Many fans of horror, amateur and professional alike, have devoted
themselves to blogging about the thrills, chills, and no-frills side of
the genre as seen in cinema and print. In this ongoing series that
highlights the writers behind the blogs, we meet the unique
personalities and talents that make the online horror scene so
engaging. Up close and personal.
In this installment, B-Movie Becky of The Horror Effect explains how horror crept into her life.
Upon the lap of my guffawing father, I was raised on the horror film. Armed with a clunky VHS camcorder, I fell in love with filmmaking at the age of thirteen in my rural hometown of Maple Valley, Washington. Countless short films and bottles of fake blood later, I went on to earn a Bachelor
of Fine Arts in Film Production, with minors in Honors and Legal Studies at
Chapman University in Orange, California. After graduation, I married the man I
met over a friendly game of Counter-Strike nine years ago. We have since
graduated from Counter-Terrorist vs. Terrorists to Infected vs. Survivors. When
it comes to filmmaking, we are partners in crime and are constantly working on
new projects. I am currently editing a documentary on ecology for a non-profit
organization and continuing to build my resume with film experience.
I’ve been in love with the horror genre for so long that it’s difficult for me to pinpoint the origin of my fandom. I suppose that it was my father’s twisted sense of humor that first piqued my interest, as I remember watching horror movies at a very
young age and hearing him laugh at all the gory scenes. Perhaps it began as a
way to connect with my dad and developed into a nostalgia blended with a desire
to see life on the fringes. As a filmmaker, I’ve always been interested in exploring
extremes and fantastical elements—through emotions, humor, scenarios, and
style. Horror, in particular, is a great way to venture into such things and a
fun genre to mix with action and comedy. If I were to pick a specific moment
that propelled my love of horror, it would be seeing John Carpenter’s Halloween at the age of 12. Since then, I wanted to make horror movies and was committed to a lifetime of scares.
I began The Horror Effect for a number of reasons. Firstly, I got tired of just reading all these great blogs and not being able to fully participate in the discussion.
Secondly, and more importantly, I was feeling a little lonely as a horror fan.
There were times in film school that I felt ostracized as a horror filmmaker,
as professors and students seemed to discount the genre holistically as subpar
cinema. Even outside of my academic world, I sometimes felt like I wasn’t taken
seriously because movies like Silent Night, Deadly Night and Killer Klowns
from Outer Space sat on my shelf. People either didn’t understand my
enjoyment of “low-brow” entertainment or refused to appreciate or acknowledge
the merit of more “acceptable” horror films. Blogging became a way for me to
engage in meaningful conversations about the movies I loved with peers that
understood my interests.
My blog is mainly comprised of reviews (reviews that I hope are considered thoughtful), but I also share filmmaking stories, my short films, some of my goofy artwork, and my
adventures as a horror fan. One of my favorite features that readers really
seem to enjoy is the CAPS review, which is a review comprised of screen
captures and my captions. It’s like a children’s picture book with lots of puns
and sarcastic remarks. Above all, I try to incorporate truly reflective views
of the horror film, without forgetting to have a sense of humor about the genre.
Big fan of the B-Movie Becky. Not only does she write a mean blog, but she also designed a pretty bad-ass new logo for the 2nd Annual Cyber Horror Awards!
Posted by: B-Sol | January 20, 2010 at 03:59 PM
Aww thanks B-Sol! :D I think you're pretty awesome myself. Thanks for the spotlight!
Posted by: Horroreffect.blogspot.com | January 20, 2010 at 11:18 PM
Added to follow!
Posted by: Greg | January 21, 2010 at 09:08 AM
One of my favorite horror bloggers on the interwebs. B Movie Becky manages to straddle the line between raving fangirl and film academic extremely well. Thumbs up.
Posted by: mike snoonian | January 21, 2010 at 04:48 PM
Thanks that's great to know about that horror blogger.
Posted by: Logo Design | January 25, 2010 at 07:12 AM