year old boys and their 35 year old mothers. Today, these readers also encompass the 55 year-old boomers, so maybe this is the way to grab three generations of readers.

Fatally Yours: What different perspectives can women bring to the literary industry, as authors, agents, publishers or otherwise, that are lacking in men’s perspectives?

Lori Perkins: The sexuality is very different. Much less objectification; much more internal analysis. We’ve had 50 years of the male gaze in erotic writing. Now it’s time for the female perspective, which pays attention to different details. Women also pay much more attention to the nuance of relationships, not only between men and women, but parents and children and friends and co-workers.

Fatally Yours: What advice would you give women who want a career in the literary world?

Lori Perkins: Pay attention to what’s being published and then write what you love.  Follow your own fantasies and make them more universal. Work on your craft. Read. Write every day, but write for your own pleasure. Never give up.

Fatally Yours: Who are your favorite horror authors and what are your favorite horror novels? What are your favorite romance novels and who are your favorite authors?

Lori Perkins: Stephen King, by far. I have read everything he’s written. I also love Peter Struab, who has mastered telling a story like peeling an onion. Ghost Story is one of the best horror novels ever written. I have always loved Poe. I could re-read Dracula every year. Misery is my favorite King novel (and it was genius they way he wove the romance novel into the horror novel). I also loved ‘Salem’s Lot, which is Dracula set in a small American town and the death of a small town.

My taste in romance novels is a little lite.  I loved Cheryl Brook’s Cat Star Chronicles.  Our own RR titles, Ripping the Bodice and Knight Moves are two of my favorites in this genre.

Fatally Yours: What was the last good book in the horror genre that you read? What was the last good horror film you saw?

Lori Perkins: I’m just about finished Under the Dome and loving it. I really loved Zombieland (which was a zombie romance). I just saw American Zombie, which I thought was really well-done. And I finally just saw Cemetery Man, which is a ‘90s Italian zombie romance that is fantastic and one of a kind.

Fatally Yours: What are your goals for yourself within the literary world?

Lori Perkins: When I was a teenager, I wanted to start that women’s erotic magazine. As a young adult, I gave my neighborhood an award-winning local newspaper. As a young agent, I wanted to find the next Anne Rice or Stephen King. In mid-life, I wanted to make sure that some of the writers I loved continued to publish (John Skipp, Nancy Collins). And I guess I wanted to prove that the horror genre had room to expand – I sold Polly Frost’s collection of erotic horror stories to Tor, Deep Inside.

I think all genre fiction can thrive in the ebook market. I think books are too expensive to be mass-market impulse purchases at the price they currently command. I think that if books sell for about $5 a pop, more people will read more books. And that’s what I’d love to see happen with ebooks.

Fatally Yours: Where can people find more info on you?

Lori Perkins: I write two blogs, agentinthemiddle.blogspot.com and ravenousromance.com.  I’m also on twitter as @LoriPerkinsRR, and on Facebook. Since I work two jobs, and put in 16 hours a day, you can usually find me and what I’m reading, editing and even eating.