PIHM Interview: Elle Turpitt

For Pride in Horror Month, I thought we all might get to know DHR’s reigning overlord a little better. Elle and I have known each other for some time now, and I have very much enjoyed her insight and opinions on all things bookish and horror, so I jumped at the chance to ask her some questions. Enjoy!

Dai: Starting off with a big one: why horror? What do you think it is that draws you to horror?

Elle: I’ve always enjoyed being scared. Even as a kid, I’d find myself drawn to things I thought I disliked, but watching them over and over, even if they terrified me. As an adult, though, I’ve come to really appreciate the way horror gives us social commentary. I love seeing the way other people’s fears are reflected in it, and it can be really affirming to see others with the same kind of worries, anxieties, etc.

Dai: Is there a specific book/film/video game that first got you interested in horror?

Elle: Not any one single thing, no. But the VHS game Atmosfear was probably my first big ‘exposure’ to horror, with my older brothers dragging me into the room when they were playing because they knew how much the Gatekeeper scared me. It’s still one of my favourite board games. I used to read my brother’s Goosebumps and Point Horror books, too, but the first horror film I remember properly watching and paying attention to was The Others. I don’t know why, but it was that film that really kicked my love for horror fully into gear.

Dai: Similarly, we often talk about “Queer awakenings”, is there anything you’d point to as your queer awakening? In hindsight or otherwise?

Elle: There are so many in hindsight. There were definitely the Disney princesses who I, with hindsight, was maybe obsessed with in a slightly different way than friends were. They liked the princesses but they had crushes on the princes, whereas I like liked both. So, I guess Mulan, Jasmine, Ariel and Belle – and just after I came out, I actually went to Disney Paris, and that was when all those feelings I’d experienced clicked into place.

There are so many more, but I think I need to specifically mention Jessica Alba in Dark Angel. I started watching because of Jensen Ackles, I stayed for Alba.

Dai: Are there any queer creatives (living or dead) you consider especially influential on yourself and your work?

Elle: Freddie Mercury has always, always been a huge influence. Queen was always playing when I was a kid, and I think he’s the first queer person I remember hearing about, and the first musician I was affected by – I was way too young to have even been aware when he died, but finding out more about him and his story as I grew up, and the way he was always completely and utterly Mercury, I always found that really inspiring. Without me even realising it, I think Russell T. Davies also had a huge impact on me, as well as Ryan Murphy. Okay, hear me out – I think younger gens see some of the ‘representation’ I had growing up as cringe now, but I think it's significant that, between Doctor Who (and, by extension, Torchwood) and Glee, they kind of pushed representation onto TV aimed at kids and teens. They weren’t perfect, and both shows had (and have) missteps, but I think for queer rep those two can’t be understated.

Dai: Horror, especially queer horror, has seen a massive increase over the last couple of years, with the current political climate in the west, do you have any opinions or predictions about what we might soon see in the genre?

Elle: I have a concern that queer horror is going to get pushed aside somewhat, but I don’t think it’s something that’ll ever be as significantly damaging as it has been in the past. We’re out of the closet, and with that increase there comes visibility. It’s not always good, but I think even if the big publishers and studios start backing away from it, you’ll always have the smaller ones who are going to keep putting it out there, not to mention it’s easier than ever for indies to get their work out. I think it’s going to be a very strange time, and I think we’ll have to fight to keep up the same level of representation as we have now, which feels like a fight that’s been going on for way too long with way too little already, but I do think the wider public has shown they have an appetite for queer stories, too, and I think queer fans have proven what a force they can be. So, I don’t think any ‘damage’ will last too long, but I don’t think we can let our guard down.

To be more specific on a genre level, I think we’ll see an increase in trans stories. Because I think the people fighting the fight know the way to do it right now is to spotlight trans voices. It would definitely be the way I want the genre to go – there are some big names right now, but I want to see ‘smaller’ names getting the spotlight and getting their work out there, alongside the established ones.

Dai: Now, I know you’re also a big romance fan, which seems the complete opposite of horror, what do you think makes you so drawn to both? Are there links or similarities people might overlook?

Elle: Romance indulges my optimistic side, horror indulges the pessimist. I do think in many ways they are alike – they’re the two most rigid genres, yet with the most creative output. They’re also both genres that rely on emotions more than anything else. I love SFF, pretty much any speculative fiction, but SFF you need certain aesthetic trappings. Horror and Romance can take place at any time, in any setting, but the core with both is the characters. If I don’t care about the characters, I don’t care if they get together or live/die.

I think I find it fascinating, too, how both have this huge mainstream appeal, yet often get overlooked or pushed to the side for different reasons. And both have a huge presence in indie spaces. It’d be surprising to a lot of folks how often romance and horror fans cross over, too, and both genres have things they can learn from one another. I think they sit in such strange places in the genre landscape, but they sit side by side, often overlooked but always with the possibility to be incredibly powerful.

Dai: And because you’re our lovely editor, and a wonderful professional editor, do you have any tips or tricks for people looking to get started writing in horror (or any other genre)?

Elle: This goes for the majority of genres, but horror especially: you can’t be a horror writer without being a horror fan, first. You have to understand the genre, and you need to look at what’s come before. And read wildly. Don’t just read Stephen King and think you’re going to pen the next great horror novel. Understand what’s popular and why it’s popular, and read diverse books – read outside your own perspective. And find your friends. Find the people who understand what the journey is like or who can walk alongside it with you.

And keep moving. It’s hard out there, and the landscape is constantly shifting. You either shift with it or be content with the space you’ve cultivated for yourself. And once you have a book coming out, set up a website and newsletter. Make it easy for people to come to you.

Dai: Lastly, if you wanted to demonstrate Elle’s taste in horror, what media would you choose? Can be anything from books, TV, film, video games etc…

Elle: Vampires! Honestly, I love them. Throw a vampire in front of me and, as long as they don’t sparkle, I’ll have a good time. They’re versatile, and I love monsters that can be a dangerous villain or a love interest or both (though arguably any monster can be a love interest if you’re brave enough…) or they can be silly and camp. There’s a lot of queerness around monsters in general, but for me, vampires were never a phase! So, I guess the answer is…Interview with the Vampire (book and TV series and…yeah, and the film too, because at the age of 14 I was obsessed), which pretty much covers all of the above aspects of a vampire.

Diolch yn fawr iawn, thank you so much Elle, for doing this interview!

About Elle Turpitt

Elle is a writer and editor living in Cardiff, Wales. Her short fiction has appeared in various anthologies and on The NoSleep Podcast. She edited the sea horror anthology Sand, Salt, Blood, and co-edited A Woman Built By Man. She reads a lot and reads wildly, but has long adored horror, even as scaredy-cat kind of kid. You can find Elle still on Twitter because she’s kind of stubborn, but also on Bluesky (both @elleturpitt) and more about her editing on her website.

About Dai Baddley

Dai Baddley is a queer writer and reviewer from South Wales. His short story, The Tide Will Bring Thee Home, appeared in the anthology, Sand, Salt, Blood.