Wednesday, July 31, 2013

The Twisted Twins on Jennifer Blanc-Biehn's Scared Stiff




AMERICAN MARY Directors The Soska Sisters – Scared Stiff (#101)

"Hello Horror fans! I’m Jennifer Blanc-Biehn - welcome to my new show, SCARED STIFF, on theStream.tv! For our kickoff episode, I was so excited to welcome the smart, sexy, sassy directors of AMERICAN MARY and DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK, The Soska Sisters (Jen & Sylvia Soska, aka “The Twisted Twins”). 
It was a freewheeling discussion covering the gamut from body modification to practical gore effects, fan worship, forked animal penises, and their uniquely ribald approach to casting. We also fielded a fistful of great questions from you, the fans. If you haven’t seen AMERICAN MARY, it tells the tale of a young surgical student (Katharine Isabelle of GINGER SNAPS) who gets sucked into the underground world of body modification for quick cash. 
The film also stars Antonio Cupo, Tristan Risk, and Twan Holliday. AMERICAN MARY has been hailed by FANGORIA as “a modern horror masterpiece” - I totally agree! If you haven’t seen AMERICAN MARY, you can watch it right here on theStream.tv! 
Follow the link below, click the banner at the top of the page, and watch AMERICAN MARY on your computer or iPad! http://thestream.tv/scared-stiff What did you think of my first show? Follow us on Twitter (@ScareMeStiff) and Facebook (facebook.com/ScaredStiffShow) and spill your guts!"

WATCH IT HERE.

-Sylv

If They Came From Within: An Alternative History of Canadian Horror Movies



First and only time Jen and I have ever worked separately on projects, I'm dying to see what her fantastically fucked up brain came up with. If you are in Toronto, do not miss this event. 


"Dave Alexander, Editor-in-Chief of Rue Morgue magazine, a Canadian publication covering horror culture and entertainment, brings to Toronto “If They Came From Within: An Alternative History of Canadian Horror Movies” - a multifaceted art project that imagines a different, more legendary legacy of uniquely Canadian genre films. If They Came From Within brings these imaginary movies to life via fictional 20+ movie posters -- created by some of Canada’s top poster artists and designers – accompanied by synopses from some of the country’s top horror filmmakers.  
Faux horror movies from past, present and future are dreamed up by Bruce McDonald and Tony Burgess (Pontypool), Jason Eisener (Hobo With a Shotgun), Vincenzo Natali (Splice), Éric Tessier (5150 Elm’s Way), Astron 6 (Father’s Day), George Mihalka (My Bloody Valentine), Jen and Sylvia Soska (American Mary), Brandon Cronenberg (Antiviral), Maurice Devereaux (End of the Line), Lee Demarbre (Smash Cut) Brett Kelly (My Fair Zombie), Donna Davies (Zombiemania), Rodrigo Gudiño (The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh), Karim Hussain, (La belle bête ) and several from Alexander himself.  
The artists bringing them to life: Rupert Bottenberg, Angus Byers, Donald Carron, Jason Edmiston, Justin Erickson, Vince Marconi, Mathew Marigold, Richard Patmore, Martin Plante, Ghoulish Gary Pullin, Paige Reynolds, Eric Robillard, Mathew Verreault, Adam Vierra, Mark Unterberger, James White and Andrew Wright. Expect additional multimedia surprises, including original soundtrack music created by Montreal musician Conrad Simon and examples of actual Canadian horror films that never went into production.  
Together they create an alternative universe of Canadian genre films.  
Please join us between 7pm-11pm on Wednesday, August 7th 2013 at Steam Whistle Brewing (255 Bremner Blvd) for the opening of this exciting gallery show.  
Some of the artists and filmmakers will be in attendance. The exhibit will also be on display during the month of August, 2013. Panels promoting the show and featuring several of the artists and filmmakers will also be held as part of Rue Morgue’s Festival of Fear, August 22-25 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (more info at: http://www.fanexpocanada.com/horror-attractions)" 



-Sylv

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

We Love Deadpool


If you don't know DPiddy, you probably should (check his channel here). The infamous dancing Deadpool & also one of the nicest dudes on the planet. Jen and I were lucky enough to meet him at this year's SDCC; and even get to dance with our beloved babes.


From our good friends at Night Walker Cinema - this pic of Jen & I Deadpooling. LOVE THOSE guys! Check them out here on twitter. 


Here's us with Crystal Santos (stuntwoman/martial artist/actress supreme), Marat Mychaels (killer artist, Deadpool Corps), & Rob Liefeld (the artist who co-created Deadpool).



Also, here is the new SDCC 2013 Deadpool Vs video from DPiddy. Happy Deadpooling to y'all.

-Sylv

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Come See Us at San Diego Comic Con!!




Sylvia Soska (left) as Violet Grimm and me as Bluebell Grimm (right) from Dan Schaffer’s DOGWITCH at the Horror on the Paneled Page Panel at San Diego Comic Con!

If you’re out here come see us tomorrow, Saturday July 20th, SIGNING, taking photos in our cosplays, and giving out free hugs. We want to see you all :)

12pm at the Film School Confidential Booth #4019

4pm at the First Comics Booth #2001

If you can’t find us, tweet us at @TwistdTwinsArmy

See you tomorrow for an epic Saturday!!

XO,
Jen

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Twisted Twins at San Diego Comic Con


Looking very forward to this year's San Diego Comic Con! Had an epic final fitting for Jen and me with Enigma Arcana for our brand spanking new Dan Schaffer's Dogwitch's Grimm sisters cosplay for San Diego Comic Con.  I don't ever want to take it off.

If you're coming to the con, come out to see us. Follow @TwistdTwinsArmy on twitter and on instagram for updates. We want to take so many pictures with all of you beautiful people. Nerd hard, this week, my friends, NERD HARD.


We have two panels on Thursday, July 18th: the WARP COMICS Panel at 5pm in room 23ABC and then the HORROR ON THE PANELLED PAGE Panel at 7pm in Room 5AB. Click either link for full panel info.

Hope to see you there and have a very rad Comic Con, everyone!

-Sylv

Monday, July 15, 2013

MastersFX, The Thing, and Slither hit the Rio Theatre


Hey Vancouver!!

MARK THIS DATE DOWN!!! July 27th the RIO THEATRE is doing it again. Bringing you an experience you can't download. This time, it's the thing gore~gasms and nightmares are made of. A DOUBLE BILLING of practical effects at their BEST with John Carpenter's THE THING and James Gunn's SLITHER. The monster master behind SLITHER and everything awesome, Todd Masters, himself will be in the house and you can't have this much bloody fun without us Twisted Twins, me and Sylvia Soska, coming on like locusts!!

There will be prizes! There will be goodies galore! Surprises! And a Q and A with Todd Masters himself.

PLUS lots more on the way to be announced.... DO NOT MISS THIS EVENT!!!!

Doors 7:00
John Carpenter's THE THING 8:00
Q&A with Todd Masters 10:00
SLITHER 11:00

Double bill pricing in effect! See both films for $13/$15 door.
Individual films are $8/$10 door
19+ w/ bar service
www.riotheatre.ca
www.riotheatretickets.ca

https://www.facebook.com/events/607686132582973/

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Twistedly Wonderful Artwork


I wish I could draw like this! Stellar deadringer picture of Jen and me by Sheila C. of StudioSheila.com Fucking RAD!!!



Lovely American Mary black and white drawing by Mineko Cunnings!



Bloody brilliant American Mary artwork by Josh Kelly. So cool!

-Sylv

Turkish Interview with the Twisted Twins


Wicked awesome and brand spanking new interview from me and Sylvia Soska!! In both Turkish and English! Please enjoy! Thank you, Tolga, for the interview :)

Tolga Demirtaş: You have a horror film intensive filmography? Will you keep going on directing horror movies and do you think making more mainstream films?

Sylvia Soska: I’m not very good with being mainstream. I think mainstream films in this era and this part of the world are far too safe and do not have any sort of reason to exist. I can’t create something that doesn’t have greater meaning, so there will be issues that we tackle in all of our films that we feel need a dialogue or that promote thought. I am a big prosthetics advocate, so you’ll see us continuing to collaborate with Masters FX even if the work isn’t a conventional horror or horror at all.

Jen Soska: No matter what we do, no matter what genre we work in, there will always be elements of horror in our work. It’s so much a part of who we are. Horror is also a genre with so many delicious sub genres. There’s monster movies, there’s sci-fi, there’s found footage, there’s serial killers, there’s paranormal, there’s demons, there’s horror musicals… the possibilities are just endless and I don’t know if we could ever be happy not making a film in each and every subgenre that horror has to offer.

Please enjoy the FULL INTERVIEW below…
http://iyikotufilm.com/soska-kardesler-roportaji/

-Jen

Beautiful Twisted Arm Sleeve Tatt!!


I am so honored by this beautiful piece featuring Jen and me on the lovely Cady Gennette Chiseiko Robinson's arm by Chad at Tat2fiend Custom Tattoo & Piercing. The details, the splatter work, the likeness - it's fucking boss!!!

-Sylv

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Horror Fix Talks to the Twisted Twins



HF: What inspirational words do you have for those trying to break into the industry? 

S: Do it. Never give up. Everyone will doubt you and say it can’t happen, but if you dedicate yourself wholly, sacrifice everything, keep a clear focus on your goal, learn like a motherfucking every aspect of filmmaking from shot composition to story telling philosophy, and keep your vision true and honest – you will find success. Make a film that you would pay to see in a theatre, but something that not only you would want to see. Have a reason for your film to exist. It’s not enough to just make a film. What benefit is there to your film existing, what are you trying to say? Stay true to yourself. A good start is to make something self-contained that you can fund yourself and make yourself. You will learn skills for your entire filmmaking life from that production. Rodriguez’s ‘Rebel Without A Crew’ is an invaluable resource. Focus on the donut, not the hole. The donut is the film that you are making and the stories you share; the hole is all the bullshit that comes with it that isn’t important. Use social media to your advantage – you don’t need a 20 million dollar marketing budget to get your work out there. Be yourself, market you as you to stand out. And treat people the way you want to be treated, the world is filled with assholes – don’t be another one. If you treat people with kindness and respect, the whole world opens up to you.

J: Be sure it’s what you have to do, not just what you want to do. If you could be just as happy being a teacher or a parent or a doctor, go do that. It’s such a rewarding business, but it’s hard. Very hard. It has the highest highs and the lowest lows. You will at times feel like total crap and regret ever getting into the industry. We all go through it. Some people, like me and Sylv, can’t be happy doing anything else. If you’re reading this, something inside you is telling you either you have to work in this business or you’ll never be happy doing anything else or you’re not sure. If you’re not sure, go do something else. But if you’re like us, buckle up. Stay true to yourself. Stay true to your word. You’re only as good as your word in this business. Never let anything stop you. So many people try, don’t succeed right away, and then give up. Most people give up, but you have to keep going. There’s this great quote from the DAREDEVIL comics, “the measure of a man isn’t in how man times he gets knocked to the mat, it’s how gets back up.” It’s very true for this business. Surround yourself with good people, legally protect yourself, don’t sign just anything, and make your own damn movie. Do it DIY style and make it so everyone can see what you can do with no budget. Don’t sit around and wait for someone to make your dreams happen for you. Make it happen for yourself."

READ THE INTERVIEW HERE!

-Sylv

Horror Hot House Talks to the Twisted Twins



Twisted Twins Productions have also worked on some other great projects, including a PSA to raise awareness of blood duration during February’s Women in Horror Month and a few shorts films; The Hornet, Doppelganger and Bad Girls. Out of all of your projects, what have you been most proud of and why? 

S: I’m too self-loathing to like anything that is completed. The film I’m making is the one I’m most proud of, which in this case would be The ABCS of Death 2 and Bob.

J: Oh, that’s like a parent picking their favorite kid. I’m always growing as an artist and changing every single day and learning and striving to be a better version of me and that goes into our work. My favorite project is the one I’ll do next. It always will be.

We’ve read that you have another couple of projects in the pipeline The Man Who Kicked Ass and Bob. Can you tell us about them? 

S: Bob is our original monster movie that we will be partnering with the geniuses at Masters FX to make something like you’ve never seen before. The tagline is: “There’s a monster inside all of us, sometimes it gets out.”

J: Oh, The Man Who Kicked Ass! We wrote that at the same time as American Mary. It’s very bloody. It’s a love letter to westerns. I LOVE Westerns. It’s a horror action western with a little something I can’t say just yet. It’s very stylistic and likely pretty pricy as I am a practical girl over CGI girl. It has a lot of heart to it, too. It’s very special to me. I look forward to finally being able to make it.

READ THE WHOLE PIECE HERE.

-Sylv

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Rue Morgue Radio Interview Part 2



Jen and me with the lovely Winston Smith on The Rue Morgue Podcast talking about my folks, Agnes and Marius, filmmaking, and the very lovely Laurence Harvey. Please enjoy!

-Sylv

The Art of Discord & The Ladies of American Mary



 

Stunningly beautiful and macabre AMERICAN MARY artwork by the very talented Art of Discord. Check and like the official page here.


-Sylv

Tuesday, July 09, 2013

Old Timey Style Twisted Twins Ts!



We totally dig these Twisted Twins Ts by Robert Parkinson featuring conjoined Jen and me! SWEEET~!!!

You can get your own HERE.

-Sylv

Monday, July 08, 2013

Fake Shemp Talks to the Twisted Twins



What was your favourite film or television show as a child? 

Sylvia: DESPERADO, we would watch that non-stop, over and over again. I wanted to be El, then I grew up, I still want to be El. We watched Darkwing Duck, Beetlejuice, She-Ra, Gem, X-Men - you know, the usual suspects for kids that turn out like us.

Jen: ha ha, obviously we watched all the same shows. There were some films we watched a gratuitous amount of times. PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE, GHOSTBUSTERS, WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT, SCROOGED... oh! And LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS! If it was scary it didn't matter. Our parents talked to us about what we watched and watched with us. More parents really ought to these days.

Were you raised on genre films or was it a self discovery? 

Sylvia: Raised. Watching horror movies with my mom was a really special part of growing up. We always had an interest in it, so my mom encouraged us and would watch the films with us. If we had questions, we would talk about what we were watching. She was smart, she has a rule that if we read the book then we could watch the movie, which lead us to reading Stephen King novels in elementary school.

Jen: Very much raised. Our mum loved horror, so we inherited the horror loving gene. Genre films are just so cool. I fell in love with DESPERADO and how fucking cool it was before I even really got what made it so awesome.



READ THE WHOLE INTERVIEW HERE!

-Sylv

Anthony Maguire Has Got Sketching Skills



Fucking awesome pic by Anthony Maguire on Instagram of Jen and me as DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK's Geek and Badass.

 -Sylv

Thursday, July 04, 2013

American Mary on Yekra


"Happy 4th, everyone! What's more American than hot chicks, body modification, and the word American? Stream American Mary - winner of 5 Screamfest Horror Film Festival awards, including best film, director, and actress - via YEKRA tomorrow at your BBQs, and see which of your friends throw up the most hot dogs. Watch the trailer now HERE."
-Sylv

Plenty of Horror Talks to the Twisted Twins



Plenty Of Horror- What attracted you to horror initially? 

S: I can't remember ever not being attracted to it. We were drawn to things that others weren't. I remember playing with spiders my whole life. Once as a child at a BBQ, I showed a nice garden spider that I was playing with to family friends and I could see the horror on their faces. They ran off and screamed. I didn't understand why that happened, but it fascinated me. What frightens people still fascinates me.

J: I don't remember a time not being into horror. It just kind of chose us. Our parents always encouraged our interests and they just leaned towards horror. Our mum had and still has this massive collection of Stephen King novels. She was very clever in the way she allowed us to read them. She said if we read the novel, we could watch the film. This jump started our reading in a life changing way. In Elementary School, we'd sit there and read with our King novels and dictionaries and thesauruses. We were reading at a highschool level fast. I blame my mum and mister King for our sense of humor as well. I feel that good horror has to have elements of comedy to them. If you can't laugh at something awful, you're going to have a very hard time in life.

Read the whole interview here!

-Sylv

San Diego Comic Con Panel



HEYYY~!! Are you going to San Diego Comic Con? Then you don't want to miss this: 

"Warp Comics It's the 30th Anniversary of First Comics's inaugural comic book, Warp, and artist Frank Brunner is on hand to present an all-new 30th anniversary edition. Other First Comics creators are here to tell you how they will once again be rocking your world with comics entertainment from the cutting edge. Panelists include Ken F. Levin (Wanted, The Boys, First Comics co-founder and director), the Fillbach Brothers (Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Steve Stern and Dan Cote (Zen the Intergalactic Ninja), film directors Sylvia and Jen Soska, Larry Young (Astronauts in Trouble), and Omaha Perez (The Drude).  
Thursday July 18, 2013 5:00pm - 6:00pm Room 23ABC"


Also, Comic Con darlings, Jen and I will also have a panel on Thursday July 18, 2013 7:00pm - 8:00pm in room 5AB for the Horror on the Panelled Page Panel. Hope to see you there!

-Sylv

Wednesday, July 03, 2013

Twisted Twins DVD Forum Interview


DVD-Forum.at: "American Mary" is your second movie and the first one to be distributed worldwide and shown in the US-theatres - did you ever expect such a successful launch?

Sylvia: I feel really lucky to have had such a tremendous amount of support with the new film. We had a limited theatrical with HOOKER, so theatrical was always a goal with MARY. The only reason why the film has gotten to where it is is because of the people who have stood by the film from the teams that allowed it to be the film we set out to make and the people around the world that have watched it, shared their thoughts on it, and gotten the word out. A film is only successful if people watch it and this release is allowing just that. It's an honor for us as filmmakers to have this opportunity.

Jen: I had nothing but faith in the response from the fans. I knew they'd "get it", but their out pour of support has us floored. The tattoos, the cosplaying, the fan art, the tribute videos, the photos, the screenings they've held, the girls who have cut their hair to look like Mary... it's just so much more than we could have even dreamed for. Our fans are just the best people in the planet. They're just better than everyone else. I love them so much. They're the reason we do what we do and they're the reason we get to keep doing what we do.

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW BELOW

http://www.dvd-forum.at/news-details/35768-interview-an-interview-with-the-twisted-twins-about-american-mary-female-filmmakers-and-their-next-projects

Tuesday, July 02, 2013

American Mary Unboxed, Watched, & Reviewed



MASSIVE SPOILERS. That said, I'm cutting back on flooding y'all with MARY, especially since we're back on set for something fucking fantastic in a few weeks which I want to flood your walls with, but if you've seen the film, check this review because it's hilarious and brilliant.

"In the season 2 finale of Unboxed Watched and Reviewed I watch the very anticipated American Mary, The new movie by the Soska twins. (Dead Hooker in a Trunk)"

-Sylv