Interview with Horror Advocate Ava Fields
Tell us a little bit about yourself! What is your role in the horror community?
I have always loved horror. One of my earliest memories is watching JAWS with my sister. I love the genre, and not in pockets or specifics. There’s been an ongoing debate about classic/fun horror vs the more symbolic/slow-burn horror that grew over the last decade. I can enjoy Shaun of the Dead, Misdommar, Tales from the Hood, Haxan, and Dead Alive all in one night. Horror is about the world we live in– to truly experience the impact of the genre you have to release your limited expectations.
Horror has some of the best memorabilia, and I love to collect them. As we’ve descended into a digital world people have forgotten the power of an artifact– horror archeology is an important part of my work through my archival project REC Zombie.
I love horror so much it's tattooed on me. My tattoos have been inspired by the following:
Blair Witch
13 Ghosts
Kill list
Heavy hitters (Symbols associated with Jason, Freddy, Michael, Pennywise, Leatherface)
Dolores Claiborne
Upcoming [Silencee of the Lambs and Lords of Salem]
What was the first thing you encountered that made you fall in love with horror?
To be honest, it was the death of my father. All of my work is propelled by his memory and what he left behind for me. I used horror to work through that pain and loss, and through that, I learned the power of deep diving into your pain as a way to survive it. Silence of the Lambs (1991) really imprinted on me. The storyline of a young woman who lost her father to the strain of what we expect men to be, without peering beneath the surface. I recognized horror could change me, and that was a powerful draw.
I also felt an early connection to TCM and the Scream franchise. What Wes Craven accomplished throughout his career is a treasure map to Scream. It was a love letter to the fans, and we still can't get enough of it.
What does the horror community mean to you?
It’s home. I can have fun, be myself, and I'm surrounded by others who understand that although horror can produce brutal imagery, it is always purposeful. The community is filled with some of the most gentle and caring souls- we just aren't afraid of what lurks in the dark. We’d rather confront it. That commitment to humanity and the welling of others is often lost on those who have a preconceived bias about what horror actually is.
The horror community is a place you can expand and explore as you wish. What’s important is the art itself, not how it's preconceived by the public at large. We make these films and support the genre, for the love of the craft.
Can you please tell us about the community project you are currently working on?
The Horror Advocate is an interdisciplinary arthouse grounded by the intersectionality of horror, equity, compassion; and a commitment to transform the antiquated social structures that feed harm and starve survival. My signature projects, Apt, Horror, and REC Zombie, combine horror. equity, and civic engagement.
Apt, Horror is a groundbreaking resource designed to nullify gatekeeping around community development, to lead the way in leveraging pop (counter) culture knowledge as a reputable data source, and combines horror film, advocacy, + civic engagement. This work is about reframing content otherwise associated with destruction and using it to promote survival. Recently, the study was promoted by the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies via Twitter and Instagram. highlight a genre that unfolds human stories with dimensions and complexities. This work is built on my unique project principles:
Compassion or ‘A responsibility to bear witness
Repurposing or ‘Other Peoples Trash, My Treasure’
Subversion or ‘Established Does Not = Best’
Catharsis or ‘Horror is Cheaper Than Retail Therapy’
Perspective or ‘We don't get to choose our victims’
Divided into three stages, Apt, Horror’s annual process includes Community Research, Community Partnerships, + Community Gatherings. The long-term goal is for these findings to become a critical resource for any city/state/or federal officials, initiatives, or programs aspiring to better serve the underrepresented communities they were appointed to protect. I also want these findings to become a pivotal resource for community initiatives (+causes) like the innocence project, prison reform, etc.
For those who want to put their fears to use, REC Zombie is a collection of horror film/television titles, descriptions + streaming locations that weave a tapestry of America's cultural temperature from 1896 to date.
REC Zombie is a hybrid archival and advocacy resource project born from commitments to restorative justice, visibility, and radical accountability. This project houses two programs, REC RETRO Horror Awards, and the REC Zombie Horror Appreciation List.
The REC Zombie archive will be both digital and physical, each a reflection of its area of study. The digital collection, also known as the horror anthropology cannon, will focus on what makes us human, and how horror paints an authentic picture of our darkest human instincts. The physical collection, also known as the archeology cannon, will focus on the study of human history [and prehistory] through the analysis of artifacts and other physical remains. Both archives will use typical categorizations such as year, director, lead actor/actress, and streaming locations across the internet. Most importantly the titles will be categorized by social/political quagmires we’re still working through as a society.
EX: a category on Pregnancy and or Reproductive Rights would include:
It’s Alive (1970)
+Rosemary's baby (1968)
+Grace (2009) (they could also be included as part of a Food security category as the film also deals with its veganism and barriers to food access)
RRHA will reimagine the Academy Awards from 1932-date, detailing what horror films should have been nominated that year, which films would have won, and why.
RZ Horror Appreciation List builds on a commitment to recognition. This part of the project will be an ongoing list that acknowledges the Horror genre and all the careers it's launched. We owe horror thanks for giving us Tom Hanks, Leonardo Dicaprio, Brooke Shields, etc. They were all given their first chance/role in a horror film and the rest is history.
A genre that built the foundation of the film industry, like it or not, is due our respect, admiration, and praise. We should give horror the moment it deserves. This resource is guaranteed to shift industry standards around antiquated award structures + help reclaim horror's rightful place in cinema history.
What is horror advocacy and how can the community support your work?
(Using the genre as a vehicle) A Horror Advocate publically decodes, comprehends, communicates, + implements innovative approaches to reduce human suffering by reframing and repurposing traumatic content as a blueprint for survival.
The community can best support my work by
Saying my name in rooms I haven't entered yet/introducing me to people I should know
Sponsor my annual event
Register for my annual event
Connecting me to people who can support the development of both my community programs
Give me a chance! The only reason I’ve been able to develop this program in my own time is that people have taken a chance to share my work in their communities and across sectors I want my work to impact.
What are some of your most treasured horror movies and why?
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) takes us on a desperate ride through the horrors of economic depression. One family’s attempt to survive forays into a ravenous depiction of how poverty wages, collapsing industries, unemployment, and lack of resources can create a formidable monster, cultural addiction to exploiting working-class labor whether financially, emotionally, or spiritually.
Black Christmas (1974, Canadian Slasher, Originally called “silent night, evil night” in the US)
‘Black Christmas begins in a pregnant pause. Jess is wading through the choices surrounding an unwanted pregnancy and the scourge of abortion-weighing her decisions much to her boyfriend's discontent. I do not think that this is the first film to use the camera as the ‘killer’, only letting you see through the killer's gaze and their face, but it is certainly the most effective use of this technique I have seen. The brilliance of this technique is that it proclaims that you, the audience member, are the killer. Instead of locking into an instant alliance with the young & beautiful final girl of the film the audience member is identifying with the villain and heroine at the same time. You, as an audience member, are realizing the film through the eyes of the killer, and camera, making any connection with morality near impossible.
Irish horror breeds exhaustive repression + regret. Focusing so much on what’s to come it’s almost as if they haunt the future. They take refuge in the wilderness, feature the brutal realities of parenthood and responsibility, know at our fear of never being believed, and drag you kicking and screaming through a catacomb of memory, tradition, mercy, and guilt
Asian horror is a pinnacle of the craft. There is a maturity and enlightenment to the way they do horror. The crushing portrait of grief, the painful understanding of fragility and the body, the existential pain of childhood, and the making of guilt as a texture. ✨🍾💯 #Shutter2004
What do you have coming in 2022 that you can talk to us about?
August 25th CadaverDogs Podcast Episode where I was interviewed about my creative work, as well as the horror films that, started it all.
August 24th: Registration is now OPEN for my first annual event. 🎉 Apt Horror Presents: [NOT] As seen on TV: Mental Health, the Trauma to Prison Pipeline, and the decade of the Guns. Go to page 3 to learn more (Oct. 22, 2022, @530 PM ET.). I’m still looking for volunteers to help run the event and for event sponsors.
October 7-9, 2002 my creative project will be featured as part of the Whole Damn Swarm 30th anniversary conference on the legacy of Candyman (1992). My project is titled From Rumor to Flesh: How Candyman treats Tragedy in Villany. Since my project is asynchronous, it will be available throughout for those in attendance (Virtual conference)
I’m part of the Face of Horror Contest. I have a chance to win $13,000, A CELEBRITY PHOTOSHOOT, 2-PAGE SPREAD IN RUE MORGUE MAGAZINE, AND STAY AT AN ICONIC MOVIE SCENE LOCATION. YOU DECIDE! Voting starts September 6th
Apt, Horror Official Launch Date: January 2023
REC Zombie launch date: March 2023
Website: The Horror Advocate Website
