Horror Screenwriters on the Verge Spotlights Screenwriter Mo Moshaty
Script contributor Nanea Taylor speaks with up-and-coming horror screenwriter (and horror therapist) Mo Moshaty about writing in the horror genre, publishing her novella series, and what’s next for her.
In this series, we speak to up-and-coming Horror Screenwriters, find out their writing process, and what projects they are currently working on, and get some tips of the trade.
Mo Moshaty is an Afro-Latina screenwriter, author, and producer. Raised within the clash of her mother's Yaqui heritage and her father's strict religious upbringing, Mo's work contains worlds in which characters of color strive for identity, sentiment and belonging within the comedy, horror, and sci-fi genres. Never shying away from taboo subjects, Mo’s award-winning sex comedy pilot, Catch earned her a seat in the prestigious 2022 WGI Support Staff Training Program, graduating from the Script Coordinator Track.
Co-producer and core member of the Nyx Horror Collective, she’s partnered with Stowe Story Labs to provide a fellowship for women genre writers over 40, and has also partnered with horror streaming giant, Shudder Channel, to co-produce the 13 Minutes of Horror Film Festival 2021 and 2022.
Engaging with her first love, short horror literature, her work can be found in A Quaint and Curious Volume of Gothic Tales, by Brigid's Gate Press and 206 Word Stories by Bag O' Bones Press. Her first novella, Love the Sinner will be published by Brigids Gate Press in July of 2023 and her two-volume series, Clairviolence: Tales of Tarot and Torment will be released in 2024 under Spooky House Press. Mo has lectured on Trauma in Horror Cinema with Prairie View A&M Film & TV Program and Horror Studies BAFSS and the University of Sheffield in the UK.
Not bad for a little Brown girl from NY that fell in love with space, Frye and Laurie, and slasher films.
First off, congratulations on being a 2023 addition to the Black Women in Horror book. That’s got to be exciting!
It really is. Sumiko Saulson, an Afrosurrealist author who is an outstanding writer and an ambassador of Women in Horror Month, authored the book 60 Black Women in Horror in 2013, in 2018 they created 100+ Black Women in Horror and now in 2023 they’re publishing a new tome of Black Women in Horror adding 40 more of us and it is just incredible how exponentially we’ve grown and been discovered as a formidable force in the genre. It’s such an honor, as an author and a screenwriter. And the group of women I’m now aligned with is just really motivating, I can't help but grin about it. And I don’t think it can help but grow further.
Who or what inspired you to become a writer?
Rod Serling and Ray Bradbury. I was absolutely obsessed with both of them. Discovering Serling via television while simultaneously discovering Bradbury in print was cosmic. Both men were socially conscious and excellent in character study and for me, formatively, it created such a depth of understanding and also a bar of what I wanted from a story, television or otherwise. The ways in which each and every story made you question your own motives and feelings and beliefs, it was cathartic in a way and also gut-wrenching. Bradbury wrote a short story every day since he was in his early twenties and didn’t stop until well into his eighties. That’s a work ethic I aspire to.
What’s your favorite genre to write about and why?
Horror, especially Psychological, hands down. What’s so engaging to me about horror is that it’s both so singular and personal but incredibly well-versed in permeating our cultures. There’s horror movies and books that you can watch and read over and over again because we can control the scare and then there’s others that scar us so deeply, we’re OK with putting that away for good. But boy, does it ever change the way we operate from then on.
If you had the chance to recreate an IP, what would it be and what would your spin on it be?
It’s definitely Tales from the Darkside. I can’t explain how important that show was to me and how viciously I adored it. God, the intro scared me to pieces, the sharp, singular notes alone. Sheesh! I think I wouldn’t do a whole lot differently to be honest, it had such incredible structure and anything George A. Romero put his hands on was a masterclass. Fresh stories would be key. Anthology reboots have drawn from previous stories and it’s awesome to see those retellings a la Terror at 20,000 Feet, but there are so many remarkable, marginalized short story and novella authors out in the horror genre now whose stories have absolutely thrilled me and also frightened me for days in such a short collection of words. It would be lovely to see those types of stories visualized.
I would love to help make that a comeback. Also shout out to Creepshow, whose reboot in nothing short of magnificent – I’ve asked the universe several times for a seat in one of their writers' rooms and universe (and Greg Nicotero) if you’re listening, I’m still very much available. The anthology model works, it just does, and anyone who says, “No one’s doing anthologies right now” is either scared or not a horror fan. Generationally, we thrived on them and it’s silly to think no one wants to see that again.
Tell us about your current WIP and favorite character and why?
Currently, I’m working on the second installment of my two-volume novella series, Clairviolence: Tales of Tarot and Torment. One story in particular deals with grief and loss, especially after a parent leaves us. My favorite character from the story is the younger of two brothers whose life is supposed to be pretty laid out for him but he’s still screaming inside because, at a certain age, we’re “supposed” to know what to do, be prepared, and make the plan. But you just want to cry and kick and scream because you don’t know what to do and shouldn’t have to know. You should be just as surprised by the outcome and yourself as everyone else. It’s an inner turmoil that I don’t think ever leaves us and to have to deal with your own shortcomings all whilst planning one of the worst days of your life – laying someone you love to rest.
If you had the chance to have your WIP turned into a film, whom would you like to work with i.e. director, composer, actor, or make-up artist, and why?
There’s a finished project I have that’s been so close to my heart, separate from these stories, and that’s a Ray Bradbury adaptation that I love to pieces. I would love J.D. Dillard to direct. His harrowing tale, Sweetheart really made me fall in love with his style. I would love to see what Andre 3000 and Ludwig Göransson could come up with for the score. The actors I’ve dreamed of playing the main roles since day one are Lenny James and Billy Porter. I can’t say too much further than that. It’s just a magical premise and I would love to see it come to fruition.
I heard that you just signed with Spooky House Press? Tell us about it.
Yes! I’ve signed on to Spooky House Press for the two-volume novella series I have, Clairviolence: Tales of Tarot and Torment. That will be coming out in 2024. It was really such a whirlwind. Robert Ottone, the publisher of Spooky House Press and an excellent writer in his own right, really, really loved a novella I had submitted last year. His enthusiasm for my work has been so essential to me in not only motivation but also craft. I’m in the middle of reading his work right now and I’m like, 'are we just going to fan-girl over each other?' Because I think that’s a friendship that could totally work for me. But in all seriousness, he really loved this new novella and has an interest in divination as well, and could see the resonance in a lot of the work. It’s just really nice to have that type of reassurance from a publisher - that you’re on the right track and that no matter where or who you land with further on in your career they’re still cheering you on.
My first novella, Love the Sinner will be out in July of this year from Brigids Gate Press, an inclusive and diverse press that has been an incredible advocate for marginalized writers. Their roster is just spectacular and they have such a great eye for marvelous storytelling. I’m so honored to work with them and so grateful that they loved the book as much as I do. And I got the news that they wanted to publish my book on my birthday last year, so they will always get extra points from me on that one. I’ll have further publishing details on that soon.
What current show or movie do you wish you were in the writers' room and why?
Hilariously enough it’s going to be three because I simply cannot choose. I would love to write an episode for Creepshow that’s already been well-established here, but I adore What We Do in the Shadows. I absolutely love the humor, the meter, and storylines. I’d written a spec for that, which was so much fun and I got excellent feedback on it from someone I hugely admire so that felt good – so put me in coach. I’m also quite taken with Matt Berry who inadvertently saved my life, truly, but that’s another story.
Lastly, I have to say, Our Flag Means Death. I realize I’m Jemaine [Clelment] and Taika [Waititi] obsessed here, but I fell in love with that show twelve minutes into the pilot. There’s not a single character on that show that’s filler, everyone has such an important role to move the story forward, it’s just so joyous, I can’t say enough. And Rhys Darby is just wonderful.
What advice would you give up-and-coming writers?
There are going to be days when you’re going to want to give up, stop writing, stop entering contests, and stop submitting. There are days when you’re going to feel crushed, feel jealous even when you know you should be happy for others’ wins. We all feel that. But there are going to be more days that you feel energized, compelled, and manic to get that world that’s inside your head onto the page. You can’t help it, it’s just part of you and who you are. You are a writer, whether published or not, produced or not. Love it. Love every stupid feeling that comes with it, because you know at the end of the day – it’s what keeps you looking forward to building more worlds.
What keeps you motivated as a writer?
Rejection. It sounds super dumb to say that now, considering the advice I just gave, but it really does. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t want y’all to start rejecting me left and right going forward. I simply mean, it really made me look at where I was trying to put the story, and where I was trying to go with it.
Let’s be honest, some notes are way off base, and at times, just cruel. But some notes are truly sent out to be wholly constructive. Most editors or readers really want the best out of your work, some can see the good foundations and great bones underneath. Open yourself up to other perspectives, is what I’m saying I suppose. It's easy to get offended, but it’s much harder to take that accountability, make minor changes and put out something wonderful you might not have had, had someone not taken the time to say, 'hey, what if you did this...'
What would you like your legacy as a writer to be?
Such a great question. I think I’d love to see a character I created go franchise whether in print or screen. It’s got to be such a great feeling to know that little idea, that little fun character you put down now has a fandom, theories, a wiki page, sequels, fan fiction. I think I’d love that.
Oh, and for one of my characters to get a FunkoPop. That would take the cake, I’d be so jazzed.
What's up next for you?
So much! It’s a good feeling this year to be booked and busy. I’ll be on four panels this year to chat about horror cinema from an academic standpoint which I really love. It gives me the chance to flex my therapy work with my love of horror, which is my end goal. To be the horror therapy lady. I’d be cool with that.
I’ll be creating another short and working towards possible production on a horror feature. I’m creating a third story collection which is giving me all the "yays," I’m really excited about it, and my excitement truly comes from the fact that I built this little year of joy on my own. I really put myself out there last year to take steps to be the horror therapy lady, the novella author, the short filmmaker. That gives me great pride and I know I only have myself to do better for each day. It’s a good feeling because we’re all our own worst critics and our biggest advocates and even though it’s scary, it's always good to bet on yourself.
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Nanea Taylor is a Screenwriter who has been hired as a “script doctor” and understands how it feels when you suddenly decide to shift your whole life to pursue a dream you’ve had since you were a kid. She writes in all genres, but her favorite is Sci-fi. Additionally, she was a 2nd Rounder in the Austin Film Festival, a Semi-Finalist in the San Francisco International Festival, her scripts have held the top ten list for Coverfly’s Redlist. Twitter:@tay_nanea
