Women In Horror: Sarah Jahier

Sarah Jahier Interview
Status: Horror Journalist


Sarah “Fatally Yours” Jahier is the founder, editor and journalist for horror review site Fatally-Yours.com. Sarah took the horror world by storm back in 2005 when she debuted Fatally-Yours.com and it is now the go-to site for all things horror, covering everything from independent to mainstream horror films, music and books to horror products, conventions and clothing companies as well as featuring interviews with the big names in horror as well as the up-and-comers.

Sarah prides her horror site on giving honest reviews for the genre she so loves. Everything is done “for the love of horror” (the motto of Fatally-Yours.com) in an effort to truly represent all the great (and not so great) horror that is out there!


In addition to running her own website, Sarah has written for Pretty-Scary, Bloody-Disgusting, DVD Resurrections, Horror Fanatics and the Underground Horror Movie Network. She likes it spooky.

1.) So what birthed your undying devotion for the horror genre?



I grew up a voracious reader and started reading Stephen King novels at a very young age, as well as anything spooky I could get my hands on – R.L. Stine books, Edgar Allen Poe stories, Anne Rice novels and so on. My love of horror movies really started to grow during high school, when one of my friends and I used to rent oodles of cheesy B-movies and spend whole weekends watching one bad horror movie after another. My obsession with horror suddenly turned serious when I watched The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. After that I couldn’t get enough horror films! A film class in college led me to broaden my horizons in horror and introduced me to Italian gialli, Asian ghost stories, and German Expressionist films and so on. From there, they say, the rest is history.






2.) When and why did you decide to start www.fatally-yours.com?



Well, after graduating from my university, I really missed writing about horror films (I spent my last semester focused on writing about horror films for both my thesis and for my film class) and I wanted to keep writing about the genre and all the new horror films I was being exposed to. So after graduating, I started fatally-yours.com as a place where I could keep writing about the genre I fell head over heels for.


3.) I know a lot of people flock to www.fatally-yours.com, because it's an amazing horror website. Was it hard to get a following started for your website?



Well, since I mainly started it as a place I could express myself, I never really intended for it to have a following. But, as I started connecting with different writers on Myspace (this was years ago when Myspace was still relevant) the hits just kept on coming. Then people were contacting me to review their films and I started writing for a few other horror sites, both which helped get my name out there. After people became familiar with the Fatally-Yours name, I had other writers approach me and ask if they could write for the site! Overall, it was just an amazing experience that really showed me how cohesive and supportive the horror community can be.

4.) Do you think you are judged differently in any way being a woman horror writer?



When I first started, there weren’t that many women writers in the horror business, at least not ones that had an online presence. I had a few to look up to (Heidi Martinuzzi of Pretty/Scary, Stacie Ponder of Final Girl, Staci Layne Wilson of Horror.com), but being a woman horror writer back then was kinda looked upon as a novelty. I sometimes felt that the first thing people judged me on was not how well I could write, but by my gender. Like they were thinking, “what is a woman doing writing about the horror genre?!” I feel that their biases didn’t last too long after they saw that I knew my shiznit. As long as a person has an appreciation for and is knowledgeable about the horror genre I feel that horror fans will accept them no matter their sex, race, ethnicity and so on. Plus, now it’s just a few years after I joined the horror community and the internet is teeming with new women horror writers and bloggers! I’m happy and proud to see such a huge influx of female writers!


5.) Is there a horror writer/blogger that has been strongly inspiring to you?



As mentioned above, Heidi Martinuzzi was a huge driving force in my success. She gave me one of my first writing gigs outside of Fatally-Yours with Pretty/Scary and continues to be an inspiration to this day. Not only did she start Pretty/Scary for women of horror by women of horror, but she’s also not afraid to speak her mind and sticks to her guns, no matter what other people think!







6.) Do you think you have more female fans based on the fact that you are a female writer?



I hope not! I mean, if people admire me I hope it is based on talent, skill or knowledge and not solely on the fact that I’m female.



7.) Are there any highlights you can share with us since you've started writing about all things horror?



One of my favorite things has been reviewing lesser-known independent titles and exposing readers to films, books or products they otherwise might not have known about. I am a big supporter of the independent horror scene (as long as the film is actually GOOD), and it’s so gratifying to see lower budget films that I’ve championed get the attention they deserve!

8.) If you weren't a horror writer, what would you write about?



Well, this is somewhat related, but I’d probably be writing about Halloween! I am such a little kid when it comes to that holiday – I get all giddy and it’s like I’m hyped up on sugar the whole month of October! I love the decorations, the colors, the costumes, the spooky atmosphere – October is definitely a horror lover’s dream month!



I am also big on animal rights and I am vegan, so I would probably be writing about that as well!






9.) If you could meet any one person in the horror world (dead or alive) to interview for a day with, who would it be?



That’s a tough one…I really would love to spend the day with Cassandra Peterson (aka Elvira) just because she seems to have so much spunk and sass and has inspired/entertained so many horror fans! Same goes for Linnea Quigley…she always brings a certain spark to her roles and isn’t afraid to flaunt her sexuality. Barbara Steele is another one of my favorites who I would love to spend the day interviewing! As for those who are deceased, I would love to interview Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, producer of Halloween (and many other films) Debra Hill, Maila Nurmi aka Vampira, and classic scream queens Fay Wray and Theda Bara.

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



I absolutely love Shannon Lark, because girl does everything – acting, modeling, film making, running the Viscera Awards and The Chainsaw Mafia, helping out other female filmmakers…she just doesn’t stop! I also admire Hannah Neurotica, who runs Ax Wound Zine for her passion and insight on horror and how she examines the genre through a feminist lens. As mentioned earlier, Heidi Martinuzzi is one special lady in my life! I could go on and on and on about my favorite women in horror, but I admire and respect any woman who defies the archaic but stubborn stereotype of a soft, delicate female and instead embraces the dark, violent shadows of the horror genre.

11.) Have you ever been interested in pursuing any other job in the horror/film world (actress, director, model, cinematographer)?



I enjoy what I’m doing now, but I love the whole “behind the scenes” aspect of film, so I wouldn’t mind being involved in a production or two. I think it would be really fun to get involved in the special FX part of the business…who wouldn’t love to play with blood and body parts all day?



I would also love to be an editor for horror books.





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



There are so many fantastic horror movies out there, but I always choose the one film that most profoundly affected me and really pushed me to fall in love with horror, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. That film bothered me so much that I even wrote my college thesis on it! And even after watching it probably more than a hundred times in just that particular semester, it still creeps me out!

For more information on Sarah and Fatally-Yours please visit her websites below!

www.fatally-yours.com

www.twitter.com/fatallyyours

www.facebook.com/pages/Fatally-Yourscom-Horror-Reviews/112880390659

www.facebook.com/fatallyyours

www.myspace.com/fatallyyoursreviews

www.youtube.com/fatallyyoursreviews