With nebulous, ever-expanding happiness, Space Jockey Reviews presents an exclusive interview with the amazing, and always out-of-this world, Emma from Spooky Astronauts. Yes! With a fellow astronaut, and lover of fine cinema, there can be no better company. At nearly 80,000 Youtube subscribers currently, her video reviews, recommendations and more are some of the best in the universe. What’s more is her seemingly infinite content: everything from lesser known gems not to miss to favorite lists, spoiler-free reviews, immediate reaction to movies just seen, and much more.
In this interview, Emma tells us everything from the origins of Spooky Astronauts to the movie she can never watch again, and the famous person she’d love to meet (You’ll be surprised who that is…maybe!) So, without further introductions and cosmic countdowns, as Emma always says, “Let’s talk spooky stuff.”
Chris (SJR): Spooky Astronauts is a really cool name. I love it! What is the story behind the name and its meaning?
Emma: Haha! This is a question I get a lot! There is no real meaning behind it. It’s just a screen name I used to use across platforms. It’s the idea of the death of an astronaut. It paints a romantic image of something dark, but then the word “spooky” is very juvenile, so it’s a nice mix of everything.
Chris: Many people who produce movie reviews have an inspiration. For me, it’s Roger Ebert. I have a binder full of his reviews, as well as all of his books. What about you? Do you have such an inspiration for reviewing movies?
Emma: I really don’t. To be honest, when I started reviewing on Youtube I didn’t even know there was a huge community of people. I was a big fan of Youtube and Horror Movies, and I’m an editor by trade. So, I just put my passions together and thought I’d share my love of movies. Only when I started making friends online who were doing the same thing did I learn of the bigger reviewers. There are a few that I really admire now, like SpookyRice and Ryan Hollinger. But, my channel was really formed around sharing my thoughts; I never really set out to be a reviewer.
Chris: What do you find most personally rewarding about producing content for Spooky Astronauts, the great videos, and reviews?
Emma: The community for sure. I’ve made good friends through this. I know a lot of people who like horror tend to not have other people in their lives that share that passion. I’ve made some of the best friends I have online, particularly in my Patreon which has given me the support to keep going. It’s always nice when the videos do well, but I’m not making a living or anything off it. So there needs to be something deeper to keep me going week after week.
Chris: It is amazing how many obscure movies you find and review. I have actually heard about a number of the lesser-known titles I’ve reviewed from you. Where do you find so many obscure movies?
Emma: Honestly, I just search for hours, different websites, IMDb a lot…tons of different obscure searches, until I find one that I haven’t seen before and take a glance at the scores, just in case there is a reason I haven’t seen it, haha! I also watch a lot of time wasters! I’d say for every video I do on 5-7 hidden gems, I watch 10 films that are awful.
Chris: Do you also write movie reviews? If so, where can we find them? If you don’t write them, is it something you’ve thought of doing?
Emma: I don’t, but I do write out the scripts that I then turn into videos. Video is my forte, so I’ve always gone with that. In the future I’d love to turn them into written reviews also, but I’m not great at proofing and, on top of everything, it’s another aspect that I’d have to add to the process. Right now, two videos a week and one bonus Patreon video is keeping me busy.
Chris: My top-five favorite movies, in order, are Alien (1979), John Carpenter’s The Thing, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Hellraiser, and Re-Animator. I know you must have many favorites, but what are your top five, and why?
Emma: Oh, I hate answering favourites. It’s just too hard for me to be honest, and so hard to compare between such different films I love for different reasons. I’d say Pet Sematary, The Blair Witch Project and The Ring (remake) are pretty high up there. I could probably write whole videos on why.
Chris: My favorite remake of a classic horror film is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003). True to the original with its raw, gritty horror and utterly hopeless ending, it also has its own style and unique take on the story. What is your favorite remake of a classic horror film, and why?
Emma: Oh, I just mentioned it! The Ring (2002). Rachel is such a great representation of a REAL character. She is flawed and complicated; the balance of her relationships in the film with the events that unfold are perfect. I think they did so well recasting, and then also with the translation of the spooky locations.
Chris: My favorite “extreme horror” film is Martyrs. What is your favorite film of this type, and what makes it your favorite?
Emma: Mine is Martyrs too! I often talk about the big impact the film had on me. The idea of the director making a story about pain, and then all of the different psychological aspects that went into such a traumatic and gruesome story is so powerful! So much at play and so overpowering at times in all aspects.
Chris: Since you live in Australia, let’s talk about Australian horror. My favorite Australian horror film is Hounds of Love. What is your favorite?
Emma: That’s a hard one…. I still think of Saw as an Australian horror film, and I think it has become such a cult classic. What an original concept! It birthed a whole sub genre non intentionally. I love that it also launched both James Wan and Leigh Whannel internationally. Now they do such different projects, but are so involved in the Hollywood scene. It’s very inspiring for film makers everywhere.
Chris: Stephen King said, “I recognize terror as the finest emotion, and so I will try to terrorize the reader. But if I find that I cannot terrify, I will try to horrify, and if I find that I cannot horrify, I’ll go for the gross-out. I’m not proud.” Do you agree with King that there is a difference between terrorizing and horrifying?
Emma: I totally get what he means, especially with reading his books. But I feel like the King really masters the idea of dread more than terror. Although there, of course, is a difference, horror is like an umbrella term I guess, with terror being something instant and extreme, whereas horror can loom.
Chris: One of my favorite movies is not horror or science fiction. It’s My Dog Skip–wonderful movie about the life of a dog and the memories a man has of a most beloved childhood pet. I love the movie, I have it in my collection, but it’s so sad that I can never watch it again. It reminds me too much of the pet dogs I’ve had, loved, and lost from their passing. Is there a movie that affects you in that way?
Emma: That’s the one with Frankie Muniz right? I remember the cover. I have plenty like this, and have done videos on films that changed my life. I think The Land Before Time has that same effect on me, because SPOILER the parents of the adorable little foot die at the start.
Chris: Of course, the soundtrack is a very important part of a film. It helps create a mood, an atmosphere, and even suspense. For me, the best movie soundtrack is from Alien (1979), by composer Jerry Goldsmith. What is your favorite movie soundtrack?
Emma: I have two videos on this! I love soundtracks. Unpopular opinions, but I prefer John Carpenter’s composing rather than his directing! But some of the best soundtracks include Mandy, Us, It Follows and The Prince of Darkness. I like a lot of synth in my horror music, shrieking violins all that stuff! There’s also some really cool concepts in the music in Us, because just like everything else Jordan Peele creates, it has more than one meaning. The anthem is meant to be unworldly, it blends lots of different international sounds, but you can’t put your finger on it; it’s also a chant playing off the Gregorian chant…but it’s no known language–just like the film which is about a whole other existence we aren’t aware of. Just like us…but not.
Chris: Roger Ebert wrote a book titled I Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie. For me the first entry in such a book would be The Green Inferno. What would be the first entry in a book of that title for you?
Emma: There’s really not much I hate. If something isn’t for me, I tend to stay clear of it. I try not to do rant reviews often; I find it can be a little mean spirited, although it gets a lot of views. I feel pretty bad about them. But, I have done a few; you can’t always lean into the positive and not the negative. A film I dislike is Cannibal Holocaust, because of the obvious reasons–real animal death, the sexual abuse…things that there are no real reasons for in the film.
Chris: With so many sources for horror-entertainment news, reviews, etc., (and with the content I produce myself), I rarely have time to watch or read much produced by anyone else. But I do take time out to watch Spooky Astronauts and Real Queen of Horror (Zena S. Dixon). Are there any online and/or print sources of horror-entertainment content that you watch/read regularly?
Emma: I keep up with Dread Central as I really like some of their writers, and I’m always keen to see what some of my friends have to say about films–like Vicky from Nightmare Maven. But in general, I’ve heard this from most other creators, and I guess you’ve just mentioned this. I try not to let others’ opinions sway me. So I go in blind a lot, just hearing about new films coming out. But, I usually get my information from press releases and go from there in requesting screeners.
FIVE RANDOM QUESTIONS
Chris: What is your favorite place to go for a vacation?
Emma: Nowhere…. COVID 🙁
Chris: What is your favorite food?
Emma: Vegetarian Lasagna
Chris: What is your favorite song?
Emma: “God Only Knows” – The Beach Boys
Chris: What pets do you have?
Emma: One Greyhound
Chris: What famous person would you most like to meet and why?
Emma: I love a lot of famous people! But I’m too worried about ruining the image I have. Don’t meet your idols! In saying that, I’d love to meet Satan.
Catch Emma on INSTAGRAM at spookyastronauts!
Check out and subscribe to Emma’s Spooky Astronauts YOUTUBE Channel!
Follow Emma on TWITTER — @astroemma
“Like” Spooky Astronauts on FACEBOOK at @SpookyastronautsYT
Support Emma on PATREON at www.patreon.com/spookyastronauts!
