Tag: Horror Poetry

Allison Goldstein Author Spotlight is Live on BarBar

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I can’t even pretend to be less excited about this, so I won’t even try. I was honored to have my poem, “Carnival of Souls – Muted” featured in BarBar’s Simulacra Anthology (available on Amazon), in December 2024. When I reached out to let them know that poem will also be included in my new chapbook, they very generously offered to include me in their Author Spotlight series and that feature is now live on the BeBarBar website.

The interview explores how the project came together as well as my writing process and some of the unexpected surprises that come with writing and publishing poetry. I am very grateful to everyone at BarBar for this opportunity and hope you enjoy the interview.

If you haven’t picked up your copy of “In The Night, In The Dark” yet, head on over to Bottlecap Press and get your hands on a copy today. It’s the perfect addition to your Spooky Season reading.

Stay spooky friends!

Survival Theory

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They say it’s like an earthquake –

The chaos so sudden
time begins to unravel.

light and then no light

Rain thick as blood
coating what’s left of the window.

River of broken glass
stealing what’s left of the moon.

Poem by Allison Goldstein (2024)

This is one of the poems that came from writing my horror collection, but didn’t make it into the final book. I wrote three of these poems (that I still really like), including “If You Want to Live” as writing exercises to get into the themes and tropes of horror films.

For a while I called these extra poems ‘appendixes’ and even tried them as chapter intros; but alas, they just needed to find a new home. Since the poems explore larger themes in horror vs. commenting on individual films, they didn’t seem to quite fit in with the chapbook, but I love them anyway for the spooky little poems they are. Perhaps they’ll be part of a larger, different collection eventually.

Dawn of the Dead

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Dawn of the Dead

and when we’re dead

we’ll all go to the mall

Poem by Allison Goldstein

From the book “In The Night, In The Dark” by Bottlecap Press (2025).

I love this weird little poem. It’s actually one of the first poems I wrote for the collection and probably the shortest poem I’ve ever published. “Dawn of the Dead” originally appeared in Molecule – a tiny lit mag in Fall 2022 and I love that it found a home that appreciated both its humor and brevity.

One of the things I adore about horror as a genre is it’s ability to interject comedy and camp with serious messages about fear, society, and human nature. Romero’s 1978 classic “Dawn of the Dead” is a masterclass in this area, dazzling audiences with the perfect combination of gory practical effects (due to the genius of Tom Savini), campy yet creepy zombies, and a still-relevant message about the dangers of over-consumerism, and its physical, emotional, and psychological effects on society.

Romero has always been a pro at understanding how to create a solid plot that makes sense on its own but leaves a lot of space for wider thematic interpretations. Is it a coincidence all the zombies descend on the mall? Absolutely not. Mall culture in the U.S. was already booming in the late 70s (and would only grow exponentially through the 80s and 90s). This era ushered in a major cultural shift, eschewing the importance of community for rampant greed and consumerism. Society encouraged people to make as much money as possible and spend it all on themselves to help drive corporate profits. As a result, American social culture became inexplicitly intertwined with shopping and consumerism.

It’s also not a coincidence that themes of unrestrained consumerism easily mirror the concept of mindless zombie hoards solely driven by a innate desire to consume. They come to the mall out of habit, but also as a symbol of what unfettered consumerism will ultimately cost – humanity itself. It’s terribly smart and awfully funny and one of the best zombie films of all time. I only hope my small poem does it a hint of justice.

Allison Goldstein’s Poetry Chapbook – In The Night, In The Dark is Available Now!

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In The Night, In The Dark Poems by Allison Goldstein - Book Cover

I’ve waited for this day for years and I can’t believe it’s finally here. My first poetry chapbook, In The Night, In The Dark, is live and available from Bottlecap Press!

A haunting ode to Universal Monsters, 80s slashers, and Final Girls, In The Night, In The Dark is a razor-sharp collection of ekphrastic poems inspired by classic 20th century horror films. From The Bride of Frankenstein’s first hiss to Pamela Voorhees searching for her son’s lost heart, each poem explores the cinematic chasm between dread and desire.

Dark, witty and unsettling, the poems reimagine horror films not as passive nightmares, but emotional reckonings, including “Dracula,” “Creature from the Black Lagoon,” “Night of the Living Dead”, and “Suspiria”. Allison Goldstein’s deftly crafted collection meditates on the transformational impact of our collective terror – both on and off the screen.

Are you ready to step back into the dark and confront what haunts you?

It’s always Halloween in here. Buy In The Night, In The Dark today from Bottlecap Press!

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