Issue #21
“Murderous Mavens”

Welcome to another year of Night Terror Magazine's Murderous Mavens issue. As we march into this new month, I find myself thinking of something a friend recently said to me, "you are stepping into your power." But I found myself asking, what exactly does this mean?

Horror is a complex, unforgiving genre in a constant state of forward motion, showcasing unfiltered humanity and expanding in ways it never has before. Horror is finally “having its moment”— from Julia Ducournau’s Raw, winning an award at Cannes, to Sinners' sixteen Academy Award nominations and two Golden Globes. Where do these films differ, and where are they one and the same? I’ve come to realize it’s because they refuse to equate power with hypermasculinity. 

Raw and Sinners show us how hypermasculinity has rooted its tendrils in rage-blinded chaos. As the world spins into a steady stream of violence and turmoil, art prevails. There is so much agony that we face daily, watching our communities in danger, ripped apart and brutalized. Men in bulletproof vests spray toxic chemicals into the eyes of protesters. They shoot to kill and they taunt the masses, but most of all, they wear the big, blinking red sign of PATHETIC. An army built on loserdom is a breeding ground for hatred.

However, there is a global shift happening. Within the quiet confines of homes, with children and elders, with biological and found family — in the streets, cheeks bitten by -10° snow and wind, in classrooms, at girls’ night — a revolution brews. There, at its core, is a rediscovery of sacred femininity brimming with reclamation and resistance. A strength that some of us may have forgotten. A rage that for some was once only a trope. In this issue, we focus on how horror melts into art, self-discovery, cultural preservation, and sensuality. Stepping into power is bringing forth the resilience and rebellion that has been passed from generation to generation. 

Femininity has no bounds, no barriers or boxes to operate within. Dig into the darkness within you, the parts you’ve been told to hide away. There is a reason why it is so sacred, but now we must use it as a force for good. 

We hope these words speak to you and may our pages, filled with creative power, bring you hope. Thank you always for spending your time with us month after month.

With love,

Elli