Interview one with Maria J. Pérez Cuervo

Founder and Editor of HELLEBORE, the magazine of British folk-horror and the occult

Originally published 5 October 2019.

I first encountered Maria J. Pérez Cuervo through her work on John Reppion’s ‘Spirits of Place’, alongside writers like Alan Moore and Warren Ellis. Her love of folklore and everything Gothic really resonated with me, so I was incredibly excited when I learned that she was editing a new limited-run magazine inspired by British folk-horror, so I caught up with Maria to find out more.

1/ What is Hellebore and why did it need to exist?

Hellebore is a limited-run magazine devoted to British folk horror and the occult. So much of the content we consume is digital that print feels like a small luxury. I became obsessed with the idea of putting together something that was physical rather than digital, and beautifully designed, and I wanted to do it about the themes that I love, and with writers, academics, and artists whose work I admire. I'm pleased it seems to have resonated with many other people.

2/ What would issue two feature if you could reanimate any dead artist of your choice to interview or converse with?

I'd interview Margaret Murray, whose Witch Cult theory was hugely influential in the early 20th century and beyond. She was a fascinating character. And I'd love to include some original art by Pamela Colman Smith, best known for illustrating the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot. I'd also talk to Eleanor Scott and Margery Lawrence, who penned fantastic folk horror stories. Both of them seem largely forgotten, unlike James, Blackwood, and Machen, the names everyone thinks of when you're talking about the origins of folk horror. So much of folk horror seems very male-dominated, but there were, and there are, many women contributing to it.

3/ Why British folk horror? What does Britain mean to you?

I grew up in the south of Spain, one of the sunniest places in the world, but I never felt I belonged. I became fascinated with Britain by reading the stories of the Famous Five, largely because of the settings: the Cornish coast, the moors, the ancient ruins. I think this had a huge impact on me. I've been living in England for 15 years and I still feel it's the place that lived in my imagination, with all its ghosts, its ruins, its tormented lovers, and its strange folklore. Hellebore is about that land, and the stories it tells us.

But I was also aware of the current political situation, and I wanted to make a political statement. This is why I asked David Southwell to write about the political meaning of landscape, and about the role of folklore in fighting fascism. He explains - much better than I could -  that re-enchantment is resistance. And this is why I write that Hellebore is our contribution to the resistance.

4/ Without limitations, budgets or modesty, what would you make next?

A TV series. I've co-written some treatments, but having no contacts means it's impossible to be heard. I have a novel planned that contains many of the obsessions that drive Hellebore. It'll hopefully happen some day.

Maria J. Pérez Cuervo is a freelance writer and the editor of Hellebore. Her work has appeared in Fortean Times, Mental Floss, The Order of the Good Death, and the Daily Grail, among others. Find her on Twitter as @mjpcuervo.