Whistler WalkOuts, You Don't Say!

Whistler walkouts have Soskas smiling ... Vancouver’s terror twins, the Soska Sisters, were laughing as they told The Sun about their new movie, American Mary receiving the ultimate compliment for a Midnight Madness feature: walkouts. Dressed in clingy naughty nurse type outfits with matching black butcher’s aprons, the twisted sisters told The Sun there were lots of walkouts and horrified gasps. Said Jen, “I don’t think they knew what they were walking into.” Then she grinned. “It’s kind of a thrill for me. One of the coolest things that ever happened to me when I went to the movies is I was seeing House on Haunted Hill and a birthday party was in the row in front of me —”

Adds Sylvia, “And they were a chatty, annoying birthday party.”

Jen continues, “And as soon as the pencils went through a doctor’s neck in the first scene all of them got up and ran out screaming and I was like, ‘One day I’m going to do that. I’m going to make something and people are going to run out screaming and I’m going to be so proud.’ ”

Said Sylvia, “We were the first film in the late night program that they did and you just feel super special like, ‘Oh my God they picked me!’ Like at school we were nerds, no one picked us for anything except being beaten up and thrown in lockers.”

One of the film’s stars, Tristan Risk, a blue-haired burlesque performer who attended the debut of Mountain Midnight Madness in a barely-there pink leotard and strategically placed pastie, told The Sun, “everybody should go see the movie immediately. Take your grandmother and make sure she’s got life insurance.”

Read the whole piece here!!

-Sylv

American Mary Brought to UK Theatres, Courtesy of Fright Fest!

By Ben Bussey

Here’s some news that will be music to the ears of many UK readers. Ahead of the previously announced Region 2 DVD and Blu-ray release from Universal on 21st January, American Mary will be doing a theatrical tour of the UK via FrightFest Presents, the new distribution arm of FrightFest. And if that didn’t get you going, perhaps this will: none other than Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska and Katharine Isabelle will be there in person at every screening.

Direct from the press release:

The tour will take in seven cities over seven dates, with introductions and post-film Q&As from the filmmakers, compered by FrightFest’s Alan Jones and Paul McEvoy.

Ian Rattray of FrightFest Presents commented: “After the fantastic reception both American Mary and the Soska Sisters got at FrightFest, we’re immensely proud to be able to partner Universal Pictures UK for the theatrical opening of the film. This is FrightFest Presents’ first step into theatrical distribution and American Mary is the perfect fit for us.”

Already one of the year’s most talked about genre films and the subject of immense praise far and wide, American Mary has actually proved to be a bit of a divisive film here at Brutal As Hell: Nia, as you might have noticed, loved it to death, and Steph was mostly very impressed as well, but Keri was considerably less enamoured. (I’m keeping my thoughts to myself for the time being.) But, as Keri noted, whether your reaction is positive or negative it’s definitely a film to stir debate, and“it’ll be interesting to see how opinion divides up (if at all) as the film inevitably reaches its wider audience.” Well, now’s our chance to find out…

Full cinema listings:

Fri January 11 – Prince Charles Cinema, London 
020 7494 3654, www.princecharlescinema.com

Sat January 12 – Edinburgh Filmhouse
0131 228 2688, www.filmhousecinema.com

Sun January 13 – Glasgow Film Theatre
0141 332 6535, www.glasgowfilm.org/theatre

Mon January 14 – Sheffield Showroom
0114 275 7727, www.showroomworkstation.org.uk

Tue January 15 – Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds 
0113 275 2045,  www.hydeparkpicturehouse.co.uk

Wed January 16 – Bristol Watershed
0117 927 5100, www.watershed.co.uk

Thu January 17 – Duke’s at Komedia, Brighton
www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Dukes_At_Komedia

-Sylv

Bloody Bling by Awked Jewelry

Love our Twisted Twins Blood Drive pendants by Dmitriy Polyakov of Awked Jewelry!

Click the above links to get your own mad bling.

-Sylv

The Whistler Film Fest Is No Time For A Coat!

"Vancouver filmmaking twin terrors Jen and Sylvia Soska won’t be on the slopes. 

“I’m more a professional hot-tubber,” says Jen, who with her twin wrote and directed American Mary, which stars local fave Katharine Isabelle as a disillusioned med student who finds a cringe-inducing new career in the underground body-modification scene.
The twins have been a hit on the global genre festival circuit, storming stages from the U.S. to Europe and Australia, in their matching PVC outfits. American Mary opens the festival’s late night terror fest program. 

“It’s a bit of an American Mary reunion,” Sylvia says. The pair filmed the movie in a speedy 15 days just over a year ago. “Most of the cast and crew are coming up there ... when you have 15 days to shoot everything, you get extremely close — I really miss those guys.” 

Sylvia says American Mary costume designer Enigma Arcana whipped them up a closet full of eye-catching gear starting with an earlier festival appearance alongside horror icon Elvira. 

“She said she had to give us something a little low cut and sexy, otherwise no one was going to pay attention to us next to Elvira,” Sylvia says.
The twins are both nursing head colds after all that travelling, but they say that won’t affect their wardrobe choices. 

“I have some nice thigh-high boots,” Sylvia says. “I don’t think anyone’s coming to see us in coats. We’re already sick so I don’t see it getting much worse.”
Which sounds more like work than play, poor gals."

Read more HERE!!

-Sylv

Bring the Tasmanian Devils American Mary

It's bad enough that the tasmanian devils have that terrible eye sickness that is killing them off. Now, they don't have American Mary. Sign here to bring unnecessary necessary surgery to the fine people of Tasmania.

SIGE HERE!

-Sylv

Like Mary? Like Mary!

I like American Mary. We should like it together.

Like the group HERE!

Then force your friends and even strangers to also like it. Refuse to hire new staff that doesn't like it. Only date people who have liked it. Refuse to eat at establishments where the staff and owners do not like it. Make people worry about you with your whole-hearted, devoted 'like'.

I'd like that.

-Sylv 

Y U NO PROMOTE AMERICAN MARY THEATRICAL?

If this is your banner. It means that you love me. 

If it isn't - Y U NO LUV SYLV? :*(

-Sylv

American Mary Hits CTV, then the Whistler Slopes!

Hey Vancouver, we're going to be on TV! That's right. With American Mary's Whistler Film Festival screening fast approaching November 28th, what better way to talk up this amazing occurrence than pop by the CTV News studio with Jen and Paul Gratton (WFF's rad programmer) and not cuss on live TV?

We'll be on the noon news this Wednesday - the footage will be posted online at CTV.ca later that day. So, be sure to tune in to CTV between 12:15pm-12:45pm on Wednesday!!! 

Here are the WFF social media links - tweet that shit!!
Twitter: @whisfilmfest
2012 Twitter hashtag: #WFF12
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/Whistlerfilmfestival

TELL YOUR FRIENDS, or just leave the channel on all day. See you on the snowy slopes (I'll be the girl in stilettos no where near the snow part).

-Sylv

Father's Day Ban is Bullshit

FATHER'S DAY is banned in Australia two days before it's scheduled screening at Monster Fest. One of the most surprisingly warm hearted, dark gory satires to drop kick it's fucking spectacular ass out of Canada in a long time making fellow Canadians proud that these are our country men and giving film fans a new treat in the realm of fucking awesome.

So what's the big fucking deal, guy? What's the big fucking deal in deed.

"Also frustrated by the decision are fellow Canadian filmmaking twin sisters, Sylvia and Jen Soska, who are currently in the country accompanying their newest horror flick, American Mary, a blood soaked revenge flick with a body modification twist, that’s set to close Monster Fest on a gory high note. The duo can definitely empathise with the situation as the pair’s debut feature, Dead Hooker In A Trunk – a low-budget cracker of a horror flick –was also initially banned in Canada. 

“I’ve noticed that horror has become a scapegoat for people’s frustrations for a long time,” Sylvia comments to Filmink. “But horror is supposed to have some sort of effect on you. And Father’s Day is clearly such a fun satire and it’s so sad that this is happening in Australia... Even the UK said that it’s okay!” 

Fellow Canadian horror buffs, the Soska sisters are big fans of Father’s Day, which they see as helping to usher in a new side to Canadian cinema. “It’s another Canadian doing something different that isn’t a sad movie in the prairies in the snow with a crying family. It’s nice to show that Canada has some diversity."

Read the whole article HERE. 

We're in a very special time right now. A time where we can say, fuck, no. I'm going to watch a film because I want to see it, and guess what, if I don't want to see it, I just won't fucking watch it. I don't need some fickle governing force to tell me what I can and cannot see. 

Talk about this. Voice your opinion. Throw your support behind Astron 6. These guys are the real fucking deal making some of the best original work on the scene today. We're huge fans and fans don't let this shit slide.

-Sylv

American Mary Hits the Slopes at Whistler!

It's only days before American Mary hits the province where she was born at the Whistler Film Festival on November 28th!! Jen, me, Katie, and a bunch of the cast and crew are going up for the fabulousness. Have you got your ticket yet?

"Ms. 45 meets The Human Centipede in this very slick and very sick story of revenge, directed by Vancouver’s own Soska Sisters. Katharine Isabelle is outstanding as a young surgery student who drops out of school after being raped by one of he

r teachers. To make ends meet, she starts performing illegal surgeries on body modification fanatics, honing her skills until she is ready to meet her teacher again. Gore fans will love it; weaker stomachs should stay far away."

GET YOUR TICKETS AND INFO HERE!

-Sylv

Mary, Mary

"My initial assumption was that this movie would be a horror film or "torture porn" but it was neither. It was a deliciously beautiful movie that takes a very heavy and disturbing bunch of topics (rape, revenge, body modification, underground surgery), and presents them in a manner where the viewer never feels to queasy or shows scenes that are bloody just for the sake of throwing blood around. The cinematography and music were absolutely top notch as were performances by all the actors involved with a particularly strong showing from Isabelle who was numb to anything in her existence for the last 75% of the film." - T-MAK World (full article)

"Whereas Dead Hooker in a Trunk was a furious, ramshackle donkey ride, American Mary is infinitely more measured than its predecessor. Whilst it would've been easy to frantically pile on the berko body horror shocks and pummel the audience into submission, this is not that kind of film; the Soskas have kept the action deliberate and steady to let the story unfold at a natural pace. It is a credit to their prodigious talents, too, that each and every one of the human oddities and seedy crooks on-screen is carefully etched out in three dimensions as achingly human. Even Billy, potentially a caricature of violent, manipulative masculinity at its worst, is fleshed out into a real character. It cannot be overstated just how much of a quantum leap forward the Soskas have made in honing their craft. 

Strong performances abound, with burlesque dancer Tristan Risk mixing sad vulnerability and wilful kookiness in equal measures to bring the bizarre Beatress to life. Isabelle is absolutely mesmerising. Whilst most genre fans would agree that her appearances as Ginger Fitzgerald were laudable, the required acting range extended from "slightly stroppy" to "very surly"; here she delivers a subtle, nuanced performance which captures a complex character arc without ever resorting to violently unnatural behavioural swerves." - Finbarr Heather, Digital Retribution (full article)

"For a film that focuses so heavily on the surgical aspect, one could almost be forgiven for immediately thinking that American Mary could or would become nothing more then a cheap tawdry excuse in low budget gore. One would be wrong though

. The greatest measure of praise that can be reaped upon American Mary is that it manages to defy all expectations and keep its audience on their toes at every turn. 

Just when I thought I had the film pegged, the Soska sisters somehow managed to find a way to pull the rug out and turn expectations on its head. At one point you could easily mistake it for going in the direction of a standard rape-revenge exercise. Then in the next breathe you could mistake it for becoming another entry in the torture porn catalog But in reality, what it all adds up to is a rather deliberate character study of a woman being empowered by descending into complete madness making all the wrong decisions along the way -- whilst dealing with the chauvinistic pig headed men in her life. Strangely, it is a journey which reminded me of Sion Sono’s Guilty of Romance." - Daniel M, Confessions of a Cinefile (full article)

"A provocative combination of the horrors of a feminist Frankenstein with a fetishist twist and the visceral thrills of the “female revenge” genre, the film is laced throughout with a wicked sense of humour and a darkly erotic charge. Simultaneously beautiful, repulsive, shocking and endearing, Jen & Sylvia Soska’s thought-provoking exploration into the depths of tattoo and body modification subculture seduced audiences at this year’s Film4 FrightFest, being heralded as “Absolutely superb” by Ain’t It Cool News and “Unforgettable” by Fangoria." - Andrew Marshall, Subtitled Online (full article)

"Shades of Cronenberg and David Lynch are evident in American Mary, but The Soska Sisters remain filmmakers of genuine talent, whose debut no-budget cult film, Dead Hooker in a Trunk, was obviously no fluke. Be sure to spot a sterling cameo by the twins too, which points to them as bona fide Tarantinos of the horror world, but better actors. The only mystery is why the film is called American Mary. Is it a reference to Paul Schrader’s American Gigolo, another film that American Mary owes a debt to? This film will creep you out, but it will also excite you about the arrival of not one, but two, classy female directors of the future, who also remember the importance of the past." - Dov Kornits, FilmInk (full article)

-Sylv

The Twisted Twins Down Under Fucking Rad Interview!

"Canadian identical twins Jen and Sylvia Soska stepped onto the horror film scene in 2009 with their debut feature film, ‘Dead Hooker In A Trunk’. Now the girls are in Australia to celebrate the release of their follow-up, ‘American Mary’, at the Brisbane International Film Festival. 

After the success of their debut, the Soska sisters took their collaboration to the next level and incorporated their company, Twisted Twins Productions. 

“Every time we try and do something normal it ends up really fucked up. Like 'Dead Hooker In A Trunk' was supposed to be like a fun road trip movie, and 'American Mary' is a romantic comedy, and everyone always looks at me like 'what are you talking about?' I think I might actually be fucked in the brain,” Sylvia explains. 

Jen continues: “I attribute a lot of that to growing up reading Stephen King novels — our mum was very clever in the way that she said if we read the book we'd be able to see the movie. So as a result, in elementary school, we would be reading these incredibly high-level Stephen King novels with our little thesauruses next to us — instead of, you know, Hop On Pop and Dr. Seuss and all of the normal, like, Lord Of The Flies shit that normal kids read. We were reading Stephen King and that just became natural for us, and I guess we were always sort of attracted to the dark side.” 

Their debut feature came about somewhat fortuitously, and was basically the result of not suiting the confined expectations of film school. So when it seemed as though film school just wasn't for them, they took the initiative to make things happen themselves. 

“We decided in the theme of Jason Eisener that we were going to make a faux trailer,” explains Jen “and the school, foolishly enough, had a list of things that you weren't aloud to put in your film, and it was very bullshit, censorship-ey. 

“It was like you can't use harsh language, no extreme violence, no gore, and they also had a few things like necrophilia and bestiality. So we decided 'we're going to do our own trailer on our own time, with our own resources, and we're going to put everything in that fucking list in it, 'cause fuck them!'”"

READ THE WHOLE FUCKING RAD INTERVIEW HERE!

-Sylv

13 Sinful Horror Questions with Antonio Cupo

Antonio Cupo is an amazing actor currently burning up the screen in The Soska sister' American Mary. A gifted and talented actor who possesses angelic good looks and roguish charm, he can play a wide variety of roles and is equally believable in all. We caught up recently and discussed a little thing I call The 13 Question Marks of Horror!

You play Billy Barker, who really comes off as kind of a sleazy tough guy when you first meet him. But as we spend time with him, he really reveals himself to be a lost soul. What was your first reaction when reading the script?  

AC: I really just wanted to build a character that was real. Nobody has just one side to them and characters that do aren’t as much fun to play. I tried to infuse a character arc that I thought would be natural for a guy like Billy. Even thugs can change when it comes to love, with Billy it was more about measure and control so that he is steadily growing in human qualities until the end of the movie.

CHECK OUT THE WHOLE AWESOME INTERVIEW BETWEEN THE SENSATIONALLY TALENTED ANTONIO CUPO AND RIDICULOUSLY RAD SINFUL CELLULOID HERE.

-Sylv

American Mary Leaves Them Speechless (& Horrified)

                

The morning after AMERICAN MARY played at the Abertoir Film Festival in Wales.

-Sylv

Our Incredible Monster of a Journey Down Under

Official AMERICAN MARY Poster from MONSTER PICTURES

We've been back for a mere few days from our almost month long trek in the land down under courtesy of the outstanding folks at MONSTER PICTURES. They aren't only the ones unleashing AMERICAN MARY on Australia, but they're also the ones who released our first born baby, DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK across the UK and Australia. To say they always believed in us would be an under statement.

When we were first asked if we'd be up for coming down under to accompany MARY as she made her tour across Australia for 3 weeks, we replied with a resounding 'YES'. We'd never been to Australia, never thought we'd have the opportunity to hit up Australia, and we were dying to not only meet the people who came out to see AMERICAN MARY, we wanted to meet the people who'd been supporting a pair of crazy Canucks since DHIAT.

Neil Foley, Skye Medusa, Sylvia Soska, Jen Soska, Pork Hunt, Vesper White, and Robyn Hardie.

We flew out, quite fittingly, on Halloween night. In case you're wondering, it's a 15 hour plane ride from LAX to Melbourne which you barely notice if you remain barely conscious throughout the flight. Melbourne was to be our first stop and we were treated to a few festival days at Monster Fest before the film's Australian premiere at the 16th Canberra International Film Festival. Australia is a beautiful fucking country with very warm, very Canadian~esque people. One thing you may not know about November, Melbourne, and the what's to do down under, is that they love their horse races. We quickly realized that the Melbourne Cup was under way and, no, all the ladies in fancy dresses with matching extravagant little hats weren't all part of some massive bridal party. They were there for "the race that stops the nation". And it's true. It really does.

The horse to win big, by the by? This adorable little mo fo, Green Moon.

First things first, announce that the Soska Sisters are in town and hit up Monster Fest and all the events. HARD. We got to chat it up all over the place including their local and most cool radio station, RRR. 

Us with the AMAZING Isabel Peppard

We got to meet a FAN~FUCKING~TASTIC artist who we are both now deeply in love with, Isabel Peppard. Her short film, BUTTFLIES, which was the lead into AMERICAN MARY had the both of us in tears. It's just an astounding film that touches the hearts of every artist who sees it. It was created in TWO years with stunning stop motion and with every character and every detail pain-stakingly designed and carefully placed and planned. The result if one of the most beautiful films we have ever seen. Isabel also created the Monster Fest Promo Video below which is all kinds of badass.

 

We did arrive to hear some most unpleasant news. That old cunt bag censorship had reared her fugly head and fellow Canadians, the badasses of Astron-6, had had their film, FATHER'S DAY, banned in Australia just 2 DAYS before it was meant to have its Australian Premiere at Monster Fest. This ruling is complete bullshit. Though the reasons were yet to be revealed, it's assumed that a little male nudity may be the culprit, which is ridiculous in a world where female nudity is just considered the norm and barely even gets an eye batted in reaction. Further insulting is that anyone could deem FATHER'S DAY anything but another brilliant, horrific, and hilarious film from the talented Canadian filmmaking group. If you've been lucky enough to see their MANBORG (which we enjoyed giggling like mental patients at the fest), you know what I'm talking about. There is no rational way to conclude that the filmmakers are anything but satirical. Not to mention the film already passed careful censorship inspection over in the UK which is known to be the strictest of the strict. If you haven't seen MANBORG, go see MANBORG.



Honestly, the whole thing stunk of centipede. HUMAN CENTIPEDE 1 & 2 were released also by MONSTER PICTURES and if you don't recall the brain explosions from the censorship boards over those two, welcome out of your cave. It's nice out here in the world. I have a sneaking suspicion that this was little more than scrutiny against MONSTER for their previous releases. Yet from this tragedy came one unexpected happy outcome. DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK stepped up to have an impromptu screening in place of FATHER'S DAY. It would be the first time that we had EVER been present at a festival screening of the film.



It was pretty fucking amazing. But that was just a warm up of awesome. The films playing at Monster Fest were fan~fucking~tastic. And the events? For starters, there was the night of GORE~LESQUE. Anyone that knows us know that we rarely take a break from work and leave the house, but when we do, Tristan Risk is performing her to die for burlesque some place. The Australian troupe was magnificent. Vesper White, Miss Nic, Betty Grumble, Betty Blood, Dusty Vagine (oh my...), Tank, Emily Badsville, Anthony De Masi, Legs 11.11, Slap N Tickle, Kerry X, all hosted by Renny Kodgers.

Before AMERICAN MARY hit Monster Fest, this Twisted Twosome was off to Canberra for the 16th Canberra International Film Fest where festival artistic director, Simon Weaving himself, was kind enough to grab us at the airport and warmly welcome us to his city. Canberra, is the capitol city of Australia, as Sydney and Melbourne couldn't play nice and decide who gets to be it, so they decided to make neither city happy and select Canberra. It's a beautiful, natural city. Upon mentioning that we had yet to see a Kangaroo and it was our dearest Australian wish to, publicist Tritia Evans was sweet enough to take us up the mountain hunting before our round of local press. Seeing our wardrobe and foot wear, she warned us we'd be going in "the bush" and we smiled back saying, "yeah! That's why we wore our walking heels."

Kangaroo seeking, dressed to impress any and all Roos.

Canberra brought a much different audience than we were used to. Often those watching AMERICAN MARY are a collection of sick fucks. You know, like us. And you hear devious laughter and chuckles throughout. This screening brought several gasps. One walk out and one run out. We were greeted by a roaring applause at the end of the film and the audience retold how scared they were and how hard it was for them to watch some of the scenes. We headed out after and spent the night with the wonderful fans who came out until we shut down the pubs. It was back to Melbourne in the morning and we snuck in a few much needed "zzz's" before our adventure back. 

How many radio interviews can we do without our dear friends, "fuck" and "cunt"?

Pre~screening at the 16th Canberra International Film Festival.

A cheers to Canberra! Thanks for kicking all kinds of ass!

Our sweet Rob, who shouted out when we asked who had seen DEAD HOOKER

Two horror icons and legends had arrived at Monster Fest causing a massive stir. The Blond Bombshell, starlet Laurene Landon and the Mistress of Macabre, Elvira. They were not only there because, well, THEY'RE FUCKING LIVING LEGENDS, but also because they were screening ELVIRA: MISTRESS OF THE DARK and MANIAC COP and HUNDRA. The ladies were also very special guest judges for "The Hunt for a Monster Queen" alongside the gore~lesque Goddesses Vesper White and Miss Nic and your friendly neighborhood Twisted Twins. And can I just say that Elvira aka Cassandra Peterson is every bit as drop dead gore~geous as she's ever been and is just about the sweetest human being you'll ever have the pleasure of meeting. Okay, fan girl moment over. Mostly. Fuck, Elvira's awesome...

Of course no trip to Australia can ever be complete without meeting Australia's national treasure, WOLF CREEK director/writer/producer, Greg McLean. We were introduced by the wonderful Cam Oliver. Greg is every bit as amazingly amazing as you'd think him to be and for one sick fuck, he's just the sweetest. Not only were we treated to a tour of his production offices jam packed with memorabilia and props and a comic book with Captain America punching Hitler on the cover (rad), and an extensive chat about filmmaking and swapping war stories and chatting up about local serial killers (trust me, they've got some VERY creative killers down there), he gave us each personalized signed copies of his films and a little bobble head each of the notorious Mick Taylor who's "tiny shot gun" had every security personnel at every bloody airport stop us to check it out and then recalled the first time they saw WOLF CREEK and how badly it had fucked them up. Thank you most kindly, Greg.   

When the Twisted Twins met Greg McLean, Badass Director Extraordinaire

Jen Soska, unofficial triplet Greg McLean, and Sylvia Soska

Best gifts ever! The gift of Horror just keeps on giving

No tongue, you big sexy Rogue, I promise...

And we can't talk about badass mother fuckers with mentioning our most beloved friend and sick bastard, director Alex Chandon. I had first seen Alex's work when I stumbled upon a copy of CRADLE OF FEAR. By stumbled I mean I was working at a video game store that took trade ins and an angry girlfriend (ex-girlfriend?) came in with all her boyfriend's horror movies and games and traded them in. Among the treasures that no sane person would give up so willingly was a film that I had only heard legends of, CRADLE OF FEAR. I aptly purchased it off her and when the aforementioned, and heartbroken for various reasons, boyfriend came to the store looking to reclaim his stock, I sadly told him that COF had been already sold to a lucky customer. The film is made with the band CRADLE OF FILTH and it's a real fucking trip.


The next time we would come into contact with Alex would be quite literally in London at Fright Fest or more accurately outside in an alley way outside of the infamous Phoenix Pub. We wouldn't see his new nightmare, INBRED, until we got to the TORONTO AFTER DARK FILM FESTIVAL where it was the talk of the town. The trailer enticed many to pile into the theatre the night of the screening where they groaned and squirmed in their seats whereas other, more twisted members of the audience, laughed morbidly and cheered. We were in the cheering section. 

We met again in Australia, always a trip to meet and see old friends across the globe. The best way I can describe our union is the lot of us becoming a gang of hoodlums. Alex's work may be some of the most disturbing, creatively disgusting, yet somehow darkly hilarious work I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. Alex himself is just about the coolest guy in the universe. Whether we went to the zoo, saw films at the fest, went out for drinks, hunted for Kangaroos, or you name it, there was nothing like hanging out with a director we not only admire the fuck out of, but also absolutely adore in every way possible.

If there was an "I love Alex Chandon" fan club, we'd be president and chairman. Wait a sec, there very well MAY be, gotta look into that shit...

The Melbourne Zoo Posse, The Twisted Twins, Alex Chandon, and superstar Simon Eric Harcourt

Our journey to the Melbourne Zoo was only possible because of Simon Eric Harcourt, premium ticket holder who was ever so kind enough to hang out with us. And because his dad works at the Zoo, he was able to treat us to an amazing time there including reptile cuddling. Okay, okay, reptile "h-o-l-d-i-n-g", but I was pretty insistent on the cuddling. They even had a tarantula and bug section, though Australia isn't allowed to import foreign breeds due to the risk of them getting out and effecting their delicate eco system. 

The undisputed Spider Queen and ambassador of eight legged peoples

Also, a word to the wise, stay away from rattle snakes. Just, pretty much stay the fuck away from them. They don't really have an beef with humans, so best to just leave them be. In fact, if there's an area that's known to have them, just go somewhere else. It's, like, a super big planet and after being described, with photo accompaniment, of how their venom liquifies your cells, I decided it's probably just for the best to leave them alone. 

Breaking news, Rattlesnakes ARE deadly little fuckers. Who woulda thunk?

Though, it was cool to see one safely behind glass all pissed and rattly. I'll admit, it was pretty cute.

This little corn snake reminds me of mine! My Conan O'Brien :)

Our debut of AMERICAN MARY at Monster Fest had our biggest audience reaction EVER!!! Cheers, applause, laughter, groans... there was even one very special moment at a scene I will not ruin here for you where the audience began to moan and Sylv and I laughed at them. The whole theatre erupted in laughter hearing us. It was really something special. 

After Melbourne and Monster Fest concluded, we had an AMERICAN MARY themed closing night party where many a liver was thoroughly abused, ha ha. We stayed until the very end of the end, meeting and greeting and signing and taking photos with everyone. It was really amazing to have so many people come out and to get behind the film. From there we hit up Perth and we began our tour of THREE cities in THREE days. Perth, Sydney, and finally concluding at Brisbane and the Brisbane International Film Festival. The most touching thing of it all was the fans, who are really so much more like friends. The people that come out to see the film, the people who supported us way back when in the DEAD HOOKER days, the ones who stick around through the Q and As, the ones who stuck around LONG after, the ones who took photos, and tweeted and tumbled and facebooked. It was and remains the reason we do what we do. We're really just horror fans first and foremost and to be doing what we get to do is the thrill of a life time.

These are the people we do it all for...

 
And they'd never ask for thanks or want the spotlight, but we just must gush about MONSTER PICTURES. They brought us down, they showed us the time of our lives, and this was their FIRST Monster Fest and it was just splendid. They also have been backing us since we first drop kicked our way onto the scene and they've supported so many others. I expect they'll have our back for long into the future. Neil Foley, Grant Hardie (and the gore~geous Robyn), Ben Hellwig, Zak Hepburn, you mother fuckers are amazing. 

Jen Soska, Cassandra Peterson, Neil Foley (with Wilma), Alex Chandon, and Sylvia Soska

Sylvia Soska with Grant Hardie

Ben Hellwig and Jen Soska

Zak Hepburn unfazed by Jen Soska

Ben Hellwig, Sylvia Soska, Zak Hepburn, and every Redbull of the Rainbow

Neil Foley, Ben Hellwig, and Jen Soska trying out her new Human Centipede grade barf bag!

We were welcomed in like family and had absolutely the time of our lives whether we'd be hitting the press, or hunting for Roos, or talking about hilarious porn we'd seen, or having a drink, or watching the whippet races, or telling us stories about your local serial killers. Thank you for being so kind to us and showing us Australia. We cannot wait to return and we'll never forget our time down under with you all.

Australia, awesome Aussies, Monster Pictures, you will be sorely missed...

AMERICAN MARY hits Australian theatres in Sydney and Melbourne on November 29th!!! Get your gore~geous asses out there and come get some ;)

Us, we're off to catch up on some MUCH needed "work"...

Deadpool gets all the hunnys...

Fatally Yours,
Jen and Sylv