WiHM Special - Lauren Jane Barnett

A multi-talented author, writer, and actress, Lauren Jane Barnett has started her career on a high note with the multitude of projects to her name as she works in multiple fields within the genre. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with her about her early interest in the genre, working on some of her books, and moving into film.

Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?

Lauren Jane Barnett: It’s hard to know whether to blame my brother or my dad! Both my parents loved Hitchcock, and I used to watch a lot of his films with my dad. That was probably my earliest experience, sitting on the sofa watching The Birds. But I am also six years younger than my big brother, Chris, who loved horror movies, and when he babysat, he would let me watch movies that I probably wouldn’t have been allowed to, like Halloween or the Tales from the Crypt TV series. I loved all of them, but at eight or nine, it was probably shorter TV shows like Tales from the Crypt and later Are You Afraid of the Dark that I really got into. They were a lot like the horror books I read, Goosebumps and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, I was always looking for the twist and trying to guess it!

Me: When did you first discover your passion for writing? Were you always into writing growing up?

LJB: I was! When I was in Middle School, so about ten or twelve, my mum would pick me up from school and have to go back to work for another couple hours. She would plop me down in her office with books and snacks, but eventually, all I wanted to do was type on her typewriter. I wrote so many stories, and she kept a lot of them. I still have one or two – one was about alley cats leading a revolution against house cats. It wasn’t horror yet, but I did love to write. I’ve had a lot of other little jobs in life along the way, but writing was one thing I always did no matter what, even before I really thought I could make a living doing it.

Me: Who were some of your favorite writers growing up? Do you try to take influences from their style with your own voice in your work?

LJB: I love Shirley Jackson. She is my favorite, and I still have so many of her books. R.L. Stine was also one from a young age. I haven’t read Goosebumps in years, but I was addicted at one point. I read everyone I could get my hands on. When I was a teenager, I was really into Jane Austen and Stephen King, so I had a strange little bookshelf. Actually, I think I still have both now, but also a lot more sci-fi, which I got into in my later teens. If you look at my shelves, it’s probably mostly sci-fi, fantasy and horror. I love Kazou Ishiguro. I re-read Never Let Me Go every couple of years and I just recommended Klara and the Sun to a school I was visiting. It strangely inspired my sci-fi novella, Occam’s Dream. They have little in common in terms of the plot, but they are both about the emotional experience of an unusual existence. He is a genius, so I won’t say I’m much like him, but he had a big impact on how I write. I brought a lot more emotion into my work because of how much I love his stories and how they make me feel.

Me: What is your writing process? How do you stay focused on writing?

LJB: I wish I could say I have one really clear process and it gets me through every project – and I dream of being that organized – but it depends a lot on the project. For non-fiction like Death Lines, it is very formulaic and straightforward: you watch the films, you take notes, you write the sections and then you see how the walks would come together and what themes appear naturally, you go back and edit it into a walk.

With fiction, though, the process has ended up being more holistic. For example, with my film scripts, each project has a process that suits the film. I’ve been very lucky with my scripts to work with people, and talking with them gets me so excited and energized that I can’t wait to write, and it also informs how I write. When we did the “Invasion and Studio 69” segment for Video Shop Tales of Terror II I sat down with Sing Lall, Alex Churchyard, and Tony first. Alex had a core idea that we all bounced off of. I was so buzzed with the ideas and had already formed a sense of the characters so I was able to go home and outline the whole thing in a few hours. I then wrote the draft within a week. That was lucky, though. I’m now working on a longer feature which I’m co-writing with Tom Lee Rutter. It’s more complex and has a very specific quality that fits with Tom’s directing style, so I spend more time thinking about the world and the characters. It also requires stream-of-consciousness writing, so I’ve not outlined anything. Instead, I get in the mood with what I watch and read and listen to, and sit on my own and, I suppose, get into character, then I write from her heart. I genuinely think I’m becoming a better writer just from the experience of it. It’s very different and exciting.

Me: With your work ranging from fiction stories to more exploratory overviews of the genre, is there any specific type you prefer writing? Is there any style or format you find easier to get into even without a preference?

LJB: Very unexpectedly, I really enjoy writing scripts. I wrote my very first one in 2023, so it’s all new to me, but I find it all flows a lot more easily. The turnover is very fast as well, and you get to be so collaborative! I love working with people.

That being said, I love writing in general, that’s probably why I work in any way I can, from short horror stories to longer sci-fi to films and non-fiction. I’m working on the next horror film guide right now, Tony and I are writing this one together, it’s called Scream Greens: A Creeping Guide to Plant Horror and is a guide to all the horror movies where plants are the villains. Writing that has been so much fun and we are 90% done with the manuscript! It’s pretty great when you can watch a horror movie and then talk about it with someone at your job.

Me: As well, you’ve also expanded into the industry with your first short “Robot Armadillo.” What can you tell us about the project?

LJB: “Robot Armadillo” was my very first film, and it started out as a short story. It’s really unusual, though; it’s more of a concept than a traditional story. It’s about the joys, foibles, curiosities, and experiences of creation, and also a bit of joy in why we create. You have to see it, I love it so much. Anyway, as I got more into the film world over the last two years I decided it might be better as a film, because you can give the audience so much more of an experience with visuals and sound than you can just with words, and “Robot Armadillo” really is supposed to be an experience. I was lucky Tony connected me to Mark Stewart of Sunrise Giants for the animation, and I had heard Craigus’ score in Tom’s The Pocket Film of Superstitions so I reached out. It was one of those rare magical moments where all three of us immediately “got” it. Every meeting we added something and they just made the idea even better and more magical. It would not be the same film without either of them, it really is our creation. It’s been so lovely to see other people connect with it too! It’s nice having awards from festivals like The Absurd Film Festival or Area 51, but I think there is still some part of me – maybe all three of us? – that is just thrilled to make something from the heart and have a stranger watch it and connect with it.

Me: Where did the inspiration for this come from? Were there any unique stories about its conception?

LJB: I can’t speak for the animation of the sound, but I think I just wanted a way to express that no matter how many crazy, fancy words and theories you put on something like writing, or a film, or a robot armadillo, the core reason we do it is the same. It’s joyful.

Me: Is there any specific type of character you prefer playing? What do you look for in a character to be excited and interested in playing it?

LJB: Oooo! What a fun question. I loved being a vampire for The Witches of the Sands. Tequila Carter did this amazing makeup that made me look absolutely unrecognizable and villainous! It’s still my favourite photo of myself. I also got to act completely feral and vicious, which was new for me. When I was in theatre I tended to play a lot of straight roles, like Maggie in The Man Who Came to Dinner and Jeannie in Fat Pig. I suppose I enjoy now playing more evil and out-of-the-box characters. Although being the Fluffer in Video Shop II was an absolute hoot.

Me: What do you do to stay in character while on set? When you're not filming, how do you pass the time between takes?

LJB: The great thing about indie film is that you can always lend an extra hand. Between takes, I try to help out, whether I’m holding a light still or making sandwiches. If I have a larger part, I will probably run lines between takes or go over blocking. My training as an actress was Stanislavski, which sounds fancy but is basically “repetition, repetition, repetition.” You go over the scene so many times it becomes a reflex, and then you just follow the emotions of the moment because you don’t have to worry about the words.

Me: Your most recent project is the upcoming anthology effort “Video Shop Tales of Terror II: Lust and Revenge” with the ‘Invasion of Studio 69’ segment. What can you tell us about your segment and getting involved in the project?

LJB: I talked a bit about this above, so I won’t repeat myself, but I was really lucky to be asked to come in and help shape Alex’s story idea. He had the basic outline and we all worked together to get the characters and the arc, and then I wrote up the screenplay. It’s about a tired porn set where everything is going slightly wrong. They get a visit from aliens who are upset by their film. I added bits of my style and a lot of puns, but it was really a group story. It’s really rewarding writing that way because you draw on the ideas and talents of three people rather than just yourself. One of my contributions to the ideas was also the character of the “Fluffer,” who does all sorts of funny things to help the lead man get an erection. I loved the part so much that I asked to play the role. Luckily, Alex and Tony said yes.

Me: What was the set like while shooting the film? How did the cast and crew react to the type of film being made?

LJB: Filming was so uplifting and fun. It was a lot of hard work, and we had a lot of scenes to shoot in a few days, but everyone was totally into it! The cast was so much fun, because we gave them some very bonkers lines and jokes, and they just dove in whole-heartedly. Tony and Alex also work really well together as a directing team. I was able to help out a little with the script side of acting (letting actors know what was intended, or how something is read) but it was Alex and Tony who shaped the film, and they are great to work with. Both of them are really intuitive, so they have a plan, but they also will jump on ideas at the moment and inspiration they get from either a camera angle or an actor’s traits and habits, even whatever bits we found in the studio. It was really creative and fun, and the time flew by –10 or 12 hours would disappear before our eyes!

Me: Do you recall having any odd or funny on-set stories about yourself or any of the other cast/crew members?

LJB: It’s a very funny script with some very dedicated actors, so we had a lot of laughs when the camera was off. And the actors really went for it – we had people adding really amazing little quirks and details that surprised us all. Some of the funniest moments, though, I am worried would give away a twist in the film, and I want people to go and see it. So, I will just say – once you’ve seen the film, find me and ask me about “the sniff”, “the shadow”, and “the dictionary”.

One I can share is that for my Fluffer role, there were a lot of unusual things my character tried, and the cast and crew were so helpful, including three people helping to duct-tape couch cushions and pillows to me so I looked a bit like a sofa. Thank you, Will, Tasha, and Chloe! Above and beyond.

Me: How do you do to keep your creative energy flowing?

LJB: If I’m being 100% honest, I think it’s the people around me. I’m lucky to be surrounded by very fun, creative, wonderful people who are always sharing ideas and jokes and the way they see the world. Don’t get me wrong there are some days where writing a paragraph can feel like a marathon I didn’t train for, but most days, I get my pizzazz from my friends, my partner, and my family.

Me: What else are you working on that you’d like to share with our readers?

LJB: As I write this, I am a week away from Occam’s Dream coming out. If you are a fan of sci-fi that’s a quick-read novella that I hope has a good mystery at its heart. But for the horror fans, I’ve mentioned the next book – Scream Greens – and the project I’m working on with Tom Lee Rutter, keep an eye on Carnie Films as that develops! And the next thing I am filming is Darner. It’s a short horror and the second screenplay I ever wrote. We are filming it in April, and I get to act alongside Tony with James Edward Newton directing, Andy Boothby as DoP, Sean Stubbs on sound, and some really eye-popping SFX by Jay Lowe and Alex Gent. I’m already so proud of it, it’s going to look spectacular.

Me: Lastly, being that this is our Women in Horror Movement, 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!

LJB: First, I’d say come to festivals. Places like Horror-on-Sea, Romford, and Dark Fest are really amazing places to meet people and learn what projects they are doing. People are really welcoming and friendly, and it’s how I’ve met a lot of the people I work with. It’s a nice atmosphere and one of comradery and fun, so it’s a great chance to have a conversation and see what people are working on and what they might need. The second is to say, reach out. To anyone you think you might like to work with. Heck, shoot me an email if you fancy. I’m very lucky that people took a chance on me, and I am always happy to help if I can. Finally, read the other interviews. A lot of impressive women are being interviewed for this, and I know they will have savvy advice.

This interview ran as part of our 2025 Women in Horror Movement series. Click the banner below to check out all the featured interviews in this series: