Making Horror Media with Journalist Bee Delores

Welcome back to Scare Me! a weekly horror newsletter. Today, we’re speaking with Bee Delores, a prolific and insightful journalist and creator of the Horrorverse newsletter.

When I first started writing Scare Me!, I was on the hunt for other horror newsletters. Horrorverse was one of the very first I found, and it’s remained my very favorite—a weekly gift of horror news, recommendations, and reporting that never fails to renew my love for the genre.

Bee Delores is the driving force behind Horrorverse. From their home in West Virginia, Bee covers music and horror for major outlets including Fangoria, Bloody Disgusting, Dread Central, Collider, and dozens more. What impresses me most about Bee’s journalism is the way they go the extra mile: offering up threads to unravel, history to explore, and insights that place horror movies in a bigger, broader context.

I read Horrorverse to keep up with the latest news, but I always come away having learned something new.

To my delight, Horrorverse reciprocated my beehiiv recommendation, and since then 35+ subscribers have found their way here. (If that’s you: Hi!!) I sent Bee a note a couple weeks ago to thank them for referring so many lovely subscribers my way, and to ask if they would be willing to connect for an interview.

They sent back a lovely and fascinating peek at the team behind Horrorverse, their deeply rigorous research process, and their recently announced partnership with Macabre Daily.

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From running Horrorverse to writing a column for Bloody Disgusting, you seem to be everywhere horror news is unfolding! If you were to sum it all up, how would you describe the work you do?

Horror has always been about the other. I see my writing as a conduit to celebrate and explore marginalized communities and the horrors that hide in plain sight. When I first started writing about the genre back in 2018, I made it my mission to write about it for my younger self—to feel more connected and to express something I had long ignored due to a religious upbringing.

With every piece, I also try to contextualize where a film or trend fits into cinematic history to give the reader commentary that goes far below the surface. As a queer horror fan, it's important to champion films that say something profound about existing in the world and finding community.

What is Horrorverse's origin story? How has it developed over time?

Credit goes to Brett Petersel, who approached me in early 2024 about starting up a horror newsletter. I had toyed with the idea already, and this felt like a sign to jump into the deep end.

In a year and a half, we've grown and fine tuned what the newsletter should be—a hub for thoughtful critique and commentary on the horror genre. And most of all, we've learned to have fun with it.

Horrorverse is a team effort, including Brett Petersel and Sarah Stubbs. How did you first forge this creative partnership? Had you collaborated previously?

I met Brett sometime in 2022 or 2023 (I can't quite remember) when he worked for Letterboxd. He stumbled upon one of my Best Of lists and reposted it to the film app's Horrorville page. We conversed via Twitter for a while after that before launching Horrorverse.

I came to know Sarah because of her yearly 100 Horror Movies in 92 Days challenge. She first did a newsletter takeover before signing on as a signature collaborator.

Your journalism is steeped in deep knowledge of the horror genre—I've noticed that you tend to go the extra mile in weaving in context, or citing sources like commentary tracks that may not be widely accessible.

Are there any unexpected or overlooked caches of horror knowledge you recommend for those seeking deeper insights? What are some of your favorite tidbits or pieces of trivia you've learned recently?

Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror is essential for anyone writing about the genre. It's especially crucial for white writers and critics to gain a perspective on how the genre has historically been used to dehumanize Black men and women.

A few years ago, I did a deep-dive piece into 1942's Cat People (my favorite horror film) and contextualized it within the time period it was made—looking into how queer people were treated by police and doctors. I came across the works of Alfred C. Kinsey (“Sexual Behavior in the Human Male"), psychologist Dr. Evelyn Hooker, and Sigmund Freud, among others. This helped tremendously in understanding how far society has come in regards to queer sexuality and identity, and mental health.

Google is your friend. I tumbled down one rabbit hole, which brought my search to a whole new path to investigate.

I'd also recommend writers and fans start from the beginning of horror cinema, with 1896's The House of the Devil, to gain further insight into the genre's roots and how storytelling has changed over 100+ years.

Not quite recently, but it still blows my mind that Herk Harvey only directed one feature film in his career, Carnival of Souls (another favorite of mine). The sheer terror he induces in the film doesn't get nearly enough recognition.

Horrorverse recently announced a partnership with Macabre Daily. Congratulations!! Could you tell me a little more about how that came to be? What made Macabre Daily the right partner for Horrorverse?

Within the past year or so, I was introduced to Macabre Daily and [owner and founding editor] Matt Orozco when someone reposted something Matt had published. I was instantly hooked. Our collaboration with Matt sprouted pretty organically. I was inspired by Matt's vision for what horror writing could and should be. It was a no-brainer, really.

I've been asking everyone the same question recently: With 2026 around the corner and Halloween season in full swing, are there new releases you're particularly looking forward to? Any favorites you revisit during this time of year?

I'm desperately looking forward to Man Finds Tape, Keeper, and the Silent Night, Deadly Night remake—go Rohan Campbell! I usually revisit the horror I grew up on: Hocus Pocus, The Halloween Tree, Casper, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Halloween H20.

As far as more modern films go, I always rewatch Dark Harvest, Cobweb, Trick 'R Treat, and Haunt Season—just off the top of my head.

Up Next: Cozying Up With Winter Horror

I can’t believe Thanksgiving is already upon us here in the States. As the weather gets colder, I’m thinking about all the winter horror movies and books I want to sink into. I’ve put together a list of seasonal favorites featuring snowy settings, black nights, and bone-chilling scares.

After that: We’ll return to interview land for a conversation with indie horror writer Inigo Mort! Inigo recently hosted the Ghosties, an anonymous short story competition designed to uplift and encourage horror writers. We’ll chat about how the project came to life, as well as his own forays into self-publishing.

Scare Me! is a free weekly horror newsletter published every Thursday morning. It’s written by Michelle Delgado, featuring original illustrations by Sam Pugh. You can find the archive of past issues here. If you were sent this by a friend, subscribe to receive more spooky interviews, essays—and maybe even a ghost story or two.