Meet Kolleen Carney Hoepfner, contributing editor at Fangoria:
To start, please introduce yourself:
My name is Kolleen Carney Hoepfner. I am a writer, originally from Massachusetts, now living in Burbank, CA. I have an MFA in poetry and just completed my first novel. I am a contributing editor for Fangoria and assist in running Dead Right Horror Trivia, a monthly horror trivia event in Burbank, hosted by Dr. Rebekah McKendry and Jared Rivet.
What is horror to you, what makes a work of art one in the horror genre?
Anything that preys upon one’s darkest and most secret insecurities and fears is what usually constitutes horror for me. My favorite horror films are The Changeling and Let the Right One In, two movies that revolve around the fear of loss, loneliness. I’m also interested in vice as a horror concept. Requiem for a Dream comes to mind. Is it “horror”? Maybe not technically, but I have seen few movies that tap into the horror of vice as well as that one does. Vice is one of my main focuses in my own work, and in my own life. How vice can lead to horrific things. Hell, even Nosferatu is about vice.
What made you want to work in horror?
It’s funny. I was terrified of horror movies as a kid. I couldn’t even look at the VHS covers at our local rental place. I would memorize where each book store displayed Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark so I wouldn’t have to walk down that aisle. I was, for lack of a better term, a wuss. I started getting into horror in high school to impress a boy. The boy came and went but the horror stayed.
I don’t work in horror the same way as my friends do. I’ve written a couple short scripts, and a few dozen short stories, my favorite of which (“In the Forest There is Every Type of Bird”) revolves around a young woman who is not quite human, feeding off the older man with whom she’s in an inappropriate relationship with. I think it’s one of the best things I’ve ever written. But I’m not, say, a filmmaker or actor or anything like that.
I love editing more than I love writing. I love horror movies and so I would attend DRHT, go see movies, stuff like that. And I used to freelance for Birth.Movies.Death, where I wrote some articles about horror, one on Gerald’s Game, one on Argento’s Trauma. And when most of the staff moved to Fangoria, eventually I found myself in an editing position thanks to Phil Nobile and Meredith Borders. I take editing so seriously, and it’s such a privilege to help with Fangoria in this small way. Two articles I edited were nominated for Rondo Awards, including a massive interview between Terrifier’s Lauren LaVera and David Howard Thornton. That felt really cool.
As of last year I also started covering SoCal conventions, representing Fangoria in that capacity. And what an absolute joy to do be able to do that. I love the convention circuit, the convention families you create when you do horror conventions often. It’s so great. So I never really set out to work in horror, it just happened.
Where do you get your inspiration?
I’m a big film gal so a lot of my inspiration comes from pop culture, Twin Peaks, erotic thrillers, stuff like that.
What would you like your legacy to be in the genre (or elsewhere)?
I don’t think I’m important enough to have a legacy, to be honest, and that’s ok with me. I like being behind the scenes with stuff.
What is Women in Horror Month to you and why is it still important this many years later?
We are at a tough crossroads in America, and have been for the last decade. Uplifting women in all areas is crucial, of course. And, like, we don’t just cease to exist after March, but it’s nice to have a focused month to really celebrate the women in the horror community, which does feel male-driven a lot.
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’m always very impressed with Dr. Rebekah McKendry, though I’m not quite sure where she gets the time or energy to do as much as she does! Being here in Los Angeles I’m fortunate enough to know so many women in the horror circles, Chelsea Stardust, Sophia Cacciola, Ama Lea.. there’s just so many. And beyond the confines of Los Angeles, there are so many amazing women in horror with podcasts that are just so fucking rad… I’m a big fan of Blerdy Massacre, with Xero Gravity and Sharai the Slayer. God, they rule. They should move here. And there’s a lot of women involved in Fangoria that are just incredible, Meredith Borders and Kimberly Leszak. I’m fortunate to know so many wonderful people.
What are you currently working on that you can tell us about?
I am still at work on edits for my novel, FIST, and am in the mind-numbing process of finding a publisher for it. Fiction is not my wheelhouse and it’s so much more complicated than poetry. I have another novel, JACK, that I hope to get back to eventually, and am beginning to outline another book. There’s always something I’m working on.
Where can readers keep up with you?
I’m most active on Twitter (@KolleenCarney) and Instagram (@kolleenbee).
I’m most active on Twitter (@KolleenCarney) and Instagram (@kolleenbee).