Women In Horror-Christine Hadden

Christine Hadden Interview
Status:Horror Blogger

Christine is a horror blogger. She operates her own horror blog Fascination with fear,which is personally one of my favorites! Please be sure to check her blog out! www.Fascinationwithfear.blogspot.com

Here's a small bio to get to know a little about Christine:
I'm a true horror-hound at heart. If I lived alone it would only be a question of what horror movie do I watch tonight, instead of trying to see if I can sneak one in the DVD player and pass it off to my husband as merely a thriller. Horror is part of my every day life, and I'm always hoping I'll find that next movie that will scare the living shit out of me, which incidentally hasn't happened in over ten years.
During the day, I work full time in administrative medicine, having been at the same medical practice for over 19 years. Of course I'd love to just sit around writing all day, but alas, I must eat and have shelter.
I'll be married twenty years on Valentine's Day (yeah, I know...) and live in a small town in western Pennsylvania (just like the sad excuse for a town in the original My Bloody Valentine!). We have no kids by choice because we'd just fuck them up. We do have two cats. You can't influence a cat, so we're good.
We also own a cabin in the woods about an hour north of home, where we escape to on weekends. And yes, it looks very similar to the one in the Evil Dead movies.
When I'm not watching, reading, or writing about horror, I'm probably strolling through a Borders store, riding with my hubby on his Harley, watching Pittsburgh Steelers football, or vacationing on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.


Now on to the questions:

1.)So when did your love for the horror genre bloom?

*At a very young age. I'd consider my love of the nastier Grimms' Fairy Tales to be a precursor to reading first The Hardy Boys mysteries and later Stephen King. And as a kid, I always watched horror with my mom on Saturday afternoons - Godzilla, stuff like that. As soon as I was old enough to be left alone while my parents went out I was surfing the premium channels like Showtime and settling in to watch Friday the 13th and The Exorcist, among other things.
As a teenager I watched horror almost exclusively, and I guess that still continues to this day. And as far as reading, it's always within the genre and has been nearly all my life.

2.)What made you decide to start your blog Fascination with fear?

*I love writing, and have been doing it since I was a kid - I've kept a journal since I was 8. So it's in my psyche, so to speak. Starting FWF was a creative outlet for me to rave regarding something I'm passionate about. Plus I had to reign in all that horror and put it in one place so I wouldn't ramble on and on to my husband, family and friends about horror all the time. They don't share my unlimited affection for the genre and can only take so much.

3.)Do you think you are judged any differently being a woman horror blogger?

*Maybe there are still some ancients out there who berate women for having an interest in the horror genre, I hope not, but in reality I'm sure there are. I feel pretty comfortable sitting where I'm at with the great community of horror bloggers I've met in the last several months, and am fairly confident that none of them give a rat's ass what sex I am. But maybe I'm naive.
Having said that, if I'd have avoiding posting a picture on my blog (a 'la Final Girl) and just simply stated my name as Chris, no one would know any different 'cause the name could go either way. Though eventually I would have been discovered by the vast juggernaut that is Facebook.
Personally, I think some of the best blogs are run by women, because for one thing we're serious about our horror and not worried how much T & A is in a movie. Go figure.





4.)What type of horror movies do you mainly find yourself drawn to?

*That's really hard, cause I'm such a fan-girl I pretty much watch everything. I will say I prefer a superior plot to a complete and utter gore-fest, and I also love a lot of foreign horror movies. Subtitles don't ever distract me from watching something. I also really dig a movie dripping in eerie atmosphere and/or art direction. I can forego some plot if it's pretty to look at. And I love love love a scary ghost story, which are infinitely hard to come by.

5.)If you could get an interview with any one person in the horror world for one day,who would it be and why?

*Bruce Campbell. He's the king. Speaking of kings, Stephen would be a great interview but he doesn't do them any more to my knowledge. George Romero would be awesome as well, as we both hail from the same area of Pennsylvania.

6.)Who is your personal favorite horror director(or directors) of all time?

*John Carpenter, because of his subtle skill at making you fear what you cannot always see, Wes Craven for his body of work, Romero for his longevity and masterful zombie empire, Dario Argento because....well it's Dario Argento.
As for new within the last few years? Neil Marshall knows how to scare me.

7.)If you didn't blog about horror,what would you blog about?

*This might sound strange, but definitely Thoroughbred Horse Racing. I'm a huge fan. I'm not much of a gambler, but I love the horses - I study pedigrees and all that industry stuff.
I do already have a second blog (which actually has earlier origins than FWF) on which I rant and rave about whatever comes to mind (including horse racing). I won't plug it here, but if you search my (horror) site you'll find the link if you're so inclined...

8.)Are there any horror bloggers/writers that have been a huge inspiration to you?

*Brian Solomon (B-Sol) of The Vault of Horror has been the most important influence because of the (much discussed and much dissed) Ms. Horror Blogosphere contest in Nov. '09. The contest did what it was intended to do- showcase a group of women horror bloggers and their work. More people know who I am and about my blog because of that than for any other reason. He is very supportive of his blogger friends.
I would be remiss if I also didn't give a shout out to John Cozzoli over at Zombo's Closet - nearly a year ago he invited me into the League of Tana Tea Drinkers (LOTT D) and that opened a lot of doors for me and got my blog noticed. So thanks John and B-Sol!

9.)Out of all of the female monsters/murderers/villains in the horror universe,who is the most frightening to you and why?

*Naturally Annie Wilkes (Misery) comes to my mind first. But when I was a kid, the movie that scared me into complete and utter submission wasn't a horror film per se, it was Mommie Dearest. Faye Dunaway blew me away with that frightening performance. For weeks afterward I would close my eyes and see her ferocious, hateful face. She was absolutely wicked. It's scary because when you're a kid you know that if nothing else, your mother loves you. She is supposed to take care of you and nurture you. Not beat you with a wire hanger! Gah!

10.)Can you give us any inside info about what's to come with Fascination with fear?

*Right now I'm running a daily 'Female Villain in Horror' spotlight throughout February to celebrate Women in Horror Month. I'll have an interview with the author of the upcoming book about the films of Dario Argento sometime this month also. Regular features like Sunday Bloody Sunday and Mindless Movie Monday will continue, and I have a few other ideas for upcoming features as well - none of which have catchy names yet so I can't say much.





11.)Who is your favorite woman(or women) in horror?

* I always seem to identify with the villains. I don't know what that says about me, but I truly think the antagonists are the most interesting roles. The aforementioned Annie Wilkes is a great character, so kudos to Kathy Bates.
Sadly, most "final girls" are so annoying that by the end of the movie you're really hoping they will just meet a grisly end. Like the chick at the end of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre...who didn't really want her to fall out of that truck and become fucking mincemeat?
Okay, I did like Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs. Well played, that.

12.)And last but not least,what is your favorite horror movie of all time?

God, just one? Alright, I'll man-up. JAWS. Quite simply, the perfect film

And again thank you Chris for doing the interview! And everyone be sure to check out Fascination with fear!

www.fascinationwithfear.blogspot.com

Follow Christine on twitter:
www.twitter.com/Slewfan77