Bernie. F
“I wanted to be as brave, tough AND tender as Nancy⸺who was all these things even when the worst possible events were happening to her. Memories of Nancy’s triumph when confronting her tormentor head-on would stick with me through some really tough times later in life. ”
Favourite genre of horror?
Ghost movies or Slashers
What movies would I recommend in that genre:
Memento Mori (1999), Ju-on The Grudge (2002), It Follows (2014) (FIGHT ME, I think It Follows totally counts as a ghost film)
As for slashers, I would recommend some slashers that flip the genre on its head like - The Final Girls (2015), You're Next (2011), Happy Death Day (2017), Strangers Prey At Night (2018).
What are my favorite horror movies?:
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Black Christmas (1974)
Hellraiser (1988)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
The Thing (1982)
Horror of Dracula (1958)
AND I'll stop there because the list could just go on and on
What was the last horror movie that actually scared me?
Probably Midsommar. Didn't really scare me in the traditional sense, just made me feel a huge horrible sense of dread the entire time.
What is my favourite moment from a horror movie?
The moment that lives completely rent-free in my head is the arrival of all the cenobites in Hellraiser.
Why is horror special for you?
Horror has just always been a consistent thing in my life. I find it incredibly comforting and kind of wholesome in a way. I also find that it is one of the most exploratory genres out there - horror filmmakers really try to push themselves to the limits, especially in recent years.
What character in a horror do you relate to most and why?
I personally relate the most to Nancy from the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. Not so much because I see myself as a direct one to one with her, but because I see all the qualities I aspire to be in her, pure gentleness combined with badassness.
How do your friends and family feel about your horror obsession?
To my friends I am just the horror person, THE person to ask for a horror recommendation. However, this also means that my friends are constantly surprised when I say the last film I watched wasn't a horror movie of some kind. My family's reaction is a mix between quiet despair and indifference.
When did you fall head over heels in love with the horror genre?
I honestly cannot really remember a time in my life when I didn't love horror movies.
Do you have any Halloween traditions?
My main Halloween tradition between the ages of 11 and 18 was obsessively waiting for a new video in the Cinemassacre Monster Madness series that was uploaded every day in October for years and years. While I would love to have more Halloween celebrations these days, I currently settle for trying to watch a spooky film or play a spooky game - if I have time.
If you could go back in time and experience the midnight premiere of any horror movie, what would you choose?
100% I would want to go back and see the original premiere of the Exorcist. I think only hearing stories of the mass hysteria it caused does not do justice to the insane energy that must have been running through the crowd at the time. Alternatively, I would also love to go and see the original release of ANY William Castle film - maybe The Tingler (1959)?
What's the spookiest place you've ever visited?
When I was about 12/13, my Dad, Step-Mum, younger brother and I went to visit my aunt in the borders region of Scotland. We stayed in this tiny little cabin that was at the bottom of a hill. For some reason, one of the rooms was filled with really creepy looking dolls, and every other room in the house also had at least one doll in it. The room my brother and I were staying in had a particularly terrifying doll that we both agreed needed to be removed. So we put the doll in a different room, propped up onto a chair. The next day we woke up and got ready for the day and we found the doll had moved into a different position. Both our parental figures denied that they had moved the doll, and it completely freaked us out, to the extent we couldn't sleep.