Viggy Parr Hampton, MPH is an epidemiologist, host of the podcast “Horror Humor Hunger,” and the author of A Cold Night for Alligators, Much Too Vulgar, The Rotting Room, and A Veritable Household Pet. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. She is also a member of the Purgatory Media team, producing the popular YouTube segment “Tag Team Tales of Terror,” where she challenges fellow horror authors to create a progressive story with her.
Hampton sat down with Cemetery Dance to talk about feminist horror, lobotomies, and A Veritable Household Pet.
Connect with her at her website, http://www.viggyhampton.com, or on Instagram or TikTok @?viggyparrhampton.
(Interview conducted by Haley Newlin)
CEMETERY DANCE: A Veritable Household Pet has been described as body, but more specifically, medical horror. Why do you think women’s health has become such a sought-after theme among horror readers?
VIGGY PARR HAMPTON: I think, all too often, women’s medical problems are glossed over or ignored. It’s one facet of a broader problem — women are told to keep everything together, bottle up our feelings, and take care of everyone else’s needs. Our pain is seen as unavoidable and tolerable, and something we should grin and bear. I think it’s incredibly interesting and important to highlight narratives where women do not simply grin and bear it — they lash out or get loud. There’s a lot of catharsis in refusing to remain silent, and I think so many horror readers are looking for that right now.
I understand that it was actually a young man who received a lobotomy who inspired or influenced you in writing A Veritable Household Pet. How did you decide to return to feminine themes, including the theft of autonomy, consent, and sisterhood? Why do you think that it was essential to do so?
It’s true I was partially inspired by Howard Dully, who received a lobotomy from Dr. Walter Freeman in 1960 at the age of 12. However, as I went deeper into the research about lobotomies, I discovered that the majority of patients undergoing the procedure were women. I’m sure those women had fascinating, heartbreaking, and important stories to tell, but their ability to share their insights and experiences was taken away from them. I wanted to give those silenced women a voice and tell a story as close to the truth as I could. A Veritable Household Pet is by far the most urgent, realistic book I’ve written, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t shy away from any difficult topics. It’s only by shedding light on these gruesome aspects of history that we can attempt to avoid repeating those mistakes.
I believe you have a medical background. How do you think that has influenced or helped you write horror books like A Veritable Household Pet? How has it affected how you approach the genre?
I’m an epidemiologist by training, and that experience has absolutely helped me write the type of horror I’ve become known for. For every single book I’ve written, I’ve read at least one scientific paper or article. I love learning new things, and I love sharing what I’ve learned with others. You can’t share if you don’t deeply understand the topic yourself, and being able to dive into the medical literature and translate it not just into plain language but into a fictional story has been an incredibly rewarding challenge.
As for how my background affects my approach to horror, I would say I’m drawn to stories that have some sort of body horror element, whether that be the loss of autonomy or the more visceral aspects of our humanity, from disease to decay. Being able to write about those topics from a nuanced and informed perspective is my sweet spot.
A Veritable Household Pet is also psychologically complex and traumatic. You captured, in a pretty terrifying and unforgettable way, how a single decision can destroy a family for years to come. I think part of this was achieved through the dual points of view, Darla and her scribe (her sister, who becomes her caretaker). Can you speak to this structure and how you decided to navigate the story this way?
Originally, I wanted this book to be a way for a lobotomized woman to tell her story. As I began conceptualizing it, however, I realized that the procedure likely would have taken away my character’s ability to share her life, just as it did to so many real individuals. I brought in Darla’s sister Ellie as the scribe to give the book more verisimilitude, historical accuracy, and also highlight the differences in perception we all have. How many times have you and a friend been through the same situation, but experienced it completely differently? I think some of the most interesting stories lie in that gap between two peoples’ experiences.
Why should readers who have enjoyed your previous releases, including The Rotting Room and Much Too Vulgar, pick up A Veritable Household Pet?
A Veritable Household Pet has all of the well-researched background readers have come to expect from me, and it also has that dread-inducing, dark narrative that so many of us crave (even if we don’t realize it!). I’ve heard readers say they’ve enjoyed learning new things from my books, and A Veritable Household Pet will definitely cast history in a different light. Also, at the risk of giving away any spoilers, there may be a few Easter eggs in A Veritable Household Pet that my readers will appreciate.
What are some of your favorite medical, body, or feminist horror books that you’d recommend to readers?
There are so many! I love The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy, My Lobotomy by Howard Dully (this is nonfiction, but it is absolutely horrifying), The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim, American Rapture by CJ Leede, and Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang — just to name a few.
