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.” One of the women, who was kind enough to answer our questions, was the terrific owner/editor-in-chief of Horror Bound Charlotte Hollingsworth. Lets see what she said about being a “Woman in Horror”…
-PH: When did you first become a horror fan?
-Charlotte: I saw Jaws for the first time when I was about 5 which scarred me for life, and then The Witches and shortly after that The Birds and Psycho. So, by the time I was 10 I was obsessed and renting everything I could from the video store. I can’t really remember a time in my life before my horror fascination started. But the true obsession began when I saw Scream for the first time at 11 and it really captured my imagination.
-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?
-Charlotte: I had moved to a new city and was feeling quite lonely; my spouse wasn’t interested in horror and I didn’t have any one to talk to about it. I created a little blog on blogspot and wrote about horror movies to myself. That was 8 years ago. About 3 years ago my blog was getting a lot of love and I was finding a community to join. But I was also seeing so many negative reviews of horror movies and click bait titles, so I bought the domain name for Horror Bound and turned it into a “positive reviews only” site and started hiring writers. I just wanted a happy, positive space to love horror.
-PH: Since you’ve become a horror fan and woman in horror, have you always had the support of friends and family or did you have some explaining to do?
-Charlotte: Luckily, yes. My parents have always encouraged me and given me free reign to read/watch whatever I wanted. My coworkers in my regular day job constantly help me promote my site and support my writing. And I finally convinced my spouse to start watching horror and now he’s turned into a supportive fan!
-PH: What does having a “Women in Horror” month mean to you?
-Charlotte: It’s a time to just let women speak and promote without judgement or criticism. I’ve always been cautious sharing my opinions online, or promoting my work because of the constant backlash I’ve gotten just from having a vagina. It’s like it instantly invalidates your opinion. I think women are also less likely to push their own content. February allows all of us to celebrate each other, hold each other up, and prove that we have every right to be here.
-PH: Is there a woman in horror who you consider a role model? How have they effected your life in and outside of horror?
-Charlotte: I have so many! I think the main two though are Rebekah McKendry who continues to make waves in the horror community and has been such an icon for me growing up. And Andrea Subissati who is the Executive Editor of Rue Morgue and co-hosts the incredible podcast The Faculty of Horror. Both those women constantly inspire me and also make time to help promote women in horror and lift up those who need it.
-PH: How do you think the role of women in horror has changed since you got involved in horror? Have you personally noticed a change from when you started?
-Charlotte: Yes and no. I’ve been heavily involved for 8 years and there’s definitely sub parts of the horror community that have not changed. I think we also see in the industry how hard it can be for women to direct, to produce, to have their stories told. But I’ve also met and hired a lot of great men who have lifted and supported all of us females in the community so there’s always a ray of hope.
-PH: What do you think the future holds for women in horror?
-Charlotte: Females are strong as hell. There is no ceiling to what we can do if we support each other.
-PH: This is Women in Horror Month 11…how long do you think we will continue to celebrate this month before women get the recognition they deserve?
*cut to me looking like the lady from the Titanic* it’s been 84 years…..
-PH: If you could serve a role in horror that you’ve never done, what would it be?
-Charlotte: I’ve always wanted to be one of those super random credits at the end of a movie like “female victim with one leg” or like “woman with tentacles”.
-PH: Who is your favorite final girl, and favorite female villain?
-Charlotte: Forever and always, Sidney Prescott will be my favorite final girl. She has inspired me for over a decade and I always think “what would Sidney do” when I’m faced with challenges. Favorite female villain is Jennifer from Jennifer’s body.
-PH: Being that this is PromoteHorror.com, please feel free to plug your current/next horror project.
-Charlotte: You can follow me and my writers over at twitter at @horrorboundblog and on Instagram @horrorboundblog and you can find all our content at horrorbound.net.
We would like to thank Charlotte Hollingsworth for taking the time to answer our questions, but more importantly for her contribution to horror!