Writer, music video director Scarlett Amaris:
To start, please introduce yourself:
Hi. I’m Scarlett Amaris. I’m a screenwriter, novelist – and now music video director! I co-wrote H.P. Lovecraft’s COLOR OUT OF SPACE (starring Nicolas Cage), earning me a finalist spot for the Horror Writers Association’s Superior Achievement in a Screenplay. My work includes the horror anthology THE THEATRE BIZARRE and the award-winning documentary L’AUTRE MONDE. A featured writer for The Heretic Magazine, I presented at the Magickal Women Conference and taught courses on 20th-century witchcraft and mythological deities. I’ve written dark fiction, and my essays appear in anthologies like Making Magic Happen: Selected Essays from the Inaugural Magical Women Conference, and I frequently speak on podcasts about occultism, witchcraft, and creativity. I also directed my first music video for Scarlett Seraphim called NAIL ME DOWN which is on YouTube and has been playing in competition at various film festivals around the world.
What is horror to you, what makes a work of art one in the horror genre?
That’s a big question. I guess it’s the ability to take one on a journey through the darkness to learn what needs to be learned to bring things to the light. It’s also about being entertained through fear. My favorite kind of horror is supernatural horror. I love the atmospheric creeping dread aspect of it all. I think smart ideas and original execution make a work of art in the horror genre. I’m always excited when I see things that have a definitive style and are smartly conceived and written. This doesn’t necessarily mean expensive, but you can see the time and the love has been taken to make something the best that it can possibly be–and to make it different and memorable.
What made you want to work in horror?
I’ve always loved the horror genre. My gateway was books, and DARK SHADOWS, and Mario Bava films. I was a creepy kid, and then a goth, and that has never changed–my tastes have stayed the same my whole life. I did, however, kind of fall into working in horror. But once I wrote my first horror script, there was no looking back.
Where do you get your inspiration?
I love weird fiction (obviously). I’ve led a magical life (for better or for worse) and have always followed my passions as far as I can take them. I’m obsessed with mythology, and the supernatural, and the intersection of magic and so-called reality. I’m deeply invested in the magical community here in LA, and in Europe as well. I’m dedicated to the maxim of ‘Know Thyself’ which I believe is best navigated through the creative process. And the process of knowing oneself deals with all the terrible things we’d rather keep locked away in the darkest corner of our soul.
What would you like your legacy to be in the genre (or elsewhere)?
I’d love to be known for making elevated supernatural horror that has real resonance. I also would like to be known for living my life with as much passion and magic as I give my projects–if that makes sense. I want to both create it and live it at the same time.
What is Women in Horror Month to you and why is it still important this many years later?
Back when I started in 2010 in Europe, I always joked that I was part of the one percent in horror. I remember when they started the first women in horror initiative at Sitges and what a genius fucking idea I thought that was. Women supporting and championing other women is the way to survive in this business. It’s the way we grow sharp teeth and claws and break through the boundaries and traps that have been imposed on us as women. I love the fact that I see so many talented women writers and directors today making astounding work, and I hope and pray that is a trend that continues. I have faith.
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?
My idols are Mary Shelley and Shirley Jackson. Let’s see, for modern female directors there’s Rose Glass (SAINT MAUD, LOVE LIES BLEEDING), Arkasha Stevenson (THE FIRST OMEN), Chloe Okuno (THE WATCHER), and Charlotte Colbert (SHE WILL). They’ve all created amazing work. I could go on and on but will leave it there.
What are you currently working on that you can tell us about?
I finished writing a feature last year called HELLEBORE which is a modern adaptation of the short story, Ancient Sorceries, by Algernon Blackwood. HELLEBORE is a full-on vicious psychedelic folk horror mindfuck of a script. I’m pretty pleased with it. I’m working on another horror feature right now but can’t talk about it yet. I’m preparing to direct some promos for the symphony which are an uncanny black-and-white mixture of experimental and retro styles ala PANDORA’S BOX. And I’ll be directing another music video for Scarlett Seraphim’s upcoming EP in May which I’m really looking forward to. Also, I should mention the Finnish documentary, SHADOWLAND, here which had its premiere at Beyond Fest in LA last November. It’s still doing the festival circuit but will be available on streaming in the near future. I’m actually in the documentary talking about a real-life horror story that is stranger than fiction. SHADOWLAND has been getting a lot of great press, and I’m thrilled to have been a small part of it.
Where can readers keep up with you?
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ScarlettAmaris
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/scarlettamaris/
