The best horror films stay with us long after the credits roll—a shadow at the window, a hiss in the dark, a character who feels more alive than they should. In The Night, In The Dark is a book in which Allison Goldstein turns those cinematic moments into poetry, crafting an ekphrastic collection that’s equal parts unsettling and intimate.
Drawing on Universal Monsters, 80s slashers, and the enduring Final Girl, her poems ask us to reconsider what horror really shows us about fear, desire, and transformation. This spotlight features a poem from the collection, a Q&A with Allison about her process, and where you can get your hands on the book.
Quick Look
- Author: Allison Goldstein
- Title: In The Night, In The Dark
- Genre: Poetry Chapbook (ekphrastic / horror)
- Publisher: Bottlecap Press
- Buy: Bottlecap Press
- Where to follow: allisongoldsteinpoetry.com | Instagram: @excuse_me_theres_a_cat
About the Book
A haunting ode to Universal Monsters, 80s slashers, and Final Girls. In In The Night, In The Dark, Goldstein translates the visual codes of twentieth‑century horror into razor‑sharp poems. Each piece is an ekphrastic conversation with a film—Dracula, The Mummy, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Night of the Living Dead, Suspiria, and more—exploring how monsters reflect private fear and public longing. Dark, witty, and emotionally honest, this chapbook asks readers to reconsider what scares us and why.
Why You Should Read It
If you love poems that carry the cinematic pulse of a film frame, this chapbook will feel like a midnight screening in verse. Allison Goldstein applies a cinephile’s eye to the language of poetry—turning lighting cues, costume details, and iconic freeze‑frames into moments of lyric charge. The result is a book that’s at once playful and unnerving, scholarly and sensual, and surprisingly tender.
Q&A with Allison Goldstein
Q: What is the book about and what inspired you to write this book?
A: I’ve been writing and publishing individual poems for years, but I really wanted to write a collection – I just couldn’t seem to settle on a unifying theme. That is, until a few Octobers ago, when I was watching The Mummy (1932) for probably the 100th time and just started jotting down some notes. Those notes quickly became the poem, The Mummy, and that act really sparked the idea that I could write an entire book of poems about my favorite horror movies.
It wasn’t something I had really considered before, but it made so much sense. It’s a subject I love to write and talk about – and there’s so much to explore when writing ekphrastic poetry about a visual medium like film, from narrative tropes and character studies to actual film techniques. My passion for horror films made the prospect of writing a large volume of connected work less intimidating.
Within a few weeks I had an outline of what movies I wanted to focus on and most of the main themes and images I wanted to explore.
Q: When did you start writing, and what made you decide to publish this book?
A: I’ve always been a writer. I started writing poems as a kid and began getting published when I was still in high school. In college, I received both a BA and MFA in Creative Writing, and have worked as a professional marketing writer ever since. While writing has always come naturally, writing towards a poetry collection was very out of my comfort zone.
Even still, it was important for me on a personal level to complete a fully realized project vs. only focusing on solo poems. Just finishing the manuscript felt important, but seeing the book in print is immensely satisfying. I also love that my first book ended up being about horror movies. It’s not an avenue I envisioned earlier in my writing career, but as a lifelong goth and horror movie fan, it seems very fitting.
Q: Which character was the most fun—or most challenging—to write, and why?
A: One of the best parts of writing about existing horror movies was getting to play with these classic characters. Everyone knows Dracula, Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, etc. and I wanted to both celebrate and explore what makes these characters and movies so compelling, even 30, 40, 50+ years after their original release. That said, legacy also comes with expectation, and that was a big challenge. I wanted to create something new that complements and not detracts from the personal history people have with these films.
Q: What themes or messages do you hope readers take away from your book?
A: What makes horror timeless is the way it reflects fear both on a personal level and within the larger cultural zeitgeist. My lived experience as a woman watching horror cannot be separated from the way I approach the poems, so issues of gender expectations (and subversions), sexuality, women’s roles in society, etc. are woven throughout the collection, and I think those themes are important to both the poems and the films they reference.
That said, the main takeaway I hope people get from the book is the opportunity to use the poems as a catalyst to explore their own thoughts and feelings about these incredible movies. It’s about starting conversations, not ending them.
Q: Were there any real-life experiences that influenced your story or characters?
A: Yes and no. I wrote the poems as a conversation with the themes, images, and tropes specific to each horror movie – Dracula’s forgotten brides, Larry Talbot’s torment between shame and submission in “The Wolf Man,” the idea of a dream house literally consuming its occupants in “Poltergeist.” However, my reaction to those movies and the resulting poems are informed by my own emotions and experiences – so there’s always a little bit of me in each poem, even when I’m not the subject.
Q: What question do you wish readers would ask you about the book? (Answer it too!)
A: “What do you see as the overlap between poetry and horror movies?”
Poetry and horror movies both rely heavily on image and metaphor to convey truths and explore trauma. As a genre, horror in particular understands how to utilize iconography and atmosphere to connect with their audience just like poetry.
The sets, the costumes, the special effects, etc. work the same way poets use word choice, line breaks, and form to create the right tone and send a specific message. They can also both be enjoyed on a aesthetic surface level while providing room to dive deeper and see what’s lurking beneath the surface.
Q: Do you have a favorite quote or moment from the book you’d like to share?
A: I loved having to rewatch dozens of movies in order to create this book, but I think my favorite poem is the one that started it all, The Mummy (1932). It was also the first poem that was published from the collection, appearing in Gyroscope Review in Spring 2022.
While many of the poems went through extensive drafts and revisions during the writing process, this poem basically emerged whole and created the momentum for the entire project.
The Mummy (1932)
A prophecy, he said
like a promise
hands tied in knots
chest an empty bellow
Whose fault is it anyway,
this endless sleepwalking?
I never believed in curses
until I met you
Q: What was the biggest challenge in writing or publishing it?
A: Writing for a collection was already an unnatural feeling, and I had several moments where I really questioned if an audience for this kind of book even existed. Poetry is already a niche, chapbooks even more so, and then you have the horror movie subject matter, which can be off-putting to some readers. At the end of the day, I decided it didn’t matter, because it doesn’t.
This is the book I wanted to write, so I wrote it. Once the manuscript was ready, I gave myself a one-year timeline of submitting to small presses and chapbook contests. Since so few publishers even consider poetry chapbooks, I was ready to self-publish if those avenues failed. Luckily, I found a great partner in Bottlecap Press, and they’ve been amazing to work with.
Q: What’s next for you as a writer? (Upcoming projects, sequels, etc.)
A: I have another poetry chapbook I’m currently submitting that reimagines the Pandora myth from her perspective, which is a project that actually started way back when I was an undergrad. I’m also working on a full length poetry collection, which I hope to have completed within the next year or so. In the meantime, I’m constantly publishing poems and posting other fun musings or art projects on my website.
Who Will Love This Book
- Cinephile poets and readers who like literature with a visual obsession.
- Horror fans curious about feminist, interrogative takes on classic films.
- Readers who enjoy short, punchy poems that reward re‑reading.
Themes at a Glance
- Gender & Power: Women’s roles and expectations recur as a central lens.
- Image as Argument: Film iconography becomes poetic evidence.
- Desire & Dread: Erotic charge and horror’s pulse intersect.
- Legacy & Reinvention: Familiar monsters are reimagined, not copied.
- Form & Filmcraft: Poetic form mirrors cinematic technique—cuts, fades, and reprises.
Reading Pairings (What to Watch While You Read)
- The Mummy (1932) — the poem that began the book.
- Dracula (1931) — for atmosphere and gothic ache.
- Suspiria (1977) — color, sound, and feminine terror.
- Night of the Living Dead (1968) — collective dread and social critique.
- The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) — invention, monstrosity, and sympathy.
About the Author
Allison Goldstein is a poet, writer, and visual artist based in South Florida. She earned an MFA in Poetry from California College of the Arts. Her poems have appeared in Not Very Quiet: The Anthology, Molecule, Gyroscope Review, Horror Homeroom, Last Girls Club, and Maximum Rocknroll.
Learn more at https://allisongoldsteinpoetry.com.
Final Thoughts
In The Night, In The Dark is a compact, restless chapbook—an ideal midnight companion for readers who like their poetry cinematic and their scares reflective. Whether you come for the monsters or stay for the lines, Allison’s poems will haunt you in the best way.
👉 Buy the chapbook: Bottlecap Press
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