WIHM 2026: Meet Christina Bergling

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you contribute to the horror genre.
My name is Christina Bergling, and I am a published horror author and genre enthusiast. I contribute to the genre by creating and promoting. My main creation is, obviously, writing novels, novellas, and short stories. However, I also promote the genre and knowledge about the genre. I write about horror, analyze horror, and speak about horror at conferences and events. Horror is often a misunderstood genre, and sometimes, people need help understanding its place and contribution to media and society. My writing tends to focus on the horror inherent in the people and the real world.

What drew you to the horror genre?
Horror always naturally spoke to me. When I was young, I preferred Halloween and the spooky.  I had a lot of nightmares as a child, so scary and macabre things felt familiar and made me feel more normal. My family never really understood. They always assumed it was some damage or delinquency in me. However, I was drawn to the choice, being able to decide that I wanted to be scared with the knowledge that I would be safe in the end.

If you could recommend one creation of horror that everyone should consume, whether that be a book, podcast, movie, art, etc., what would you recommend?
I obviously have to recommend books. The Reformatory by Tananarive Due, Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage, and Maeve Fly by CJ Leede are three very different horror novels written by women, all of which cracked me open and made a home inside my chest. The Reformatory is blistering historical fiction that weaves supernatural horror with the realities of racism to rival the experience of reading Kindred by Octavia Butler. Baby Teeth exploits the competitive dynamics in a mother-daughter relationship until they are positively terrifying. And Maeve Fly is raw, unhinged girlhood on a rampage. Each of these books is brilliant and mind-changing in their own ways, and I highly recommend them all.

What are some areas of horror you think are under-explored?
I think horror from the female perspective is still underexplored. As well as queer horror and horror from communities other than white men. Some of the most innovative recent horror comes from "new" voices. Movies like Sinners and The Substance broke out of genre cliches, and audiences really responded to them. Horror can live anywhere, and I love seeing the developing trend of exploring it in new places. 

One taboo I have encountered is an avoidance of motherhood horror. Beyond Rosemary's Baby where the mother is victim, I want to see more like Tantrum by Rachel Eve Moulton where it is the horror (a potentially demonic child, maybe) but also just the horror of motherhood and womanhood. I wrote a post-partum horror short that was challenging to publish, but I think horror is the perfect genre to explore these uncomfortable topics.

What do you find scary within the horror genre?
I find the same things scary within horror than I do in real life. Humans. I think most of society works to soften and hide our darkest natures. Horror flays humanity open and lays us bare in all our monstrosity. Seeing what we are capable of, what humans consistently do to each other, is the most terrifying thing there is.

Who are some women in horror you think more people should discover?
As far as women horror writers, I think people should seek out CJ Leede, Tananarive Due, Zoje Stage, Rachel Harrison, Alma Katsu, Jean-Nicole Rivers, Tatiana Schlote-Bonne, Ania Ahlborn, Lindsey King-Miller, Angela Sylvaine, Marissa Yarrow, and so many more! As far as filmmakers, I really enjoy the work of Coralie Fargeat (Revenge even before The Substance) and Toby Poser (Adams Family Films).

What advice would you give to the next generation of women coming into the horror genre?
Create under your name. Don't feel like you need to obscure your gender under initials or pen names. People need to see you. And create fearlessly. Horror is for breaking boundaries.
 
Where can folks find you these days?
My website is christinabergling.com. 
You can find me on Instagram/Threads @fierypen. 
All my other links are at linktr.ee/chrstnabergling.