Interview with horror PhD student and Ghouls Magazine Contributor, Lakkaya Palmer
Can you tell us about yourself and your work?
My name is Lakkaya Palmer, I am 24 and from London, U.K. I am a PhD researcher in Film Studies at University College London, exploring Ferocious Fatherhood: A Crisis in Masculinity in American Horror Cinema (1970-1991). To develop the concept of the Ferocious Father, I aim to examine characters and narratives to identify how horror films construct moral messages around fatherhood that both shapes and is shaped by ideals of the family and masculinity.
When I am not researching about masculinity and fatherhood, you can find me watching either a good old Anime (I say this but end up re-watching Attack on Titan or Tokyo Ghoul) or reading the works of Junji Ito, now I am reading Venus in The Blind Spot (2020).
What was the first thing you encountered that made you fall in love with horror?
Honestly, it was during my BA History degree, as weird as it sounds. On a whim, I took a ‘British Horror Film’ class, which was weird at the time, that we were allowed to take modules across disciples, but I chose the class anyway, as I was getting slightly tired of learning about the Medieval Period and the printing press. My mother had always been an extremely big fan of possession films and ghost stories, so I was no stranger to horror, but had never connected to a horror film before, not on a deeper level.
Anyway, so I took the class, and a couple of weeks went by, and I was considering dropping the module because I was not grasping any of the psychoanalytic concepts, nor liking any of the films that we had to watch. Then on week 3, I remember watching Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971) and thinking WOW. That was the one film that just clicked with me, I loved everything about it from the landscape to portrayal of the teenagers running around and dabbling in satanism and the occult. The reading for that week was Barbara Creed’s, The Monstrous Feminine (1993) and I learned for the first time how and why horror film was populated with depictions of female monsters, I cross-referenced that to the depiction of Angel Blake in Blood on Satan’s Claw, whilst tying the film to its social, political and cultural contexts. After that, I never viewed horror films in the same way, ever again. I started to analyse every character, every landscape and situated the film within the context of its time.
It is funny though, the professor who ran the module said that he no longer screens that particular film on the course anymore due to its unpopularity. Yet, a particular favourite film of the students in the class was Don't Look Now (1973) which I hated so much!!! It became an ongoing joke between my friends and I, that I would write double the number of essays for that particular lecturer if I persuaded him to remove it from the module. Of course, this is now an ultimate cosmic joke.
Who have been some of the biggest influences on your content and love of horror?
The works of Piers Haggard, Robin Hardy, Micheal Reeves, Robert Eggers, Neil Jordan, and Ari Aster to name a few of the directors that have been a big influence for me and discovering my love of horror film through finding the subgenre of Folk Horror. There is just something so enthralling and encapsulating about the genre, with the new ways fighting against the old, a sense of community and a connection with nature. I have always been an avid reader of fairy tales and mythology too, and in some ways, I think the works of Grimms Brothers and Hans Christian Anderson have had a profound impact on how I view horror films. Because what are fairy tales, if not horror tales in book form?
Another influence would have to be my mother. She has always been a sucker for a ghost story or two, as I mentioned earlier, she always watches possession and ghost films. I remember being younger and I would gaze over at her in her element watching The Haunting Connecticut (2009); The Amityville Horror (1979); and her personal favourite The Others (2001). There was always something so heartwarming about sitting next to my mother, with ghost stories at the ready, anxiously awaiting a good old scare. Although I did not feel as connected to horror at the time, I cannot help but feel her influence from introducing me to the genre, to begin with. From time to time she tries to convince me that ‘ghost stories make the best horror films… ever’ (her words). It never does work though, not fully anyway (Sorry mom! Folk Horror for the win).
What does the horror community mean to you?
The horror community really does mean a great deal to me. More so than I thought it would. In terms of the horror community, I am quite a newbie. I only made my twitter account a year or so ago and started to publish articles not long after that. I remember feeling a massive sense of imposter syndrome, and waves of anxiety and self-doubt would creep out leaving me to feel deflated.
From the moment I started following other people within the horror community, I would get kind DMs and words of encouragement, as and when I would make a tweet asking for advice or help. Everyone has been very supportive of my journey into horror research, going above and beyond to remind me that I am loved, supported, and doing a great job. These brief words of encouragement and support honestly do mean the world to me on my down days, it's such a beautiful thing being involved in a community that cares and is willing to help you, no matter what.
I started to write articles for the fantastic ladies at Ghouls Magazine, which has been a dream come true. Zoe and Rebecca were so kind and welcoming when inviting me to speak as a guest for their fantastic panel on Mental Health and Horror Film. It felt very natural and enriching, being around other people with similar interests and experiences. After that panel, I started to write articles for Ghouls Magazine, Headpress, Horror Homeroom and Moving Pictures Film Club to name a few. It's been an amazing experience getting invaluable advice on the articles that I have put out into the world, knowing that some people out there actually read my work, and like it! The horror community, honestly, has a special and profound place within my heart.
You are currently working on a PhD on fatherhood and masculinity in American Horror Film, what has the process been like? (congratulations, by the way, that is so freaking amazing!)
The process has been stressful, but extremely rewarding. During my A-levels, I discovered my passion for English Literature and History and kind of ran with that and ended up doing History for my BA. I still try to always incorporate History in my work (even now doing a PhD). When I look at film, I always consider the film within the realms of its historical contexts, which is cool. Most film analysis that I read tends to rely heavily on psychoanalytic theory and the works of Sigmund Freud, and I am trying not to do that. Some may hate me for it, but I do like looking at films this way.
I think the best part of the PhD process is seeing how my ideas and theoretical frameworks expand and change over time. I am only four months in, and I think my timeframe in which I am hoping to study has altered a couple times already, and that is the beauty of it really; watching how ideas change, expand and adapt over time. I am already excited when I visualize the final product in three to four years’ time.
What have you found the most fascinating in your research for your PhD?
I think the most fascinating thing is watching all the older films that I had not watched before and being completely blown away with them. I watched Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) for the first time in 2021, because I knew that I wanted to look at the portrayal of different masculinities that the film presents. I do not know what I expended when I watched it, but I just remember how much it exceeded my expectations and now it probably is one of my Top 5 horror films of all time! So yeah, watching films is always a bonus.
I would also say, it’s interesting to look at how under-researched the area of masculinity and fatherhood are within the contexts of horror films, especially situating these men within their historical and social contexts. I do really believe that for most cases, film reflects society, just as much as society reflects film. I remember the days (long gone now) that I would just read films as nothing more than being produced to entertain, without looking at them without any real depth or basis. Films really are cultural documents that can be used to analyse an array of social issues that were occurring within society in any given time, just as some historians may use archives or even newspaper clippings, films are not just a tool that I use within my work, they are my primary sources, without film analysis, my research would lack depth. I am just having fun with my research at the minute and applying my historical knowledge as best as I can!
As a contributor for Ghouls Magazine, what have been some of the most exciting pieces you have written?
It is hard to choose the most exciting article that I have written for Ghouls, because I genuinely have fun writing all of them, as each one is from a different angle or perspective! If I had to pick, I would say ‘Re-assessing The Exorcist: Religion, Abuse and the Rise of the Feminist Mother’. I basically argue that the film depicts Regan’s possession because of her mother being less confined to the domestic sphere, but instead, is engrossed in the world of work. It’s also interesting how Regan’s father is absent, and it takes father figures [Father Merrin and Father Karras] to come in and restore law and order to a house that is prone to collapse because of its lack of a male presence.
I also really enjoyed writing a book review on Junji Ito’s Tomie (1987) especially when discussing the theme of male violence that is so prevalent within the manga. It is interesting to read and analyse the disruption of the gender roles within the story, and how Tomie does not subscribe to societal norms.
As someone who analyses film, do you draw on anything in particular for inspiration?
This is such an interesting question! For me, I look at the films as texts to be analysed rather than anything else. Doing English Literature for A-Level really helped me develop my skills of textual analysis, as we would have to look at different genres like the Gothic, Poetry and Prose, and try to analyse the deeper meaning within the texts.
Sometimes I try to look at the semiotic and symbolic meanings within film and decode them; Carol Clover’s seminal theory on The Final Girl and the tool she uses to free herself from the male killer is a prime example of how I try to decode things. Does said heroine in a horror film pick up a chainsaw because it is symbolic of a phallus she is ‘lacking’, is it a power tool that signifies her repressed rage for patriarchal systems that oppress her or, sometimes, is a chainsaw, just a chainsaw? Who knows? I guess, most things in film are up to interpretation, but if you have the evidence to back it up, run with it.
What are you working on in 2022?
I am just finishing up an article on Rosemary’s Baby (1968), that is going to be my first published book chapter which is extremely exciting. I have always had an affinity for writing about motherhood, as well as fatherhood, so getting more of my work out into the world is an exciting (but nerve wracking) prospect. I will also be working on finalizing my first chapter of my thesis, and doing preparatory work for my upgrade, which I am sure will be lots of fun. Heaps and bounds of writing in store for me, for the foreseeable future!
