Halloween Haunts: Those Damn Horror People by Eric Miller

I’ve been immersed in the horror world since I was a child, from sneaking into movies I was way too young to watch, to staying up on Saturday nights and watching the latest gems from horror host Sammy Terry, to attending conventions when I was a bit older, and moving on to working on a slew of horror films in an twenty-plus year movie career and finally in my latest pastime of horror anthology publisher and editor.

I’ve seen, heard, and read heads being chopped off, limbs ripped from sockets, people being stalked and haunted, sprays of arterial blood splattering the walls and floors and sometimes me when the FX guys aimed wrong or I got too close to the gag.  I’ve jumped out of my skin at well-timed bits in haunted houses, books and films.  I’ve lost countless hours of sleep thanks to the Horror People, the writers, directors, actors, and special effect wizards that did their job so well that I was afraid to close my eyes lest their horrific creations would sneak through the door at the Witching Hour and attack me in bed- like I could do much to stop the monsters if they did materialize, awake or not.

But looking back on all the horror, one thing keeps coming to mind about the genre I love:  Those damn Horror People- the creators of monsters and myths and madness that haunt our dreams- are among the nicest people you will ever meet. Imagine that.

Much has been said about this before, centering around the speculation that the Horror People get to vent their nightmares on the page and thus “get it out of their system”.  While that has to have something to do with it, I think it is actually something more integral to who and what they are.

The Horror People are creators, especially the writers, who sit at a desk for countless lonely hours fighting endless battles to shape words into art. They do this most of the time to the detriment of family and friends, the ruin of personal lives, and most times with little hope of financial reward.  They do it because they have a story to tell, and nothing will stop them.

Sure, there’s ego involved- we all want to crow about the great book or movie we just finished.  And of course the money.  We all want and need money, no argument there, and being paid to write beats the hell out of a “real job” for sure.  But most Horror People I know, the true, genuine lunatics of the art would keep creating, keep writing, keep filming and keep scaring if they never made a dime, or if no one ever knew their name.  They do it for themselves, they do it for the story, and ultimately they do it for the fans.

To be sure, there are some who create for sheer ego gratification and money and prestige and damn everything else- I’ve met a few, but not many.  Most of them are so damn nice it makes me sick.  But not as sick (in a good way) as devouring the works they put out, and that’s just how it should be. That’s why I think Horror People are the nicest people around.  At their core they are dedicated to making something for others.  And when you start with a personality like that, how can you not be a nice person in the end?

Hell Comes To Hollywood publisher and editor ERIC MILLER has been working in the movie business for over twenty years as a screenwriter, producer, and many other fun filled, low stress jobs. His produced horror scripts include Ice Spiders, Night Skies, and Mask Maker. He has worked on numerous horror films over the years, and is proud of the untold gallons of fake blood he has helped to spill. In his spare time he reads voraciously, writes, and watches movies of all kinds- especially romantic comedies. More info at www.BigTimeBooks.com and www.Facebook.com/HellComesToHollywood

TODAY’S GIVEAWAY: Eric Miller is offering one copy of Hell Comes to Hollywood.  To enter post a comment in the section below or e-mail memoutreach@horror.org and put HH CONTEST ENTRY in the header. Winners will be chosen at random and notified by e-mail.

Hell Comes To Hollywood

Vampiric producers, ghostly actors, psychotic limousine drivers, murderous stunt men and more haunt the streets and back lots of Tinseltown in “Hell Comes To Hollywood,” an anthology of twenty original horror stories set in the heart of show business, and written by veteran movie and television professionals who went through Hell and back to bring you these tales.

Praise for Hell Comes to Hollywood:

“HELL COMES TO HOLLYWOOD is a unique and refreshing read for any genre fan, and genuinely impossible to not enjoy.”

-Vivienne Vaughn, FANGORIA