As a child, Melissa DiNucci, junior at Pace, would keep her eyes glued to the screen when watching horror movies with her family in awe, wondering what would happen next and when she would watch her next horror movie.

When first looking at DiNucci, one can tell that her personality is eccentric and bubbly from her addiction to her Tamagotchi and her Kirby-designed shirt, however, it’s hard to tell that she is passionate about the gory and dark creatures that are portrayed in horror films.

DiNucci currently studies Digital Cinema and Filmmaking and hopes to write and create horror movies in the future.

“I always loved television but when I watched the show Supernatural for the first time, I got so interested in the production process and behind the scenes,” said DiNucci.

Since coming to Pace, she feels as though she has been able to get closer to her dream because of all the experience she has been getting from her classes and from participating in projects.

Although DiNucci has been working hard towards her future career and has gained so much experience, she acknowledges that being a woman in the film industry can seem difficult but she believes that in recent times, women have been breaking glass ceilings and have been proving their ability to be a filmmaker.

“I think that people have a certain image of who can enter horror but it’s a pretty open community in my opinion,” said DiNucci.

DiNucci believes that the horror genre is very underrated and aren’t overly recognized by the Oscars because the films don’t always have an elaborate story and can sometimes be mostly about feeling the emotions in the moment.

“When I watch indie movies and sad movies I realize that the experiences they portray in the movies can really happen but how likely is it that I’ll go into the woods and see a seven foot long creature?,” said DiNucci.

DiNucci believes that she has been able to pursue her love for film making and screenwriting because of the support that she has received from her parents.

“My parents were always a bit unconventional. I grew up listening to metal music and wearing a lot of t-shirts,” said DiNucci. “Typical gender norms really weren’t important in my household.”

DiNucci thinks that there is a lot of room for more people to start loving horror films.

“A lot of films really aren’t scary and are heavy on the plot lines. People like to think that all horror films are really gory but some movies aren’t,” said DiNucci.