Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Women in Horror: Featuring Lynne Hansen



As you may know, February is "Women in Horror" month. To celebrate, PromoteHorror.com asked women from different professions if they would like to answer some questions about being a "Woman in Horror." One of the women, who were kind enough to answer our questions, was the fabulous writer/director Lynne Hansen. Lets see what she said about being a “Woman in Horror”…



-When did you first become a horror fan?

I remember being so sad when I started kindergarten because I had to go to bed at a reasonable hour and couldn’t stay up to watch scary movies with my dad and big brother. My first drawings were of monsters, and my first story I remember writing was about an evil sentient teddy bear. I guess you could say I’ve always been a horror fan.

-Was there a specific moment when you realized that you wanted to go from being a fan of horror to a woman who contributes to the genre, or did it just kind of happen naturally?

It’s just the way I’ve always been. I loved being scared, so as a storyteller, both in film and before it novels, I delighted in making other people feel the way I do when I curl up with a creepy book or movie.





-What does having a "Women in Horror" month mean to you?

It’s a time when people get the opportunity to see just how diverse the horror community is—art, writing, film—and to showcase some of the lesser-known names with in it. I will always be a horror gal, and I love getting see what else is going on in the genre. It inspires me.

-Is there a woman in horror who you consider a role model?

For fiction, Ellen Datlow. When I was first starting out as a writer, she was the fiction editor for Omni Magazine—the dream professional market at the time. She was always professional and had high standards, and even now she continues to give back to the genre on the board of directors of the Horror Writers Association.

For filmmaking, Devi Snively. Her micro-budget indie films changed my life. Watching shorts like “Teenage Bikini Vampire” and “Raven Gets A Life” I realized that the best indie films focused on story, not on what kind of high-end gear you had. It really empowered me as a filmmaker. If I could be clever, I could make a good film. I hope that's what "Chomp" is, too.



-How do you think the role of women in horror has changed over the years?

There are more of us—that’s for sure. And thanks to the Internet, we can find each other a lot easier and support and learn from each other. I think that’s really important.

-What do you think the future holds for women in horror?

Whatever we want it to hold for us. There aren’t any limits when you work hard and follow your passion.



-Being that this is PromoteHorror.com, please feel free to plug your current/next horror project.

Right now I’m making the film festival circuit with my directorial debut Chomp. It’s a short horror comedy about a little old lady who is determined to prove to the world that she’s captured a zombie—even if he’s not one. 

It took a lot to get Chomp made, and I think it’s really important to submit it to as many film festivals as possible so I can share the hard work and talents of all the folks involved with as many people as possible. Last weekend we screened at the GeekFest Film Festival at Shock Pop Comic Con in Fort Lauderdale where we won Best Short, and our first ever Best of Fest. I’m crazy proud of Team Chomp. This coming weekend we’re in Durham, North Carolina for the Nevermore Film Festival. (www.NevermoreFilmFest.org). The weekend after that, we’re screening at the GeekFest Film Festival (www.GeekFestLA.com) at the Long Beach Comic Expo. Good thing I like talking horror and film or I’d be in trouble!

Chomp Website: ChompMovie.com
Twitter: @ChompMovie



Lynne Hansen is a storyteller who, after directing her first short film Chomp, discovered that she had been studying her entire life to become a filmmaker. She developed a love of all things creepy huddling beneath the covers watching Acri Creature Feature with her dad and big brother. She honed her knowledge of story during her six-year tenure as senior editor for a small press publishing company and as an award-winning author. She developed her eye for visual storytelling designing book covers that required condensing an entire story into a single image. She shepherded her own creative endeavors into the world, and those of others, as a marketing professional, including working with a historic non-profit art-house theater. Having struggled to find her own voice as an artist, Lynne has spoken to students at over 200 schools about how to nurture their own creative spark. She was awarded the 2014 Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival Filmmaker to Watch “Dreamer” award. (bio from her site)

For more information about Lynne, please visit:


You can also find more on Twitter, and Facebook!

We thank Lynne Hansen for taking the time to answer our questions, but more importantly for her contribution to horror!

Pics from top down: 
-Lynne Hansen at GeekFest Film Festival at Shock Pop Comic Con
 -Lynne Hansen working with four-year-old Ellah Durliat on her next big scene in Chomp.
 -At the GeekFest Film Festival at Shock Pop Comic Con with the PromoteHorror crew and Team Chomp!
-Poster for Chomp
 -At the GeekFest Film Festival at Shock Pop Comic Con after the awards ceremony with Daryn Murphy (Winner, Best Web Series for Time Keeper), Lynne Hansen (Winner, Best Short and Best of Fest), and Sterling Gates (Winner, Best Feature.)

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