Next in a series of mini-interviews with the creators of the Death of the Horror Anthology, live now on Kickstarter.
This time, we talk to Melissa Hudson
Hello fellow Death of the Horror Anthology creator. Please, introduce yourself and your story in the collection…
Hi! I’m Melissa Hudson, the author and artist for the short story, Watcher on the Bridge for DOTHA. I’ve worked in indie comics for about 10 years doing everything from lettering to cover art for various books and anthologies.
What do you find scarier in horror stories: inhuman monsters or monstrous humans?
The truth is scariest; when you wake from the nightmare and there’s no relief to be found in reality, that is the most terrifying thing. Monstrous humans that can seem completely normal – the things that real people are capable of are prime fodder for horror. In many cases, they write their own stories, coming up with atrocities that would seem implausible if they hadn’t actually happened.
And the crossover process between fact and myth is what I find most fascinating. At what point does a person do something so tragic or horrible that it becomes woven into the fabric of local storytelling and a part of the collective narrative?
What scary movie, book or comic do you think every horror fan should experience?
Well, I enjoy Stephen King’s The Shining more than any well-adjusted person probably should. I consider it gold-standard horror.
Tell me something cool about Watcher on the Bridge?
It’s loosely based on both the mythology surrounding the Devil’s Bridge in Wales, and also the account of a police officer that patrolled the Golden Gate Bridge and responded to the many suicides and attempted suicides from its majestic span in the course of his career.
What’s your top tip for creating a scary story?
The essential component is knowing what you’d most fear losing. Whether that’s your humanity, your sanity, your loved ones… There’s a case to be made for each, but true horror is about stripping away something irreplaceable while you are forced to play helpless witness.
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