Interview: Talking Horror with Alfonso Conspiracy (Written)

Who doesn’t love a bit of horror? In this interview we spoke to industrial metal artist, Alfonso Conspiracy about all things horror.

Alfonso Conspiracy is the uncompromising project led by multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Max James. He will release his formidable debut album, The Explicit//The Exploited, on Friday 5th December across all major platforms. Before the full album drops, fans can check out the stunning new single and video, Who Are We (WHORE), out now.

1. What’s some of your earliest memories surrounding horror films and at what age do you think you experienced your first one?

My dad is a huge horror movie fan and has collected memorabilia throughout my life. I was always fascinated by the characters he would have in his room. I was super young and already memorised who they all were and was desperate to watch the movies! I would draw pictures and build lego versions of Michael Myers, Leatherface, Pinhead and everyone! I was finally allowed to dip my toe in and I think I would’ve been about 8 when we put Jaws on. I loved it so much and it was immediately like a drug to me, I wanted to watch anything and everything I could so my poor parents had to try and form a list of movies I could watch at such a young age, seeing how much I loved it.

2. What effect do you think it had on you, either positive or negative?

I don’t know life before it really! I think it gave me comfort. When I was struggling as a child and teenager, I would watch movies to escape my issues. It is always nice being like ‘Okay school sucks but at least I’m not being haunted by Candyman!’ It also felt like my own little universe, no one else around me loved it like I did, so I was alone there and I liked that. I have now grown to find a HUGE community of people who feel the same and it’s just amazing.

3. Do you have a particular moment in horror, be it a specific film or even a scene, that defined your childhood?

That’s a good question…there were a lot of movies I wasn’t allowed to watch when I first got invested in horror, and whenever they finally let me it was always the most exciting feeling. A very vivid memory I have is one Halloween day we were getting ready for a party and my dad apprehensively let me watch House Of 1000 Corpses. I had always said ‘When can I watch the Captain Spaulding movie!?’ After seeing figures and tops with him on, when I finally could I was buzzing. And it is significantly one of my absolute favourites to this day. It just sums up everything I love in one movie.

4. What used to scare you?

My big fear has always been viruses and stuff. I think the concept of something microscopic having the ability to wipe humanity out is terrifying. I don’t know where the fear came from but that has always been what I’m scared of. I can watch the most intense European horror and have a blast, but can watch a stupid zombie comedy with a virus and I’ll have to sit it out!

5. How did your early experiences blossom into a love of all things horror?

As I said, being in a house so immersed in horror culture really shaped me. Halloween was huge every year too, carving pumpkins, decorating all month long and listening to Rob Zombie until we couldn’t stand a second anymore. I loved it. Maybe there’s a darkness that fascinates me, or maybe the characters just looked cool, I don’t know!

6. Do you have a particular era or style of horror that you deem the best? If so, which one, why, and what are some examples of the best of that era/style?

I am a huge fan of multiple eras of horror. Immediately, the 80s is a common answer and I love it as much as the next person, but I really think the 70s is the gold mine. It had the dark and raw energy of the decades before it, without the restrictions of it becoming too popular in the 80s. It also had technological advancements too, so directors had more opportunity. I don’t know, you just look at some of the movies from the 70s…The Exorcist, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Dawn Of The Dead, Black Christmas, The Hills Have Eyes..the list goes on but it was a truly special decade for horror. I am a huge fan of horror from the 30s, 50s and 60s too though. I adore the Universal Monster movies and I love venturing into movies like Carnival Of Souls, The Brain That Wouldn’t Die and of course, House On Haunted Hill.

7. How about genres – are you a slasher fan, paranormal lover, gorefest enjoyer, etc, or is a little bit of everything ok with you?

I really love all genres. I like a mix and a blend of styles. I think paranormal is the hardest to get right though, because when it’s done well it leaves an impression for sometimes a lifetime, but more often than not it doesn’t and it just sucks. Slashers are the easiest to get right, because there haven’t been many GENUINELY good ones, but they’re all great. Dumb fun for a couple hours! My favourite kind of horror is horror that feels like horror…if that makes sense. I don’t care what it is about or when it was made or how it was made, there’s just this vibe…or feeling. Even Scooby Doo has it sometimes.

8. What’s the best horror film to watch alone and why?

Hmmm…there are so many…I don’t know where I’d start. I absolutely love The Changeling, and that is a good one to do alone. The atmosphere is so cool and creepy. A personal experience of mine was watching Eden Lake by myself and it absolutely terrified me. I felt so isolated and it was great, I was so immersed and felt the anxiety come straight through the screen. Other than that, one I’ve already mentioned but Carnival Of Souls. There is such an isolating feeling in that movie which really benefits from being alone, and the soundtrack is perfect, it makes for a super creepy couple of hours watching it alone, especially in the dark.

9. Likewise, what’s the best horror film to watch with a group (beers and popcorn included) and why?

It’s got to be Killer Klowns From Outer Space. It’s just the most dumb fun ever put to movie. Removing a sense of humour and fun, it is probably a 1/10, but having those principles puts it up to an absolute 10/10 time. So many funny moments, so many genuinely cool kills and it’s just a great time. Any chance me and my little brother get to throw it on we do. Grab a pizza and just have a blast.

10. What is an overrated film or franchise? Please explain.

I think the word franchise makes that a tough question. SO many legendary horror movies exist, but I can probably count on one hand how many genuinely great franchises there are. It’s part of the fun though. You always get the crappy 3D sequel, the space one, the re-casting one, and the one where they tried to revitalise it and failed miserably. I apologetically would say Friday the 13th as a whole. I still have a great time putting any of them on but I don’t think any of them are good, and it does baffle me how that is the franchise that took off, with some of the other incredible slashers around that era.

11. What is a modern horror film (the last ten years) that you just loved and why?

I remember me and my dad hearing chatter about this new slasher movie that had just come out that people loved so we thought we would try it and it was Teriffier. I cannot express my love for that movie. I was in awe. It was like ‘Oh my god I feel like a kid in the 80s seeing Freddy for the first time!’ And now it has become huge! Rightly so too. I also have In A Violent Nature and Train To Busan come to mind, two other incredible modern horrors.

12. What scares you now?

I haven’t managed to progress past the virus thing. Living through a pandemic didn’t help. It just made it worse.

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