Grady Hendrix: Turning Personal Family Trauma into Universal Horror

Certain experiences are undeniably "universally terrifying," permeating global culture first through literature and then through cinema. Few are as qualified to discuss the horror genre as both a writer and screenwriter as Grady Hendrix. He was interviewed at the 15th Celsius Festival of Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction in Avilés, Spain.

But where does a story like Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, which resonates globally despite its focus on American culture and traditions, originate? According to Hendrix, the answer lies in his own family's experiences.

"It was something very personal," Hendrix explained. "I discovered that some of my relatives had been sent away when they were teenagers, and nobody knew about it for 50 or 60 years later. So I started thinking, 'There's a story here.' And the more I learned, the more I realized, 'There's a great story here.'"

This personal ordeal is not an isolated incident. Hendrix notes that similar events have occurred in other parts of the world.

"I think it happened in a lot of countries," he said. "Someone told me it happened in Spain. It happened in Ireland. It happened to some extent in the UK."

"But I also think that even if you don't have that exact story, you understand that same feeling," Hendrix continued. "All over the world, in every country, and since the dawn of time, single mothers have been hated. That's universal; that's absolutely true. In stories, single mothers can be presented as beings to be hated or as horror."

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls tells the story of a teenager named Fern who, after becoming pregnant, is sent to an isolated institution to give birth in secret and have her babies adopted. This book and other topics, such as horror in cinema, were discussed in the interview with Grady Hendrix.