An Interview with Nuzo Onoh, the Queen of African Horror

Nuzo Onoh is a Nigerian-British horror and dark fantasy author, also known as The Queen of African Horror. She is the author of at least eight novels, and has received, as the first African and Black-British, the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2022. I have gotten to know her work in the past year, and I definitely intend to explore it further, so I’m very excited that she accepted an interview for Protean Depravity!

- Dear Nuzo, looking you up on the internet, one encounters the title “Queen of African Horror”. Do you agree with that title and is it a good description of the genre you’re writing in?

I confess that I’m still as chuffed today as I was many years ago when I first encountered the Moniker of Queen of African Horror in a review. To be given that accolade is humbling and an acknowledgement of the exciting regional horror genre I write. I think most people that’s read any of my works will agree that it transports them into a different setting, culture and beliefs from the norm, and gives them a better understanding of Africans, especially, Nigerian people and their captivating culture.

- The Fantasy Filmfest in Berlin recently screened (allegedly) the first Nigerian Horror movie, the very recommendable “The Weekend” by Daniel Oriahi (I loved it, have you seen it?). Do you think it’s a genre that has a place and space to develop in Nollywood?

I’m truly surprised that the film is seen as the “first” Nigerian horror movie. I haven’t seen it, alas, since I’m known to be a wuss when it comes to viewing horror films—Horror books? OK. Horror films? No, thanks. But there was a time I was hooked on horror films and I know that the Nollywood industry was built on the supernatural, with heavy emphasis on the cultural beliefs and superstitions. So, films like Living in Bondage, for instance, were steeped in horror, and I doubt if Nollywood needs more space to develop horror. It’ll be more like going back to the basics and returning to the supernatural roots of the Nollywood industry.

- Your short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies. Do you personally prefer writing short stories, or are novels more to your taste?

I’m more a novelist and short stories for me are a way to break the monotony of long fiction at times. But I find they take just as much effort to write as novels and don’t give me the same feelings of achievement, excitement or joy as I derive from my novels. So, I rarely do anthologies these days, apart from the occasional magazine story or non-fiction articles.

- Your characters, especially the younger ones, go through a lot, and they feel so very vivid, real and are easy to root for. Are there real-life people who inspire you?

I come from an African culture where children are powerless, at least, in my younger days. Being a child therefore required one to develop a sixth sense, a powerful sensory radar so to speak, and an ability to sense, escape or navigate danger, violence and disaster. So, African children are one of the most resilient in my experience and many so-called adults in the west would struggle to survive half of what they endure. So, it’s little surprise therefore, that their brave little souls shine brightly in my stories. Funnily enough, my younger characters are rarely inspired by any real-life persons, albeit, my younger self, managed to sneak into some parts of my novel, THE SLEEPLESS. I always say that our characters are living entities inhabiting a shadow realm we stumble into when we start writing about them and so reveal themselves in all their beauty and imperfections. In the case of the younger characters, their vulnerability, resilience, innocence and beauty always shine brightly in many stories they feature in, regardless of the genre. Needless to say, Stephen King is the master of unforgettable young protagonists in our horror universe—think of Tad in CUJO, Carrie in CARRIE, Danny in THE SHINING etc.

- If you could give your stories a soundtrack, what genre of music would you go for?

Lol…everyone that has read or listened to some of my interviews would know that I always write every book to a particular music that calls to the story. I would play this single song in an endless loop as I write and by the time the story ends, months down the line, I am so sick of the song I never listen to it again for years, if ever. So, for instance, I played Elton John’s song, Daniel, while writing A DANCE FOR THE DEAD; played Billy Joel’s song, Goodnight Saigon while writing UNHALLOWED GRAVES; etc. For WHERE THE DEAD BRIDES GATHER, I played Sad Tango by Rain Bi…strangely enough, it’s the only song I’ve been able to listen to again after saturating myself with it while writing the book. So, in a nutshell, my stories like my music, are eclectic and fun.

- Do you have new upcoming writing projects we can anticipate?

Indeed! On August, 12 th, 2025, THE FAKE GHOST will be published. Set in the near future, it follows the whacky travails of a racist, sexist and homophobic USA president who is reborn as an African child in a tiny village hut. My other book, FUTILITY, is released on 14th October, 2025 and is a comedy horror about two women betrayed by the men in their lives and offered the gift of vengeance by a malevolent trickster spirit. These two books are works of magical realism, thriller and comedy horror and I know my readers will enjoy the laughs, thrills and horror in equal doses.

Thank you so much for this interview!