American Mary Makes the Best of 2013

"American Mary is a criminally under seen black comedic horror film set in the world of body modification. The film is the sophomore feature from Canadian twin sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska who blew away audiences with their low budget grindhouse riot girl epic Dead Hooker in a Trunk and just wrapped production on See No Evil 2. The film follows Mary (Katharine Isabelle from Ginger Snaps), a surgical student who ends up performing body modification surgeries as a way to get herself out of debt and ends up becoming a rock star in the field. As much as I loved Dead Hooker, the Soskas blew me away with this film. It’s funny, disturbing, and even heartbreaking. These two lovely ladies are two of the best new voices in horror and I will be following their career for years to come. This is an absolute watch and one of the best films of the year in any genre." - Project Shanks (full piece) 

"American Mary 

I've been waiting for a full year to put American Mary on my top five list! Released very late last year, thus qualifying for 2013 consideration, American Mary oozes style. Jen and Sylvia Soska grabbed their sophomore effort by the throat and didn't let go until they had a fantastic film. Audiences have fallen in love with not only American Mary but the highly marketable Soska sisters as well. The Twisted Twins nabbed Katharine Isabelle to play the deliciously devious Mary Mason, and the star brought viewers on a fantastic ride of pain, disillusionment, revenge and some of the craziest body modifications you've ever seen. Fantastic music also adds to the thick atmosphere in the movie. American Mary officially put the Soskas on the map, and with their next film, See No Evil 2, already in the can, these girls have the world by the surgically modified balls." - Dread Central (full piece) 

"Katharine Isabelle in American MaryCount me as a huge fan of The Soska Sisters’ latest cinematical endeavor, American Mary and a huge part of that is due to the breakout performance by Katharine Isabelle. Isabelle’s always been pretty great, but she proves in American Mary that she’s truly a star with a remarkably engaging and heartbreaking performance that I fell in love with. The Soska’s themselves serve up some powerhouse material with their tragic story of a medical student working outside of the system, but make no mistake, it’s Isabelle who knocks it right out of the park in American Mary." - Daily Dead (full piece)

         "American Mary 

I was lucky enough to catch “American Mary” before it’s 2013 release. The Soska Sisters ( Dead Hooker in a Trunk) take their bizarre style of film, and take it to the next level. Katherine Isabelle is great as our title character, and you really feel her breakdown to sociopathic behavior. This is a 4 star effort from the sisters ( who even have a cameo in the film)." - Horror Movies.ca (full piece) 

"07) AMERICAN MARYOh, Beatress. This was a look that could have very easily worn the actress, but Tristan Risk owned this character design and made it her own. I was very impressed with the plastic look of the living Betty Boop, and the attention to detail of making a woman look like an actual cartoon character was on point. In comparison to the "Ruby Real Girl" character, Beatress didn't look like the typical 'overly plastic-Jocelyn Wildenstein' character, she really looked like Betty Boop." - Day of the Woman (full piece) 

"4. American MaryA solid follow up for the Soska sisters. I enjoyed Dead Hooker in a Trunk, but I loved this. Katharine Isabelle steals the show. Unique and full of great gore and body mods, as well as the sexiest Betty Boop looking lady ever." - Guts and Grog (full piece) 

"American MaryDirected by twin sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska, American Mary has been popping up on a ton of best of lists and for good reason—the original premise and convincing performance by Katherine Isablelle, star of the Canadian hitGinger Snaps, helps American Mary rise above many of the independent horror films released in 2013. American Mary is just twisted enough to satisfy horror fans bent on the films of David Cronenberg and Takashi Miike." - PopShifter (full piece) 

"American MaryJen and Sylvia Soska, two confident women of horror, gave the genre a standout film with the well-crafted “American Mary”. While the scares may be scarce the character development and dread filled atmosphere keep the film compelling. The narrative makes interesting comments about self-identity and the manipulation of it both physical and psychological. These two budding directors have offered an exceptional horror film." - Daily Dead (full piece) 

"9. American Mary - Ginger Snaps’ Katharine Isabelle gives a great performance in this, the second film from Jen and Sylvia Soska (the “Twisted Twins” and directors of Dead Hooker in a Trunk). Mary finds Isabelle as the eponymous character, a young med student who falls into performing illegal body modification surgeries to support herself financially. When a violent incident sends Mary spiraling into madness, the film’s heroine slowly transforms into the (admittedly sympathetic) villain of the piece, racking up a body count even as her sanity erodes. This film’s strong lead performance, offbeat subject matter, and beautiful photography make this a must-see." - Dread Central (full piece) 

"2. American Mary (Xlrator Media) - The Soska sisters are becoming a name that is really synonymous with horror. American Mary is proof that these women can stand tall in a genre that is led mainly by males." 

"6) American Mary (Xlrator Media) - This applause-worthy sophomore effort of the Soska twins features the bodaciously babely female antihero that the modern horror genre desperately needed and teaches us an important lesson in recognizing self worth, wreaking vengeance upon those who have wronged us, and the dire consequences of crossing the sometimes dangerously thin line between malice and madness." - Cinesploitation (full piece) 

"2) AMERICAN MARY (Dir. Jen & Sylvia Soska)Like Kate Chopin’s The Awakening was adapted into the world of underground strip clubs and body modification. Surgery is a messy thing, and this film captures both the fascination and the terror associated with the performance of it and the surgical profession itself. Any one filmmaker – or, in the case of the Soska sisters, two – that can offer something this bold and subversive deserves to be on everyone’s radar." - Diabolique Magazine (full piece) 

"On our Best of 2013 Show we run down the Top 5 Movies, including my pick for #1.... Jen & Sylvia Soska's American Mary!" - Mike Wendt (full piece) 

"1) American Mary:Taking inspiration from the works of David Cronenberg and Takashi Miike, American Mary is a low budget feminist horror film that takes the viewers into the world of body modification with excellent practical make up effects and a potential future horror icon role for Katharine Isabelle of “Ginger Snaps” fame delivering an equally scary, funny and kooky performance." - Snake Bite Horror (full piece) 

-Sylv

The Real Girl Behind Ruby RealGirl

Ever wonder what Ruby RealGirl aka Paula Lindberg looks like underneath those prosthetics? Answer: Hitchcock-ian hot blond.

Photo by Sara Rogers-Photography
Styling by Lisa Millar-Jones
Hair/MUA Natacha Trottier

-Sylv

RealGirl Glamor

Very beautiful and rad Ruby RealGirl inspired makeup by Fotini! Love this so much.

-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

MSN's Exclusive American Mary Page

"“Twisted Twins” Jen and Sylvia Soska are back with their stunning follow-up to the indie hit "Dead Hooker in a Trunk." "American Mary" is the story of a medical student named Mary who is growing increasingly broke and disenchanted with medical school and the established doctors she once idolized. The allure of easy money sends a desperate Mary through the messy world of underground surgeries which leaves more marks on her than the so-called freakish clientele. Appearances are everything. Check out this exclusive clip."

See it here.

-Sylv

The Ladies of American Mary in the Women in Horror Podcast

One of the best chats I've ever had with my favorite women on the planet. Don't miss it!

-Sylv

See You in LA

Billy: Have you ever been to LA?

Mary: No.

Billy: Have you ever wanted to go to LA? Because I was thinking I need a change of pace.

"Wanna be the first to see the Soska sisters’ American Mary? 

Bloody Disgusting has 2 pairs of tickets to the Los Angeles opening night special screening in which the Soska sisters and star Katharine Isabelle will be in attendance. 

The event takes place Friday, May 31st at 7:45 pm (arrive early). The location is the Chinese 6 Theatres (6801 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, CA). 

Q&A to following this screening with Soska sisters and Katharine Isabelle."

Also Tristan Risk, Paula Lindberg, John Emmet Tracy, Brenda Anderson, and Todd Masters will be in attendance. DYING TO SEE YOU THERE. It's the end of a long promo tour, makes sense to end it in LA, doesn't it?

GET YOUR DETAILS HERE!

-Sylv

Fangoria Features NSFW American Mary Clip to Celebrate Today's VOD Release!

Great way to celebrate the American Mary VOD release today with an exclusive clip featuring Paula Lindberg with Katharine Isabelle getting a NSFW procedure. Please enjoy and check out the film today!

"The heroine of AMERICAN MARY practices all sorts of graphic surgery, including one showcased in a decidedly NSFW clip from the film (which debuts on VOD tomorrow) that you can see past the jump. 

AMERICAN MARY, written and directed by Jen and Sylvia Soska, stars Katharine Isabelle as a struggling med student who finds a lucrative sideline in the underground realm of body modification, leading to all sorts of unpleasant developments. XLrator Releasing issues the movie on VOD tomorrow, May 16, and then opens it in theaters May 31. Look for interviews with the Soskas and Isabelle in Fango #325, on sale this month."

WATCH THE CLIP HERE!

-Sylv

Take American Mary Home, America

The North American release of American Mary is available on Amazon.com for preorder. No image of the DVD/BD artwork yet or reviews on the film. 

Please, if you've been waiting for this to hit home, take a moment to preorder and if you've already seen our girl, please share your thoughts to convert the non-converted!

GET IT HERE!

-Sylv

Picturesque Paula Lindberg

One of my favourite actresses that brought a cosmetic surgery artistic doll to life in American Mary. The sensational, Paula Lindberg, in a sneak peek image from an upcoming shoot.

"Sneak pic of my shoot with the talented @s_smalls styled by @Lisa_MJ !! #gotskull? #photography"

-Sylv

Talking to Mary(s)

You are under heavy prosthetic makeup in the film. Did you find it constrictive are was it freeing as an actress? 

TR: Not in the least. I found it unsettling to pass by certain reflective surfaces and see someone else’s face. In theatre I have done a lot of mask work and I love creating strange characters in my burlesque, so this was kind of a wet dream for me to play something so extreme. I think at this point it may be more of a challenge to do a film with my own face since there would be so much more to be aware of. On a strangely narcissistic note, while I know everyone will adore Beatrice, it’s a little daunting to wonder if when faced with my own features if I can still win people over in my next project... (full interview)
 

I feel you are the moral center of the film, representing the road that leads to ruin. What can you tell me about Ruby Realgirl’s motivation for her decision? 

PL: I think Ruby feels her decisions are a natural creative extension of herself.  Do I think there’s a deeper reason she wants to desexualize herself? Some sort of past trauma?  Yes. Maybe it’s her own convoluted way of taking her power back, like Mary does in the film. (full interview)

On to American Mary – how did you find each other to make this film? Katharine, what drew you to it? 

KI: They… 

JS: I wrote it for her!  That’s a big rule as a director: never write for an actor because you don’t know if you’ll end up being disappointed… Maybe they’re not available, or when you meet them maybe they’re not the people that you were hoping they were… but Katie was WAY worse than what we’d imagined. 

KI: Huge letdown! 

JS: No, she’s like the Fassbender to our Steve McQueen. Katie’s our special one. 

SS: We were such big fans from Ginger and we watched everything and when you see the movie this is going to sound cruel, but this is something I’ve always wanted to see Katie do. I was so lucky that not only was she what I hoped she would be from watching all her movies, but she was even better. She only had three takes to do anything – we had 15 days, a lesser actress would have fucked this movie up so bad but she was just brilliant in it! I can’t say enough good things about her. 

KI: I like those answers. (full interview)

Sylvia Soska: At the time we were trying to sell our first film, Dead Hooker in a Trunk and nothing was happening, we were incredibly broke from that experience, we were going down to LA being very green and had no idea really what we were doing and we were meeting some real industry monsters.

Jen Soska: That hasn’t changed much.

Sylvia Soska: No not too much.

Then we had ailing family members who were in the hospital all the time and I was talking to a friend and he was like ‘You should focus on your next project, what other scripts do you have?’ and I had nothing!

So I thought ‘Nope, I’m going to lie’ and I made up a sentence for every movie that I thought I could write in two weeks.

Jen Soska: It’s really a life lesson, when in doubt, lie. (full interview)

SS: They saw how much of a fan-girl I was and I carry a modification hook in my purse… 

(Sylvia produces a hook from her bag) 

SS: When my balls drop – not Superman style, because I’m too much of a pussy! – I want to do the shoulder suspension, not only because I want to know what that transcendence is like, but if I did it then a lot of people will be like “Well, if that little chick can do it…”

JS: Street cred!

SS: Stop pretending it’s a big freakish thing, it’s kind of cool.

KI: I don’t know. I’d get 3D implants. I don’t know enough about it to know where you could do it though. I would want some shoulder/arm ones.

SS: You could do that. (full interview)

FLASH BANG's interview with Katie & the Twins 

             

              

Brutal As Hell: (trying and failing to casually get notes out) I’ve got notes.

(Laughter)

Jen Soska: “Ladies, why are you such cunting fucks?”

BAH: Wha- when did you see this sheet?

(More laughter. Go me.)

BAH: Hello Katharine Isabelle, hello… (attempts to guess – Sylvia whispers her name) Sylvia Soska! Okay, right, I wouldn’t have known that at all, obviously – I mean, I would have known. Ahem.

(More laughs. I’m on a roll.)

BAH: And Jen Soska. Hello.

JS: Hello Ben.

BAH: So first of all, how is life on the road treating you?

Sylvia Soska: We’re like a band. It’s a good thing we like each other, because we could have killed each other by now.

JS: We’re pretty much Led Zeppelin right now.

Katharine Isabelle: Yeah, we’re pretty much Led Zeppelin. (full interview)

FLICKS AND THE CITY interview Katie & the Twins
        

Katharine, do you feel you play a feminist heroine in the film?

Katharine: I absolutely do. I’ve done a few horror movies and it’s absolutely refreshing. The character of Mary on paper has no redeemable qualities. She’s not that pleasant, she’s not that kind, she has no friends, she has no family. She’s very narcissistic and self-absorbed, and that was refreshing in itself. I tried my best to make the character likeable without sweetening anything, without dumping any radical rigid feminist plotlines and themes! (laughs) I think it was the most true-to-life character that I’ve ever had the opportunity to portray because all the time in film women are, like Sylvia said earlier, those sort of easy bake kind of cookie images, like the slut, the tease, the good girl next door. And to have a character that was so multi-dimensional, that didn’t have any particular redeeming qualities, but was still likeable, was still strong, was still interesting and stood up for herself and gave not one fuck about anyone else, or what anyone else thought, or what anyone else expected of her, is something that I think we need to see more of in film and in society in general. (full interview)

Sylvie is more categorical: “We’re undatable, and after this movie, we’re even more undatable.” When American Mary showed at the market in Cannes, she recalls, “a gentleman started hitting on me. He said, ‘What are you doing here?’ I said, ‘I’m here for the movie, which I made with my sister.’ He said, ‘I hope it’s good.’ The movie plays, he looks at me, grabs his coat and speed-walks out. There you go.” (full interview)

SayWhatNews: In the horror film, ‘American Mary’ you played Billy Barker - a weathered and detached entrepreneur in the adult entertainment business. How did you prepare for this role?

Antonio: I showed up. Haha…. no seriously, Billy Barker was an idea I had of someone who is trying to hold on.. disgruntled, unsatisfied and a soft souled hard-ass. We all have many personalities that we don’t always tap into. I had to dig up some stuff that I didn’t know was available deep down but in the end Billy’s attributes are a part of who I am in some way. But all that gets locked in some character storage locker of your soul and you move on. (full interview)

- Sylv

The First Weekend's Club Captures the Q & A of AMERICAN MARY at the Whistler film Festival

Actress and burlesque performer, Tristan Risk, who plays the exotic and captivating Beatress Johnson in AMERICAN MARY, is asked how her burlesque background came into use in the role.




Director and writer of AMERICAN MARY, Sylvia Soska, speaks about the creative process of the film and how much body modification was an inspiration for the project and the role that it played.




Leading lady of AMERICAN MARY, Katharine Isabelle, talks about the project and the character of Mary Mason.




Thank you so much to the First Weekend's Club for capturing this wonderful experience and the very first time that all five women of AMERICAN MARY, Jen Soska, Tristan Risk, Paula Lindberg, Katharine Isabelle, and Sylvia Soska have been together for a festival screening. So proud that it happened in Canada.

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 

Screamfest 2012 American Mary Q & A

Screamfest 2012 was kind enough to give AMERICAN MARY her LA premiere and in attendance were many of the cast and crew including: Jen Soska, Antonio Cupo, Paula Lindberg, Brian Pearson, Sylvia Soska, Todd Masters, and Katharine Isabelle.

                    

Here is the cast & crew Q & A following the film. PLEASE ENJOY!

-Sylv

PS A huge thank you to SINFUL CELLULOID for all the spectacular coverage!!

Beth Accomando Brings American Mary to the Masses through NPR!!

"It's the season for horror films, and one that is making the rounds of festivals called Scream Fest and Fright Fest is American Mary. The film is directed by twin sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska who specialize in horror films made without heavy dependence on CGI. In their latest film, they explore ideas about women's bodies as well as blood and gore."

LISTEN TO THE WONDERFUL INTERVIEW WITH JEN, ME, AND TODD MASTERS HERE!!!!!

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST: You're listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News.
Tis the season for horror movies, and Canadian twin sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska are doing their part with the new film "American Mary." It's been playing the film festival circuit at events with names like Fright Fest and Screamfest and coming soon Shudderfest. From member station KPBS, Beth Accomando reports on those two specimens of the rare species: the female horror director. 

BETH ACCOMANDO, BYLINE: When Jen and Sylvia Soska were little girls, they weren't playing with Barbies. They were playing with spiders or huddled in the horror section of their video store. 

SYLVIA SOSKA: We would go around looking at the back of boxes for the bloodiest things, with the goriest messes, and we'd be like, oh, this is a good one, and we'd beg our mom and never, never, never let us watch one until "Poltergeist." 

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "POLTERGEIST") 

HEATHER O'ROURKE: (as Carol Anne Freeling) They're here. 

ACCOMANDO: And that, says Sylvia Soska, changed her life. The film terrified her, but her mother calmed her fears by explaining the art of special effects. 

SOSKA: She told me everything I saw was systematically made by very talented artists with the intention of scaring me, and I was like, wait a minute. These people's job is scaring people? 

ACCOMANDO: That's the job the Soskas wanted. But horror tends to be male dominated, and it relies on tried and true formulas. The Soskas embrace the darkness in ways that can jolt even jaded horror fans. Their latest film, "American Mary," tackles a subject that's rarely discussed: body modification. In the film, Katharine Isabelle plays Mary Mason, a med student whose financial hardship leads her into the lucrative world of underground surgery. Her clients ask her to split their tongues or surgically attach horns to their foreheads. 

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "AMERICAN MARY") 

KATHARINE ISABELLE: (as Mary Mason) So what are we doing here? 

ACCOMANDO: Ruby wants to look like a doll but can't find a plastic surgeon willing to snip and stitch to her specifications. 

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "AMERICAN MARY") 

PAULA LINDBERG: (as Ruby Realgirl) No one looks at dolls in a sexual manner, do you know why? 

ISABELLE: (as Mary Mason) I don't know why, I guess, because they don't have all their parts. 

LINDBERG: (as Ruby Realgirl) Exactly. 

ACCOMANDO: Beatress is another character with extreme body modification. She wants to look exactly like Betty Boop. 

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "AMERICAN MARY") 

TRISTAN RISK: (as Beatress) I'm lucky enough to be able to afford to make myself look on the outside the way I feel on the inside. Fourteen different surgeries to getting to look like this, some going out of the country to find the best doctor for the job. 

ACCOMANDO: A lot of people would look at these characters as freaks, but the Soskas embrace them. For Jen Soska, what's really freakish are the more commonplace plastic surgeries. 

JEN SOSKA: If someone gets breast implants or gets a face-lift, sure, you can say it's for themselves, and it's for their self-esteem, but it's also building into what society, you know, accepts as a form of beauty. They're not doing it just because it's something they purely enjoy. They're doing it because they're fitting into what everyone wants you to look like. 

ACCOMANDO: In many ways, the Soskas' "American Mary" takes its cue from Todd Browning and his 1932 film "Freaks." 

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "FREAKS") 

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (as Character) (Unintelligible). We'll make her one of us. 

ACCOMANDO: Both films depict outcasts with genuine compassion. Browning mixed actors with real sideshow circus performers, while "American Mary" uses people with real surgical changes mixed in with actors using prosthetics. 

SOSKA: You're never going to be 100 percent sure when you're looking at a prosthetic in this film or if you're looking at somebody that actually has something physically changed about them. 

ACCOMANDO: The makeup and surgery effects in "American Mary" were done by Todd Masters of MastersFX. He says the Soskas are really savvy filmmakers. 

TODD MASTERS: They were really smart about how and when they reveal blood or blood gags. And blood gags and effects and things like this are almost like punches in a boxing fight, you know, and you want to play them at a specific time to get most impact. 

ACCOMANDO: A lot of horror films fall into the rut of remakes, found footage and CGI gore, but these twisted twins want to show that all horror needs is a woman's touch to set it on a fresh new course. For NPR News, I'm Beth Accomando. 

BLOCK: You are listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.

-Sylv