Rue Morgue is a fantastical piece of horror media. Being Canadian and so wholly a great resource for the horror culture that we love so dearly, it has always been a favourite reading of our. Having been a fan of the zine for years, it has been a thrill for this pair of twisted fangirls to have had the opportunity to grace its pages - previously for the banning on DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK which was part of the scapegoating usually reserved for horror in lieu of real life abominations that get off the proverbially hook.
Filmmaking duo Jen and Sylvia Soska began their film career in 2009, when they wrote, directed and starred in the evocatively named Dead Hooker in a Trunk. They have recently been putting final touches on their second feature, American Mary – a film that delves into the world of underground surgery. In honor of Women in Horror Month, I tossed a few questions their way to get their opinion on filmmaking, feminism and horror in general.
We were recently given the opportunity to speak with the lovely Patrick Dolan of Rue Morgue and it was a wonderful opportunity to speak about our films - the release of DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK and upcoming AMERICAN MARY - but also talk about how our experience in filmmaking has changed.
Personally, I feel like I've aged fifty years from HOOKER to MARY. A lot has changed. There have been some new experiences that have been rough, but from speaking to fellow filmmakers it all seems to be part of this business which is sometimes referred to as a circus.
Slightly off the topic of horror films, many people think that women are already equals in our society, and as a result they think feminism is a moot point. What is your opinion?
When I started with Dead Hooker in a Trunk, I got talked down to on occasion and had some ignorant comments thrown at me, but that’s life. People are uneducated everywhere and that doesn’t necessarily mean there is a worldwide problem. Then we went on to making our sophomore film, American Mary, and it’s an experience that changed my opinion on the matter. I had some great support from people who couldn’t care less whether they were working with a male or a female team member – it’s all about the work – but not everyone was like that. I had a lot of men argue with me for the sake of arguing with me, questioning my work on the grounds that I’m a “little girl” and unleashing an onslaught of absurdly sexist remarks on me. I’ve had men come onto me and when shot down, make it their personal vendetta to make my life hell. If they don’t get to fuck you in one way, they try to fuck [you] in other ways.
In the interview we talk about going from acting to directing, from maxing out credit cards to working in a higher independent budgeted format, and the reasons why we believe feminism - as a form of equality - is something that is still an important issue. Click here for the full piece. Thank you for reading and supporting us crazy twins!
~Sylv
That American Mary looks really interesting. I'd love to see it...
ReplyDelete