Afterthoughts: Black Masquerade

You don’t have to go far to see that people are scared for the future. Look on Twitter or your favorite social media platform; you will feel like civilization is spiraling into darkness and death. I have felt this as well, South Africa has been struggling for years, and it often feels like we are on the crisp of something much darker. I wanted to capture that feeling in Black Masquerade, that looming terror of something terrible on the horizon.

The 1920s were often considered a period of opulence and good times—an endless party before the horrific hangover of The Great Depression and World War 2. I wanted to reflect on that the intruding horror of death and destruction.

I can empathize with Barbara, everyone wants to live forever, and Barbara is no different. She wants to enjoy the good things in life but knows something is wrong with her party. Like many horror protagonists, she is isolated by knowledge and her unique visions.

Depicting the 1920s has been an enjoyable challenge, made all the more difficult by the change from America to Britain in the early drafts. There was less information about that era in the UK than in the US. And the sources I could find in the UK during that period were fewer than in the US. I loved incorporating Prohibition into the era; that was fun to write about and try to incorporate into the dialogue and worldbuilding.

However, London was better for the setting; it fitted well with the themes and the history that will afflict Barbara and co in the future.

The beautiful gothic horror of Big Ben and London in the fog was directly inspired by Bloodborne and The Masque of the Red Death, media that I love.

The words that my artist Ella Ahlers said when I was describing Black Masquerade were “rather prophetic” words that have haunted me ever since she told me. I hate that my horror stories could be prophetic; as a people, we must prevent the prophecies from being fulfilled by whatever horrors and nightmares writers like myself warn about.

Alex and his fate were also very challenging to write, given what he and people like him had to go through during that time. That awkward phase where society wasn’t wholly hostile to him but not accommodating him. I loved incorporating the slang terms of the time into the text. I just like writing about different historical periods cause it covers two of my favorite subjects in one place.

Horror is about comforting the dark and exploring it. It can be a warning to us about nightmares that could happen. I hope we can avoid repeating 20th-century horrors; I hope with all my heart that we can.

Thank you for reading, and let's keep exploring the dark with Black Masquerade!

Acknowledgments

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