Hi! I’m Henny 😊!

I’m 28 years old and enrolled at the English Master’s Degree Programme at AU (currently on my 9th semester). I’ve gotten the exciting opportunity to join Recreational Fear Lab as an intern during the latter months of this year.

My interest in horror has always been an interesting one; I’ve never liked the feeling of being frightened and would always hide away whenever my peers would want to watch a scary movie, but I’ve also been so interested in how aspects of horror can strengthen a given film, book or game’s fundamental appealing qualities. A thriller dialling up the tension to the point where it borders on psychological horror, a fight scene turning visceral enough to rival a gory slasher or a romantic drama’s premise seeming to be plucked straight out of a gothic horror novel... All of these examples made me want to finally cut my teeth on proper horror during my early 20s and it essentially spiralled into a bit of an obsession! Although, I still feel faint at the sight of blood, so perhaps my hemophobia still needs a bit of desensitization...

After taking a class on horror and its historical contexts my last semester, I knew recreational fear was something I needed to delve further into. One, because I love to examine what “fear” looks like on a physical level as well as a psychological one, and two, because after the initial gasp of horror and shock during a haunted house, it’s almost always followed by uproarious laughter.

I can’t wait to dive deeper into this world of recreational fear along with my fellow interns; I’m certain that we’re all going to have a horribly fun time!!