Meet Hope Madden, writer-director-producer-critic-podcaster-horror nerd:
To start, please introduce yourself:
Hi Emilie, I’m Hope Madden. I’m a writer/director/producer (also film critic, podcaster, horror nerd).
What is horror to you, what makes a work of art one in the horror genre?
I find horror to be the most accessible, open and cathartic of all genres. It lets you (as the creator or as the viewer) tackle real worries in an entertaining way because the problem—domestic violence, childhood trauma, political oppression, clowns—can be represented metaphorically. And however it turns out for the characters, the viewer experiences the horror of it all and survives. Whew!
What made you want to work in horror?
It’s where I’m most at home. It’s how my brain works. I couldn’t write a romantic comedy with a gun to my head, but I could write about a reluctant writer being forced to write a romantic comedy with a gun to their head.
Horror is the genre most accepting of people because it’s made by, for, and about outsiders. One of us, one of us!—that’s the power of horror and the reason it’s forever popular. We’re vulnerable, we share our fears, we participate in and embrace each other’s fears, and we support each other’s strengths.
In a time where women, all trans people, everyone in the LGBTQ+ community, all people of color and so many other people are being erased and silenced, in horror we can still scream. And murder.
Where do you get your inspiration?
I write down interesting things people say—random people, random things. I keep a little notebook on me all the time. And I peruse these gems and sometimes use a line as an opening sentence.
Other times it’s an experience. My first novel, Roost, came from how weird it was to grow up in a small town where the sheriff genuinely believed we had witch covens in the surrounding corn fields. The world is weird.
What would you like your legacy to be in the genre (or elsewhere)?
I hope that I’ve encouraged a love of this genre. My husband and I have a podcast and film series called Fright Club, and the whole point of it is to draw attention to all the brilliant, bold, amazing and underseen horror out there and make sure people know about it.
What is Women in Horror Month to you and why is it still important this many years later?
People (usually people who don’t like horror anyway) often say the genre is misogynistic. I actually think it’s been the genre most embracing of women as writers, directors, producers, heroes, villains, crew members. This is a month to celebrate us, to remind people that Amy Holden Jones made a hilarious, smart, subversively feminist slasher so cool that even Quentin Tarantino lifted from it. And that Mary Harron made the most perfect horror comedy in history. And that Nia DaCosta managed to do the unthinkable: create a reboot that exceeded the quality of a classic. We’re unstoppable and people need to remember that.
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 love and look up to Brooklyn Ewing, who was the cinematographer for my feature, Obstacle Corpse. She’s made two features of her own—She Was So Pretty and She Was So Pretty 2: Be Good for Goodness Sake—movies that she wrote, directed, produced, costume designed, set designed, did everything. And even with all that experience, she could not have been more supportive or kind to me when I was a real novice.
I also really admire Dusty Austin, who does it all: writes, directs, produces, edits, does blood fx, acts. Her film The Beast of Walton St. is a treasure everyone should see, but what I find most amazing about Dusty is the way she sincerely supports and lifts up everyone around her. I don’t think I’ve ever met a kinder or more supportive soul.
What are you currently working on that you can tell us about?
My second novel, Killer Pictures (about murder at a horror film festival), should be released later this year. I have one short film (Basement Buddy) just finishing its festival run and another (al fresco), that I wrote and my husband George Wolf directed, just starting its run.
I have one anthology of microshorts called Villain Diaries in production now, and we will shoot a new short in April. I have two features in development, and I will make my proper acting debut this year with two different films (god help us).
Where can readers keep up with you? (social and whatnots go here)
Fright Club podcast