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Horror Writers Association: Interview with VP Lisa Morton

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The Horror Writers Association (HWA) can help authors not only with their determination to produce an effective work, but encourage them to take risks and examine approaches to techniques with encouragement coming from masters of the field such as HWA member Stephen King.

Stephen King

Stephen King supports HWA writers and readers with a “Horror Selfie”

Horror writers have a difficult task. In order to accomplish their goals—to scare people—they must incorporate all other genres into their narratives. For instance in order to suspend a reader’s beliefs, a horror novelist will use elements of romance, mystery and drama into a character’s story. A romance novel need not require the spice of horror to gratify its readers, neither does a dramatic piece nor a comedic one.  But the burden of a horror writer is to explore human nature and adjust it believably to give credence to the characters living inside it.

Bugs2Through the centuries there have been many names that are synonymous with horror: Mary Shelly, Bram Stoker and Edgar Allen Poe. Today, with the help of technology, many writers can publish works on their own, create blogs or post in social media. But there is one organization that is committed to bringing excellence into the world of horror literature no matter what medium a writer wishes to display his or her talents.

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is a non-profit organization that encourages writers to explore their interests, hone their craft and publish their works. With over 1200 members, this group encourages and affords authors and readers to connect with their dark sides and express them by way of good storytelling.

Horror Writers Association

Horror Writers Association

In 1985, Dean Koontz, Robert McCammon and Joe Lansdale created the HWA, forever giving horror writers a place to connect, share their works with others who seek to do the same.

In an exclusive interview with iHorror.com, Lisa Morton, Vice President of HWA, says that the non-profit organization places a lot of effort not only on existing authors and works, but also those that are interested in the genre.

“In addition to its primary goal of promoting the horror genre,” she says, “it also offers many other programs and services, including writing scholarships, library outreach, mentoring for new writers, hardship loans for established writers who need a helping hand, and much more.”

Morton also explains that some authors can submit works for consideration into the HWA’s published works, “For its writing members, HWA offers numerous ways to promote new releases, and also offers members the chance to be included in exclusive anthologies – we just, for example, announced our upcoming Young Adult anthology SCARY OUT THERE, to be published by Simon and Schuster, and we’re now accepting members’ submissions for that book,” she says.

Anthology BloodLite with contributing HWA members

Anthology BloodLite with contributing HWA members

In the 1980’s, horror literature exploded across the market. Horror writers such as Stephen King, Peter Straub and Clive Barker; all HWA members, filled bookstore shelves with bestsellers. It was then that modern horror literature was accepted as more mainstream, and a lucrative market was born.  “While I’m not sure HWA can claim to have been a real influence on the genre, there’s no question that HWA has had a major impact on the careers of many popular horror authors who have shaped the genre.” Morton told iHorror.

Anybody with an interest in the genre can join the HWA. There are different levels of membership, active or supportive, but the benefits that come with being a member at any level are worth the cost. Morton encourages writers who may not truly understand the power of their gift to join HWA.

“All members receive our fantastic monthly newsletter, may recommend works for the Bram Stoker Award, and may submit to our various publications (which also include things like our highly-publicized seasonal “Halloween Haunts” blog). In addition, Active members may vote on the Bram Stoker Awards or serve on award juries, receive assistance in resolving publishing disputes from our Grievance Committee, or serve as officers in the organization. For more information on joining, please visit https://www.horror.org .”

Bram Stoker Award

Bram Stoker Award

The Bram Stoker award is given out to an exceptional pieces of work each year as voted upon by the Association in specific divisions. Morton explains: “They’re currently handed out in eleven different categories – including First Novel, Screenplay, and Graphic Novel – and are presented at a gala banquet held in a different city each year (they’re also streamed live online). A work may appear on the preliminary ballot by either receiving member recommendations or being chosen by a jury, and HWA’s Active members then vote to select the nominees and, finally, the winners.”

Horror writers are committed to their craft because it allows them to tap into the darkest natures of the human spirit. Creating worlds of terror and uncertainty are places that readers can go, but know they will emerge unharmed and satisfied. The HWA can be a support system that embraces a writer’s potential without prejudice, and therefore feel free to manipulate their created world in which a reader might become uncomfortable. “Horror is primal and intense. It forces us to peer into our darkest corners, and yet allows us to return safely. The 19th century Gothic writers believed horror (or, as they referred to it, terror) could even provide a transcendent experience.”

HWA supports horror writers

HWA supports horror writers

As for the future of the HWA, there are many plans to continue the support of horror writers and their craft. The Association is looking to produce local chapters, and from there work to reaching to social networks and other forms of media.

“We have several big goals we’re working on right now,“ Morton says, “one is to organize regional chapters for all of our members – chapters in Toronto, Los Angeles, and New York have proven how effective our members can be when they participate in local activities. Another major goal is publicity – for the first time we have a team of hard-working pros who are exploring new ways to promote the genre and HWA. Our “Horror Selfies” campaign – which has generated literally millions of hits on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and our own websites – is just the tip of the iceberg. And we want to continue to expand our scholarship offerings and our involvement in literacy programs.”

Prime Cuts by HWA member Jasper Bark

“Stuck on You” by HWA member Jasper Bark

Through the centuries, the horror genre has transformed and grown in many different directions, from poetry to graphic novels, from plays to motion pictures. The HWA embraces those artists that wish to seek out an avenue for their works and understands that any one or more of those budding writers could quite possibly become the next major contributor to the genre.

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Melissa Barrera Says ‘Scary Movie VI’ Would Be “Fun To Do”

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Melissa Barrera might literally get the last laugh on Spyglass thanks to a possible Scary Movie sequel. Paramount and Miramax are seeing the right opportunity to bring the satirical franchise back into the fold and announced last week one might be in production as early as this fall.

The last chapter of the Scary Movie franchise was almost a decade ago and since the series lampoons thematic horror movies and pop culture trends, it would seem they have a lot of content to draw ideas from, including the recent reboot of slasher series Scream.

Barerra, who starred as final girl Samantha in those movies was abruptly fired from the latest chapter, Scream VII, for expressing what Spyglass interpreted as “antisemitism,” after the actress came out in support of Palestine on social media.

Even though the drama wasn’t a laughing matter, Barrera might get her chance to parody Sam in Scary Movie VI. That is if the opportunity arises. In an interview with Inverse, the 33-year-old actress was asked about Scary Movie VI, and her reply was intriguing.

“I always loved those movies,” the actress told Inverse. “When I saw it announced, I was like, ‘Oh, that would be fun. That would be so fun to do.’”

That “fun to do” part could be construed as a passive pitch to Paramount, but that’s open to interpretation.

Just like in her franchise, Scary Movie also has a legacy cast including Anna Faris and Regina Hall. There is no word yet on if either of those actors will appear in the reboot. With or without them, Barrera is still a fan of the comedies. “They have the iconic cast that did it, so we’ll see what goes on with that. I’m just excited to see a new one,” she told the publication.

Barrera is currently celebrating the box office success of her latest horror movie Abigail.

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Thrills and Chills: Ranking ‘Radio Silence’ Films from Bloody Brilliant to Just Bloody

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Radio Silence Films

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, and Chad Villella are all filmmakers under the collective label called Radio Silence. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are the primary directors under that moniker while Villella produces.

They have gained popularity over the past 13 years and their films have become known as having a certain Radio Silence “signature.” They are bloody, usually contain monsters, and have breakneck action sequences. Their recent film Abigail exemplifies that signature and is perhaps their best film yet. They are currently working on a reboot of John Carpenter’s Escape From New York.

We thought we would go through the list of projects they have directed and rank them from high to low. None of the movies and shorts on this list are bad, they all have their merits. These rankings from top to bottom are just ones we felt showcased their talents the best.

We didn’t include movies they produced but didn’t direct.

#1. Abigail

An update to the second film on this list, Abagail is the natural progression of Radio Silence’s love of lockdown horror. It follows in pretty much the same footsteps of Ready or Not, but manages to go one better — make it about vampires.

Abigail

#2. Ready or Not

This film put Radio Silence on the map. While not as successful at the box office as some of their other films, Ready or Not proved that the team could step outside their limited anthology space and create a fun, thrilling, and bloody adventure-length film.

Ready or Not

#3. Scream (2022)

While Scream will always be a polarizing franchise, this prequel, sequel, reboot — however you want to label it showed just how much Radio Silence knew the source material. It wasn’t lazy or cash-grabby, just a good time with legendary characters we love and new ones who grew on us.

Scream (2022)

#4 Southbound (The Way Out)

Radio Silence tosses their found footage modus operandi for this anthology film. Responsible for the bookend stories, they create a terrifying world in their segment titled The Way Out, which involves strange floating beings and some sort of time loop. It’s kind of the first time we see their work without a shaky cam. If we were to rank this entire film, it would remain at this position on the list.

Southbound

#5. V/H/S (10/31/98)

The film that started it all for Radio Silence. Or should we say the segment that started it all. Even though this isn’t feature-length what they managed to do with the time they had was very good. Their chapter was titled 10/31/98, a found-footage short involving a group of friends who crash what they think is a staged exorcism only to learn not to assume things on Halloween night.

V/H/S

#6. Scream VI

Cranking up the action, moving to the big city and letting Ghostface use a shotgun, Scream VI turned the franchise on its head. Like their first one, this film played with canon and managed to win over a lot of fans in its direction, but alienated others for coloring too far outside the lines of Wes Craven’s beloved series. If any sequel was showing how the trope was going stale it was Scream VI, but it managed to squeeze some fresh blood out of this nearly three-decade mainstay.

Scream VI

#7. Devil’s Due

Fairly underrated, this, Radio Silence’s first feature-length film, is a sampler of things they took from V/H/S. It was filmed in an omnipresent found footage style, showcasing a form of possession, and features clueless men. Since this was their first bonafide major studio job it’s a wonderful touchstone to see how far they have come with their storytelling.

Devil’s Due

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Perhaps the Scariest, Most Disturbing Series of The Year

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You may have never heard of Richard Gadd, but that will probably change after this month. His mini-series Baby Reindeer just hit Netflix and it’s a terrifying deep dive into abuse, addiction, and mental illness. What is even scarier is that it’s based on Gadd’s real-life hardships.

The crux of the story is about a man named Donny Dunn played by Gadd who wants to be a stand-up comedian, but it’s not working out so well thanks to stage fright stemming from his insecurity.

One day at his day job he meets a woman named Martha, played to unhinged perfection by Jessica Gunning, who is instantly charmed by Donny’s kindness and good looks. It doesn’t take long before she nicknames him “Baby Reindeer” and begins to relentlessly stalk him. But that is just the apex of Donny’s problems, he has his own incredibly disturbing issues.

This mini-series should come with a lot of triggers, so just be warned it is not for the faint of heart. The horrors here don’t come from blood and gore, but from physical and mental abuse that go beyond any physiological thriller you may have ever seen.

“It’s very emotionally true, obviously: I was severely stalked and severely abused,” Gadd said to People, explaining why he changed some aspects of the story. “But we wanted it to exist in the sphere of art, as well as protect the people it’s based on.”

The series has gained momentum thanks to positive word-of-mouth, and Gadd is getting used to the notoriety.

“It’s clearly struck a chord,” he told The Guardian. “I really did believe in it, but it’s taken off so quickly that I do feel a bit windswept.”

You can stream Baby Reindeer on Netflix right now.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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