The short answer to this bullshit question is “Have you ever seen what I look like? I’m not exactly a male model. You would have to be bat-shit crazy to read a self help book from someone who looks like me.”
I didn’t set out to write horror, hell I didn’t set out to write. When I started writing, horror was the only natural choice for me. When I first started exploring my creative side, I was originally a musician. Music allowed for me to transform my thoughts and feelings into an emotionally electrical form that would be conducted (pardon the pun) to other people. After all, song lyrics are nothing more than POEtry. (See where this is going my fiends?)
Years later I was on a haunted tour in New Orleans when I heard the legend of Delphine Lalaurie. If you are not familiar with her now is a good time to Google her. (Who says horror isn’t educational?) I didn’t think much of the story at the time but years later I heard it again and I could not get it out of my head.
One part of the story really stood out to me and I thought “That would be a mother of a scene if it was in a movie!” I later found out that a movie has never been made about it, but in my opinion there needed to be. Well you know what they say, “If you want something done right…”
I started writing the screenplay “LaLaurie” but each kill scene brewed up other sinister idea for more stories. Only these ideas didn’t fit into the legend but like hell if I was going to let these be forgotten! Maybe they would make for a good song…or short story.
And that is how my cerebral sewage that I call short stories began.
Someone was interviewing me over a few drinks once about this topic (okay actually, I was just drunk and thought the dog was asking me rather deep and reflective questions) and I realized something. Horror is the only literary genre that is named after the human feeling that it provokes when it is read. Think about it. Sci-Fi/Fantasy? Nope. Fiction? Never felt it. Romance? A noun yes, but not an emotion. (While I’m on this topic please allow me clear something up right now. I’m probably going to get my man card pulled for exposing this but here it goes. Ladies, men like reading romance novels and watching chick flicks too. We just call it “Penthouse Forum” and “porn”.)
Horror when done right has always elicited an emotion in me that I appreciated more than any other. It cannot be a cheap pop, done with transparent blood, and God forbid CGI effects that are used to drive the whole story (insert a potshot at any recent action/paranormal movie here). I take horror seriously. The horror genre has the most exclusive fans. Not everything is allowed to get by because we know what we like and we don’t like is people screwing with it (insert most opinions on horror remakes here). Ask any horror fan and they will tell you “I like this, but I can’t stand that. That is scary, but this is not! That book/film sucks but this one is great and I can tell you why!” Who wouldn’t be proud to be in a group that can rationalize intelligently, amid dialogue pertaining to their own delectations? And if you didn’t follow that, you can Google that while you’re there also.
So that is the long answer to as of why I write horror. It is what I’m qualified for, it’s what comes natural, and most importantly, it’s what I enjoy. But now that I think about it… Actually I am rather damn good looking. Well, at least compared to Little Wayne.
This week Renfield’s choice of movies is “JON” by William Instone, the album “Walk Through Exits Only” by Phil Anselmo. SUPPORT INDEPENDENT HORROR!
Until next time, rest in pieces my little ghouls.
Renfield Rasputin