Who is the Gothic Horror Guy?
Filmmaker Tim Van Mieghem grew up on horror movies and gothic literature, but it wasn't until one fateful night in his youth when he had a nightmare which spooked him so much that his family encouraged him to write it as a story, hoping it would provide relief and catharsis. They were right. It was from that dreadful evening moving forward that creating tales of horror became his lifelong passion. Later after film school he worked on many films and shows, and having learned all he had from these experiences, Tim has ventured out into writing, directing and producing horror films under the guise of his own artistic brand, "The Gothic Horror Guy".
Why Gothic Horror?
In eras where superstition dominated the populace’s sense of fear, when the forefathers of science were viewed as witches and heretics, a time of suffering flesh-eating plagues where madmen claimed to be doctors- to be able to relate to the dread and terror of these times is quite a powerful and eye-opening experience.
Understanding those feelings means that the story you’re absorbing is entwining with your primal fear. That’s the sensation only adrenaline junkies- a typical horror fan- look for in these kinds of stories. When they walk away simultaneously with a thought-provoking idea the story posed to them then that shot of adrenaline is just the same a life lesson of some sort- something to think about- something that might impact them.
You get that depth of storytelling when seeing what causes hysteria, seeing what causes dehumanization, seeing what causes inhumane levels of cruelty. Experiencing horror from the victim is the perspective within every sub-genre of horror- but also humanizing the monster, understanding what makes them the way they are, forcing you to both fear and feel for them- that there is the essence of the macabre and poetic nature of Gothic Horror.
The belief here is that Gothic Horror is an essential sub-genre that allows us to challenge conventional thinking and better understand the unknown. It is the type of empathy-driven storytelling we need nowadays more than ever.