Black Heritage in Horror Month 2024: An Interview with Sylvester Barzey
What inspired you to start writing?
I’ve always been interested in telling stories, be it verbally or through poems, I even wanted to do comic books at one point. I wasn’t huge on reading outside of comics when I was growing up, so a lot of my horror and storytelling intake came from movies and TV shows. I never really thought of books as a medium for me to tell my stories, until like 2010, I was kind of overwriting poems and I thought about writing a book, but that intimidated me so I just told myself I’d treat each chapter like a short story and tie them together and that’s how I started. If anything really inspired me, it would be shows like Tales From The Crypt and people like Kevin Smith who just showed me you can create all the weird little stories you have running through your head and put them out in the world, because there’s someone out there just as weird waiting for them.
What was it about the horror genre that drew you to it?
The horror genre to me is like the ultimate genre. It can have romance, it can have action, it can have comedy. Basically, everything our lives are comprised of is in the horror genre and then it’s injected with all the fears we try to keep locked away in our minds. I really like it cause there are no handcuffs on you in horror. You can really push it to another level if you want or you can keep it on easy mode. It has always just been the genre that reflects real life the most to me; I guess that’s why it feels like home.
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?
Yes, I do. As a Black man in America, I know what it’s like to not see myself in my favorite fandoms and genres. So I’m trying to do my part to allow other people to see themselves and their friends and their family members. I think what I try to portray or do is just be the opposite of the stereotypes that you see in some fiction. Like for a while in Post-Apocalyptic fiction, the first Black person you come across was in jail, a gang member, or something like that. I’m not sure why society thinks that’s the norm for Black people, but I write characters who have families, who have shitty day jobs, who just want to make it out alive. Do I write gangstas? Yeah, but I feel like I try to give them more depth than what I normally see. Mostly, I want to take that ideal picture you have in your head of an action hero or horror final girl and I want her to be Black.
What has writing horror taught you about the world and yourself?
Writing horror has taught me the world is darker than you really know. There are horrors in our history that few know about that’s worse than any book. There are people right now who might not want to take over your body like Get Out, but they see you the same way, as just an object to get what they need. I feel like when I sit down to write I think, “What would be the worst thing someone could do?” And It’s not even close to the real things people have done in the world. Horror has shown me the world is dark, and I learned all I’m trying to do is survive it, that’s why I say I write books for survivors, cause that’s what we all are, just people trying to survive this horror movie called Life.
How have you seen the horror genre change over the years? And how do you think it will continue to evolve?
I think things come and go in waves. Right now I see extreme horror and splatterpunk are big and I feel like that sub-genre can have a lot of longevity. Some people think it’s just gore and pointless violence and while some are like that, there’s a lot that really have deep stories and really try to teach you something about the world. So that’s one change I’ve seen and I enjoy and I think as far as evolving, I think the communities are just gonna get bigger and hopefully get more inclusive. Some people seem to believe horror is like a White Boys club and I feel like recently apps like TikTok have shown us it isn’t. There are fans of every color, there are a lot of women who love horror, and I feel like those voices are getting louder in the community and I’m here for it.
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?
There was a point in horror when all we had was a bad representation of Black people. The Black community was just used for cheap laughs and to increase the body count, but then there was a change, I think Jordan Peele is the change everyone saw, but there was a point in my 36 years that I noticed Black creators who clearly got sick of seeing their community targeted, so they told their own stories, to build their own tables. I think being in a post-Get Out world has non-Black people, more willing to sit down and look at our community and our culture through our stories. But there is more to be done. I love the influx of Black horror writers and movies and shows. I love it, but there’s still more to be done.
Who are some of your favorite Black characters in horror?
Ben-Night of the Living Dead, LT. Warren-Z Nation, Daniel & Anthony-Candyman, Jeryline-Demon Knight, Fool-People Under The Stairs, Julian-Halloween, Chris & Rod- Get Out, and Joel & Hallie- Scream 2. There are a lot of Black characters I love, and when I think of one another pop into my head.
Who are some African diaspora horror authors you recommend to our audience check out?
Tiffany D. Jackson, Tananarive Due, Candance Nola, Wrath James White, Felix I.D. Dimaro, S.A. Cosby (Not Horror, but his stuff can get real and dark), and Lamar Giles.
What is one piece of advice you would give horror authors today?
Just have fun with it. Horror is a genre that’s always getting hate and has so many walls up around it, if people are gonna hate you anyway, might as well have a good time with it.
And to the Black writers out there who are just getting started, what advice would you give them?
There’s more of us in this genre and industry than they want you to believe. Work hard, have fun, and take everything you deserve, and then come back and take more.
Sylvester Barzey is a best-selling horror and fantasy author who grew up in Bronx, NY, and was later transplanted to Bethlehem, GA. A military veteran with an addiction to all things horror, Sylvester’s goal is to shine a spotlight on BIPOC characters within the horror/fantasy genre.
