My Horror Anatomy: Eddy Lee Ryder draws upon real & imaginary horrors for songwriting

Welcome to My Horror Anatomy, a terrifying series in which artists and creators dissect their five most influential horror films.

Eddy Lee Ryder is extremely squeamish when it comes to horror movies. “I ran out of the theatre during ‘Signs’; was the only one to let out a blood-curdling scream in Central Park during a showing of ‘The Shining’; held hands with the strangers while watching ‘The Ring’; and screamed in the theatre during ‘Big Mamas House,'” she fully admits.

“Granted, that last one is a comedy and everyone in the theatre laughed at me, but at the time I thought it was taking a dark turn,” she continues. “I often sleep with a knife after watching horror movies, or just when I’m staying in an old house.”

The shadowy pop-rock sorceress has a good reason for her anxieties. She was nearly murdered once in the woods, and her former roommate was murdered ⏤ and “I was told by police I couldn’t return home,” she writes B-Sides & Badlands over email. “Horror, whether movies or not, has definitely impacted my writing.” Songs like “Are you Taking me into the Woods to Kill me or to Show me the View?,” “Body Bags: A Coffee House Song,” and “Vultures,” an unsettling gothic tale bookending her new EP, Expected to Fly, conjure up spooky imagery for her brand of unforgettable storytelling.

“It took me years to realize certain songs were written about my own near-death experiences,” she says, “and that I definitely overreact in thinking that anyone could be a murderer.”

Below, Ryder walks us through five horror films which have impacted her the most.

Last House on the Left (1972)

I popped this movie on today, and I don’t think I’m going to sleep well tonight. I actually watched the first half several years ago and had to turn it off because I found what happened to those girls too disturbing. I think it preys on the fear that you never really know the strangers you meet, nor can you trust the situations you might be getting yourself into. It is accompanied by some very bizarre music choices like the kazoo that makes certain scenes very light and airy. I’m still trying to wrap my head around that unnerving choice. I really recommend this film while staying by yourself in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere like I am!

Teeth (2007)

My very personal favorite horror movie is ‘Teeth.’ This movie brings me so. much. joy. If you have not seen this, stop whatever you are doing and watch it immediately. After a woman is brutally assaulted, she develops a condition called “vagina dentata,” which can only be described as a superpower most women wish they had (only if they were able to control it, which in the sad case of our protagonist here, is not the case.) Coincidently, when I moved to Texas after I watched this movie, I was at a waterhole with a friend of mine. I had this very spooked feeling. I asked her, “This place looks so familiar. Was there a horror film shot here?” Just then, a tour guide of the park happened to pass me and she was like, “Are you talking about the movie, ‘Teeth?'” “Yes!” “That was shot right here!” She proceeded to tell the tour all about the movie.

The Birds (1963)

This has to be my favorite horror film of all time. I was lucky enough to see this for the first time in a drive-in theater and have been binging it ever since. I have seen references pop up so many times in the past month, at this point, I feel like the world needs to rewatch and listen to the messages in this film. Whether it be with the arrival of the hysterical woman that upends a quaint town or the persistence of a flock of birds with no apparent meaning or a build-up of rage, whether it is nature reclaiming its rightful place or society reacting to the outcast. This is the right kind of horror for me, where the existential dread is still absolutely terrifying, but it’s all wrapped in symbolism and cultural metaphors rather than a crazed lunatic. I derived so much inspiration for my own song “Vultures” from this movie ⏤ having a presence that is persistent and deadly but also so natural and beautiful.

The Hitcher (1986/2007)

WTF. This is literally everyone’s worst nightmare. Yet it’s still so tempting to watch on road trips. In college, my then-roommate and I were driving across the country together with our overly aggressive dog, Chatah Brennan-Buscaglia, who would only listen to Spanish commands and then attack both of us. So not only did we have the fear from the dog, but we set up the movie on the dashboard and were filled with fear as we watched it while driving through rural Kansas. To top it off, a random trucker offered to leave his truck behind and take a ride with us. We yelled, “Car is full,” and proceeded to a motel as far away from his location as possible.

Shutter Island (2010)

I watched this for the first time during quarantine. I went on a brief Leo kick when I decided that I thought we would be great friends in real life. It is such a masterfully conceived movie. It’s more of a psychological horror that shape-shifts and moves in ways you would not expect, and luckily not as scary as the previews! And unlike most horror films, it’s better to watch multiple times because you understand more each time, and the meaning changes with each viewing.

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