Member Moments: Meghan Storms

As part of our celebration honoring 20 years of the Museum of Pop Culture, we'll take time throughout 2020 to get to know some of MoPOP's most dedicated visitors and supporters.

MoPOP members receive some pretty cool perks, but perhaps more importantly, each member's continued support of our nonprofit museum helps fund our world-class exhibitions and community programming. This month we hear from one of our new members, Meghan Storms, who recently joined after attending our virtual events. Despite living in Seattle for years, Meghan has never stepped foot in the museum! She plans to visit as soon as we reopen our doors—and we’ll have more on that real soon!

Read on to hear Meghan’s story and learn how pop culture has the power to inspire and connect our communities, even if that means virtually, and while we're miles apart.

What encouraged you to become a MoPOP member?

Meghan: "I got connected to MoPOP’s It’s Coming From Inside the House! horror film watchalong series because I follow Isabella L. Price on social media (follow Isabella immediately!) and learned she was hosting a watchalong of The Invitation. I had been full on social distancing for about a month; I’m incredibly lucky to be able to work from home and live alone to safely do that, but to be honest the isolation had left me in rough shape emotionally and mentally. Watching the movie with a group of horror nerds was SO FUN. It became the thing I looked forward to every Friday. After each watch, I’d donate in appreciation to MoPOP and the hosts, and after weeks of doing that I finally thought, 'OK. MoPOP is it. It’s membership time.' It’s funny, before I thought I wasn’t enough of a pop culture devotee to really fit in with the MoPOP crowd, but week after week of horror watchalongs? I had found my people."

What have you been enjoying about our online programming?

Meghan: "I’ve watched every It's Coming From Inside the House! since I found it in April (with the exception of the week they did Alien; extraterrestrial horror is not my jam), and my favorite things have been the consistency and the sense of community. When it was every week, I built a little ritual around it—I’d make my vegan pizza, a bowl of popcorn, and prepare to watch and chat with my digital friends. Ritual and consistency are important in chaotic times, and it structured my whole week around a thing to look forward to. But the main thing was the community that MoPOP, Robert Rutherford—MoPOP's Manager of Public Engagement, other MoPOP staff, guest hosts, and attendees built. I’ve attended other really fun watchalongs (shout out Central Cinema’s Baron Von Terror Presents series), but the special thing about MoPOP's It's Coming From Inside the House! series is the engagement and participation that's encouraged. Robert kept acknowledging the regulars who came back week after week and saying 'hi' to them by name. I’m not going to lie—the first time Robert said my name I felt pretty darn cool. It feels like we created a friend group around a shared interest, and everyone has something unique to contribute and acknowledges the contributions of others. I treasure that; that’s not just community programming, that’s community building. And that’s a really grounding thing in the world right now."

What are you most looking forward to seeing at the museum when we reopen our doors?

Meghan: "I’m in a unique position as a MoPOP member who has never been to MoPOP! So... all of it? Haha. My real answer is a pretty obvious one—Scared to Death: The Thrill of Horror Film exhibition. Every time we watch a horror flick together Robert mentions, '...and we have this at MoPOP!' So that will be really fun to see! Excited to see Gizmo in person. But also, other human faces."

What’s been your favorite movie from "The List" of 100 Horror Films to See Before You Die?

Meghan: "Oh geez, that's like choosing a favorite child. The tricky thing for me about horror is that they lump some pretty different things together. Do I pick comedic horror? Jump-scare horror? Psychological thriller? I love a Hitchcock classic, products of their time and all—Psycho, The Birds. Love a campy Evil Dead. Silence of the Lambs might be one of the best movies of any genre. The Descent is brilliant just for the profound claustrophobia—as long as you ignore the ending. What We Do in the Shadows is maybe my favorite movie of all time, and one of my balms for this pandemic. My favorite movie we watched during the It’s Coming From Inside the House! series? Got to be The Invitation. Nothing quite like a social horror where half of the horror is other people and their social norms, a la Get Out (a movie which is perfection and just what horror needs right now). Haha I really failed at picking a favorite, but I stand by my failure 100 percent."

Hear From More MoPOP Members:

• Jeff Robin
• Puskar Naha & Melissa Orstrom
• Brenda Donner
• Glen Beebe
• Myles & Hannah Marcus
• Charlie & Pam Phillips

Want to learn more about joining and supporting our community? Explore the perks of MoPOP membership. Plus, for contests, the latest news, and behind-the-scenes content, be sure to follow us on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.