WIHM 2026: Meet Jolene Marie Richardson

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you contribute to the horror genre.
My name is Jolene Marie Richardson and I am a costume designer, fashion historian and writer. I have costume designed films such as Cannibal Mukbang, Scare Package 2, and assisted on Hell House Lineage, along with a few other horror films. As a historian I’ve been able to take my role as a costume designer and further examine our work through the movies we love. I have a lecture series on various films, and genres and how costume design and history tie into the story telling. I have also written some bylines on costumes in horror for Fangoria. 
 

What drew you to the horror genre?
I’ve always loved Halloween, the idea of dressing up and getting scared was always fun for me. I found horror films through my dad who taught me not to be scared of them, and led me down the rabbit hole of learning how movies were made. Now as an adult I appreciate how the genre allows you to explore your inner emotions, thoughts, feels on small scales of the self and on larger societal scales. The genre brings comfort and allows the catharsis of the moment to be digested easily. It’s a place to come together, to be the outcast is celebrated, and it allows for others to feel heard. 
 

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?
As a history nerd I love the podcast After Dark, through the History Hit channel, it explores the dark side of real history. 


When folks look back at the Women in Horror movement of today’s day and age, what do you think the defining characteristic will be?
I hope that they see a group who is fearless in letting their voices be heard. Who has stories to tell and finds a way to tell them. This is a group of women that supports each other, protects one another, and lifts each other up. Cheering each other on from the sidelines. It really is a community of incredible women who are facing the real horrors of the world, with a pen, a camera, or for me safety pins, and creating beautiful humans (and non humans) on screen to comfort those that need it. 


Who are some women in horror you think more people should discover?
Shouting out my friends! Jackie Hughes an incredible makeup artist and my work wife, Aimee Kuge is a brilliant writer and director (Cannibal Mukbang) Sarah Lyons, another incredible writer/director (The Woods), and Molly Henery writer, lover of Werewolves and the feral women who hold up this genre. 
 

Where can folks find you these days?
You can find me on Instagram @JoleneMarie_Designs and that’s where you can see what I’m working on and when my next lectures will be.

Bio:
Jolene Marie Richardson is a costume designer and fashion historian whose work can been seen across theatre and film. Most notably in Cannibal Mukbang, The Last Drive In (S3&4), Scare Package 2, Crybaby Bridge, and Hell House Lineage (ACD). Jolene also has a lecture series on costume design in film that spans across genres, which you can find upcoming lectures through her IG. She also has a few bylines within the pages and online in Fangoria Magazine.