Scary Stories for a Good Cause: Anthony DeRouen on "The Patron"

By L.S. Johnson (https://traversingz.com/)

Anthony De Rouen has written three high-fantasy novels and is currently finishing the drafts on two supernatural horror screenplays. He turned one of the screenplays into a short called The Last Showing, which picked up a Silver Spotlight Award and was screened at the Halloween Horror Picture Show. In 2018 he founded the Death’s Parade Film Festival, which is happening October 5th, 2019 in San Jose, California.

Tell us a little about your story, “The Patron.” 

I've always been fascinated by snow and how big of a factor it can play in stories. It can very much be your antagonist if the heroes of the story are caught unprepared. Such is the case in “The Patron” when a visiting family is caught in a blizzard. This can be all too real in some cases, but what happens after the blizzard passes makes for a chilling encounter with a nearby tavern.

“The Patron” has the structure—the feel—of a classic horror story. Why do you think some forms of horror keep frightening readers, generation after generation?

I grew up reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, then when I got older I watched re-runs of The Twilight Zone. Both mediums shared a common baseline: quick and efficient storytelling that made you think. These forms of storytelling can elicit reactions much faster, and thus give you the chance to experience more in the same period as you would traditional narratives.

What is your relationship to California?

I was born, raised, and still reside in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

As writers, we constantly use our imaginations, sometimes in terrifying ways. But can you imagine a hopeful future for California? What might that future look like?

Any future can be hopeful if enough people are willing to stand up and make change.

Where can readers find more of your work?

You can find more of my work at http://anthonyderouen.blogspot.com/ and at https://www.deathparadefilmfest.com/