Well hello there! How do you do? My name is McKenzie and my hair sometimes is blue.

Q: What is Cthulhuville to you?

A: I have fond memories of writing occasional reviews for Horror-Web when I was young–maybe high school? I thought it was a little weird that it was only for horror. As a family, we watched plenty of science fiction and fantasy. I started thinking about Little Dragon Cthulhu shortly after graduating high school, but running a review site on my own was a little too much.

Then JimmyZ, Ian, and I started discussing the idea of reviving Horror-Web and expanding it as a family project. In many ways, Cthulhuville is a natural extension of ourselves, an inevitability.

Q: What’s your favorite genre?

A: It kind of depends on the medium. I have a deep-rooted love for fantasy novels. On the screen, I am obsessed with horror and science fiction. There’s a lot of room for blending there, and I’m always open to horror and science fiction writing and fantasy films and shows.

Q: How do you decide what content to review?

A: I’ll review anything I’ve watched, listened to, or read as long as it fits the bill. I’m particularly interested in reviewing the stuff that doesn’t get enough attention or is not traditionally considered genre fiction. That’s why I’ve been reviewing short fiction, in part. I love short fiction, but it also doesn’t get enough appreciation and far too few people are reviewing it.

Q: Are you accepting direct submissions/requests for review?

A: Yes and no! I’m accepting submissions and requests, but I’m also finishing up my Master’s thesis right now. I will resume more intensive reviewing around mid-May. You can contact me at mckenzie@cthulhuville.com or editors@cthulhuville.com.

Q: Can you talk a little bit about how you rate content?

A: Here’s a rough scale for me:
Gold star – INCREDIBLE! Everyone should read it and love it.
10 – This is amazing and should be considered for awards.
9 – This is amazing but probably not going for an award nomination.
8 – Very good. Some aspect of it is exceptional.
7 – Solid work. Very worth reading.
6 – Good, but either mildly flawed or best for a specific audience.
5 – Okay. Worthwhile at the right time or for the right person.
4 – Problematic. Some element of the story has significant problems, but there is a redeeming quality in it somewhere.
3 – This is not very good. Although it needs work, it has potential.
2 – Deeply flawed. I’m not sure how it got published/produced.
1 – Unacceptably flawed. I am kind of upset I spent time on it.
Black star – TERRIBLE. I’m actively frustrated at its existence.

Q: What makes a good story for you?

A: I love stories that make me feel something deep in my core. If my body has a physical reaction to what I’m reading, I’m thrilled. Usually that comes from excellent character design and tension. But good writing also has to be good writing; that is, it must be beautiful and complex and accessible.

Here are some of my favorite . . .
Books – If I Pay Thee Not in Gold and The Last Herald-Mage (trilogy) by Mercedes Lackey; The Nightrunner Series by Lynn Flewelling; Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente; A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan; Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
Films – Uzumaki (2000); Reign of Fire (2002); Much Ado About Nothing (1993) and Othello (1995); Dark Water (2002); A Quiet Place (2018)
Shows – Sense8 (2015); Kingdom (2019); From (2022); Fringe (2008)

There are many many excellent creative works out there, and the ones listed above are just the ones that immediately come to my mind as frequent rewatch/reread pieces. Remember that favorites might not necessarily be critically acclaimed. Reign of Fire, for example, is objectively not a great movie, but I could watch it over and over and can quote the prayer on a whim.

Q: Why should people read Cthulhuville’s reviews?

A: We’re willing to review the less-than-best out there and offer honest feedback. I’ve been a little surprised by the lack of open critical response to books and short fiction in particular. Here, we say what we think and feel about our own experiences without getting into the weeds too much with literary or film theory and without worrying about whether our experiences reflect the popular response (see my review of Longlegs).

Q: What do you envision for the future of Cthulhuville?

A: Our next big steps are improving our reach and recruiting additional reviewers to increase our content output. Press passes for convention coverage and deeper involvement with creative industries would be nice, but those will take time. We’ve also had some very early stage discussions about merch and genre expansion, but those are probably a few years down the line still.

Q: What’s going on in your life that readers might like to know?

A: I’ll be starting a PhD in literature in the fall! If you see me reviewing a lot of old stuff over the next five years, that’s me reading so much 19th century genre fiction.

On a more personal note, my son is starting preschool in the fall, too! We’re deep in the throes of potty training and the alphabet here at home.

As for what I’m reading/watching right now? I’ve currently about 10% of the way through Fevered Star, the sequel to Black Sun. I’m between shows right now and my entire watch list is foreign language stuff (for better and worse).