One of the pioneering forces in the genre's journalism scene, Tracy Allen is one of the main forces behind powerhouse site PopHorror and leads the site with her passion and enthusiasm for the films covered there. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with her about her writing career, the founding of PopHorror and other ventures she carries out on the site.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, how did you get into horror?
Tracy Allen: Thanks for having me! Like a lot of people in the industry, I got into horror at a very young age. I remember my dad letting my sister and I rent movies on Sundays, and I always went straight to the horror movie section, looking for the scariest films my elementary school brain could stand. Now, my favorite thing about watching a horror movie is seeing someone go through pure shit, and then come out on top. It's such a gratifying feeling. Everyone wants to be a Final Girl when they're going through something hard.
Me: Were you always into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
TA: I remember grabbing Gremlins, Nightmare On Elm Street, Poltergeist and Children of the Corn the second they hit the video store shelves. I also remember watching them alone since my younger sister hated horror movies (laughs). My mom is an avid Stephen King fan, so his books were always lying around when I was a kid, waiting for me to read them. I read A LOT of Stephen King back then. I still do, although, in my opinion, his newer stuff is not nearly as scary as the stories he published in the '70s and '80s. Back then, however, when I heard that a movie was coming out that was based on one of his books/short stories, I counted the days until I could finally get my hands on it!
Me: What was the starting point to become a writer? Where you always into writing growing up?
TA: I started writing around 10 or 12 years old. Surprisingly, I wasn't into outright horror as far as my stories were concerned, although I did write about some of the crappy stuff that happened in school back before people openly talked about bullies, date rape, teenage pregnancy... stuff like that. Now that I think about it, I was a pretty weird kid (laughs).
Me: How did you get into reviewing and discussing horror online? Were you involved in any other sites early on?
TA: In 2014, I started writing for a site called CrypticRock after answering a post from them looking for writers. They had pretty strict guidelines as to how things had to look and sound, and I forced myself into rereading my own work as objectively as possible. This is where I discovered my natural talent for Grammar Nazi-ness (laughs). It was there that I started writing horror movie reviews, but within a few weeks, I was given the This Week In Horror retro review assignment. It was through CrypticRock that I discovered Rock and Shock Horror and Music Fest in Worcester, MA, where I met some of the most wonderful people - if you ever get the chance to chat with Friday the 13th's Derek Mears, don't pass it up!
Since joining PopHorror, I've met people in the industry that have become lifelong friends. I had no idea that the horror community was so loving and supportive, the very opposite of how the mainstream world thinks of genre fans. You don't see comedy or drama fests, but horror cons happen in just about every state in the country, and even worldwide. That's a testament to how much love and admiration there is in this community.
Me: Being a female writer in the community, was there a lot of acceptance or push-back on your views?
TA: Surprisingly, I've never had any negative remarks or feedback from my reviews because I'm a woman. I'm lucky that I am somehow able to avoid all that.
Me: How did you come to know Tori Danielle-Romero? What about her made you two link up to form PopHorror.com?
TA: Tori and I met when I posted something in the True Horror Fans FB group about my husband watching the first Twilight movie and him thinking it was horror. Being an admin, she scolded me on my lack of a horror-centric post. After that, we just clicked. I recommended her to write for CrypticRock. From there, she was tagged to take over PopHorror.com when the previous site owner left, and she brought me with her.
Me: What is the goal of the site? Has that changed over time?
TA: The goal of the site is to promote horror. Any kind of horror. Although our name is "Pop"Horror, we don't limit ourselves to mainstream films and franchises. As a matter of fact, we love indie horror films and shorts and promote them so much more than the stuff from the bigger studios. We've discovered some amazing actors, actresses, directors, horror hosts, FX artists and composers along the way, and we love to promote them as much as we can. The horror world needs to know about these awesome talents!
Me: What is your general delegation of assignments like? Do you prefer working on any specific aspect of the site?
TA: Tori delegates assignments and acts as an administrator and social media PR. She also keeps track of who's working on what and when it's due. I do all of the proofing and editing for the site and keep track of upcoming retro review assignments to hand out, as well as train new writers on our format once they sign on. We both still write as much as we can.
Me: Being involved with Tori and the site for so long, how has your relationship and friendship changed over the years?
TA: She's such a great person to work with. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better partner. She's become one of my very best friends, and I'll love her until the day I die. Where I lack, she picks up, and vice versa. She's the ying to my yang.
Me: When you're not involved with PopHorror, what else do you do to stay in a creative mindset?
TA: I still read a lot. My favorite authors - besides King - are Neal Shusterman (Unwind series - my favorite books of all time), Joe Hill (Heart-Shaped Box), Daniel Kraus (Scowler, Rotters), Barry Lyga (I Hunt Killers trilogy), Patrick Ness (The Knife Of Never Letting Go trilogy), Richard Laymon (The Traveling Vampire Show), Jennifer McMahon (The Winter People), Kealan Patrick Burke (Blanky short story) [my interview with him - https://www.pophorror.com/interview-with-blanky-author-kealan-patrick-burke/] and newcomer Kira Jane Buxton (The Hollow Kingdom).
Me: Lastly, being that this is Women in Horror Month, what special message do you have for any women out there looking to join in the industry in any capacity as you are one yourself? Thank you again for your time!
TA: Never let being a woman stop you from doing anything. It shouldn't even be a factor in your decision. Women are taking on new jobs in this industry every day. We are lucky to live in a world where your gender does not have to define you. It only will if you let it. Take a class, review a film, create artwork, write your heart out. Share what you learned on social media. Contact blogs, magazines, websites, authors... The only thing stopping you is you.
It was my pleasure!
This interview ran as part of our month-long Women in Horror Month celebration. Click the banner below to check out all of our interviews and reviews we've conducted for the event:
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