Writer, Interviewer Tiffany Blem:
To start, please introduce yourself
My name is Tiffany Blem. I’m EIC of pophorror.com. I specialize in interviews with the occasional review, though those are few and far between. I write almost exclusively for PopHorror, and occasionally for Morbidly Beautiful, where I also help out with their social media. I have also written for Nightmarish Conjurings. I recently had a short story included in a horror anthology, A Scream in the Night 3. I’ve loved horror since a very young age and I have my older sister to credit for showing me my first horror film, Poltergeist II, when I was six. She still denies it to this day, but I remember watching it at her house and being terrified of the tequila worm. She’s asked me before why I watch so much horror and how I got into it, and it’s always nice to remind her that she’s the reason. I love going to horror conventions, going to the movies, reading, and watching trash TV in my spare time while cuddling my three dogs.
What is horror to you, what makes a work of art one in the horror genre?
To me, horror is tapping into that part of us that gives us a certain type of thrill. It lets us fight alongside those on the screen as they run, maim, kill, and just try to survive without having to actually, you know, get hurt or worse, die. It’s a lesson in camaraderie as we try to save our friends. It lets us view the world through the lens of a serial killer or monster without having to play the part. And sometimes, it’s fun to watch those who we hate get what they rightfully deserve. I don’t walk away from a comedy or drama with the same feelings that I walk away with after watching a horror movie. It’s the horror movies that I tell people about and that my friends and I discuss and celebrate. Horror movies stay with me in ways other films don’t. But at the end of the day, it’s all just make-believe. I go home and onto other things and get to do it all over again the next day without any real devastation or repercussions. And horror is also what brought me most of my best friends and the community that feels like home.
What made you want to work in horror?
I got into writing about horror just on a whim. My friend Tori kept asking me to come write for her site. Tori was the EIC of PopHorror before me. I kept telling her no because I don’t have very strong writing skills and I tend to procrastinate. But she set me up with an interview right off the bat. It was with filmmaker Lou Simon for her film, 3: An Eye for an Eye. This was back in 2018. As I started doing more and more, I realized that interviewing people wasn’t so much about my writing skills but being able to forge a connection with someone and have an in-depth conversation. I am so incredibly lucky for the opportunities I’ve had to speak with some of my most favorite people in the genre. In the last five years, I’ve done over 300 interviews with some of the best in the business. And for that, I am forever grateful to Tori for taking a chance on me and just letting me do my thing. It’s the most amazing thing to be able to speak with someone whose work has impacted my life in such a meaningful way.
In January 2023, when Tori decided she wanted to step down as EIC, she came to me and asked if I wanted the gig. I didn’t even hesitate. I couldn’t let the website that had given me a platform and had become such a huge part of my life go down in flames. While it’s nowhere near perfect, I like to think that we give our writers a place to speak their minds while talking about the genre that they love. I hope that they find a catharsis in writing for us.
Where do you get your inspiration?
I am inspired by my passion for horror and for the opportunities that I get. It’s also very inspiring to think of someone, even if it’s just one person, reading something I’ve written.
What would you like your legacy to be in the genre (or elsewhere)?
I hope to be remembered as a woman who loved horror, her friends and family, and for the amazing conversations and connections I’ve made throughout my life. I don’t need to be recognized as some great talent or as someone who changed the face of the genre, because I know that’s not true. I just want it to be like, “Oh, Tiffany Blem? Yeah, she was one cool horror chick.”
Who are some of the Women in Horror who you look up to and who do you want to bring attention to in your field or others?
I want to bring attention to all the women who are just living their best lives doing something that they love, whether it’s writing, making art, making films, being in a band, whatever you fancy. I want my friends to be recognized for the true horror ladies that they are.
What are you currently working on that you can tell us about?
I am currently just working on the PopHorror website and picking up interviews when I can. You can find us at pophorror.com, or me specifically at pophorror.com/author/kweentiph. You can also find me on Facebook under my name, and on Instagram and X as kweentiph (I know my handle isn’t very horror-y but I’ve had it since 1999). If you are in the Phoenix area, you’ll probably see me at the next horror convention.