Interview with Horror Tour Guide’s Slaughter Cin.

At Anatomy of a Scream, we’re always on the prowl for fresh meat … er, content creators who inject new blood into horror. On our radar is Cindy Sanabria, or Slaughter Cin, who founded the website Horror Tour Guide for genre lovers and has established herself as a dynamo presence in the scene. Her site features everything from comic books, to short stories, to cast and crew calls for film projects. And when she’s not catering to horror lovers’ gory needs, she rocks at makeup artistry and making films.

I recently spoke with Slaughter Cin about multitasking, content creating, and building support networks in the genre community.

You’ve got a lot going on: writing, filmmaking, SFX makeup artistry. Asides from the horror element, do you find that your work has a common theme?

My work usually has some type of gore or nightmarish element to it. I don’t particularly like films with happy endings. I love the transformation from something normal and beautiful to something dark, ugly and horrific.

What is Horror Tour Guide’s raison d’être and what does it offer horror fans?

Horror Tour Guide is a site that represents all facets of the horror genre.

I wanted to start something that was more than just a typical horror site. I wanted to build a horror community movement. A platform that entertains and educates our followers. A place to celebrate people from all around the world for their contributions to the genre. It doesn’t matter whether that person is a filmmaker, writer, blogger, creator, inventor, artist etc. They all have a common interest or passion in mind, and that’s horror. I have been truly blessed to meet the people I have so far and we are growing exponentially with new ideas soon to be executed.

Horror Tour Guide is a one-stop site for all things horror. We offer film shorts/features/animation, podcasts, interviews, blogs, shows, audio/e-books, travel recommendations, art, reviews and more. We are huge supporters of independent filmmakers, creators, and content. The more unique and original you are or your style is, the more we want to feature you and/or your work on the site to share for all to see.

As a filmmaker myself, it gives me motivation to crank out more films and horror projects. We have an upcoming horror podcast launching within the week, a slated new web series we’ve been working on, as well as new horror scripts and films. Last month, I shot my first short of the year titled “Meat Up” — it’s now in post production.

Why do you enjoy horror? Did any particular film make you fall in love with the genre?

In my opinion, horror is art. It’s cathartic. It’s a creative genre involving the macabre. I love it all, from slasher films to monster movies. Horror goes against the grain, in that it has no boundaries and that in itself I find compelling. No film in particular made me “fall in love” with the genre per se, although I am a big fan of foreign horror because they are allowed more creative control and don’t deal with the censorship and the craziness of the rating system like we do here in America. There are many that I find visually compelling (Bram Stoker’s Dracula) and stories that are truly captivating (Let the Right One In). Horror is amazing in how it can differ from one style to the next, yet all leads to the same platform with the intent to evoke fear.

How did you establish yourself in the horror community? What tips can you offer fledgling content creators for building a solid support system?

I started by making horror films. My first was a rendition of Bloody Mary and kind of grew from there. I have always been known as a horror filmmaker by my peers, supporters, and fans. That’s what I do most. I write and produce/film horror. I chose to take it up a notch by creating a horror site celebrating others that do the same in some type of way, shape, or form. My advice for fellow content creators is to go out there and do the damn thing. Reach out to horror groups and filmmakers for constructive criticism and feedback/advice. Hell, reach out to us and let us see what you are working on, you may find a home on our page. It’s important to have a support system in everything you do and that is one of the reasons why we established the Horror Tour Guide.

You’re developing a fundraiser for a kids’ horror site. Tell me about the project. Is there a reason you’re gearing it towards children?

The “Horror Kids Tour Guide” is an age-appropriate site geared towards the little boils and ghouls. It is going to be informative, educational, entertaining, and interactive. It’s a big project that requires outside financial help as most of the content we are developing involves fees. As with Horror Tour Guide, we want to offer free content to the children. I want to share my love of the genre with kids but, let’s face it, you can’t exactly put them in front of a TV to watch A Serbian Film or Cannibal Holocaust. This is why our Horror Kids Tour Guide is so important. It’s a site with filtered content and activities based on age group.  Fundraising will help aid our goals. I’m a single mom. How many horror lovers are parents? How many people wonder what film can they show to their kids? We do the footwork for you. It will save a lot of parents the heartache of kids wailing from their sleep in the middle of the night because they think Jason Voorhees is in their closet or Pennywise is under their bed.

Where do you see Horror Tour Guide heading in the future?

Oh damn. If I tell ya, I’d have to kill ya. Just kidding! But seriously, we have tons of great things in store for the future. We are working on upcoming events; meet-and-greets, a killer convention, and film festival that we hope to launch in the near future, as well as exclusive content and shows made especially for your viewing pleasure (most importantly building our horror kids site). In our near future, check out our horror podcasts and interviews. The subjects’ passion for the genre and the stories from unlikely places uniting all under one platform is my inspiration.

You’re stranded on a desert island and can only watch five movies for the rest of your life. (For some reason the island has a working television and DVD player.) Which ones do you bring and why?

Desert island huh? For the rest of my life, really? Well, if I have to name my top five it would be Lucio Fulci’s Zombie, Martyrs, American Werewolf in London, Interview with a Vampire, and Pan’s Labyrinth.