Women in Horror Month Interview with Writer Jessica Byard

As you may know, February is “Women in Horror” month. To celebrate, PromoteHorror.com asked women from different professions if they would like to answer some questions about being a “Woman in Horror,” and more. One of those women, who was kind enough to answer our questions, was writer Jessica Byard. Lets see what she said about being a “Woman in Horror”…

-PH: When did you first become a horror fan?

-Jessica: I’ve been a fan of horror and all things horror adjacent since I was a kid. I have distinct memories of watching Universal Monster movies when I was about 7 or 8. Growing up with Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, a grand majority of TV consumption like Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rocko’s Modern Life, and more walked a thin line between absurdist humor for kids and some gnarly themes and images.

-PH: Was there a specific moment when you realized that you wanted to go from being a fan of horror to a woman who contributes to the genre, or did it just kind of happen naturally?

-Jessica: I think I always wanted to be involved in the genre, I wrote and drew a lot as a kid. Writing followed me into adulthood but I didn’t think making horror was much of an option in Ohio so I gravitated writing about the genre and got involved with several websites. I ended up writing for Bloody-Disgusting for a few years and got to meet a lot of fantastic people in the horror community as well as interview a few of my favorites like Brad Dourif and Stuart Gordon.

-PH: What does having a “Women in Horror” month mean to you?

-Jessica: Growing up in Ohio, I didn’t have a lot of friends “irl” who loved the genre like I did and the ones who were moderately interested were never other women. Now, I know a ton of horror-loving ladies both in my real life and online. I would have been thrilled to meet all these women when I was a teen. Having a Women In Horror month creates a bridge from an isolated fan to a community of fans like you.

-PH: Is there a woman in horror who you consider a role model?

-Jessica: Currently? I’d say Rebekah McKendry of the Shock Waves podcast is a fucking spectacular woman. She co-hosts the most successful horror podcast around, is a god damned Doctor of horror studies, makes shorts and features and has the cutest horror family around. Seriously, she’s a star and I want to know what witch she sold her soul to, to manage everything so flawlessly.

-PH: What do you think the future holds for women in horror?

-Jessica: It holds nothing but endless possibility. With consumer technology being what it is and only getting better, women are picking up and making their own dreams happen. It’s a fantastic time to be a fan and a creator because we have access to so much more information and so many more people than we ever did. Every year I turn to indie and foreign horror because it’s where the most diverse and interesting voices are living.

-PH: If you could serve a role in horror that you’ve never done, what would it be?

-Jessica: I’d like to try my hand at directing sometime, I have several projects I’m bouncing around currently that I might take on directing for.

-PH: Who is your favorite final girl, and favorite female villain?

-Jessica: Nancy Thompson is easily my favorite final girl. Nightmare on Elm Street was the first viscerally terrifying movie I saw and it fucked me up in the best way (Final girl runners up – Ellen Ripley, Kirsty Cotton, Vanita “Stretch” Brock of TCM2)

-PH: Being that this is PromoteHorror.com, please feel free to plug your current/next horror project.

Jessica: Social media links:

https://twitter.com/WriterJessByard
https://www.instagram.com/writerjessbyard/

https://jesshicks.contently.com/

We would like to thank Jessica Byard for taking the time to answer our questions, but more importantly for her contribution to horror!

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