Modern Mythmakers: 35 Interviews with Horror & Science Fiction Writers and Filmmakers
Michael McCarty
Crystal Lake Publishing
Reviewed by Alex Scully
Why read nonfiction? Does it really matter where an author gets an idea? Does it matter what drove the inspiration for a novel, a story, or a film? After reading Crystal Lake Publishing’s Modern Mythmakers: 35 Interviews with Horror & Science Fiction Writers and Filmmakers, the answer is a firm yes. It does matter. Why? These people are bizarre yet normal. They are just like us, but they are somehow different. These are the people that can see into that place, interpret it, and hand us back some of our most frightening nightmares.
The first interview features the science fiction/ fantasy master Forrest J. Ackerman. His perspectives over the decades give the reader a strong sense of where we’ve been in genre, and where we might be headed. When he talks about scaling down his valuable memorabilia collection, it’s not with a sense of loss, but a sense of priorities. His enthusiasm has not dimmed a bit, and we could all use that reminder. This is fun, people! C. Dean Andersson’s interview opens with the same: “I find it fun.” Adrienne Barbeau’s contribution was one of my favorites. From her role in The Fog to Carnivàle, she’s never been afraid to tackle the bizarre and make it her own.
Modern Mythmakers: 35 Interviews with Horror & Science Fiction Writers and Filmmakers works so well because it doesn’t confine itself to one side of the artistic fence. Writers and filmmakers bring their craft alive, and complement one another. We see the intersection of these two art forms, and how they bring stories to life in different, but equally powerful ways. John Carpenter, Dan Curtis, Neil Gaiman, Laurell K. Hamilton, Jack Ketchum, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Bentley Little, Kyra Schon, and the many others interviewed for this collection tell us that this creature that we love, horror, is one and the same no matter its form. Celluloid or paper, beware the dark, and what lurks in the minds of those you read and watch in the wee hours. Highly recommended.
