During the 2023 Chicago Fan Expo, I attended a horror panel discussion about what inspires them, influences them and other tidbits when your life revolves around horror.
The panelists were of:
Lauren Bolger – a novelist specializing in the supernatural
Shawnna Deresch – Co-Chair of the Chicagoland Chapter of Horror Writers Association who has written anthologies with a religious backdrop
Brian Pinkerton – combining horror with comedy, he self-described himself as an “experimental in nature” of a writer
Michael Allen Rose – writer of 11 horror novels
They begin with asking, why horror?
Michael answers with noting that the most visceral reactions are because of these three things: erotica, horror and comedy. The way people have an emotional response before your brain can understand what happened is of intrigue for writers, especially in horror.
Shawnna shared that she likes writing in what she called, “controlled chaos.” Writing on mental health has helped and attracted her as a form of escape. Because of these coping mechanisms, she said, “We usually are outcasts but horror community is very loving.”
Mike agrees, explaining that there are so many nice people in horror because they get to exercise the darkness out.
Brian shared that he likes it when horror is representing something. Examples include how Godzilla is a metaphor to the atomic bomb or that Get Out is about racism. He also shared that filmmaker, John Waters goes to prisons to teach horror writing to help inmates on other ways to cope their frustrations.
The next question was, What scares you?
Lauren first spoke with the relatable, “something bad happening to my family.”
Mike shared he wanted to write horror so it can be his friend instead of always being afraid.
“I want to control this thing and be a friend to that fear and make it work for me.”
Michael Allen Rose
First book to scare you?
Shawna – Salem’s Lot
Lauren – Goosebumps’ Cuckoo Clock of Doom
Brian – Maurice Sendak’s In The Night Kitchen and Richard Matheson’s Born of Man and Woman
Mike – Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark’s The Big Toe
First tv and film that made you want to be a writer?
Mike – Twilight Zone
Lauren – Jurassic Park, Raiders Of The Lost Arc, and Event Horizon
What recent movies scared you now?
Lauren – Heredity – it combined the psychological, supernatural and family horror which is what her book, Kill Radio also combines.
Shawna – anything religious horror because she was brought up religiously and fear the same things the stories do. The most famous example is The Exorcist.
Brian – anything to do with the body/medical horror, especially when it comes to some sort of surgery. They point to David Cronenberg’s films as often in this category.
Is there anything off limit in writing horror?
This came with some thoughtful debate, should you write about real life events like a school shooting, and other examples. Is it writing that serves the story or is it just for shock value? Mike said something that really summed up this question:
“There is no limit to creativity but freedom of speech does not mean freedom of consequence.”
Michael Allen Rose
Audience Question: while horror movies, even if bad can become cult classics but what about bad horror books?
The panel answered that horror is so niche so those who read it love it but a book does require more time commitment so the audience is less forgiving.
Audience Question: How do you research?
Shawna does write religious horror and she consults with a demonologist and priests, etc.
The writers also share they typically like researching and getting into the world they are creating. If it has to do with a body horror, they research more on the body, consult with doctors, etc.
Overall, the panel was informative to hear from some writers on a niche genre that gets a bad rep sometimes. It was nice to learn their process and how they became friends with what scared them.
*Image is from Tara Jabbari
