The Rise of Women in Horror By Nia Edwards-Behi

"There’s no denying that the Soska Sisters and the relative success of American Mary became quite the focal point for clashing opinions (clashes I very purposefully stayed far away from at the time). While for some, the Soskas were and are horror’s brightest new stars, for many others their self-promotion and public personas were entirely objectionable. It seems to me that their success is not that much different from, say, the success of Adam Green with Hatchet, and his own public persona and interaction with fans. Yet – and by all means, I’m open to be corrected on this – I don’t remember the same backlash to his popularity. I’m by no means going to sit here and type under some self-illusion that I’m an unbiased commentator; however, given the ultimately niche nature of the kind of films we’re discussing here, what filmmaker wouldn’t shout as loudly as they could about a film that breaks out of that niche, even if only slightly? With American Mary’s relative success, the Soskas became figureheads for both sides of the debate. As a result, for me, many of the cracks in the naysayers’ side of the debate started to show more clearly. That prominent bloggers can argue that women filmmakers who ‘dress sexily’ and complain about not being treated equally are asking for such treatment speaks volumes of their lack of understanding of most of the issues that still need addressing in the debate."

Read the whole rad piece here.

-Sylv

MARY Christmas

 It's been one incredible year. AMERICAN MARY has taken the world by storm and we've been lucky enough to along for the wild ride as she made her trek across the globe. It was fucking incredible to not only get to share AMERICAN MARY with the world, but to have such an overwhelming response from critics and fans alike have been a dream come true. This year is coming to an end. A time for new beginnings and to look back and reflect. It's a privilege to see MARY gracing so many lists.  We want to thank each and every person who came out to see the film and spread the news on her. She's only come this far because of you and your support. Thank you more than we can say.

"1. American Mary

Oh, don’t act like you’re surprised. While the rest of this list could be fairly changeable in the numerical order I’ve placed it, American Mary would proudly sit at the top of the pile irrespective of anything else. I’m not sure there’s much more I can say about the film, having briefly reviewed it back in May, and more recently and extensively in August. Many more people have seen the film by now, and the response seems to be overwhelmingly positive. It’s been one of the most highly anticipated and talked about films of the year. With hype, though, comes disappointment and backlash, and the film – quite fairly – has its naysayers. But – *dons hipster glasses* – some of us unreservedly loved the film before the hype machine took over, and for me the film stands up to multiple viewings, and so it shall stand to multiple more." ~ Nia Edwards-Behi

On a personal note, we love Nia. Nia was the first person anywhere ever to screen DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK. She's believed in us and supported us from the very beginning. There was no greater feeling than showing her AMERICAN MARY and showing her how far we've come. She'll be among the very first to get to see BOB, as well.

For the FULL REVIEW & LIST click here and PLEASE ENJOY.

"American Mary  

Those with a penchant for the perverse had to search hard for the best of genre cinema. Elijah Wood’s starring turn in Maniac is a masterclass in subliminal horrific intent, but it has only played festival slots to date. The deconstructionist puzzle The Cabin in the Woods finally surfaced to fandom satisfaction. Only Josh Trank’s terrific debut Chronicle got the studio-marketing push denied most other worthy genre works. The hottest new names on the horror scene are Canadian twin sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska, who unleashed upon the world the supremely stylish, body-modification ickiness of American Mary."

 For the FULL LIST, check out SBS Film's FULL LIST right here.

Thank you so much to BRUTAL AS HELL and SBS Film for believing in our independent darling. It's been an incredible year and we have a lot to be thankful for. Thank you for spending it with us and Mary. 

Fatally Yours,

Jen

Happy Birthday Hayley!!!

Hayley Alice Roberts and Nia Edwards-Behi at Hayley’s AMERICAN MARY themed birthday party. 

I FUCKING LOVE THESE LADIES. 

When we go to the UK, I’m planning on kidnapping them both and brining them back to Canada. Don’t tell the cops.

-Sylv

We Love Abertoir!

                   

The fine people at the Abertoir Film Festival not only put on a spectacular film festival in Wales, but they are also the people responsible for us getting our first screening ever when Ni Edwards-Behi gave DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK it's very first screening at the Ghouls on Film Festival.

They have been good friends ever since. Even seeing our work from script form to final fruition as they did with AMERICAN MARY which we are thrilled to have screening at Abertoir this year.

Unfortunately, we will be on the other side of the planet and completely unable to make it, but we couldn't have a momentous occasion like this go on without out being there win some form or another - in this case for this video introduction.

ENJOY!

                  

Then we got this message from our beloved Nia, Gaz, and Hayley! We love these folks so fucking much. We cannot wait to be there at Abertoir one day - planning for next year so help us!! Gotta make a movie fast to make it happen.

-Sylv

American Mary to screen at the Abertoir Film Festival

Years ago - Nia Edwards-Behi - gave our first film, Dead Hooker in a Trunk its world premiere. It was what started us on the festival circuit then and I will never forget that kindness.

Now, our second film, American Mary, will be gracing 

their Abertoir Horror Festival and we cannot be more thrilled. If you are in Wales, they have a hell of a festival for you!

"An entirely different creature to their debut, Dead Hooker in a Trunk, the Soska Sisters’ highly-anticipated follow up film, American Mary, is easily one of this year’s horrific highlights. Tragic, funny and utterly gorgeous to look at, American Mary exceeds all expectations. Boasting a powerhouse central performance from Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps), be on the lookout for the truly revelatory performance of Tristan Risk as the sickly sweet and disturbingly hilarious Beatress Johnson. Unmissable."

Get all of your information here!

-Sylv

American Mary First Screening at the Cannes Market

"If I may indulge in some flagrant cliché abuse, the Soska Sisters are not just going places, but they’re paving the way to an exciting, vital and game-changing career in genre filmmaking. The powerhouses behind Dead Hooker in a Trunk have made their second film, American Mary, which has received its first screening at the Marche du Film at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The film stars Katharine Isabelle as Mary, a broke medical student who finds herself mired in a bizarre world of underground surgery." -Nia Edwards-Behi, BRUTAL AS HELL

The name Nia Edwards-Behi might sound familiar to you. If not, here is an interesting piece of information that you might not be aware of - the very first screening of DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK, when no one wanted to touch that film with a ten foot pole, happened at the Ghouls on Film Festival in the UK thanks to Nia. The admiration for this woman who truly supports the independent has only grown in the years that we have come to know her. It was a thrill to not only have her, Gaz Bailey, and Rhys Thomas Fowler at Cannes to make a pair of foreigners feel more at home, but an amazing honour to have them in attendance for the first screening of AMERICAN MARY. How appropriate that this sensational woman would reveal the first look of the film.

"Mary is a completely different beast to Dead Hooker. Where Dead Hooker is a loving tribute to B-movies and grindhouse cinema, Mary is a stylish, artful and darkly funny tragedy. This difference is the Soskas’ masterstroke – even the most doubting spectator would struggle to deny the absolute versatility on display between the two films."

I know we've been very hush hush on the flick and going to the Cannes market makes it difficult to check out the screening, but for those of you dying of antic..............pation, check out the full beautiful review. No spoilers - so you're surprises are safe!

Thank you so much to everyone who was a part of this. Very extremely fucking cool of you all.

~Sylv

American Mary Poster at Cannes

Here is the first look at the AMERICAN MARY poster at the Cannes Film Festival. The film will be making her worldwide market premiere screening on the 17th.

Thank you for snapping this image, Nia Edwards-Behi!! You fucking rock. At the London airport right now, one layover away from hitting Nice, then Cannes.

 ~Sylv

Jennifer's Bodies

Once upon a time ago, the world had never seen a little film called DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK. It's first cut was two hours long, a but rough around the edges, but still its heart and soul were intact. Last year, Women in Horror month marked the dawn of a new day. DHIAT premiered not only at one festival, but TWO celebrating WiH month.

The first was the GHOULS IN FILM festival held in the UK (special thanks to miss Nia Edwards-Behi) and the second was the DOA PRETTY SCARY BLOOD BATH film festival in Texas (special thanks to the wonderful Andrew Rose).

Cut to now. We have arrived firmly in the future. WiH month has grown greatly in ONE year. Now small feat by any means. Props to WiH month creator, our beloved sister, Hannah Neurotica. The month has returned with a plethora of new festival delicacies and I want to take the time to announce that our beloved DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK is a' comin' for you, Scotland! The very appropriately named film festival from the very lovely Jennifer Cooper, boys and grrls, here come's JENNIFER'S BODIES.

"I shall be hosting the Scottish premier of my gore-geous Canadian twinlings Jen and Sylvia Soska’s acclaimed debut feature, Dead Hooker in a Trunk. I saw this film last year at Ghouls on Film (this was the UK premier) and it is just so downright awesome and I’ve been going on about it ever since that I thought argggh, this has never been shown in Scotland… I shall take away its Scottish virginity, mwahahaha." ~Jennifer Cooper



She'll be announcing the full line up in February along with more festival details. If you have a submission, get in touch with this very lovely lady asap. Heck, drop me a line, I can get you in touch her.

For more on Women in Horror month and the WORLD WIDE events taking place and how you can take part, check out the official site HERE.

Bloody Best!
Jen

In Wales, played a Dead Hooker...

I love... no, that's no strong enough... I fucking love when we hear about people's experiences watching 'Dead Hooker in a Trunk'. On Thursday, November 11th at 12:45pm by Wales, England time, the film was playing at the Abertoir Horror Film Festival. A very warm thank you to Nia Edwards-Behi who not only introduced the piece this year but also was the first to bring the rotting corpse of a whore across the oceans to the fine folks in the UK and to all of you that fancied a spot of hooker and acted on it! In particular, today I'd like to send the warmest regards to Mr. James Plumb who was in attendance and had this to say about the film --

"Day two starts off with an Intro by Abertoir stalwart Nia Edwards-Behi for the engagingly titled “Dead Hooker in a Trunk”, a film which I’ve read a lot about on various social networking sites (such as this one) so I was excited to see if it lived up to its internet hype and its awesome title. I’m glad to report that the film exceeds both.

The natural evolution of grindhouse exploitation films, without resorting to adding aging effects to the footage, “DHIT” delivers on its tease of sleaze, muscle cars and ultraviolence. But its also a film with real heart, as you genuinely grow to care about the characters. Directed with amazing confidence by the Twisted Twins themselves, the Soska sisters, the only criticism I can muster is a muddy sound mix, which sometimes detracted from the fun on screen. That being said if you’re yearning for a mix of “Switchblade Sisters” and “Weekend at Bernie’s” then look no further!"

That kind of sentiment warms a pair of cold Canadian, twisted hearts. Thank you very kindly for those kind words, sir. We are honored to have had the film so well received - this is every little horror girls dream come true. Thank you to everyone who has seen it, wanted to see it, spread the word, and shared it with their friends. None of this would be possible without you.



Tomorrow, there will be a blood bath in Texas. 'Dead Hooker in a Trunk' will be playing at the Blood Bath 2 Film Festival in Dallas Texas. Get here details here, boys and girls. If you make it out, drop us a line and let us know what you thought. Fucking love hearing from you, boys and girls.

~Sylv

Bangers and Mash and Dead Hookers galore!

Watch out, Europe! DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK is coming your way and the Abertoir Horror Film Festival is where it all starts. The never before seen edition of DHIAT has hopped the pond and we couldn't be happier.

"With more than 20 films on offer from around the world, including UK premieres, cult screenings and classics, we are delighted to be offering a massive variety of other events that will give fans of horror something truly memorable. Films, music, theatre, book signings, special guests, prizes and bar promotions will turn this peaceful seaside town into a haven for lovers of the macabre- so lock up your grannies, Abertoir is coming!"

For those of you in the Dead Hooker know, you may recall that earlier this year during Women In Horror month (started by femme fatale extraordinaire and beloved honorary Soska sister, Hannah Neurotica of Ax Wound zine) the film rocked hard at the Ghouls on Film Festival. A very special thanks to Nia Edwards-Behi for making it possible. It should come as no surprise at all that this incredible woman would play a pivotal role in bringing DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK back to the UK! This time, DHIAT will be rocking the gore~geous Abertoir Horror Film Festival at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre on the beautiful coast of Mid-Wales. The festival is running from November 10th to 14th. A very special thanks to Nia and our favorite guy across the pond, Andrew McQuade of Gorezone for making this dream a reality!!

Check out all the info on the fest here!!

And treat yourselves to the film festival trailer below!


Bloody best, boys and grrls!!
XO
Jen

WHAT IT FEELS LIKE FOR A (HORROR) GIRL

The world can feel like a very lonely place in adolescence as you develop your interests and personality. Youth is filled with cruelty from your peers. My sister and I always stood out because we were twins.

From a very young age we were drawn to horror, movies and books. The more haunting the fright, the more unpredictably fucked up the better. Often, we were called weird. We were spat on in private school for seeming too dark. They called us witches because of our dark hair and love of the horror genre. Even though we had each other, there were many times we felt out of place. Fuck, I wish Ax Wound Zine had been around back then. It would have been nice to know that there are so many strong, intelligent, and insightful women out there that also love horror like we do.


For those of you who aren't familiar with Ax Wound Zine, it is a feminist (everyone can be a feminist, too, boys and girls) horror zine. The term 'ax wound' is a derogatory term for a menstrating vagina -- fits pretty perfect with the theme, doesn't it? It opens an enlightened discussion about gender in the horror/slasher/gore genre bringing together women (as opposed to the typical girl versus girl culture that tends to tear us ladies apart) and men in different discussions, interviews, and reviews.

I recently received my first copy (and now I am a hopeless addict and must get all back issues because it is so fucking good), and I must share. The #3 Issue is 'Gender and the Horror Genre', edited by Hannah Neurotica. Firstly, Hannah is an incredible writer -- she knows her shit inside out and she unapologetically gives us her thoughts with a high level of wit and gritty good humor -- as seen in her interview talking maggot vagina corpse soap with 'Girls and Corpses' editor, Robert Rhine. Her interviews are smart, current, and the questions are so interesting that you have this feeling of intimacy with the people speaking because it is such an honest open discussion.


Speaking of baring your soul, all you need do is read Hannah's intro to the zine to realize that she has gone through a personal hell as she lost her best friend and the person who nurtured her cunning approach to horror; her father, Michael H. Foreman. Such a fucking cool guy. His article about the Twilight series had me in stitches. I remember watching the film and thinking that the imagery of vampires created in my childhood were being violated by this sugar-coated bubble gum bullshit, how nice to read an article that reviews this phenomena with such fun wit.

Being Hungarian, the article on 'Elizabeth Bathory: The Bloody She-Wolf of Hungary' written by Mimi Honeycutt and beautifully illustrated by Rachael Deacon was a personal favorite. It is unbelievable that such horrific carnage actually took place in the world, that a woman could go so blood-lustingly insane and get away with it because of her rank in society. The details in the article remind me of a twisted metal wreck, too awful to look at but impossible to pull your eyes away from.

There are so many great articles written by such strong, smart women - 'Chucky, Chainsaws, and Girl Survival' by Clementine Cannibal (made me furious at the cesspool of society and also made me appreciate Chucky in an entirely new way), 'Gender Transgression in Hellraiser' by Nia Edwards Behi (Pinhead and I go WAY back, but I want to rewatch the entire run now), interview with Fangoria's Rebekah McKendry (their discussion on horror and the perception of the horror genre is brilliant), 'The Origin of NOS' by Jessie Seitz (how cool to hear what a 'Gore Whore' knows and isn't afraid to say), poetry and an interview with Marnie Colton (her words are lovely, poetically and in conversation), 'Valerie Castro's Period' an interview by Andrew Shearer with Valerie Castro (indie film making at it's most badass and best -- there was even a real accidental electrocution on set!), 'Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter' interview with Shannon Lark (she is a writer/director/producer that the Viscera Film Fest is the brainchild of), 'Mother Blood': A Look INSIDE' by M. Brianna Stallings (this will be the next movie I see because of this review, if you can stomach it - rent it too), 'Horror Queen and Unusual Desires in MAY' by Lindsey Campbell (it is so refreshing to see a film that feature a complicated and multi-layered female protagonist, this I am also renting asap) followed by an interview with writer/director of the film, Lucky McKee, 'Too Neagative' a comic by Jenny Gonzalez (whimsically dark and rad), 'Consummate' by Mary 'BloodSoaker Goff (I don't want to ruin anything in this short story, just read it, it's bloody brilliant), 'Create a Wound' by Angel Young (FX tips for everyone), an interview with Reyna Young (she made a documentary about women in the horror industry, very rad, trailer to be out soon), interview with Sarah Jahier (creator of the horror review site 'Fatally Yours'), 'The First Girl' written by Hannah Neurotica and illustrated by Rachael Deacon (a preview on radness to come, think Final Girl), and an interview with horror artist Rachael Deacon (the woman responsible for the magnificently haunting images through the zine). With so many mediums out there that dumb down content, censor language, and consist of inane information -- it is a real fucking pleasure to read something that not only gives you very thorough, informed reporting, but also treats the reader like a free-thinking adult. The pieces felt so candid and personal.


It was thanks to our friend, Eli Roth, that this wonderful zine came into our lives. He has a massive interview in this issue where he talks about everything from his early film making to his current films, feminism and the roles that gender plays in his films, and of course the term 'torture porn' that the media coined after the popularity of his film, 'Hostel'. In his interview in this issue with Hannah, he speaks about us and our film, 'Dead Hooker in a Trunk'. This led to our own interview with Miss Neurotica, also in this issue. Something I am eternally grateful for because we have developed a very close friendship since then and with people like Hannah Neurotica in the world -- I don't feel all that lonely anymore.

If you've read it, you already know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, fork over that ten bucks and buy it already. Its grindhouse brilliance will rock your read!

xo
Sylv