What better way to continue our celebration of "Women in Horror Month" (CLICK HERE) here on the site than an interview with the uber talented April A Taylor. April is an internationally published and exhibited Dark Art/Horror photographer whose work is filled with zombies, blood soaked women and post-apocalyptic themes....

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Her photography has garnered praise from many in the horror industry, including genre actors Lisa Wilcox (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 & 5), Ashley C. Williams (The Human Centipede) and Ken Sagoes (A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 & 4), and is a perfect lead in to this year’s Women in Horror Recognition Month! We recently had an opportunity to speak with April about her work & what attracted her to the horror industry. Read on to learn about this fascinating artist and to see a few samples of her work!


HorrorBid: Why did you choose to work within the field of Dark Art/Horror?

April A Taylor: In many ways I’d say that the field actually chose me. I’ve been interested in all things horror related from a very young age & have always been drawn to darkness. Even my Fine Art photography always had at least a hint of darkness to it and as soon as I began actually doing Horror/Dark Art shoots it felt more natural and satisfying than anything else in my entire life.

HorrorBid: How do you choose the themes for your work?

April A Taylor: Many of the Dark Art sets are based around standard themes in the horror industry, such as zombies and axe murderers, but if I don’t feel that I have something different to add to a specific theme then I don’t shoot it. Each of my sets can be viewed for just what you see on the surface, but they all have a deeper meaning and/or back story, much of which is rooted in societal commentary. I also collaborate with many of the models I work with and some of the original ideas behind the shoots have come from them (for example, She’s Dead is based on a poem written by model Shannon Waite). As far as where the ideas originate from, if something specific hasn’t stood out to me I quite simply close my eyes and root through my blood soaked imagination until I find something that I’d like to expand upon.

HorrorBid: Describe the process behind the shoots; how do you prepare, what happens on the set, what is the post-processing like, etc.?

April A Taylor: Preparing for a Dark Art/Horror shoot involves many, many things. First, there’s making sure there’s a good basic storyline in place and that a model(s) has been selected who can realistically portray the character(s). Next comes location scouting and picking out costuming/makeup. Once these pieces fall into place and it’s the actual day of the shoot I tend to listen to music that will put me into the headspace of the character(s). For example, on the day of the Mine shoot, I listened to Lights Out by Breaking Benjamin over and over again. Much like with writing, in order to truly bring out a character for others to see, the artist must inhabit the character’s mind in some way. On the photo set I typically run things like a movie set, meaning that I walk the model(s) through what I’m looking for, call action, and they actually act the scenes out while I capture them. After the shoot is done I keep myself in the headspace of the character while doing the post-processing in order to achieve a result that more directly connects to what they are thinking and experiencing in each photo.

HorrorBid: Do you use a makeup artist to achieve the horror effects for your shoots?

April A Taylor: No. All of the makeup in the Dark Art/Horror sets has been applied by myself or the model(s), with the exception of one set (She’s Dead) in which a couple of friends also pitched in. Generally speaking, the models handle the more traditional makeup and hair while I focus on all of the horror makeup. Props are also usually provided from items that were already owned either by me or a model, although occasionally specific props are purchased for usage in a Dark Art/Horror shoot.

HorrorBid: Some of your work, specifically the set entitled Mine, is extremely graphic. Have you encountered any issues due to this?

April A Taylor: Unfortunately yes, I have. On the surface the Mine set looks your basic axe murderer in the woods story but there’s actually a very detailed back story for the character that explains why he’s killing women in the woods. Back story or not, though, several people in the art world have had an issue with the set and have dubbed it as “ultra violent” and “too controversial.” In reality it’s nothing worse than you’d see in hundreds of movies that were granted an R rating. Even still, it’s been troubling to people, perhaps because of my usage of vivid, deep colors, which tend to make viewers feel immersed in the images as if they were really happening in front of them. I make no apologies, though, and stand behind each and every piece I’ve done. The only way to keep the horror industry from being continuously censored is to keep moving forward and refuse to be censored.

HorrorBid: What is your favorite horror movie?

April A Taylor: It’s a very tough question as I love many, many horror movies and several different genres, especially zombies, but if I had to pick just one movie it would probably be the original A Nightmare on Elm Street.

HorrorBid: Where can your artwork be seen next?

April A Taylor: Several of my pieces will be on display at Bleedfest, an all women’s horror film festival, as part of their Women in Horror Recognition Month event on February 6th in Sherman Oaks, CA. I will also be attending two conventions in the second half of February as an artist guest (MystiCon in Roanoke, VA and Con Nooga in Chattanooga, TN). As far as in print, two of my darker Fine Art pieces will be featured in a horror anthology entitled What Fears Become and I also have a photo that will be featured in a soon to be released children’s book, believe it or not.

HorrorBid: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

April A Taylor: Yes, they’re all invited to check out more of my work at www.aprilataylor.com. Also, please “like” the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/aprilataylorphotography to see sneak peaks of new Dark Art sets and for access to exclusive photos and sales! Once you like the page, leave a comment that you found out about it via HorrorBid and one lucky Bidite will win a free Dark Art t-shirt at the end of February! Thanks HorrorBid!


Now onto what makes April tick and why indeed she is one of the best in the business at what she does. Feast on just a sample of her work below: