Christine Morgan, Putting the Splatter into Splatterpunk

Christine Morgan is a daring name in the world of extreme horror, her writing synonymous with the audacious, visceral energy of splatterpunk. With a remarkable track record, she holds the distinction of being the most nominated author in the history of the Splatterpunk Awards, an accolade that highlights her consistent ability to captivate readers and push boundaries.

Known for her bold storytelling and unflinching honesty, Morgan’s works intertwine horror with elements of myth and social commentary, creating an immersive experience for lovers of the genre. From her award-winning novel Lakehouse Infernal to her provocative collaboration Nympho Shark Fuck Frenzy, her writings challenge conventions and invite readers into worlds that are as shocking as they are thought-provoking. In this exclusive interview, Morgan shares her journey through the grotesque landscapes of horror, her influences, and her thoughts on the evolving narrative of splatterpunk.

Christine Morgan, Putting the Splatter into Splatterpunk

A horror author interview By Lionel Ray Green

With nine selections, Christine Morgan is the most nominated author in the seven-year history of the Splatterpunk Awards. And she didn’t even know it until I informed her during this interview.

“Am I?” Morgan replied. “Egads. I hadn’t realized, and now you’ve pointed it out to me, I need to go hyperventilate into a paper bag for a few minutes.”

The highlight of her career was winning Best Novel in 2020 for Lakehouse Infernal, a book endorsed by splatterpunk legend Edward Lee so much so that it’s an official entry in his infamous Infernal series. Lee called Lakehouse Infernal “the coolest, ball-bustingest, most outrageous, and most entertaining horror novel you’re likely to find in a long time.”

A list of Morgan’s accomplishments in the splatterpunk subgenre reveals a remarkable consistency and versatility in her writing, delivering quality extreme horror in all forms.

Besides Lakehouse Infernal, Morgan’s been nominated for Best Novel two other times for Trench Mouth and Spermjackers from Hell. But she’s also garnered Best Collection nominations three times for Horrorsmut; Visceral: Collected Flesh; and Dawn of the Living Impaired, and Other Messed-Up Zombie Stories. In addition, she’s received two Best Short Story nominations for “Censered” and “Diabolicus Interruptus” and a Best Novella nom for her splatterpunk western The Night Silver River Run Red.

In 2024, Madness Heart Press released Morgan’s epic 414-page collaboration with two-time Splatterpunk Award nominee Susan Snyder. It’s modestly titled Nympho Shark Fuck Frenzy.

Morgan agreed to an exclusive interview for Ginger Nuts of Horror, where she discusses her love of Lee’s vision of Hell and why she pushes the limits of extreme horror.

Christine Morgan, Putting the Splatter into Splatterpunk

Lionel Ray Green: You’ve said Lakehouse Infernal winning the 2020 Splatterpunk Award for Best Novel was “the highlight” of your career. What captivated you about Lee’s Infernal universe and made you such a fan that you wanted to play there?

Christine Morgan: My first exposure to Lee’s work was purely random; City Infernal showed up as part of the monthly delivery from the Leisure Horror Book Club. I thought, “Huh, this looks interesting,” and gave it a try … and was hooked instantly. His vision of Hell incorporated mythologies beyond just the Dante-esque and Judeo-Christian, while also modernizing it to keep pace in its twisted way with earthly technology, combining torture and horror and atrocity with wit and humor and some of the most fantastically vivid and graphic descriptive language I’d ever seen was just so brilliant, so fun!

I think what really clinched it was something right near the beginning, with a demonic scepter made from petrified aortas; that anybody could even THINK of that little detail! As a longtime gamer, too, it was a setting I’d have loved to set a campaign in. But my players at the time were still much more into elves and high fantasy and wouldn’t have gone for it. Anyway, I snapped up as many of his other books as I could, and even to this day when he writes a new one with a Mephistopolis reference, I make evil gleeful little happy noises.

Lionel Ray Green: You obviously love to push limits and cross lines in horror. Your most recent novel (co-authored with Susan Snyder) is a 400-plus-page book titled Nympho Shark Fuck Frenzy, which prompted Lee to write that you and Snyder “show that they carry bigger BALLS than anyone else in the genre.” What inspired your brazen, extreme, and often obscene approach to horror storytelling? Do you have any limits at all? Have you ever considered taking a more mainstream path?

Christine Morgan: Before I discovered Lee and Laymon and the whole extreme subgenre, I did try to keep my horror more mainstreamish, but even then it had a tendency to veer off into nastier directions. Like how, when I wrote my fantasy books, horror would still creep in; I just can’t help it. And then, well, then there was the whole fanfiction thing … early on, I got a reputation for doing smutty fanfics, including of Disney cartoons, and, well, there wasn’t much turning back from that.

When I joined the site Literotica, I took it into my head to see how far I could push their guidelines and restrictions and still get away with it, which is how my Pasiphae-and-the-bull minotaur porn happened, among others. I guess there’s just a contrary streak in my nature that refuses to be told what I can or can’t do. As to whether anything’s “off limits,” it’d depend. If the story called for it, I’d have to find a way.

Lionel Ray Green: Three of your collections earned Splatterpunk Awards nominations. Can you recommend one tale from each collection?

Christine Morgan: Well, since I already mentioned it, “Mythic Lust: The Minotaur” from Horrorsmut, partly because I have always been into Greek mythology and find it amusing how, even with all its kinky sex, it’s considered “classical” and “art” (marble sculptures and oil paintings of Leda getting railed by a swan in fancy museums!). For Visceral, let’s go with “Little Fingers.”

That kids’ Halloween party game about the witch’s eyes and the witch’s guts squicked me out when I was young, and indeed still would because I hate getting my hands goopy … and then my brain had to go and wonder what if the witch could still feel it? The zombie stories, that’s a harder pick, because many of them mean a lot to me in different ways. The title tale, “Dawn of the Living-Impaired,” for instance, was my first pro sale! The one I’m personally proudest of would be “Cured Meat,” because I set myself an even bigger challenge than I realized going into it, what with no dialogue, no names, and no gender references or pronouns.

Lionel Ray Green: Your foray into the Splatter Western, The Night Silver River Run Red, was a 2021 Splatterpunk Award Best Novella nominee as well as being one of your most popular works. That subgenre kind of exploded in 2020 with four Splatter Western titles getting nominated, including one winning Best Novel. What was the appeal for you to take your talents to the Wild West?

Christine Morgan: The entire Splatter Westerns phenom has been amazing and I’m so tickled to be part of it! I’d done a few weird/horrorish western tales before; the era, setting, and language are just iconic, such a key part of American history and cultural identity, even if it didn’t really last all that long. In Stoker’s Dracula, in tons of British comedies, in the Brendan Fraser Mummy movies, if there’s Americans, odds are they’re gonna be yee-haw shootemup cowboys.

Combining it with horror seems like a natural thing, since there was plenty of real-life horror in the wild west olden days to begin with, plenty of legends and superstitions and eerie elements already. For Silver River, the only “paranormal” stuff involves various members of the traveling sideshow, but the REAL horror is all courtesy of regular people. I very much want and intend to follow up with some sequel stories, if only to have the excuse to use the title “Horsecock Rides Again.”

Lionel Ray Green: What has the creation of the Splatterpunk Awards, which debuted in 2018, meant to you as an author, and what do you think the awards have meant to the extreme horror subgenre as a whole?

Christine Morgan: Every nomination is a tremendous, flattering honor; just the idea that enough people like my stuff to land it on the ballot is a dream come true (though I sometimes wonder if I should apologize to the judges, but I figure, by now they must know what they’ve signed on for).

I think it’s been HUGE for the subgenre; horror itself often gets the short end of the stick anyway, and the extreme stuff all the more. Seen plenty of horror readers snub it or dismiss it as all being poorly written sensationalistic gross-for-the-sake-of-gross garbage, when that is NOT the case. Some of the absolute best writers I’ve encountered, skilled masters of the craft, are doing the extreme stuff. It was long past time to see that get the recognition it deserves.

About Christine Morgan

Christine Morgan grew up in the high deserts of southern California and headed north as soon as she was able, in search of water and trees. She found both in the foggy coastal redwoods, attending Humboldt State University. Five years later, plus a Bachelor of Arts degree (psychology) and minus a thyroid (cancer), she moved further north yet and settled in the Seattle area.

That shiny new degree landed her a night shift entry level job in a residential psychiatric treatment facility. After twenty-odd — very odd! — years, she’s still doing pretty much the same job, just at a different facility, and as of late 2015, in a different city and state.

The long overnights play havoc with her sleep schedule, but they offer her ample time to write on the company clock. So, in a sense, her hourly rate is not too shabby when you think about it.

Her daughter Rebecca (aka Becca and sometimes Bex) sold her own first story at the age of fourteen. She recently graduated from college, having majored in stage management and dramatic writing.

Christine’s current household consists mostly of books and cats. Viewing habits include documentaries (history, travel, nature), cooking shows, disaster movies, and British comedy. Christine has also been known to make weird crafts with her hot glue gun.

 Christine’s Author Facebook