This fall semester, I’m fortunate to teach my Horror Literature and Film class again. Last week, one of my students asked for book recommendations, something to really scare her. Because I only have 16 weeks, I typically include 3-4 novels in the class. Mind you, we also cover films. I promised the student I’d share with the class a list of my favorite horror novels. Here’s my working list, though I’ll probably add to it.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
in my opinion, Jackson’s second to last novel, The Haunting of Hill House, is a flawless novel with richly drawn characters, especially the protagonist, Eleanor, and the cultured Theo. Hill House functions as a ghost story, for sure, but it’s also about Eleanor’s increasing isolation and mental health struggles, especially the guilt she feels over her dead mother. This is also a book that I typically keep on the syllabus for my course, no matter other changes I make. Years after its publication, the scene when Eleanor wakes in the middle of the night and cries out, “Whose hand was I holding?” remains just as chilling today.
We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
Kliewer’s We Used to Live Here began as a serialized novel on Reddit before its recent publication. The story follows a young queer couple, Charlie and Eve, who flip houses. They can’t believe the deal they discover on a house in a beautiful neighborhood. Then, suddenly, a man and his family show up, knock on the door, and ask to look around. Not long after the strange family arrives, eerie occurrences transpire. Charlie suddenly goes missing and Eve questions her sanity. This is a real mind-bender of a book that buildings to a powerful and jolting conclusion. It’s one of my favorite horror novels of the last few years.
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
it’s hard to pick just one Paul Tremblay novel to include on this list, but I’ll go with A Head Full of Ghosts, a book that’s very aware of exorcism tropes and references them, all while telling its own demonic possession story, or maybe, it’s simply a novel about a family rattled with economic anxiety. The book experiments with narrative and includes blog posts, as well as plenty of references to The Exorcist. After 14-year-old Majorie Barrett starts displaying signs of possession, the book ramps up the scares, but it’s also a heartfelt and emotional story about a troubled family at its breaking point.
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed and Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enriquez
Argentinian writer Mariana Enriquez has been compared to the likes of Shirley Jackson and Borges, and for good reason. She has quite a body of work, but I recommend starting with her short story collections The Dangers of Smoking in Bed and/or Things We Lost in the Fire. Her stories are strange, surreal, and eerie. Some of them also function well as political allegories. She’s one of my favorite contemporary genre writers and a heck of a powerful voice.
Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
Agustina Bazterrica is another Argentianian writer who is a must read. The less i say about Tender Is the Flesh, the better. Go into this dystopian novel totally blind. Trust me, once you finish it, you won’t be able to shake the haunting and bleak ending. This novel has lots to say about capitalism and exploitation.
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
This British body horror novel is as chilling and moving as any other novel on this list. Armfield’s book follows a lesbian married couple, Miri and Leah, who become distant and unmoored after one of them returns from a deeply disturbing and catastrophic deep-sea dive. The novel takes an even stranger turn when Leah starts coughing up salt water and displaying other odd symptoms. This book combines elements of body horror with Lovecraftian terror. It’s also a heartbreakingly beautiful metaphor about a troubled relationship and two people growing apart.
Recently, for 1428 Elm, I had the chance to interview Madison Lawlor and Orion Smith, who play a young Ed and Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring: Last Rites. The two talked about the research they did before stepping into the roles as the famous paranormal investigators. They’re also open to reprising the roles, should the series continue beyond this fourth movie. You can read the full interview here. I also included some of it below.
The Conjuring: Last Rites focuses on the Smurl haunting. The Smurls were a family from West Pittston, PA who claimed they were haunted by demonic spirits. The case drew a firestorm of local and national attention. Because The Conjuring: Last Rites made so much money this past weekend, and surprisingly had the highest opening weekend out of any of The Conjuring films, it’s unlikely this is the end for the franchise. That said, it does seem likely Verma Farmiga and Patrick Wilson are done with that universe. We’ll see.
First of all, what was it like to play the younger versions Ed and Lorraine Warren?
Madison Lawlor: It definitely felt like big shoes to fill. The Conjuring universe has built this amazing fanbase and so much of that is due to the relationship between Ed and Lorraine and Vera and Patrick. I just wanted to do it justice and honor them and the world they built.
Orion Smith: I remember that even just getting the audition for this was so cool. Then, we got the callback and got cast for the parts. There was so much excitement, but we realized we had to deliver on this. It was such an honor to play the younger versions of them. There was pressure there, but I was so glad everything turned out well, and the movie is being acknowledged as it should. I just feel so grateful.
How much research into the Warrens did you do prior to this film?
Orion Smith: It was a mixture of the real Ed Warren and what’s been created in The Conjuring universe by Patrick Wilson. I spent a lot of time watching their interviews and reading their real cases and trying to get a grasp of who they were as people and what they were like growing up, especially since we played the younger version of them. I then let all of that go and honed in on what’s been created in previous movies and appreciating the incredible relationship that Ed and Lorraine have in these movies and really honing in on who they are in that way.
Madison Lawlor: The production sent us a ton of footage and interviews that we could watch beforehand, which was very helpful. As Orion said, the version that a lot of people know of Lorraine is the version that Vera has beautifully brought to screen. I spent a lot of time studying her, the way she moves, the mannerisms, and the way she speaks, so hopefully the younger version would have a sense of familiarity with the audience.
Were you able to talk to Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson at all while filming? If so, did they give you any advice about inhabiting the lives of these famous paranormal investigators?
Madison Lawlor: They were incredibly kind, warm, and generous. Vera sat down with me. She has so much knowledge about Lorraine and this world. She was an open book. She taught me how to do the rosary wrap the way that she does it. She was also incredibly encouraging. She said to have ownership over this and to bring a freshness to it. She was incredibly cool, kind, and generous with her time.
Orion Smith: Same with Patrick. He sat down with me. We went through, beat by beat, my whole sequence. We talked about the voice, Ed Warren, and all these different things. It really gave me a grasp of who Ed is and how he loves Lorraine more than anything.
What was it like shooting that nerve-jangling birth scene at the hospital? Was it as intense as it comes across in the film?
Madison Lawlor: It was incredibly intense. We shot, even just the end part of that scene, over three days. It takes a lot of physical stamina that I think is hard to play around with. It was draining and exhausting, but also beautifully satisfying. It’s such a team sport. You’re in that room with all of these other amazing actors and amazing sets. I was able to work with a midwife who talked me through the reality of what a traumatic birth feels like. There was so much support there, but at the same time, it’s physically uncomfortable. You’re on a hard, tiny, medical cot. You’re in this crazy position, and it was very exhausting. My body was physically sore. I was really concerned about losing my voice, but it was a trip. It was crazy.
Orion Smith: The physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion was real. I felt like my job was to be there for Madison, and as Ed, to be there for Lorraine and to be present as she went through this immensely traumatic experience.
This is supposed to be the final Conjuring movie, but if you’re asked back, would you return as Ed and Lorraine? This is hypothetical and nothing has been announced yet.
Madison Lawlor: I’d be grateful to be part of any of it. They built this incredible world, and it would be so fun to explore.
Orion Smith: Even from the perspective of a fan of the franchise, it’s so interesting to think about how they began. Their origin story is such an interesting concept to me. I’d be honored.
Last fall, during Fantastic Fest, I had the chance to interview director Stuart Ortiz about his film Strange Harvest: Occult Murders in the Inland Empire, and stars Peter Zizzo and Terri Apple, who play detectives Joe Kirby and Alexis Taylor. The film is currently in theaters, and while Weapons has dominated the genre conversation lately, I highly recommend Ortiz’s film. It’s a deeply unsettling and grisly take on true crime. Since the movie just had its theatrical release, I thought it would be a good time to share the interview, which was initially published over at HorrorBuzz.
Stuart, what made you want to film a faux true crime documentary? Is it simply because of the culture’s obsession with serial killers?
Stuart Ortiz: In my first film, Grave Encounters, which is a found footage film, we had a little bit of documentary elements in that. I always thought it was a cool approach to a horror movie and a horror story that I haven’t seen utilized that much. It was always on my mind, trying to return to that and do something that was a documentary horror movie.
During COVID, Tiger King came out. It was a phenomenon. Tiger King, at its core, is basically a true crime story. Even though it has all this other silly stuff, it’s basically a true crime story. It occurred to me that true crime was huge and everywhere. It wasn’t just a small thing. It really had legs.
I was also very influenced by True Detective. I’ve always been a fan of police procedurals. When you inject a bit of weird, uncanny, otherworldly stuff, it’s perfect for me. It’s up my alley creatively.
The Mr. Shiny character was kind of a conglomeration. Some of the Zodiac Killer is in there. His motivations are not the more conventional. Our killer in the film has his own motivations that are otherworldly. He’s obsessed with this mythology and a cult element. If I had to say there were any serial killers [that influenced the film], probably David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam killer. He thought he was talking to some entity. There was this guy, Herbert Mullin, who killed because he thought an earthquake would destroy the world if he didn’t. These were guys who were driven by a higher purpose in their minds. I kind of used them as examples.
Peter and Terri, can you talk about playing these two detectives and also how you dealt with subject matter that’s so heavy, and at times, shocking?
Terri Apple: It was very interesting because I get freaked out by this kind of thing, even though I watch a lot of it. When I was a kid, my father owned a building, and they had Halloween there. I never went through the haunted house. It freaked me out. My dad took me to meet all the actors in character. Then, he finally convinced me to go through the house, which was a four-story building. It was such a funny thing. I thought I could do this character. That’s what got me onto set.
I realized it looked really realistic, but I have a big empathy for this. I’m also fascinated by serial murders and the genre in general. From that perspective, I always thought if I wasn’t an actor, I would have loved to have been someone who helped solve serial murders in real life.
In general, I liked playing her [Det. Alexis Taylor] as real as possible. That was her passion, to get to the bottom and solve this because of her childhood and her background.
Peter Zizzo: Like Stuart and Terri, I’m already a big fan of the genres, both horror and true crime. I immediately was drawn to the approach to this film and wanted to bring as much realism to a character that requires the buying in of the viewer.
My therapist knows a retired New York City homicide detective. I got on the phone with him a couple of times and had him tell me stories. I really paid attention when he described some horrific things. There was a certain grace about the guy and a certain empathy that somehow came through this matter-of-fact way he’d describe really horrible things. I thought it was a great lens to view my character through. You can see behind his eyes that there’s a lot of sorrow.
Stuart really specified that he wanted micro expressions. I thought it was a cool thing for me to bring to this character. It wasn’t just me sitting there, running lines in a suit. It also led me to work on my voice a little bit.
There’s a moment in the film when a victim’s mother says that the names of serial killers become infamous, but too often, we forget the victims. Does anyone want to comment on that powerful concept?
Stuart Ortiz: I think that is completely true. That’s just the reality of the times we live in. There’s been a fascination with these killers. It’s a sad truth that their victims are lost in the shuffle. They become numbers and faceless names. It’s a tragedy. It was important in this to highlight the victims. They couldn’t be left out or on the sidelines.
Terri Apple: I worked with Find the Children about 20 years ago. I went into schools to talk about missing kids. It really always has been a personal passion. I do think the police need a stronger thorough thread to connect these victims and to give these victims a platform. It is true that serial killers get a bigger name. We’re desensitized now. I think it’s important to emotionally connect with the families.
When I walk in on that family, in the beginning of the movie, it’s real. It does happen. It’s a real family. It’s a true component.
Peter Zizzo: Typically, in life, when you hear about something horribly tragic, one of the things you’ll say is, God, I can’t imagine what that must be like. With most horror films, you don’t have to imagine. They show you the kills and the horror all the time. With this film, you have two level-headed narrators that walk you through these unbelievable, horrific things. I think it involves more empathy and more shock when you imagine what it must have been like. You just see the end result.
Terri and I, our characters, talk to you calmly about how their blood was drained. You can see it really bothers us, but you don’t see it happen. You hear about it, and in a way, that’s almost doubly effective. It’s a great approach to a horror film.
It feels like each murder case we learn about is more brutal than the last. Can you talk about filming some of those gruesome scenes?
Terri Apple: I want to jump in from a woman’s perspective and from the character’s perspective. I thought I wasn’t going to be able to handle it. Stuart and I had a conversation about it. I told him I couldn’t do it. The character could do it, but I can’t do it. Peter had no problem with it. [Laughs]. I was freaked out for a very long time. I kept saying that I can’t. I realized I’d have to be on set with this in actuality. It’s not play acting. You’re recreating. It was so life-like on the set.
I have to tell you I was extremely surprised by the brilliance of the way Stuart set it up. Yes, it’s brutal, but guess what? These murders are freakin’ brutal. It was really weird, but this is the reality of what goes on. I played a character who has a real problem with it, but her passion of solving it was greater. That’s my own perspective, as someone who was so nervous about doing it.
Stuart Ortiz: It was a pivotal thing to try to get the realism right. Tom Savini, a famous make-up artist who did Friday the 13th, Dawn of the Dead, and all of these amazing movies, would talk about how you just know when it’s right and when it looks right. I can’t exactly say what that barometer is for me, but when we set up the bodies and crime scenes, I tried to go for the realism and not have it be more of a Hollywood thing, where it’s cleaner and more presentational with a dead body. It was about the awkwardness and trying to capture the reality of death as closely as we could.
Peter Zizzo: We did a screening in Beverly Hills. Some of the people who came out to support me are my friends, but they don’t necessarily want to see gore and violence. It’s a real testament to the way the film handles it. For them, it was a lot, but they still loved the movie. You have these shots, snippets, and flashes of something. It doesn’t linger enough where you get up and walk out. The film handles it deftly. For those repulsed by violence and gore, I think they can handle this. What I come away with is the story. I think that’s why people that doesn’t necessarily gravitate towards the kill count will also be good with this. It’s just the right amount to freak you out, but it doesn’t feel exploitative.
Terri Apple: With all these really gory movies that we do watch, like Friday the 13th, you’re actually watching people be murdered. Here, we walk into scenes post. This is a different perspective.
Stuart Ortiz: Mostly what you see are things in the aftermath and examine crime scenes after things have happened. I think that’s why true crime is so popular. It gives people who listen to it or watch it a context and safe space to experience these horrible things. It’s always with commentary. Your hand is held through the whole thing. Usually, it’s something that happened in the past. It’s not a direct threat now.
I think that helped us with our film. Even though we do have horrific crime scenes and violence, it’s always with the examination and lens of a true crime documentary. Like Terri is saying, it helps people and lessens the blow. It’s a sugar with medicine kind of thing.
Three years ago, during the Fantasia Film Festival, I interviewed Alex Phillips about his feature debut, All Jacked Up and Full of Worms, one of the festival’s buzziest feature debuts, in part because of the shock value and the awesome practical effects. Phillips returned to Fantasia this year with his second film, the steamy erotic thriller Anything that Moves.
His second movie is a love letter to 1970s filmmaking, with its grainy aesthetic, its use of 16 mm film, and the inclusion of adult film actress legends, including Ginger Lynn Allen. For HorrorBuzz, I interviewed Allen and Phillips about the movie. You can read the full interview here. I included some of it below.
Alex, this movie, like your first feature, is so wild and crazy. Where the heck did you get the idea for this film?
Alex Phillips: The seed of the idea came from my work delivering sandwiches. I was a bike delivery kid. I did that when I was in my 20s. I encountered a lot of fun, strange regulars that I would see all the time. I’d get to know them. I was their point of contact in a lot of ways. I did have some shut-ins and some people who were excited to see me. I wanted to expand upon that personal experience and take it to new heights and take my own personal relationships and use genre and poetic imagery and storytelling to link these experiences together.
Can you talk about the film’s aesthetic, especially the fact you shot this in 16 mm? The whole thing feels like a love letter to 1970s filmmaking.
Alex Phillips: I kind of obsessively watch movies and they become the lens of which I see the world. While it is a love letter to the 70s, I think we come by it in an authentic way. We’re trying to engage with real life but do it by recognizing the history of film at the same time. Being able to shoot on 16 was awesome. With this being an erotic thriller, we get this real physical, literal texture to every image. We could sense it in every way. We could smell it, taste it, and feel it. It was great to shoot on film.
Ginger Lynn, what was your experience like being on set for this film and working with a young cast? It seemed like you had a lot of fun. Did you give the younger cast members any advice?
Ginger Lynn Allen: I was lucky because during the beginning of my adult career, everything was shot on 35 mm. I love the feel of film. I love what Alex and everyone put together to make this so amazing.
Ginger Lynn Allen: I’m a bit older these days, as we all get. I didn’t specifically sit anyone down. I tried to make them feel as comfortable as I do in their own skin and just their skin. The movie isn’t about sex for me at all. There’s so much more to it. I think every actor in this movie nailed it. Working with Hal, he was so easy and so comfortable.
There’s a photo that someone took on the set, after we finished filming. There’s a refrigerator, and I have my breasts out, no panties on, and a little apron. Hal has everything out. We’re sitting up next to each other, drinking bottles of water, with all our parts hanging out. I hoped that my comfortableness fed other people’s comfortableness and got rid of their insecurities. I’m going to sound like someone’s mom here, but I was so proud of everyone in this movie. They pulled it off. It was one of my favorite sets to work on. A lot of young people don’t take things as seriously as my generation did, but everyone on this set was pro. I think we all fed off of each other.
Was it difficult balancing the tone of this movie? It’s steamy, funny, and at times, a horror movie. It really mashes up genres and tones.
Alex Phillips: I think that’s what a movie should do. It was in the script, and we shot it with that intention and found it in the edit also, to really nail those shifts. Every element was driving towards these turns that will feel both character-driven and emotional to bring the audience along on this otherwise crazy ride.
Ginger Lynn Allen: It was really interesting to sit with so many people [at the Fantasia premiere] and listen to when they laughed or jumped. I don’t watch my films a lot, but I loved the reaction from the audience. They got it. Don’t’ laugh here, but I think this is a really beautiful film.
Alex Phillips: We really feel for Liam. Hal did a great job of opening up the world of the film. We can access all of this insanity because he’s so grounded and so open. It’s easy to fall in love with him and worry about him.
I’ve probably watched at least 15 movies from this year’s Fantasia’s Film Festival, and The Undertone just may be my favorite. Nina Kiri plays podcaster Evy, who self-medicates to deal with daily stresses, including caring for her ailing mother. Evy and her podcast partner listen to 10 audio files that follow the haunting/possession of Mike and Jessa. The film is a true auditory nightmare with a heck of a performance by Kiri. This feature has the creepiest sound design that I’ve heard in a long time, and the film draws inspiration from the likes of Paranormal Activity and The Exorcist.
As part of my festival coverage for HorrorBuzz, I interviewed the writer/director, Ian Tuason, and Kiri. You can read the full interview here. I also included some of it below. I also reviewed the film, which you can read here.
Can you talk a bit about the experience of shooting this film, since so much of it relies on the audio and sound design and Evy’s reactions to those factors?
Nina Kiri: During the first week, we did most of the podcast stuff and the entire length that’s part of the podcast. We did it in chronological order, which was really helpful. She [Evy] slowly starts to descend and unravel, and it was helpful to do that in chronological order, to be honest. Once that was over and a lot of the dialogue was over, I felt more relaxed. I could live in the scenes more.
Michele came the second week. I think that was really nice for everyone. It brought a new energy that was so much more than what we expected. It didn’t really feel like acting on my own because the person playing Justin [Evy’s podcast co-host] wasn’t yet cast, but someone was on location, in a different room, speaking to me live for every take. It really didn’t feel like I shot the movie on my own and didn’t have any scene partners.
Regarding the audio recordings, I didn’t hear them until the day we shot the scenes. That created an organic response. I never felt alone in the parts where it’s just me, which is a lot of the movie.
Ian Tuason: I didn’t really direct Nina specifically about what to do when she’s listening or even speaking to Justin. She could be looking at anything.
Nina Kiri: It starts nonchalant, with the first audio file, but then it gets creepier and creepier. There’s a weight to it that felt more specific. Instead of just looking around, there’s a lot more concentration. She has to hear things correctly because she’s not sure what’s going on. I think keeping things small until it merits being bigger was a really good choice. I remember thinking that so much of this movie is listening. I don’t want to act while listening. I don’t want to try to make it interesting at all. I want to do what feels right. Then there are moments I realized, while watching it, where it becomes a bigger performance and it really pays off. There’s a lot of stillness, and I think there’s a lot of fear around stillness. But with everything else going on in the movie, it’s enough to be authentically listening.
Talk about the eerie narrative regarding the audio files and the characters of Jessa and Mike. Where did that idea come from, and Nina, what was your experience like hearing those audio files for the first time?
Ian Tuason: Three films creep me out. The Exorcist is number one. Number two is The Blair Witch Project, and number three is Paranormal Activity. Paranormal Activity is what the audio files are. It’s the couple in bed. They’re recording themselves asleep, and that scared me.
Undertone started off as a radio play, something that I was going to publish as a narrative podcast. Then, all of a sudden, life events happened, and I became the caregiver to my parents. I had this script written already for the podcast, and I thought it would be perfect to make into a film. Then, I added my first favorite film, The Exorcist, in between recordings of the podcast. I feel like I combined my two favorite horror genres, which are possession and found footage, except, in this case, it’s found audio, not found footage. That’s why I think people are going to get creeped out. I think everyone will be scared when they watch this movie.
Nina Kiri: It was basically kind of what I said before. It allowed me to have the experience. Because so much of it is me listening and because listening doesn’t have to involve movement or performance, hearing them for the first time felt like a genuine reaction and not put on in any way. It kind of took my brain away from having to think about being compelling or interesting. I was really listening, and they’re so good. Those recordings are incredible. I don’t think there’s much acting involved when you hear something that good. It always makes me feel better as an actor knowing that the director is trying to help me and support me by helping my performance be genuine.
Ian, can you address the film’s incorporation of folklore and the female demon Abyzou?
Ian Tuason: It’s based on an actual demon from the Book of Solomon. I did some research because I wanted to do the same thing that The Exorcist did regarding an ancient entity. When I was writing the story and needed to find a female demon, and one that threatens pregnant women, I found that one. I used it, and then weird stuff started happening in my house. But I saged my house, and it’s fine now.
Once again, I’m incredibly grateful to be covering the Fantasia Film Festival this summer for HorrorBuzz. In terms of genre cinema, Fantasia is one of my favorite fests. To this point, I’ve screened nearly ten films. One of my favorites is Sweetness, the feature debut of writer/director Emma Higgins. It’s a dark coming-of-age tale about music fandom, addiction, and a clash of realities. Watch for this film after it makes its festival rounds. It just premiered at South by Southwest a few months ago before screening at Fantasia. It’s worthy of the buzz it’s generating.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Higgins about the film, including her background as music video director and what she learned as a filmmaker directing music videos. Sweetness certainly has a lot of visual flair. You can read the full interview at HorrorBuzz, but I included some of it below. Keep an eye on Higgins, along with the film’s leads, Kate Hallet, who plays 16-year-old Rylee, and Herman Tommeraas, who plays Rylee’s major crush, the Swedish pop start Payton. They both give knock-out performances.
You have a background directing music videos, and this is very much a film about music, obsession, and creativity. Can you talk about your journey as a director and the journey of this film?
Emma Higgins: I talk a lot about music videos as a really great way for any filmmaker to get their foot in the door and build a reel and find their voice, which it was for me. There are very few barriers of entry. With music videos, it’s a very creative space. You can find a local band or artist who needs visuals. They need something. They’ll have a couple thousand dollars that you can rent a camera with, buy everyone lunch, and shoot something weird. Music videos have no rules. It allowed me to make stuff. I made a lot of music videos. I say to young filmmakers to just make something, and then you have to make something else and something else. It takes a while to find your voice.
I truly found my voice. I think a lot of that comes through in Sweetness, just in finding my sensibilities with camera, with color, with lighting, with framing, with a comfort of being on set and problem solving on the go. Musicians can be crazy people. If you can deal with insane musicians who don’t show up to set and have wild ideas, it trains you for indie film in a way I don’t think anything else quite can.
Was Herman Tømmeraas from the Netflix series Ragnarök always someone in mind for the role of Payton? Tell me about working with him, especially since his role here is so different.
Emma Higgins: We found him in the casting process, and when we did, I didn’t know quite what I was looking for entirely until I saw it in him. He was in Skam in Norway and in Ragnarök, of course. The deciding factor for me is that he read for the role and crushed it. The questions he asked when we discussed the character were informed and intelligent. He’s a very smart and well-researched actor.
He was also a professional dancer. I started watching him on stage in all these dance shows he was doing. He has the charisma. I could see the dark in the acting, but you have to see the other side of it, which is the sparkle, performer, and front man. He had it in spades. He just ticked every box and was lovely to work with. I think I won the lotto when I was introduced to Herman. He’s an angel.
Without spoiling anything, I wanted to touch upon the ways this film deals with addiction, destructive decisions, and even grief. What was it like handling some of those heavier themes?
Emma Higgins: There is a lot of heavy subject matter. Part of the inspiration was meeting fans at shows who were very intentional but hurt as well. When they would tell me that a band saved their life, they really meant it, in a very dark way. When they were perhaps contemplating suicide, a song pulled them from the brink of that. The music can really mean a lot to people and actually be a lifesaver. That is art at its best. I hope that’s what most songwriters are intending when they write songs that can connect with people that deeply.
Addiction itself, too, is not something to be taken lightly at all. Even though this is a fun film, there are themes of choice in it and doing the wrong thing. I think you see that often in both of our leads in the film. They have choices throughout the film to do one thing or the other, and they continue to make the wrong choice for themselves, whether it’s an addiction or obsession.
Kate Hallet, as Rylee, really turns in quite the performance here. What was it like working with her, and was she based on any specific music fans you met in that industry?
Emma Higgins: Working with Kate was incredible. She has an amazing career ahead of her. She’s really, really good at taking direction, even with minute changes, like the way she’ll do something slightly different with her eyes or the delivery of a word that can completely change the tone of a scene. She’s a very nuanced performer, which was very needed. The plot and story are absurdist. It needs to be balanced out with a very grounded performance. She holds that down.
In terms of the basis of the character, yes, it was based on meeting fans, but there’s a lot of me in Rylee. I don’t make the same choices she does, but I do understand. I grew up in the suburbs and remember being her age. I remember feeling very lonely and alienated and just really latching onto, for me, movies, and finding something that made me feel like I had a space I could belong in. It was living in movies for me. What she has for music, I had for films. Eventually, through film, I found my freaky deaky people that chose to make films for a living. It gave me a real sense of family, purpose, and belonging, which, for me, was a lifesaver. I can relate to that desire a lot. I think that gave me a lot of sympathy for the character, too.
Anything else that you’d like to add that we didn’t cover?
Emma Higgins: We really want to get more people to see the film. I talk a lot about who the audience is for the film. As a filmmaker, I think that if you’re trying to make a film for everyone, you’re going to fall short. I really made the film for my own teen self. That’s what I set out to make. Now it’s about finding other people, like music fans, genre fans, and horror fans, the girls as well. It speaks to this girlhood experience. It’s satisfying to know that I could make a movie that was designed for me and there would be people who would love that as well. It makes me feel seen. I’m just very grateful for the experience to show this film.
Recently, I chatted with Fear Street: Prom Queen writer/director Matt Palmer for 1428 Elm about inhabiting the world of R.L. Stine’s books and ’80s slashers. You can read the interview in full here, but I posted some of it below. Fear Street: Prom Queen just dropped on Netflix. Slasher fans should enjoy it.
What was it like to step into the world of R.L. Stine and the Fear Street series?
Matt Palmer: It was exciting. Full disclosure: I think Fear Street was bigger in America than in the U.K. I’ve heard of R.L. Stine and Goosebumps, but this was my introduction to Fear Street. It was jumping into the world of R.L. Stine, but also jumping back into the world of ’80s slashers. It was a combo of those things, which was an incredibly exciting prospect.
This film has some pretty grisly kills and a lot of gore. Did you face any pushback about the level of bloodshed, or did Netflix pretty much allow you to do what you wanted in terms of the gore and the kills?
Matt Palmer: I was waiting for pushback, and then I was very surprised. As much as possible, we did practical effects. There were a few things we couldn’t do only practically. I’m a big fan of the way that Gaspar Noé does practical effects but incorporates digital effects quite seamlessly. Actually, Netflix upped our VFX budget in post-production to enhance the gore and make it more extreme. It was a fantastic moment. Not only did they allow us to do this and not ask us to cut it, but they also asked us for more.
I think there’s been a bit of a sea change in horror over the last 12 months. I think people are pushing back against the PG-13 element of it. They’re ready to go the other way. I think the horror community might be in for quite exciting times. I think things are about to get bloody. [Laughs].
Which slashers served as inspiration for the film?
Matt Palmer: I like slashers generally. My favorites are the slightly more mental ones. I’m a big fan of Pieces, Happy Birthday to Me and Sleepaway Camp. I’m also a big fan of Giallo movies and Argento in particular. I feel like the shadow of Tenebrae hangs quite long over this movie. I love how in an Argento movie, there’s a ritualistic quality when a kill is coming. I thought that when we had a kill coming, we had to bring it home as far as possible and really go to town on those scenes.
I’m also really proud that all of our kill scenes are quite distinct and have quite different tones, pacing, and rhythms. Hopefully, that keeps the audience on its toes.
In terms of the soundtrack, there are some familiar ’80s bangers in the film, including Billy Idol, The Eurythmics, Tiffany, and others. How much say did you have over the soundtrack?
Matt Palmer: Some of the tracks, like Eighth Wonder’s “I’m Not Scared,” were a key track for me. The pulsating quality of that really suggested to me that it had promise visually. The prom scenes should be seen through the young people at prom, but it’s also like an idealized image of that. I felt like “I’m Not Scared” has that throbbing, pulsing quality.
The one thing that did happen is that I picked a few tracks that were very personal to me. I was happy when they came on and were in the edit for a long time. But one of the producers is younger. She’d tell me that a track sounded kind of boring. That’s when the voices were helpful. It was exciting for me because I listened to those tracks when I was 13, but we switched some of those tracks up. A lot of it was to keep the energy up. I picked some slightly down-tempo tunes. Eventually, we found that keeping the pace was the best thing for the movie.
(L-R) India Fowler as Lori Granger and Fina Strazza as Tiffany Falconer in Fear Street: Prom Queen | Netflix
There’s a really great sequence where the two competing prom queens, outcast Lori (India Fowler) and popular girl Tiffany (Fina Strazza), have a dance off. That scene looked like it was a heck of a lot of fun to shoot. Can you talk about directing it?
Matt Palmer: I think it was a lot of fun for everyone, apart from the actresses [Laughs]. That was a really tough scene for India and Fina. Not only are they essentially dancing for a camera, but there were about 150 extras around them. I don’t care who you are. That’s intimidating.
Neither of them are trained dancers. We had a fantastic choreographer who worked with them. It was a tough day and more challenging than some of the elaborate kill scenes actually, but I was really, really happy with what we came out with. Fina, as she dances, her performance falls apart. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, the moves that she’s pulling. They’re all classic ’80s moves gone wrong.
Can you also talk about the dynamic between Tiffany and Lori? They make for good opposing characters and come from such different worlds in terms of their popularity, class, and even family.
Matt Palmer: The producer said it was a story about Lori and Megan (Suzanna Son), but now that I’m looking at the edit, it’s a story about Lori and Tiffany. It’s kind of both. There’s a little bit of an element of Showgirls, just in terms of the catty and camp and snarky and snide stuff.
The Tiffany character was a total joy to write. She’s just a meanie. The interesting thing about Tiffany that I’m pleased with is the moments in the film that you see underneath that front. There’s a vulnerable teenage girl who tries to find herself under that mean girl exterior.
Lori is essentially the opposite. She has that strength, but she needs to go through the grind of the narrative to come out on the other side and really exhibit that strength. There’s a real crossing over. One becomes weaker and the other becomes stronger as the movie goes on.
I’m incredibly grateful to have a poem in the new anthology, Keystone Poetry: Contemporary Poets on Pennsylvania, which just released from Penn State University Press and celebrates the varied landscapes and voices of the state. Edited by Marjorie Maddox and Jerry Wemple, the anthology features 182 poets, including Gerald Stern, Toi Derricotte, Jim Daniels, Sonia Sanchez, Bruce Bond, Terrance Hayes, among others. It also features a number of poets I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know and read with over the years, when I was more involved in the poetry scene, including Dawn Leas, David Bauman, Amy Small-McKinney, and others. I’m thrilled to share the pages with them.
If you’re interested in ordering a copy, here’s a link. For a list of readings across the state, in support of the anthology, please see below.
A few years ago, at the NeMLA Conference, I presented a paper on representations of capitalism in The Amityville Horror, The Stuff, and Day of the Dead. Since then, I’ve revised the essay and focused more on the singular movies, including George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead, the last film in his initial zombie trilogy, which began with Night of the Living Dead in 1968. While that initial trilogy still feels biting and important as whole, right now, Day of the Dead feels most relevant for its critique of capitalism and hypermasculinity. It’s also the only film from that trilogy to feature a female protagonist.
Day of the Dead is a cynical conclusion to the initial trilogy, a film where fascistic military men rule. Yet, unlike Night and Dawn, Day proposes some potential alternatives to capitalism. That makes it radical, and, coupled with its critique of toxic masculinity through the might makes right military characters, Day resonates right now, especially for its female perspective.
After a lot of revision, my essay on Day of the Dead finally found a home at Bright Lights Film Journal. You can read it here.
Recently, for HorrorBuzz, I had the honor of interviewing FX wiz Alec Gillis (Starship Toopers, Alien 3, Death Becomes Her), on celebrating Roger Corman for his birthday this Saturday. Gillis, who started his career at Corman’s New World Cinema, working alongside the likes of James Cameron, will host a double feature in honor of Corman for Shout! TV’s double take series.
Talk about your relationship to Roger Corman and working for New World Cinema.
Alec Gillis: I was very fortunate, at 19 years old, to get an interview to work on a movie called Battle Beyond the Stars. I interviewed with the visual effects department. I brought along a friend that I met a year earlier by the name of James Cameron. This was when he delivered books for the school district. It was that era. Roger was not at that initial meeting, but when we did finally get brought on and hired, we got to meet Roger. He sat behind a giant glass desk. He was a very imperious and intimidating character. He was very tall. He had a booming voice. He was warm enough but there was a wall there. I thought he was really impressive.
I’d then see him around the studio, which was in Venice, California. He bought an old lumber company that went out of business. You’d never know it was a special effects studio. He had prime real estate in Venice Beach. We were all talented up-and-comers that couldn’t believe our luck to be working on a movie, even if it was a knock-off of Star Wars.
Corman is one of the true godfathers of American independent films. He was also known for doing whatever he could to save a buck. Did that prove challenging in terms of the special effects department?
Alec Gillis: I didn’t know any better because I came from my own Super 8 movies in my mother’s garage. This was totally extravagant to me. It was the case for a lot of us. When you’re not in it for the money and you’re excited about any opportunity, it feels like an absolute playground.
Speaking of Roger’s creativity, he was an opportunist. I say that in a positive way. He had a gift for maximizing the assets. I remember once when we were shooting Battle Beyond the Stars we came in and stuff was rearranged on the set. Someone said to us that Roger was here this weekend. He was shooting another movie on the weekend for the Spanish market. He had a whole other movie on the weekends. [Laughs]. I always respected that. I can’t say that every Roger Corman movie was a great, or even a good movie, but there’s something about them. They were fun to work on, and they gave a lot of talented people a foot in the door. That’s part of why he’s so beloved.
What can we expect from your involvement with Shout! TV’s Double Take Series?
Alec Gillis: I chose Battle Beyond the Stars and Galaxy of Terror because those are the two biggest Corman films I worked on. Galaxy of Terror was great. I’d take a quarter off from going to UCLA Film School and then go back to work. That was a great steppingstone for James Cameron as well. I’m going to talk about what it was like back then, what the circumstances were, and specifics about the movies.
What did you apply to later films that you learned on those Corman productions?
Alec Gillis:Battle Beyond the Stars was a great team. Bill Paxton was a carpenter on that film. Gale Anne Hurd was around, though not on that film. James Cameron was there. These are lifelong relationships, and I’m very grateful for that. Galaxy of Terror was my first experience on an exclusively monster-making crew. It taught me that you could literally pull things out of your ear, if you have enough talent, and roll with a lack of time and a lack of resources and not to fear that. That’s a big lesson from Roger. Sometimes, the lack of resources and the parameters are your friend. It can be better than having unlimited time.
What else can we look forward to from you?
Alec Gillis: We have our own Corman-like, indie film called Wellwood. It’s full of practical effects. We shot it on a budget and it’s out in the world now. You can stream it. On Instagram, we’re posting a bunch of behind-the-scenes stuff now.
Brian Fanelli 