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Interview: Cecilia Abate, aka Horror Scholar, Talks to Lizzy Walker

Cecelia Abate

We’re a little past Women in Horror Month, but why limit ourselves to one month a year? There are way too many awesome women who are a part of the horror community to do that. Monster Librarian primarily reviews fiction, but I actually like reading nonfiction, too, as it widens my knowledge of horror and I think makes me a better reviewer. Also, despite academic jargon, the ideas can be really compelling. Any researcher who doesn’t have the resources of a university or similar institution knows the challenge of actually getting your own stuff written, researched, and published. Enter Cecilia Abate, aka Horror Scholar, founder of Horror Scholar Journal, a new online journal that provides an avenue for independent researchers to get their work published. Reviewer Lizzy Walker had the opportunity to interview Cecilia recently, so read on to learn more about her!

 

Lizzy: Hi, Cecilia! Tell Monster Librarian readers about yourself.

Cecilia: Hi there! I’m an independent horror academic & researcher with a focus in data-heavy quantitative analysis. I run a research brand under the title Horror Scholar and am currently employed at Google during my daylight hours.

 

Lizzy: Describe your path to horror studies. How did this become an interest for you?

Cecilia: Actually, total accident. As I was getting through my BA, I remember *hating* pop culture studies and literary analysis. I was rereading Frankenstein for a sci-fi studies course and I bought an edition which had about 4 analytical essays included in the back. I remember flipping through them and just scoffing, being like, “Oh my god, who cares? The monster is a monster, leave it alone.”

Somehow, in the next few years, that opinion completely reversed. I did my last essay of my college career on colonialism in The Nightmare Before Christmas. And as I was laughing at myself writing it, I started to go “oh no… this is actually a lot of fun.”

 

Lizzy: What made you start Horror Scholar Journal?

Cecilia: Frustration and a drive to lead a project, honestly. At the time—I don’t fully remember the line of thought, but I remember being frustrated at the gap between being an independent academic (not backed by a university, therefore less credible) and needing my work published. And I sort of thought, “You know what? I’m gonna do it myself. I’m gonna make a change here.”

 

Lizzy: The inaugural Issue of Horror Scholar Journal which focuses on American Horror Story was great. Could you talk about your American Horror Story research you started prior to the journal?

Cecilia: Thank you! So in 2015, I started conceptualizing a thesis about the usage of sexual violence on AHS, but I didn’t have the numbers to back it up, which resulted in me starting a data project to record and process all the incidents of sexual violence on the show. I’ll be doing that until the show ends and I’m currently almost caught up – I’ve got to finish the numbers for the previous season.

 

Lizzy: So, Hannibal is the focus of Issue 2. What made you want to focus on this iconic horror figure?

Cecilia: One of the things that pushed me was the passion of his fans! The Hannibal fandom is SO ALIVE. While I know is most certainly due to the 2013 show, there are still tons and tons of classic Lecter fans out there. When I put the call for theme suggestions out on Twitter, the Hannibal fans answered strongest of all. It’s a rich canon, the books & movies are great, and it made for a bunch of very strong essays.

 

Lizzy: What can we expect for more themes of future issues of Horror Scholar Journal?

Cecilia: Phew. My girlfriend most recently suggested the Alien franchise, which is a pretty strong bid. Ideally, I’d like to take on things that aren’t the most obvious suggestions. Like, I’d never do “Dracula” or “Frankenstein” because the topics have been diced every which way already.

 

Lizzy: Why should librarians recommend Horror Scholar Journal as a resource?

Cecilia: I’ve always seen librarians as a particularly revolutionary and rebellious arm of academia, so I think my goals for Horror Scholar align with those sentiments – accessibility (both intellectually and financially), critical thought, creativity.

 

Lizzy: Do you have any upcoming projects you would like to mention?

Cecilia: I’m prepping a paper on vampire identity and social strata in What We Do In The Shadows and Being Human (UK). While I’m secretly not hyped for this paper, I AM hyped for attending the Popular Culture Association Conference for the first time to present it!

 

Lizzy: How can people get in touch with you for more information?

Cecilia: My email, horrorscholar@gmail.com is fine – OR we’re available on FB and Twitter! www.facebook.com/horrorscholar or www.twitter.com/scholarhorror.

Posted on March 6, 2020 by , Reply

Book Review: Vampires of Lore: Traits and Modern Misconceptions by A.P. Sylvia

Vampires of Lore: Traits and Modern Misconceptions by A. P. Sylvia

Schiffer Publishing, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-7643-5792-3

Available: Hardcover

 

Vampires of Lore: Traits and Modern Misconceptions by A. P. Sylvia is a readable, concise deconstruction of vampire legends. Sylvia compares vampires in modern-day fiction to superstitious beliefs about vampires in folklore. The author describes vampires in literature and movies of the 1800s and later, such as Bram Stoker’s 1897 Dracula, the German 1922 movie Nosferatu and the 1990’s television series, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, as well as creatures in folk tales from around the world.

 

Sylvia defines vampires in fiction and folklore as “undead corpses of once living people, who are harming the living is some way, and are killed via taking action against the corpse itself”. The author examines 18 traits of modern-day fictional vampires, ranging from blood-drinking to transformation into bats and other animals. Surprisingly, fangs are inventions of fiction, whereas compulsive counting, exemplified by Sesame Street’s Count Von Count, is described in folklore.

 

The book has 120+ pages , footnotes and handsome illustrations on its cover and pages. However, it is not a dense, scholarly book. The author’s style is conversational and wry. Sylvia’s book would be a good addition to any vampire fan’s library. Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Robert D. Yee

Posted on December 2, 2019 by , Reply

Book Review: Uncovering Stranger Things: Essays on Eighties Nostalgia, Cynicism, and Innocence in the Series edited by Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr.

Uncovering Stranger Things: Essays on Eighties Nostalgia, Cynicism and Innocence in the Series edited by Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr.

McFarland, 2018

ISBN-13: 9781476671864

Available:  Paperback, Kindle edition

 

Uncovering Stranger Things presents 23 essays exploring how the show uses the lens of ’80s pop culture to shape the viewer’s understanding of the decade, albeit through distorted memory. The research and analysis in each chapter is valuable and reinforces the idea that popular culture materials have academic value, while making the material approachable by readers interested in taking a closer look at their favourite series.

The first section focuses on popular culture, looking at the influence of Stephen King with a comparison of films like IT, Stand By Me, and others; the rise of synthwave and post-punk music and their influence on Stranger Things; the rise and competition of nostalgia in Mad Men and Stranger Things; Columbian television audiences and ’80s television (which made me find reruns of ALF); and, of course, how Dungeons and Dragons is a positive driving force in Stranger Things. As someone who grew up during the Satanic Panic and just joined a new Classic, red book D&D table, this is particularly poignant and timely information.

The second section of the book deals with cinema and its influence on Stranger Things. The comparisons and critiques of the show to films such as the original Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Breakfast Club, Firestarter, Bride of Re-Animator, Scanners, and, arguably one of the most essential dissections, John Carpenter’s The Thing, are all valuable in understanding the world of Stranger Things. The chapter on the comparison of 80s and current Winona Ryder’s characters was interesting in that her younger characters were firmly rooted in the upper middle-class tax bracket while the character of Joyce Byers is a working class low-income single mother, and how the reflection of Reagan-era economics misled and damaged 80s families. This section would not be complete without an analysis of Spielberg’s films and their inversion in Stranger Things.

The third section unpacks a lot on gender and orientation. From gender politics to queer theory, the authors tackled so much valuable content: the monstrous feminine, Reagan-era politics and the AIDS crisis, bullying and bad 1980s parenting, and conservatism and treatment of female characters (in particular, a great analysis on how the badass moments of Joyce Byers and Karen Wheeler aren’t as badass as the Duffer Brothers think they are) are all addressed.

The fourth section digs more into the culture, politics, and society of the 80s, including the illusion of the nuclear family; an interesting critique of Chief Hopper, his interactions with the characters, and his environment; the idea that viewers (especially of a certain age) are invested in the “in-between” of having lived in the 80s and reflecting on them simultaneously through Stranger Things; education policy reform in the Reagan era; distrust of the government; and what exactly is the strangest thing about Stranger Things.

The book is perfect for the academic and horror fan alike. Constant themes run through each chapter, namely nostalgia and Reagan-era politics. I grew up in this time period, so reading the various analyses brings me, I think, a uniquely 80s reaction to the content. This is not to say others won’t “get it”, because they absolutely will. However, reliving the 80s through memory and through the series may have a different effect on those of us who lived it. I think all of the contributors to this book have valid and valuable observations on the show and the era it harkens from.  Highly recommended.

Contains: spoilers

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on May 9, 2019 by , Reply