A Letter From the Executive Editor
By May | Psycho Rhythms Magazine
Dear readers,
If someone had told the younger version of me, a girl growing up in Brazil with an imagination far bigger than her understanding of the world, that one day she would be living in London, working as the Executive Editor of a magazine and taking her first steps into the film industry, I probably would have laughed. Not because I didn't believe it was possible, but because sometimes our biggest dreams feel so distant that imagining them actually happening is almost frightening. And yet, here I am, writing this letter, trying to find the right words to explain just how much this little piece of my life means to me.
May Baciquetto Executive Editor
I moved to London with two dreams: to become an actress and to become a writer. Both dreams were born from the same place, my absolute love for storytelling. Films have always been an enormous part of my life, and when I say they changed it, I mean that quite literally. I taught myself English through films, no English lessons; no courses; no classrooms. Just me, a screen, countless stories and probably a rather questionable pronunciation in the beginning. Looking back, I find something incredibly beautiful about that. The very thing that helped me learn a new language eventually gave me the courage to move to another country and chase a life I once only imagined.And then there's music. Oh, music. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a massive Louis Tomlinson fan, and when I say massive, I really do mean MASSIVE. Music has accompanied me through so many different chapters of my life that certain songs feel almost like little time machines. I can hear a melody and immediately remember who I was, what I was feeling and what I was dreaming about when I first heard it. Films have always had a similar effect on me, which is probably why combining these two worlds feels so special. A film can tell you a story, but sometimes it's the music that makes you remember it forever. Of course, in horror films, music also has the wonderful ability to make you terrified of a completely ordinary corridor. In The Sound of Fear, we explore exactly how sound can transform what we see on screen, making our hearts race before anything frightening has even happened.
Speaking of horror, I should probably confess something about myself. Whenever I'm particularly stressed, overwhelmed or simply having one of those days when everything seems to go wrong, I like to relax by watching a horror film. I'm fully aware that finding comfort in watching fictional people make absolutely terrible decisions while being chased by a murderer might not be the most conventional form of relaxation, but somehow it works for me. Apparently, I'm not the only person who finds something strangely enjoyable about being frightened, and that is precisely what we explore in The Psychology Behind Horror Movies. Why do we willingly put ourselves through fear when we spend so much of our actual lives trying to avoid it? The psychology behind our fascination with horror is genuinely fascinating, and understanding it has made me appreciate the genre even more.
Now, before you start thinking that I'm particularly brave when it comes to frightening things, allow me to introduce you to one of my greatest weaknesses: clowns.
I have coulrophobia. A very real, very serious fear of clowns. Not the occasional discomfort when one appears on television, but the kind of fear that I've actually discussed with my psychologist. So naturally, when the opportunity came to explore independent horror cinema and interview a director whose film involves clowns, I thought it sounded like a wonderful idea. Because apparently, nothing says professional development quite like voluntarily confronting one of your greatest fears.
Jokes aside, it has been a surprisingly meaningful experience for me. Working on this issue has pushed me to explore things I might otherwise have avoided, and I like to think that interviewing someone who creates the very thing that frightens me is a small step towards understanding, and perhaps even overcoming, that fear. In Small Budgets Big Screen, we also celebrate independent filmmaking and the incredible creativity that comes from telling stories without enormous Hollywood budgets. There is something particularly inspiring about people who refuse to let limited resources stand between them and a story they believe deserves to exist. As someone hoping to build a career in this industry, I find that determination incredibly motivating.
Another subject especially close to my heart is the evolution of women in horror. Growing up watching films, I became fascinated by the idea of the Final Girl, the woman who somehow survives everything the story throws at her. But what I love most is how that character has changed over the years. Women in horror are no longer confined to being frightened victims waiting to be rescued, or perfectly innocent heroines whose only purpose is to survive. They can be complicated, angry, intelligent, imperfect and powerful. They can make mistakes, fight back and sometimes be just as frightening as the monsters themselves. As a woman who dreams of becoming an actress, I find that evolution incredibly exciting. In The Final Girl, we look at how horror heroines have changed and what those changes say about the way we see women on screen.And because Halloween is about more than films, I couldn't resist including something for those of us who grew up obsessing over television series.
I miss Halloween episodes. I miss the excitement of waiting an entire week for a new episode, the ridiculous costumes, the special opening credits and those wonderfully unnecessary moments that made fictional characters feel like people we actually knew. I miss when series had enough episodes to let us spend time with characters without every single scene needing to move the central plot forward. In Whatever Happened to Halloween Episodes?, I take a little trip down memory lane to celebrate a television tradition that I genuinely wish would make a comeback.
Of course, behind every character we fall in love with is an actor bringing them to life, and behind every performance is a process we don't always get to see. In 14 Years of Coaching Actors in Movies, written by Paul Lane, our magazine's Creative Director and also my very own acting coach, we get to explore the experience, dedication and discoveries involved in helping actors find the truth within their performances. For someone like me, who has spent so much of her life watching people on screen and dreaming of being one of them, there is something incredibly special about learning from someone who has dedicated so many years to helping those dreams become a reality.
And that brings me to something particularly personal.
One of my biggest dreams has always been to act, and recently, I was given the opportunity to take my first steps towards making that dream a reality. I was cast in my first film here in London, Psycho Rhythms, directed by Paul. As if that wasn't exciting enough, he also gave me the opportunity to appear in a music video, another dream I have carried with me for years. Suddenly, the two things that have shaped so much of my life, music and cinema, were no longer worlds I could only admire from the outside. I was becoming a tiny part of them. And honestly? I'm still trying to process that. Our bonus feature, Obsession, takes you behind the music, the madness and the friendships involved in bringing that creative project to life. It is a particularly special article for me because I had the opportunity to experience a little piece of that world myself. There is something wonderful about writing about a project you've actually been involved in, especially when you get to discover how much more was happening behind the scenes than you ever realised at the time.
As I sit here writing this letter, I can't help thinking about that younger version of myself in Brazil, watching films, listening to music and imagining a future that felt impossibly far away. I don't think she would believe everything that has happened, and I certainly don't think she would have expected one of her professional experiences to involve interviewing someone about terrifying clowns. But I think she would be proud. Not because every dream has come true, because believe me, I still have a very long list, but because I never stopped trying to reach them.
This magazine represents something I have always believed in: that stories have the power to bring people together, inspire us, challenge our fears and sometimes change the direction of our lives entirely. I know that because stories changed mine.
I want to thank Paul for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to be part of this project, and everyone who has contributed their creativity, time and passion to bringing our first issue to life. I want to thank my friends. And, of course, I want to thank you, our readers. Whether you're here because you love horror films, independent cinema, music, television or simply discovering new stories, I hope you'll find something in these pages that stays with you long after you've finished reading.And to my grandparents, who are no longer here with me but will always have a place in my heart, I hope that wherever you are, you're looking down on me with pride. I wish you could be here to see my dreams coming true, but I like to believe that, somehow, you're still part of every little achievement. I hope I'm making you proud.
And before I finish, there is someone I could never leave out of this letter: my mum. When I told her I wanted to move to another country to chase my dreams, she believed in me, even though believing in those dreams meant watching her daughter build a life thousands of miles away from her. I wish everyone could have a mother who believes in their dreams the way mine believes in mine. Because no matter how far I go, how many dreams I achieve or where life takes me, I will always know that one of the biggest reasons I had the courage to begin this journey was her. And Mum, I hope you know that every little achievement of mine will always be a little bit yours, too.
So, make yourself comfortable, turn down the lights, put on your favourite spooky soundtrack and enjoy our very first issue.
With love, excitement and just a little bit of fear,
May
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Executive Editor
Psycho Rhythms Magazine
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