Horror Favourites – Hayley Derryberry
In the first of a new series of features, we talk to Scream Queen Hayley Derryberry about her favourite horror film and the story behind her love for it.
“In February I had the honor of being named one of Living Dead Magazine’s “New Scream Queens on the Rise”, an honor I accept with much pride.
Some outsiders may look at fans of horror and think they must all be dark hearted, tortured souls who want to be left alone. Well, at least the last part isn’t true. In horror fans, I have found an accepting community that has welcomed me into its inner circle like the best of friends despite my being the new kid on the block.
From the time I first began working in horror up until now, I’ve been exposed to some very new and exciting films in the genre, but my favorite always was and remains to this day, “Evil Dead II”. I didn’t grow up watching a lot of horror movies with my family. The ones that I had seen were mostly paranormal thrillers that gave me nightmares for years and still do. There’s just something about creepy, little kid ghosts (insert goose bumps here).
It was late in my teens when I first watched “Evil Dead II,” and I spent equal amounts of time cringing, jumping, and laughing. It was the first horror movie that I had seen that showed me that horror could be fun and funny. I was an instant fan! I hope now that all of the movies I make will have those elements too.
And if being a part of this crazy horror community has taught me anything, it is that if you can just let yourself get scared out of your wits every now and then, you’ll find that once all that fear settles you’re almost always left with a huge smile on your face.”
Hayley Derryberry
Actress/Producer