Mathilda Zeller writes horror and fantasy. She is of Inuit descent and her family and roots extend deep into the Kobuk River Valley, which inspires and informs her writing. Mathilda Zeller is a pen name, honoring two of her resilient great-grandmothers.
It Looks Like You in the Dark is a propulsive Indigenous horror debut, expertly blending Alaskan Native folklore and supernatural thrills, from Mathilda Zeller, author of the acclaimed short story “Kushtuka” featured in the bestselling horror anthology, Never Whistle at Night. Below are a few excerpts from our interview with Zeller, read the full interview in Pacific Northwest Gothic Volume I.
What inspired “Kushtuka,” the short story that led to this full-length novel?
The story “Kushtuka” was heavily inspired by my mother’s upbringing in Kotzebue, Alaska. When I was trying to make sure I was remembering certain folklore stories correctly, I stumbled across an article published by Jim Vandergriff in The Heritage of Kansas. Jim was on a work trip in Kotzebue and apparently extracted the story of the Kushtuka from an unwilling Inupiaq high school girl that, for reasons undisclosed, he was driving around in his truck at midnight in a rainstorm. I was disturbed by his shameless broadcasting of his own highly suspect behavior and I wanted to find a way to reclaim the narrative for that girl, whoever she may be.
What is your connection to the Kobuk River Valley and why have you decided to set this book in that area?
My maternal grandfather’s family has been in the Kobuk River Valley region for over ten thousand years. I am in the first generation in my family to be raised south of the Arctic circle, but I lived with my grandfather in both elementary school and high school and have been heavily influenced my whole life by stories from my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and mother about the region. Last month, I had the privilege of spending several weeks in Kotzebue engaged in historical/cultural preservation and archival work. The Kobuk River Valley is an important part of my geographic heritage, and it’s a privilege to write about it and engage with its history.
Much of the novel’s horror is rooted in realities that exist beyond the page. What possibilities does the horror genre offer for engaging with historical and contemporary issues?
This is actually one of the reasons I love horror as much as I do: it gives us license to engage with historical and contemporary issues in a visceral and immediate way. Horror is about looking under the bed, in the dark closet, in the basement where we keep the things that we don’t want to talk about because they hurt or scare us. I’m so happy to see that horror, particularly Black and Indigenous horror, is having a moment right now, because of the many, many stories that need to be told, that have too often been censored, edited, or otherwise suppressed.
Which writers—Indigenous or otherwise—have most influenced your sense of what horror literature can accomplish?
So many! I’m delighted not only that horror is having a moment right now, but that Black and Indigenous horror in particular is getting traction. It’s strange to me that the genre has historically been dominated by white men, when their lived experiences tend to arguably be the least systemically horrific. I’m particularly grateful for the influences of Toni Morrison, Octavia Butler, Stephen Graham Jones, Mariana Enriquez, Shane Hawk, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr., Juan Martinez, Jordan Peele, Tiffany Morris, Tiffany D. Jackson, Tananarive Due, Alex Jennings, Ananda Lima, Cynthia Pelayo, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
