Black Heritage in Horror Month 2024: An Interview with Jeff Carroll

What inspired you to start writing? 

I was inspired to start writing by seeing the 1999 movie The Mummy. I had made two horror movies but, they were low-budget and nowhere near the scope of the story in The Mummy. I decided that I could only afford to tell a story that big in a book. So, I wrote my first book Thug Angel Rebirth of a Gargoyle.

What was it about the horror genre that drew you to it? 

I love campy films like Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I liked the simple aggression. I don’t like Goreporn. I don’t mind a little like in zombie movies. I like the extreme drama of the stories. I also, like the science fiction element that some horrors have. Some of my favorite horror movies are Malignant, Freddy vs Jason, and Dawn of the Dead.

Do you make a conscious effort to include African diaspora characters and themes in your writing and if so, what do you want to portray? 

As a Black horror writer including African diasporic characters is the main motivation for my writing. All of my stories have main characters from the African diaspora. I believe that African diasporic-based stories are the untapped area of horror.

What has writing horror taught you about the world and yourself? 

Creating characters that do mean and bad things has made me think of what creates evil. I have gained a new perspective on bad people. I now do not believe evil people just pop up. I believe those who do bad things are created by tragic and traumatic things. I would have never developed that belief if I had not started writing horror.

How have you seen the horror genre change over the years? And how do you think it will continue to evolve? 

Horror like all genres has been impacted by technology. Horror movies dealt with CGI the creation of digital characters and scare scenes. Now, horror movies have learned how to include CGI without making the movie feel fake. Horror in literature has been impacted by the influx of independent writers. Print-on-demand and distribution outlets like Amazon have allowed Black and other marginalized writers the opportunity to reach readers. This has allowed literary horror to diversify a lot faster than cinematic horror.

How do you feel the Black community has been represented thus far in the genre and what hopes do you have for representation in the genre going forward? 

I think Black horror has been diversified in the indy world but, the mainstream gatekeepers still select Black writers who do not seem to be as diverse in their stories as the Black Indy writers are. I think representation is only going to increase because Black and brown characters and their stories are the untapped areas for untold stories.

Who are some of your favorite Black characters in horror? 

My favorite character in horror is Damali Richards from L A Banks’ Vampire Huntress series. Well, there aren’t many in the mainstream, especially in film. I like the girl in Doctor Sleep Abra Stone. I like Octavia Spencer in Ma. Selena from 28 Days Later and Alexa Woods from Alien vs Predator. I like the entire cast of The Blackening. I have never been asked this question and I am sad there aren’t more. I think of my characters Rasheeda the zombie killer and Maurice from Thug Angel there is nothing like these characters in film. Take Blade for example he is a vampire hunter but, that’s all he is. He is amazing but, Black, white, or even race does not seem to exist in his universe. So, like all of the other characters they are Black by face only. My characters live in a Black-aware world. They do and think like Black people. There’s no black character like Shaft in horror. I think a character like that is on the way. I will work on one.

Who are some African diaspora horror authors you recommend to our audience check out? 

L A Banks is my favorite writer. She wrote what is closest to what I try to write. Another Black horror writer is Linda Addison. She writes thought-provoking horror poems. They are not dark and gloomy like Edgar Allen Poe. And in film, the Black writer I recommend is Akela Cooper. Akela wrote some of my favorite horror movies.

What is one piece of advice you would give horror authors today? 

The advice I give to today’s horror writers old and young, new and old is to forget about what the old gatekeepers wanted. Write free. Write the stories you want to see and read. Try to forget about what the market wants. Don’t write to make money. Try to have fun and relax when you think of stories. I think a Black writer who can write without limitations and boundaries will write something that will define the genre.

And to the Black writers out there who are just getting started, what advice would you give them? 

I tell people who want to start writing to work their stories out before they write them. My first writing class was a comedy class and I think of stories like a joke format. I always think of an audience’s reaction when I think of my stories. So, when I tell people to work out their story ideas to people it is for them to learn the pacing of the stories and the parts of their story that people find interesting. There are plenty of writing classes, books, and writer’s groups where they can learn tricks of the trade but, learning how to get and hold people’s attention is primary.

Bio: 

Jeff Carroll is also pioneering what he calls Hip Hop horror, Sci/fi, and Fantasy. His stories always have lots of action and a social edge. He has written and produced 2 films and has written over 5 science fiction and nonfiction books. His short stories have appeared in The Black Science Fiction Society’s Anthology and their magazine as well as other anthologies. Jeff produces The Monster Panel a traveling sci-fi panel that features writers of color in a lively discussion of comic books, movies, and Black people.  https://linktr.ee/jeffcarrolllinks