MASTERS OF HORROR: ALEX HUNTER
1. What first drew you to horror—and was it something you experienced, feared, or imagined?
Oh gosh, where to start. My gateway to horror was Doctor Who! This was back in the 70s - Tom Baker was 'my' Doctor and the stories were dark, very dark.
I was the first child in my school year to get an adult library card (always a voracious reader), and that was it. James Herbert (those wonderful, gnarly covers) drew me in, and my love for horror was born.
Years later and I'd sell Mr Herbert a television. A lovely man and a rare talent, gone too soon.
2. How do you tap into real fear when writing—do you draw from your own nightmares, or do you create new ones?
My debut novel, 'The Harvest', was triggered by a nightmare. I've suffered from awful dreams since I was a kid (thanks Doctor Who, James Herbert and all the rest).
I was so struck by the ghastliness of the dream that I was inspired to build an entire book around it. Mostly though, I just think of stuff that scare me.
The weird things that lurk in dark corners, the strange moments or feelings that seem 'sideways', off somehow. Not being in control.
3. Have you ever written something that disturbed even you—a moment where the story took a darker turn than expected?
Yes! I'd planned for my second novel, which comes out in 2026, to be a relatively lighthearted horror 'romp'. I was channeling writers I admire like Grady Hendrix and Josh Winning.
What emerged was less a romp, more a cry for help.
A dark tale indeed, filled with loss and grief. Maybe I'm just not ready to craft something lighter in tone. Some days I would read the pages back and was disturbed about the things that had slithered from my mind.
4. If your stories had the power to summon something into the real world... what do you think you've already unleashed?
A physical manifestation of grief. It hides in the shadows, waiting to catch us unawares. It's growing in strength, and I can get it back in the bottle.
Sorry about that. I almost wrote a comic novel once.
5. How do you keep horror feeling fresh and terrifying when so many tropes are well-trodden?
I rather like trying to use tropes in fresh and interesting ways - after all they're tropes for a reason, they work.
Sometimes it's fun to take a trope to give the reader what they're familiar with, before doing something unexpected with it. It could be a ouija board not quite acting as expected, or using a trope as cover for something that's taking place on another level within the narrative.
And, let's be honest, we still jump when the hissing cat leaps from the dark closet. At least, I do.
BONUS: Tell me about your latest project and where we can find it.
'The Harvest' is available as an ebook, audiobook and on paper from Amazon etc. You can also get it direct from the publisher, Black Rose Writing.
I've short stories coming out in 2025 from Graveside Press, Dark Holme Publishing and Twisted Dreams Press as well.
As always, a big thank you to Alex for indulging me and taking time out of his busy writing schedule to do this interview with me. I truly appreciate it!
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