To the Queens of Horror Blogging

I don't normally get into the drama of blogging. I am usually content to review films and do my own thing, but recently, a poll came to my attention, and the very thought of it made my insides knot up. I refuse to link the site or post in question, but I'm sure many of you horror bloggers and readers know exactly what I am talking about. The contest in question asks what female horror blogger would you most like to “bang“. Not only is the question crass and misogynistic, it was also put on without the prior consent of the ladies in question. While the previous two perpetrations can be ascribed to poor choices, I find the later inexcusable.

I've always considered the female horror fan to be a pretty special lady. Not because they might be hot or anything to the like, but rather because they seem to be so few in number (though their ranks are ever expanding) My best pal, who is known to you folks as Fran Goria, was one of the first female horror fans I ever met, and hours upon hours of watching the silliest, goriest films we could find bonded our friendship. So when I saw this terrible “contest”, my first thought was “what if one of those ladies was Fran or my wife (Miss Directed)” , and it pissed me off. Not just for them, but because each one of those writers is someone's wife, mother, best friend, or daughter. They all also work very hard at what they do, and they are respected members of this horror community.

Last year when B-Sol hosted Ms. Horror Blogosphere accusations of sexism were leveled, but I, like most others, found them to be unfounded. On the other hand most seem to agree that this stunt by another blogger fits the bill. It is even made worse by his own admission of shamelessly whoring his site out for hits. Now that I've gotten that out of my system I can finally get around to something else, something positive I want to do to do my small part to offset the offensive horse hockey that happened today. I want to take time out to talk about my favorite female bloggers. They are smart, educated, witty women that I would love to discuss horror with over a cup of coffee. There are tons of ladies out there who love horror, love to write about it, and who I proudly call my friends, peers, and colleagues. Here in no particular order are five such ladies that I would love to have a cup of coffee with and talk about horror old and new.

Christine Hadden- Fascination with Fear- not only is Christine a great writer, she can also help make the Oscars entertaining as I found out last year. Plus my Grandma's maiden name was Hadden so I've always wondered if we might be cousins. Then there’s the fact that she just wrote an article about how to date Norman Bates, and there’s nothing better than a woman who will take a risk and live to write about it.

Emily Intravia- Deadly Doll's House of Horror Nonsense- This lady watches some of the WORST films I've ever heard of. She so outpaces me on the bad scale and I think that's really impressive. I've known of Emily for a couple years though podcasts, but after exchanging e-mails with her, it has been wonderful to meet someone with so many similar things in common... And glee

BJ-C- Day of the Woman- At first glance, the thought of a baton twirling, pageant winning horror blogger seems like it wouldn’t work, but Miss BJ-C consistently puts out some of the best and most challenging posts around. Plus any gal who dresses up like the female Ash for Halloween is plain awesome in my book.

Christine from Paracinema- As one half of the dynamic duo who publishes Paracinema magazine, Christine has shown herself to be totally devoted to cult films all kinds. Plus she likes her some Hitchcock, and anyone who is down with Hitch is OK in my book. She also chose Street Fighter (the video game adaptation) for inclusion in the Gentlemen’s Guide to Midnite Cinema’s Ladies Appreciation month, and I totally appreciate the face that she chose such a dynamic hunk of cheese.

Ms Harker of Musings Across the Continuum - No matter if it is Twin Peaks (one of my favorites) or True Blood (another one of my favorites) or freaky deaky Asian films that I have never heard of, Ms Harker knows her stuff. Her writing is always flawless, and I love the way she digs way beyond the surface.

So there’s five ladies who I would love to spend an afternoon with sipping coffee or tea, talking horror, and only banging would be when I slap the table in amazement and say “Why didn’t I think of that?” There are tons of other great female bloggers out there, but I rarely think in those terms. I never think of an author as a guy or gal because I’m too busy appreciating their views and what they’re bringing to the table. So I just wanted to take some time and say thank you to all the men and women out there who are trying so hard to build a community and bring something special to it. There’s so many people doing a great job, and it would be a shame to let small minded people drag all that hard work down.

So that’s it. I’ve said my peace, and I’ve got it off of my chest. I tried not to point fingers too much, but I have to say what I feel, and at press-time it seems that the offending post and poll have come down thankfully. Tomorrow it will be back to business as usual with another review, and Thursday you can look out for my own special ladies, Fran and Miss Directed as they bring you another Ladies Night.