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I've received a fair number of screeners over the years, most of which contain movies of the ultra-indie variety. There's an inherent excitement to popping in a Sharpie-inscribed DVD-r, sitting through whatever it may contain, and then after a bit of objective analysis, discovering the […]Movie Reviews Movies & TV
I've received a fair number of screeners over the years, most of which contain movies of the ultra-indie variety. There's an inherent excitement to popping in a Sharpie-inscribed DVD-r, sitting through whatever it may contain, and then after a bit of objective analysis, discovering the opinions that manifest on the other side. The results are absolutely unpredictable and that's what's exciting. It's also a sometimes-perilous blade of a double-edged sword, or a machete as is usually the case.
The means of producing media have been made cheap, available, and relatively easy to use as a result of the Digital Revolution. The proliferation of books, music, and movies made by people with an abundance of creativity, a little ingenuity, and access to a computer has opened up vast swaths of the underground – the untamed frontier of media ready to be discovered and explored by those of us who are discerning counter-culturists, and purveyors of the weird. As for everybody else? Well, they're always welcome, but the underground doesn't need mainstream fans to exist and vice versa. They have American Idol to keep them occupied, and the underground can be a dangerous place, after all.
To illustrate the point, the latest screener I received is a movie by Kristoff Bates of HorrorMerch.com and musician Kyle Severn. AFTER PARTY MASSACRE is a grind house-style horror flick made by a crew of horror enthusiasts and death metal musicians – two huge constituents of the underground. The film embodies everything the underground belches forth, both good and bad, and all the while it infectiously and unapologetically relishes its own gory violence and sleaze as well as its own existence, for that matter.
AFTER PARTY MASSACRE follows Kyle Severn, drummer for the band Incantation, as he prepares for a gig. He gets tattooed, calls up a handful of gothic groupies, makes his way to the club and unleashes some pummeling old school death metal. Along the way, we're privy to the lecherous shenanigans of various roadies, we see how Kyle and his crew interact with the female fans, death metal's version of the spotted wood owl, and we see the bands Soulless and Incantation throw down some brutal tunes.
The thrust of this movie occurs when one of the aforementioned female fans is assaulted by an overzealous predator lurking outside the ladies room. She survives and promptly dispatches her assailant. For one reason or another, she decides to keep going, methodically stalking and murdering random people. As the bands play, various people continue to meet their bloody demises and once the show is over, the movie inevitably culminates in its titular event – an after party massacre.
Let's start with what AFTER PARTY MASSACRE does well. This film is technically very well made. The production values, most notably the sound and cinematography, are at a level of quality sometimes missing from movies of this stature. The crew appears to have gotten a hell of a lot of bang for the buck. Every shot looks good despite several scenes filmed in a variety of difficult lighting conditions, and the sound design and integration of the soundtrack is on point, as it should be considering Severn's area of expertise. Not only that, but Bates and Severn's direction and cinematography is ambitiously stylized, providing us with enough editing flare to keep things interesting. And most importantly, the vast majority of the film's FX shots are satisfyingly sloppy and convincing, as well as CG-free which adds a touch of nostalgia and a grimy old school aesthetic to the kill scenes.
The areas in which AFTER PARTY MASSACRE fall short are common in many films made by people who aren't schooled in the tried and true methods of moviemaking, namely bad storytelling, and to a lesser extent, bad acting. In this particular case, the latter is caused by the former, i.e. the problem isn't necessarily bad acting as it is no acting. It's obvious that this film wasn't culled from a typical screenplay, the source from which experienced actors cultivate the lives of their characters. All of that story-telling mumbo-jumbo is an afterthought and most of the characters in this movie are merely playing themselves.
At its best, this movie is an example of what ambitious horror fans equipped with some talent and technical know-how can achieve by virtue of those talents, as well as some resourcefulness, and quite a bit of hard work. However, this film's success is undermined by its inability to deliver a fundamental narrative component. And while AFTER PARY MASSACRE competently functions as an over the top, bloody vehicle for the various underground bands included on the soundtrack, it doesn't tell a story. So, unless you're a death metal fan, there isn't much substance here for anyone interested in a compelling yarn.
If AFTER PARTY MASSACRE is a harbinger of things to come, then good things can be expected from Kristoff Bates and Kyle Severn, and that's good news for fans of indie horror. In fact, if this duo had paid their script the same attention the rest of the project received, they certainly could have made a big splash on the horror scene, a messy crimson one at that. Their potential for legitimate, quality horror movie making is obvious and impressive, but it's not realized here.
I have always been a die-hard feminist when it comes to the horror I love. I fist pump in triumph every time Jennifer Hills mutilates a perverted mountain man in I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE. Ripley and her alien-whoopin' ways will always hold a tender […]Movie Interviews Movies & TV
I have always been a die-hard feminist when it comes to the horror I love. I fist pump in triumph every time Jennifer Hills mutilates a perverted mountain man in I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE. Ripley and her alien-whoopin' ways will always hold a tender spot in my heart. Danielle Harris' portrayal of Marybeth in HATCHET II offers one of my all-time favorite "fuck you!" moments, when she goes berserk on Victor Crowley at the end of the film.
Thus, it should come as no surprise that a film made about two bad-assed chicks by two bad-assed chicks would rank amongst my top favorites. The Soskas' driving force and my deep-rooted love for the bad-assed X chromosome is a perfect match. When Sylvia snarled the epic line "like dying could kill me", I immediately made room at the top of my "Most Bad-Assed Moments in Horror" list.
Read on as I wrap up my interview with the fantastic Jen and Sylvia Soska – The Twisted Twins.
RavMon: Eli Roth is a big time supporter. I love the fact that he seems very pro-"women can be bad assed, too". How did you get in touch with him?
Jen: Eli is amazing. He's been incredibly supportive and a very good friend to us. We sent our DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK trailer around to every director from GRINDHOUSE as they had each inspired us. We couldn't believe that only two days after we messaged him, Eli Roth wrote back to us and asked if he could see the finished film. We spoke back and forth and he gave us some really good advice. And you know what? He still does.
His films are very pro-feminist. We loved HOSTEL 2, especially the Blood Bath part. It was incredible. It was so empowering to see a female murderer that was every bit as blood thirsty as any man.
Sylvia: Eli Roth has to be one of the nicest, most down to earth, honest to goodness horror nerds in the world. He started with CABIN FEVER, so he knows what it's like to be there. What I love about his work is that it isn't the same shit you see in every other movie. In the first HOSTEL, you've got an openly gay, crazed doctor-wanna be. He wasn't some outrageous stereotype with a lisp; he was a badass, creepy motherfucker who liked to cut people up. In the second part, you get this beautiful, intelligent female protagonist and guess what? There's an evil bitch that gets her into the hostel. There's a sequence in that film with the bloodbath that has to be one of the best horror scenes I've ever seen. With two incredibly talented actresses that killed it in that scene.
I hate when you see a film and the female characters are just written so pathetically that it's fucking annoying. Give me a strong character that I can watch and say I wanna be like her. Eli writes women like that and he's been an amazing supporter of our stuff. The script for AMERICAN MARY came from him asking about what other scripts we had. He's a great guy.
RavMon: Are the Soska twins doing any touring to promote their baby?
Jen: Right now we're in pre-production for our new baby, AMERICAN MARY. We're in pretty deep so it's unlikely we'll be touring much anytime soon. We might be coming by the Toronto International Film Festival next month (The Soskas attended the TIFF, which ran from September 8-18). We'd love to meet all the DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK enthusiasts while we're there. We haven't been at any of the conventions yet, but we are hoping to make up for that when we travel with AMERICAN MARY. As it hits the film festival circuit, so will we. It's going to be amazing to be returning to a lot of the great film festivals that had shown DHIAT.
Sylvia: That's something that's really important to us, to be able to get out there and meet all the rad folks that have been supporting our flick. I'd love to go over to the UK because they were the first to screen the flick, the first to release it, and the first to give it its television premiere on the fabulous Horror Channel. There's alsoTexas- we have some amazing supporters inTexas.CaliforniaandNew York, too. We're planning to be able to travel with AMERICAN MARY more than we did with HOOKER, big time.
RavMon: As an original independent director, is it frustrating to see fantastic indie films go relatively unnoticed while their money-bloated, recycled idea counter-parts rake up a king's ransom?
Is there an antidote for this?
Jen: It's not just the shitty movies themselves. It's the massive money they have behind them. A big studio piece of shit CAN rake in millions because their studio can afford to pump millions into advertizing. One of the best things anyone can do for an independent filmmaker or artist is telling someone else about them. It's much harder to do when you can't afford a publicist or full page ads in magazines. What we independents have to do is making work worth talking about.
I have to tell you it is frustrating watching what films and television shows get green-lighted when so many independent artists are literally starving trying to get their stuff made. Jim Carrey and fucking penguins? I saw that onSouthParkbefore I saw the trailer on TV and couldn't believe it was real. And all those talkingChihuahuamovies? I'm kind of afraid to look up what they made.
Sylvia: It's amazing how so much of filmmaking can be broken down into math equations. Big studios know if they put male star A with female star B with five million in marketing, that they will get a certain dollar amount back in box office sales. If it all boils down to some math equation, how can there possibly be any soul in the projects that are coming out. There are lots of talented artists out there, but your favorite star isn't going to go under his rate to do your independent. It feels like it's all going to become under a million independents and hundred million big budget spectacles.
I almost feel like the lack of originality in mainstream big studio pictures is helping the independents because people are getting so fucking bored of watching the same tired shit. I really hate the remake trend, instead of getting something new and brilliant, you get another person's version of someone else's story.
RavMon: Does Hollywood appeal to you or are you content mixing it up on the indie front?
Jen: I don't hate Hollywood. They've made some missteps as far as horror is concerned, but they've also been responsible for some outstanding films. I love the indie front. I have that independent spirit and that's something that's not going to change. However, it has been a hard journey to getting to this point. We've struggled. We'd like to be able to take our work to the next level and if those opportunities come fromHollywood, we wouldn't turn them down. I don't think we'll ever quite fit into the Hollywood ideal or at least theHollywood ideal as it stands. I hope our films mix things up a bit. I hope our story inspires other people out there to make their own films.
Sylvia: I would love to partner with a big company to pull off some other projects. So far, it's still very independent what we're doing. It's not so different from DEAD HOOKER in the sense that we are trying to pull off a multi-million dollar project and we don't have that kind of funding. AMERICAN MARY is a super fucking different project and the people working on it are all taking reduced rates to make the film happen. It's a team of people working on a project because they love making movies and they dig the story that they are creating. If I had a big studio, I could pay people properly which is something I working to be able to do. People who will work for a good project despite the money, that's a big difference between studio and independent films.
RavMon: Who are some indie directors you two follow or enjoy watching their work?
Jen: Last year we had the pleasure of attending the Viscera Film Festival. Viscera is a non profit organization committed to expanding opportunities for contemporary female horror filmmakers and educating the public by raising awareness of the changing roles for women in the film industry. It's run by two amazing ladies, Shannon Lark and Heidi Honeycutt. We met so many talented filmmakers while we were down there. Both Shannon and Heidi are talented filmmakers themselves. I really enjoyed meeting Maude Michaud, a fellow Canuck filmmaker that's sadly all the way over inMontreal. She makes these awesome, very interpretive, provocative films. We got to work together earlier this year for the Women In Horror Massive Blood Drive that we host alongside Brenda Fies, Elisabeth Fies, Tara Cardinal, Marichelle Daywalt, Shannon Lark, Jennifer Cooper, and Olga Ganova, all outstanding women in horror.
Sylvia: Jen stole most of my answers, ha-ha. The Vicious Brothers, who are responsible for the creepy as hell GRAVE ENCOUNTERS, are just great indie horror filmmakers. They've worked hard for years to get their flick to this point, so if you can get out to a theater or rent it on VOD, you would really be helping some talented guys out. The film is like PARANORMAL ACTIVITY on crack set in the British Columbian local haunted asylum, Riverview. You'll dig it.
RavMon: With the success and buzz DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK is garnering, your next project, AMERICAN MARY, is already hotly anticipated. Can you tell us a little about this project?
Jen: I could but I'd have to kill you. Just kidding (mostly). AMERICAN MARY will be the polar opposite of DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK in a lot of ways. Our dark sense of humor, unconventional characters, "WTF?" moments, and lots of the red stuff will be returning, but AMERICAN MARY is a much more polished project. Whereas DHIAT was wild, impulsive, and going in every direction, MARY is much more precise and thoughtful with the emphasis on the characters, their development and growth, and the story itself. It's a mature piece. DHIAT may not make you a different person after you see it, although hopefully the film paired with our story will inspire people to go after their own dreams, seeing AMERICAN MARY will have a profound effect on those that see it. It's hard to tell you why and how without spoiling anything. I can tell you it is a film unlike any before. It'll change the way people see horror.
Sylvia: AMERICAN MARY follows the story of medical student, Mary Mason played by the intoxicatingly talented Katharine Isabelle, as she grows increasingly broke and disenchanted with the medical profession and the surgeons she once idolized. The allure of easy money sends Mary into the messy world of underground surgeries that leaves more marks on Mary than her so-called freakish clientele. I fell in love with horror when I was a little girl terrified by POLTERGEIST and my mom told me that is was the collaborative efforts of talented artists that make everything you see with the intention of scaring the audience. Talented people like the team at Masters FX that will be bringing this unique piece to life. We're going into new territory with this film, so expect some wild shit you've never seen before.
RavMon: Finally, what would you tell a young girl or woman who dreams of scaring or shocking the crap out of the boys?
Jen: Go for it. We mean that from the bottoms of our Twisted little hearts. You have to go after what you want in this life. Women have been long encouraged to be actors or singers or models. I want to tell them they can be anything they want. You can be a director, a writer, a producer, the CEO of your own company. Horror is a place that has supported women for ages. There are so many strong, influential women working in horror and written in horror. Take Ripley for example. She is the iconic hero. Ridley Scott made history when he cast Sigourney Weaver in the role. Mary Harron faced off against an army of pissed off feminists when she directed and adapted the screenplay for AMERICAN PSYCHO. The result was a brilliant satire loved by men and women alike.
My advice? Ask yourself what you want out of life. It doesn't have to be reserved to horror, though if it is you're going to be one happy lady. Find out what that one thing you love more than anything is and do it. Anyone that tells you that you can't is just some miserable fuck that gave up on their own dreams. When I found filmmaking, it felt like coming home. It felt so right. After years of quite literally being starving artists, I know it's what makes me happier than anything and even if I never achieved any great success in it, I'd keep making films forever. And please don't think for a second that the boys don't want us crashing their party. Sure, you'll meet some closed minded men that think we should all be either pregnant or in the kitchen, but there are women that are just as catty if not more so. Too many women make the mistake of thinking that it's men versus women. I believe in equality and that means recognizing men and women for the work that they do.
There's this outstanding horror community out there. Growing up, I've always been a bit different. I was a geek; I liked creepy things, and having an identical twin on top of that made us like these freaks of nature. We've always felt like outsiders, but being adults now, we've realized we're not alone. There are so many of us "weirdoes" out there and when we band together? Wow. We out number the "normies". So, go out there, make some cool shit, and drop us a line and tell us about it.
Sylvia: What really inspires me is that the very first director of non-fiction filmmaking was Alice Guy. I was doing research for WiH articles and was ashamed that I only then heard of Ms. Guy. She was a secretary that worked at the Gaumont Company and their new camera seemed useless so it was given to her. She loved horror – she made two vampire films. So much for a useless device and a secretary being teamed up. She created one of the first film cameras.Alicethought it would be fun to create a story for the amusement of her friends. That fun would turn into a career that would have her involved in over seven hundred films, building up her own studio that would be the only of its ilk to challenge 'Hollywood', and evolving the world of filmmaking forever. If you want to make films, are willing to work hard and sacrifice to make your projects happen, then you will be successful. Everyone will tell you why you can't do it; those people will never do anything in their entire lives. You have to go out and make your movie. An excellent resource is Rodriguez's REBEL WITHOUT A CREW where he recounts making his own indie flick EL MARIACHI and changed the world of indie filmmaking.
I would like to finish off this article by simply thanking the Soska twins for all of their time and fantastic conversations we shared over the last month or so. They are truly gracious, fan-friendly and devoted directors from whom a lot of Hollywood's big wigs could learn a thing or two (or five).
Keep up on all things Twisted Twins by checking out their website: http://www.twistedtwinsproductions.net/
Show some love on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/tWIStED-tWINS-PRODUCtIONS/122032761355
"…and in the midst of this pestilence an end…" -Giovanni Villani The printed medium has been around for about as long as humans have; ever since the first human discovered they could smear more than feces and blood onto cave walls to leave messages, the […]Authors Books & Comics
"…and in the midst of this pestilence an end…" -Giovanni Villani
The printed medium has been around for about as long as humans have; ever since the first human discovered they could smear more than feces and blood onto cave walls to leave messages, the field of writing established itself. In fact, animals have always used a system of sensory cues, from olfactory to visual, to silently communicate dominance, willingness to mate, territory, or varying levels of toxicity. This could be seen as a primitive protoscripture that uses sensory cues instead of depending on abstract symbols to put forth a message. While the aesthetic and betimes malodorous qualities can be argued and discussed, the simple fact remains that all of them are used to communicate –in one way or another– one simple, eldritch, primeval concept: Fear.
More than anything else, Fear is what shapes the human experience. The conditioned reactions and archetypical phobias instilled into our minds come from the constant fear that pervades our existence. The fabric that comprises the tapestry of our mythos is a network of tales expressing Fear in all of its incarnations out of a Jungian evolution. Predators grew with each telling, becoming monsters of gargantuan proportions and power; humans afflicted with unexplained behaviors showed that anyone is susceptible to fall under nefarious influence; the dark and the unknown became realms inhabited by forces beyond any control or understanding. Previous to the understanding of the Germ Theory of disease, the spread of contagion fell upon entire civilizations with the incomprehensible power of a wrathful god.
With this in mind, it isn't much of a surprise that fear has infiltrated itself into our literature. Stories that raise the pulse rate, dry the mouth, and cause a jump at every noise have been written down ever since the first stick figures were carved onto a baked tablet. From the Epic of Gilgamesh to Beowulf, Hydras to blood-sucking turkeys; from the grotesque to the arabesque, the impossible to the quotidian: humanity loves to record its fears for posterity, whether as a warning or to titillate on a dark and stormy night.
One of the foremost purveyors of horror literature in recent years had been Leisure Books, an imprint of Dorchester Publications. Established in 1971 as a publisher of mass market paperbacks in the thriller, western, and romance genres, its selection of horror was paltry until the arrival of noted editor Don D'Auria, who led the line as it published award-winning books. Invigorated like the upyr full of fresh blood, a slew of successes emerged from noted authors.
Alas, as anyone at all aware of the situation in the publishing world, the costly production of books becomes less and less viable, so many companies either went out of business or were forced to restructure their business. Afflicted with decreased sales and mired in allegations of unfulfilled obligations to their authors, Dorchester decided to shutter Leisure. According to author Hunter Shea, "They lost almost all of their authors thanks to their mismanagement and philosophy-change. It was such a shame."
After leaving Leisure, Mr. D'Auria was quickly snatched up by Samhain Publishing, a Macon, Georgia-based publishing house that focused on the romantic and erotic romance genres. Although founded in 2005, it was only recently that in an attempt to expand their output, Samhain hired Mr. D'Auria to head their horror line; it was announced in January of 2011. With such a well-known editor in charge of its new horror line, Samhain quickly set about acquiring the best from true heavyweights within the field of horror publishing. Officially launched in October of 2011, the Samhain horror line opened with a bang, publishing titles from a variety of award-winning authors. You can check them out at www.samhainpublishing.com/horror.htm.
Ravenous Monster has been given the august opportunity to interview three of Samhain's talented authors. In this interview, Hunter Shea, William D. Gagliani, and Brian Moreland will answer questions about the effect that the demise of Leisure had on their careers, Samhain Publishing, Polynesian ghosts, cannibal plagues, lycanthropic police, honing their craft, the state of horror, and their deepest, darkest secrets. Well, maybe not the last one. But, maybe yes. We'll see.
RavMon: Tell us about your new book…?
Shea: [Forest of Shadows] My favorite horror stories always involve ghosts, so I wanted to create a modern day ghost story centered around a modern day ghost hunter (even though the writing started before all of the ghost hunting stuff you see on TV now). Forest of Shadows is about a man who wins the lottery on the same day his wife dies. He's left with millions, but also a severe case of anxiety disorder and survivor's guilt. A quasi-recluse in his home with his young daughter, he turns his energies to exploring the paranormal, creating a website that is a library for all things strange and unexplained. He does a little ghost hunting on the side, and as part of his therapy, makes the bold decision to move to a haunted cabin in Alaska for the ultimate hunt. What seems like a good idea at first turns into utter mayhem as he struggles to unlock the secrets buried in the house, and the town itself, before the cold season traps them for the long, Alaskan winter.
Forest of Shadows is a ghost story amped up to eleven. I added a dash of subtle suspense and a sprinkle of over-the-top chills to hopefully make my readers alternate between cringing with anticipation and afraid to see what's coming up next.
Gagliani: Wolf's Edge is the 4th Nick Lupo horror/thriller after Bram Stoker Award finalist Wolf's Trap, Wolf's Gambit, and Wolf's Bluff. Wolf's Edge is being released as an eBook by Samhain Publishing on October 4, 2011, and as a trade paperback on January 3, 2012. Samhain is also reissuing the first book, Wolf's Trap, in March 2012. That puts the middle two books, Wolf's Gambit and Wolf's Bluff, into a sort of gray area. They are available from my old publisher, and also directly from me (and I have 2- and 3-book deals with free shipping).
Here's the back cover blurb for Wolf's Edge:
"Can one werewolf stop a pack of super-wolves?
Nick Lupo is a homicide cop with a difference. He's a werewolf. He's worked hard to control his condition, but it isn't easy to contain the beast inside him. It also means he has some very powerful enemies. Wolfpaw Security Services is a mercenary organization that wants Lupo dead. They want to infiltrate the US military with their own werewolves and they can't let anyone—especially a fellow-werewolf like Lupo—stand in their way.
Wolfpaw's genetic experiments have created a "super-wolf" nearly invulnerable to silver, and soon their ranks will be filled with these invincible warriors. Can one wolf—even a fierce beast like Lupo—face the fangs and claws of a pack of these killers and hope to survive?"
You can also read more about the series at the ITW's Big Thrill site.
Moreland: [Dead of Winter] It's great to be here along with my friends, Hunter Shea and W.D. Gagliani. My latest horror novel is a historical story based partly on true events and an old Algonquin Indian legend that still haunts the Great Lakes tribes to this day. It's also a detective mystery. The story takes place near the end of the 19th Century at an isolated fur-trading fort deep in the Ontario wilderness. The main character is Inspector Tom Hatcher, a troubled detective from Montreal who had recently captured an infamous serial killer, Gustav Meraux, known as the Cannery Cannibal. Gustav is Jack-the-the-Ripper meets Hannibal Lecter. Even though the cannibal is behind bars, Tom is still haunted from the case, so he decides to move himself and his rebellious teenage son out to the wilderness. At the beginning of the story, Tom has taken a job at Fort Pendleton to solve a case of strange murders that are happening to the fur traders that involve another cannibal, one more savage than Gustav Meraux. Some predator in the woods surrounding the fort is attacking colonists and spreading a gruesome plague—the victims turn into ravenous cannibals with an unending hunger for human flesh. In Tom's search for answers, he discovers that the Jesuits know something about this plague. My second main character is Father Xavier, an exorcist from Montreal who is ordered by the Vatican to travel to Ontario to help Tom battle the killer causing the outbreak.
RavMon: Mr. Shea, how difficult was the change from writing short stories to writing a novel?
Shea: I actually think short stories are harder to write than novels because you have a finite, limited space to build an entire world, complete with creeping tension, spills, chills and thrills. They are, by far, the best way to hone your writing skills. The most difficult part of writing a novel is its scope and maintaining that energy throughout a writing process that can take anywhere from a year to much, much longer. There's always a fear that the concept will peter out around page 75, and then what do you do? Writing a novel does teach you discipline and you get the joy of really delving into characters, places and situations, allowing the story to move you in whatever direction it feels it needs to go. The revision process on a novel is massive compared to a short story. I always make sure I'm working on short stories while I write a book just to keep my mind fresh and the ideas flowing.
RavMon: How do you feel starting over with a new publisher after publishing with Leisure Books, Mr. Gagliani?
Gagliani: I felt excited because, first, I was still writing for my long-time editor, Don D'Auria, with whom I have always had a wonderful relationship. Secondly, I felt excited because I knew that Samhain is a place many readers go to for a wide variety of fiction in all genres, and the chances of my books being discovered by new readers were very good for the first time. I've found, over the years, that paranormal erotica and open-minded paranormal romance readers embraced the Wolf books as much or maybe even a little more than the horror community, so having them available under the Samhain imprint will put them in front of many readers who might not have seen them when they were classified as Horror only. Really, I think of them as horror/thrillers, and I call them North Woods Noirs.
RavMon: What kind of troubles did you have releasing your book, i.e., finding a publisher, with the demise of Leisure Books, and the subsequent move to Samhain Publishing, Mr. Shea?
Shea: Oh, the troubles I've seen! When I finished Forest of Shadows, I made a commitment that I only wanted it published by Leisure and edited by Don D'Auria. Totally crazy, but when I set my mind to something, I'm locked in. I sent a query to Don at Leisure while attempting to find an agent. It took several years of back and forth with Don, but my dream of making it from the slush pile to publication came true last spring when Don sent me an offer letter. While I was saying yes to him, I emailed my small list of top agents that I would like to represent me and was over the moon to hook up with Louise Fury at the L. Perkins Agency. All that happiness turned south in a hurry when Leisure imploded over the summer and my deal was never made official. I was devastated. Thank God for Louise, who kept my spirits high and gave a timeline for us to wait and see where Don landed. Mercifully, he came to Samhain and was still interested in my book and here we are today, rolling out a brand new horror line.
RavMon: Mr. Gagliani, how did you react when Leisure was unable to release your latest book?
Gagliani: Very disappointed, then concerned that my career was over! I published three books with Leisure: Wolf's Trap, Wolf's Gambit, and Wolf's Bluff. They had purchased the fourth book, Wolf's Edge, which was to be published this fall. When Dorchester/Leisure announced the major changes in their business model last year, I was willing to stay and ride them out. However, a couple weeks later they terminated my editor, the legendary Mr. Don D'Auria, and I predicted Leisure would seek bankruptcy soon. I was wrong, it appears, but as they had not yet paid me for the fourth book (and were not likely to pay previous royalties owed, either), I chose to pull that book. It's not so much that they were unable to publish it — I requested my rights back due to nonpayment as per their own contract terms. I have also requested my rights back on the other three, but so far only one has been granted.
RavMon: Mr. Moreland, how do you feel about getting your book published through a publishing house right away rather than self-publishing and then having it picked up like your first book was?
Moreland: I absolutely love that this time around I got to skip the self-publishing step. I no longer have to do all the work myself. In fact, my editor Don D'Auria and the Samhain staff have made the whole pre-publication process quite easy for me. The art department handled the cover design and the folks in Samhain's marketing department have done a great job posting news about our new horror line on several websites and in horror magazines. And I'm having a great time releasing my book alongside other authors whom I respect. We've been supporting one another and helping each other get the word out. The first time around I felt like it was me against the world. This time I have a team helping me get my book out on the market and promoting it.
RavMon: How did you get into contact with Don D'Auria, and how did it develop into getting published on Samhain Publishing?
Shea: I initially knew of Don by studying the horror market and pinpointing my dream publisher. I'd known since the 90's that Don was the man responsible for giving a home to my favorites like Richard Laymon, Brian Keene, W.D. Gagliani, Tim Lebbon, the list goes on and on. So, when I was ready to submit a book to him, I sent an un-agented query and prayed.
I honestly don't know how things would have turned out if I didn't have Louise as my agent. I did my homework over the years and knew that her agency had worked with Don several times in the past. When Don left Leisure, I didn't hear from him until he got to Samhain. Louise was key in keeping in contact with him during that limbo time where we didn't even know if he would be editing horror. There was a lot of uncertainty and nail biting. In cases like that, having an agent is mega important, especially if you don't have a prior relationship with an editor or publisher.
Gagliani: I kept in touch with my previous editor, and also kept an ear to the ground. When Mr. D'Auria went to Samhain, I was able to sell him the book for the second time. I'd always had a great relationship with Don, and had no problem approaching him to see what he was looking for. As he was interested in building a whole new horror line, and I had a book ready to go which he already liked enough to buy once, it wasn't hard to make the deal. I am definitely grateful to him for making me part of the Samhain Horror roll-out, along with the legendary Ramsey Campbell, great veterans such as Ron Malfi and Greg Gifune, and some talented new voices such as Hunter Shea, Brian Moreland, Kristopher Rufty, and others. One great thing is that Samhain is willing to look at novella-length work, so I'm sure we'll be seeing more of those.
Moreland: My agent and I were trying to find a good fit for my new book. I had finished Dead of Winter in November of 2009 and was eager to sell it to a publisher right away. That's how I feel after finishing a novel. I just can't wait to share it with readers. But in 2009, publishing houses were shuffling their editors like a Vegas dealer shuffling cards. My agent was afraid my book would get bought up and then lost in the chaos, so she told me let's wait it out. It was tough to do, but we held out from submitting my book for over a year. I'm glad we did, because we were ready and waiting for the right opportunity. And then in January of this year my agent told me that Leisure Books was dissolving their horror line and that their editor, Don D'Auria had moved over to Samhain Publishing to start up a brand new horror line called Samhain Horror. Don wanted to start the line in October 2011 and was looking for submissions. We submitted my book within about two weeks of Don starting his new job. My agent sold me on Don, saying he was a legend in the horror business. I hadn't heard of him, but I did a little research and discovered that he had been the editor for many of my favorite authors—Brian Keene, Richard Laymon, Ronald Malfi, and Jack Ketchum, to name a few. On his blog, Brian Keene wrote a post about how much he loved working with Don D'Auria. I flipped through a dozen books by Leisure authors and read the Acknowledgements. Again and again, I kept seeing Don's name being praised, many describing him as the nicest editor to work with. That sold me, so I told my agent let's submit Dead of Winter to Don at Samhain. Less than 30 days later in February, my agent called back and said that Don loves my book and wants it to be one of the first books to release in October. I was so excited. With my first novel I had to wait over a year to see my book in print. With Samhain, my novel released eight months after we concluded the book deal. And working with Don has been a dream. Like everyone says, he is the nicest guy and very diplomatic in his style of editing. He made some great suggestions on how to improve my novel while keeping most of the book intact. With Don and Samhain, I definitely feel like I've found a home to publish my future books as well.
RavMon: Where do you see your career going?
Shea: I was recently at a conference where R.L. Stine spoke and he said the key to his career success was to never say no to writing projects because you never know where it will take you. I've been very busy this last year writing, promoting and learning the ins and outs of the business. There is just so much that books and classes can teach you. Over the past year, I also sold a children's book to Random House, so I'm doing a lot of work across two very diverse genres. I have another horror novel coming out with Samhain next spring called Evil Eternal and I'm working on a sequel to Forest of Shadows. Along with that are short stories for some anthologies and building up the Monster Men video podcast I do with my buddy, Jack Campisi. I'm in this, hopefully, for the long haul. I don't mind heavy lifting and I absolutely love writing. Where it all eventually takes me is up to the fates.
Gagliani: I'm plotting the fifth Nick Lupo novel. I'm finishing a Nick Lupo novella I'm publishing independently. I'm working on a collaborative project with authors John Everson and David Benton, as well as several different projects with David Benton including our pseudonymous middle grade series, The Stoker Legacy (the first book is I WAS A SEVENTH GRADE MONSTER HUNTER and is available now). I've also self-published a hard-noir thriller, Savage Nights, on all major electronic formats, as well as a collection of stories, Shadowplays, and a mini-collection of my collaborations with David Benton, Mysteries & Mayhem, along with a couple shorter works such as the novella The Great Belzoni and The Gait of Anubis. I'm planning to bring back the protagonist of Savage Nights in a new novel, and there are a couple more collaborative projects waiting in the wings. I certainly have more ideas and projects than I have time! More burners than stove. I hope my career will continue to progress – after having thought it was over! – and I am expecting my association with Samhain to play a large role. I don't expect to ever get rich, but if I can tell stories that want to bubble out of me, and find an audience that cares to go along for the ride, then I'll be happy. I feel the sands of time working their way through the hourglass, though, and it's giving me a sense of urgency.
If anyone wants to find me, look for me online. Currently my website, www.wdgagliani.com is the most updated (the other will be soon). I can be found on Facebook and also on Twitter, at @WDGagliani.
Moreland: Now that I've published two books in the U.S. and one in Germany, I'm focused on building a body of work that I can be proud of and leave behind a legacy that entertains millions of book lovers and inspires other authors just as Stephen King, Dean Koontz, H.P. Lovecraft, Richard Laymon, and a cast of others have inspired me. I'd also like to see my books hit the New York Times best-sellers list, published in multiple languages, and be made into movies. That's the biggest dream since I was a kid watching monster movies—to go to a movie theater, order a tub of popcorn, and watch a blockbuster movie that opens with the credits, "Based on the novel by Brian Moreland." I still believe this vision will one day manifest.
RavMon: What is your opinion on the state of horror today, especially horror books?
Shea: I think horror is poised for another big wave. I've seen a lot of smaller publishers jump into the horror fray and scoop up some amazingly talented writers. Samhain will hopefully be the new Leisure, but there's also Deadite Press, Thunderstorm Books, Cemetery Dance and a slew of others putting out quality books. When it was just printed books in stores, horror was in trouble because it got very little, if any, shelf space. If you saw a horror section, it was loaded with Andrews, King and Koontz. Not much room for anyone else. With the proliferation of e-readers, fans are exposed to more horror than ever before by voices old and new and terrific. I truly feel that the next phase for horror will be even bigger than the craze in the 80's.
Gagliani: Personally, I'm tired of hearing about the "death of horror." I've been hearing that since about 1991. I think horror is alive and well, even if it's spread out over other genres such as paranormal romance and thrillers. You see horror elements crop up in a lot of work these days, and I think that's a good thing. Movies have helped move horror elements into fantasy and science fiction, too, as well as thrillers. Sure, there isn't as much cross-over between movie audiences and readers as we would like. On the other hand, self-publishing and eBooks (thanks first to Amazon's Kindle) are bringing horror to more readers than publishers have done in a long time, and that can only be good. It also proves that there's an audience hungry for horror, and eBooks are filling a need neglected or at least underappreciated by most publishers. I'm not afraid of the supposedly poorer work being self-published – readers will seek out the better stuff, and the fact that sub-par work occasionally does well indicates the need for more work. Fortunately the small press and the newer digital presses are moving to fill these needs, and the lesser work will improve or be lost in the crowd. I think happy audiences will have more and more choices – and that can't be bad for the horror field.
Moreland: I definitely see horror on the rise for books. Movies have been pretty steady for the past decade. The type of horror keeps changing whether it's slasher films, movies like Saw, or vampires or zombies, it seems like every year there are at least a dozen horror films to go see at the movies. As for books, the horror genre was down in the '90s through the mid 2000s. I couldn't sell anything. Every agent kept telling me, "Horror is dead." But that seems to have changed in that last four to five years, and now people are reading vampire, werewolf, and zombie novels and talking about horror feverishly on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads. My agent was right about being patient. She told me to just ride out the slow years and keep writing fiction. That's what I did and now with two books out and more on the way, I'm in great position to feed the rabid horror readers with more fiction.
RavMon: Do you have any habits or needs for when you're writing?
Shea: I need to listen to music, but it can't be anything with actual singing because the words start circling round my head and I lose the thread of what I'm writing. I also tend to match the music to the theme and feel of the work, so if I'm writing an action sequence, I'll pop in the soundtrack from The Matrix. If it's dark and creeping and foreboding, the soundtrack for There Will Be Blood gets popped in. Wagner works great for writing horror, too.
When I write, I traditionally had to put myself into a manmade cocoon and just tap away. Because time is limited and I have so many projects going on, I've had to teach myself to write anywhere. A perfect example of this was the day I had a 5 hour layover at an airport in Texas and spent that time, in a bustling terminal, writing. I managed to make all of the people and noise go away and lost myself in the book. I think meditation helps build concentration and is something all writers should explore.
Gagliani: Since late 2008, when I had to finish GAMBIT rather quickly, I've found myself spending a lot of my writing time at a nearby Starbucks, where I'm able to mostly filter out the noise and people and work a bit more efficiently. At home, too many distractions call – movies, music, things to do, and so on. There's music at the Starbucks, but I'm not as invested in it as I would be if I chose it, so it can settle into the background. Also, I've found myself writing more longhand lately, just working out scenes and portions with a pen and legal pad. Then when I transcribe them, I edit and revise, so it's almost like a separate draft. If feels good to go back to using the hand to write, in some weird way. I've talked to some other writers who are doing it that way, too. Maybe it's a bit of a computer backlash, I don't know. It's a strange compulsion, but it's harmless enough to let it do its thing!
Moreland: Yes, I like to write for several days straight without any obligations other than writing. I have a friend's cabin in the woods in East Texas that I like to drive out to and completely unplug from my life in Dallas. No emails. No internet. And my phone stays off most of the day. I'll stock up the fridge with food and rent a few horror movies from Blockbuster. For a stretch of five or six days I'll completely immerse myself in my novel, and get into the frame of mind needed to write scenes that put my characters through every kind of emotion from fear and terror to lust and desperation. I like to write high-adrenaline action and take my characters to hell and back, and this quiet space in the woods gives me the focus that I need. At night, when the darkness is pressing up against the windows, I can get pretty spooked by myself out in the woods and that paranoia transfers over to my story.
RavMon: Have you ever had any paranormal experiences?
Shea: I've actually had two, with one of them inspiring an event that occurs in Forest of Shadows. When my wife and I were first married in 1992, she became deathly ill and was, at one point, on life support at home for a year. During that year, I kept seeing a small boy in our house dart through our hallway and into our bedroom. When I would run in there, I only saw my sleeping wife. I assumed I was just stressed out and kept it to myself because A.) I didn't want anyone to think I was losing it and B.) my wife had enough on her mind. When she got better, she said to me one day, "You know, it was nice to have that boy sit with me when I was sick and you were at work." It blew my mind and proved to me that we had both been experiencing something that can't be explained. I've been a firm believer in ghosts ever since. Writing a book like Forest of Shadows was a pleasure as much as a form of exorcism.
Gagliani: Yes, I've had a couple run-ins with what might have been possibly ghostly phenomena (but I can't be sure), and a few strange experiences back when I was learning about the Tarot. I have about a dozen decks, but I tend to refuse to use them for anything but enjoying the artwork these days. They've given me the chills on some occasions. I have an Aleister Crowley deck with beautiful artwork, and I refuse to do any readings with it. Call me superstitious. My Italian heritage is full of superstition, and a few of those stories my grandmother told when I was little have found their way into my books. Let's say I've seen enough to be only partially a skeptic – I'll sit on the fence when it comes to the paranormal.
Moreland: Yes, funny, I was just discussing this with Hunter Shea earlier today at the Samhain Café where Samhain authors gather to talk about books with readers. I used to live in Hawaii on the island of Maui. I also island-hopped a lot. I remember one retreat I did on Kauai. I was staying with a group of people at a house we rented for the week. It backed up to a beautiful golf course surrounded by mountains with waterfalls. You wouldn't think this was a scary place, but the three-story house definitely had some weird joo-joo energy. My friend and I were chatting one day in one of the bedrooms, and this lamp next to us kept blinking. I jokingly asked the lamp if it was a ghost and it blinked once as if answering. I got this eerie feeling. I told the lamp to blink once for "yes" and twice for "no." Then for the next hour we asked it questions, and the lamp would blink once or twice in response. It seemed to communicate with some kind of intelligence. When I asked the lamp if it was possessed with a ghost it blinked "yes" every time. I even stopped asking questions for five minutes and the lamp turned off. When I started asking it again, it started blinking as if waiting for my questions. It was freaky. Now, Hawaii is known for having all kinds of spirits. After the lamp incident the lady in charge of the house told us the place was haunted.
I also had an instance where I was walking on a beach at night on Maui and I swear I saw ghosts of Hawaiian people dressed in ceremonial garb on the beach. They were all smaller than me and my first thought was I was witnessing the legendary Menehunes, which live in Hawaiian mythology. I saw at least a dozen of them dancing on the beach for a split second and then they were gone. I never felt threatened, but I was definitely spooked.
Hunter Shea has written various books and has had his short stories published in myriad magazines. Links to purchase his latest short stories and book, Forest of Shadows, can be found on his website huntershea.com. Follow him on Twitter @huntershea1 and you can also follow him on FaceBook at www.facebook.com/huntershea1.
William D. Gagliani has been included in many prestigious anthologies and has been nominated for the Darrell Award and the Bram Stoker award. He grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin and Genova, Italy, although he now resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In addition to his acclaimed Nick Lupo series, he has also published interviews, essays, articles, and short stories. For more information, visit his website www.wdgagliani.com.
Brian Moreland writes novels and short stories of horror and supernatural suspense. He loves hiking, kayaking, rock climbing, and dancing. Brian lives in Dallas, Texas where he is diligently writing his next horror novel. You can communicate with him online at brianmoreland.com or on Twitter @BrianMoreland, Brian's blog: www.brianmoreland.blogspot.com, and Excerpts of Brian's fiction blog: brianmoreland.wordpress.com.
Ravenous Monster's resident horror humorist Billy Boyce is back with a look at PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3…. The PARANORMAL ACTIVITY series is perfectly woven together like the immaculate 'do on Tyra Banks' galactic head. I have been waiting for this poisonous little romper since I found […]Movie Reviews Movies & TV
Ravenous Monster's resident horror humorist Billy Boyce is back with a look at PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3….
The PARANORMAL ACTIVITY series is perfectly woven together like the immaculate 'do on Tyra Banks' galactic head. I have been waiting for this poisonous little romper since I found out it was a definite green light.
If you paid close attention to the previous PARANORMAL ACTIVITY movies, you will see all the little tie-ins that make the continuity of this trilogy flawless, and a real treat to watch. I am not going to bother you with the usual gospel of who the actors, writers, producers, and directors are. I much rather tell you about the guts of the film. If you absolutely, positively need to know who did what, you can just cruise on over to the Internet Movie Database for your fact-fix. Also, while you're there you can read useless info like who has a retarded sister or who proudly confesses they have a third, fourth, and fifth nipple.
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 is another prequel; a rarity in the film industry wherein the timeline of the films flows backwards. It follows the lives of voluptuous sisters, Katie and Kristi Rey. But this time they are only five and eight years old and certainly not yet "racked-up" as I've grown accustomed. This movie definitely answers some of your queries, and raises others. Especially during the last five minutes. I couldn't help screaming the same things the characters were: "Holy shit!" and "What the fuck?"
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 utilizes the same breath-holding techniques as in the previous films. Cameras are set up around the house, balanced by the use of point-of-view filming. Even though this is the basis of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 1 and 2, there are creative twists like an oscillating camera that sustains the potent feeling of anxiety throughout the whole film. I assure you this modus operandi is not worn out and it even builds suspense more than the sum of the other two films.
Have you ever seen a movie that you thought was going to be fantastic only to find out that you have seen every joke, shocker, and twist in the trailer? That sure isn't the deal with this flick. You do not see ONE fright you have already seen. That was super-fresh. I also was pleased on how many jumpy freak-outs there are. There are way more than before, but not enough to where the movie becomes cheesy and predictable. Even if you do call something right, like the "sheet scene", it will still make your heart do the fucking moonwalk. Surprisingly, with every knuckle bite, there is a humorous scene to match. Sometimes even at the same time. Your psyche is constantly ping-ponging through different emotions, adding an increasing feeling of uncertainty. I found myself constantly holding my breath, cowering and wincing during the whole 85 minutes, which gladly felt like two hours.
What's great to see is that each movie is better than its predecessor. Another definite rarity in the realm of a movie franchise, for sure. If you're a fan, then your thirst shall be quenched, for you have chosen wisely to see the magic of these moving pictures (See what I did there?).
And the best part about where the films left-off, is that the story can again go backwards, which I'm positive it will due to the sick ending, or move forward and see WTF Katie is going to do after kidnapping her nephew, Hunter. I hope both will happen.
I must insist you see PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 immediately. Watching it with a packed audience was A-W-E-S-O-M-E, and the best theater experience I have ever been a part of. The camaraderie and brotherhood you have with other movie-goers is precious. You're all in the same boat. It's you all against the movie, laughing, gasping, and sometimes swearing. It was fun as hell. So, grab a date, snag a big group of pals, go see it alone, whatever. Even if you're not a huge fan of the paranormal, it is one choice experience you won't forget, I swear.
Happy Halloween, you little ghouls.
Director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. said that, as a Swede, he was always fascinated with what happened to the Norwegian team we learn about in John Carpenter's 1982 classic THE THING. So, twenty-nine years after that film came out and now holds elite status amongst […]Movie Reviews Movies & TV
Director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. said that, as a Swede, he was always fascinated with what happened to the Norwegian team we learn about in John Carpenter's 1982 classic THE THING. So, twenty-nine years after that film came out and now holds elite status amongst horror fans, we're treated to Heijningen's prequel of the same name.
A good friend of mine used the term "premake" when she gave me a brief summary of this flick earlier this week. It's a fitting label for a movie that shows us what happens to the Norwegian team but also does it in a way that smacks of a remake.
Much like the '82 version, we see the flubbed blood test and subsequent alien chaos, the never ending dim hallways and ominous closed doors, and there's no arguing the resemblance between this version's Braxton Carter (played by Joel Edgerton) and the original's legendary R.J. MacReady (played by Kurt Russell).
Yet, there are enough glaring differences to easily proclaim the 1982 version a far superior film.
In this film, the discovery of an alien craft in Antarctica is an opportunity for a team of Americans and a team of Norwegians to get together and inevitably discover that not everything – or everyone – is as it seems. Mary Elizabeth Winsted plays paleontologist Kate Lloyd, who jumps at the chance to join this exciting expedition. Edgerton's character, Carter, is a helicopter pilot who quickly teams with Kate when an unearthed alien life form bursts from its ice block prison. This alien is able to mimic and replicate any living organism it contacts. When scientists start going down one by one, it's a battle for survival on the most desolate continent in the world.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of this film – the buildup is well done, the plot is solid, and there are even a few good scares. However, as the death toll skyrockets, so does the use of CGI. What makes Carpenter's version so amazing are the legendary practical effects created by a genius prodigy named Rob Bottin. Bottin created some of the best visual effects and most terrifying images ever captured on film.
This prelude of a film does a solid job tying into the '82 version. I particularly enjoyed seeing the origins of the axe jammed in the doorway and how the hell those two faces got melded together and turned to a burnt corpse in Carpenter's version. Oh, and make sure to stay after the first credits roll.
Overall, THE THING (2011) is an entertaining film that I would recommend, although it certainly doesn't trump THE THING (1982). It adequately fills us in on some of the original's mysteries while offering some amusing, over-the-top CGI effects.
I was at my grandmother's cozy little hobbit hole for dinner the night I decided to drop a line to Jen Soska. I wanted to let Jen and her sister, Sylvia, know how much I loved their film, Dead Hooker in a Trunk. I also […]Movie Interviews Movies & TV
I was at my grandmother's cozy little hobbit hole for dinner the night I decided to drop a line to Jen Soska. I wanted to let Jen and her sister, Sylvia, know how much I loved their film, Dead Hooker in a Trunk. I also figured, what the hell, so I asked if I could interview the 'Twisted Twins' for Ravenous Monster. As long as they knew how much I enjoyed their project – that was good enough for me. I was hardly expecting a reply when I quickly I received a warm response back as well as the thumbs up to send the twins some questions. I was getting the chance to pick the brains of my favorite horror-directing duo. I was beyond elated and I cannot emphasize enough how genuine, gracious, and kind the Soska twins were throughout this conversation we had via email.
Without further ado, I present to you the first of a two-part interview that I conducted with the Soska twins over the span of two weeks.
RavMon: We share a neat little horror origin back story – you two were reading Stephen King in elementary school just like I was! What was the first book of his that you read?
Jen: Oh, that's so cool! Mine was 'Pet Semetary'. I liked animals so it was the obvious choice. My mom showed me 'Cujo', too, and she broke down what each was about. I never had a dog, but I've had just about every other critter from piranhas and snakes to cats and gerbils. I don't know why. As a result, dogs are something of a mystery to me. She showed me 'Pet Semetary' and said there was a cat in there so I grabbed it. I loved how much it was. It was violent and scary and adult and I just fell in love with his writing. It was my first experience with horror and I came to expect that horror should have those "Oh, shit, I shouldn't really be laughing" moments of levity.
Sylvia: My first book was 'Cujo'. My mom had such a mature approach to us reading these books – we loved horror and wanted to watch scary movies, but we had to read the book first then we can rent the movies based on the books. If there was anything in the books that we didn't understand, she had us come to her and we would discuss it. It was really cool and understanding what you were reading took a lot of the fright out – horror became a method of story-telling we were hopelessly hooked on. 'Cujo' was a very special book that was the first of many.
We used to get in shit about it all the time. One specific teacher kept saying it was inappropriate for girls to read such material. My mom got called in to talk to the idiot, which ended with us having to hide our books in knit covers so the other children couldn't see. She couldn't stop us from reading something that was fine with our parents. She told the teacher that her daughters are reading things they like at a high school level, why wouldn't she encourage that? Fuck yeah, mom.
(Justin's side note – Cujo was my first King book, too.)
RavMon: What do your parents think of your career choice and were they instrumental in leading you to the "dark side"?
Jen: Our parents have been incredibly supportive of us and our work. They're both Catholic and I know there are these silly notions that God doesn't have a sense of humor, but, believe you me, he does. Our mom introduced us to Stephen King at an early age and we got hooked on horror reading his incredible novels. They've never told us to go get "real jobs" or lost faith in us. We've been through some really hard times and they've always been there for us. They both read all our scripts. There have been times when my mom's said, "Do you really have to do that to that man's penis?" My mom is an excellent gauge for whether or not we've gone too far with something. I'm sure my dad would like me to clean up my language a bit, ha-ha.
Sylvia: I think our parents always knew what our interests were and that nothing would change that. I would play with Jen for hours outside, collecting spiders and playing with them. I would show family friends and they didn't get it. When people got scared of the spiders, it fascinated me. There's a big draw to horror in the examination of what makes people frightened of some things and not others. My parents never made me feel weird or different. They always let Jen and me be ourselves.
I know a lot of the material that we like to examine in our scripts is really dark and some things put off my parents, but they never stop being supportive of it. I remember the first time they saw 'DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK', they both laughed a lot. It's been a long process to get here, there hasn't been any sort of payday and they have stepped in a lot when we couldn't make enough waitressing to pay our bills and eat. They are truly wonderful parents. My dad has appeared in our projects and both my mom and dad have parts in 'AMERICAN MARY'. I want to see them every time I watch the movie because I love them and they are fantastic.
RavMon: You are avid players in the blossoming 'Women in Horror Recognition Month'. Besides opening the masses' eyes to some incredible minds within the genre, there also is some good spirited humanity going on, too. A blood drive complete with a fantastic PSA on YouTube made the rounds this past February. Are there other Good Samaritan projects in the works?
Jen: The Women in Horror Massive Blood Drive is a world wide charitable event that we host every year. From the first year to the next, there has already been tremendous growth in this movement and numerous other charitable events. I don't feel that women need or are looking for any hand outs. Women in Horror is a celebration of women in horror and the contributions they've made to the genre. We wanted to give back in a strong and brave way that honors the women that we all admire. You can't think horror without thinking blood. I'm actually surprised we were the first ones working in horror to think of doing it. It's such a worthy cause and there literally is no substitution for blood. I'd like to see everybody donate blood in February. Even if we all do it just once a year, it would make a world of difference. We'll be coming out with a new PSA each year.
In addition to the numerous blood drives hosted all across the world as part of this event, there have been charitable auctions, food drives, festivals that donated their tickets sales to charity, Dai Green and Reyna Young had their "Women in Horror Clothing Drive", and Devanny Pinn and Tara Cardinal had their "Women in Horror Bleed For a Cause" Haiti Blood Drive event. I expect the event to grow and get bigger and better with the coming years. I'm so grateful to femme fatale feminist writer Hannah Neurotica for starting this incredible movement and celebration.
Sylvia: One of the coolest things is that 'Women in Horror Recognition Month' is working to dissolve the inner cattiness that has existed too long between professional women working in the industry. For far too long there have been women breaking down other women's work because that's the culture that has been promoted – 'she's doing well, so fuck her' or 'I'm doing well, so fuck everyone else' – it's so futile and useless. WiH really sets aside the bullshit and has women working together to celebrate how far we've come in the industry and the powerhouse ladies that made it all possible and those that carry the same torch today. During February, and all year long, these female professionals support one another's work, charitable causes, and it's growing every year.
RavMon: Canada is no slouch when it comes to horror films ('Black Christmas', 'The Changeling', 'My Bloody Valentine', 'Ginger Snaps', 'Pontypool' ) or directors of the genre (namely Mary Harron and David Cronenberg). What are some major differences you see between American and Canadian horror, either on-screen or from a directorial point of view?
Jen: I think films really differ depending on the director. Each has their own unique approach and style. Take Quentin Tarantino for example. You can't watch one of his films and not know it's one of his. Aside from the obvious title credits, his style is his signature; the way he uses music and the songs he picks, the turn of phrase of his characters and the words they use, the stylized cuts and edits. It's so him. Maybe Canadian directors don't always get as big budgets to play around with as our American cousins, but it's really their individual styles that set them apart from one another.
Sylvia: The main challenge for Canadian filmmakers would be to have a Canadian production that can compete with the American market. There's less funding, there's less government grants. Sadly, after Telefilm put money into 'Hobo With A Shotgun' – a strong move into a phenomenal film – they have stated that they will not put money into a film 'like that' again. A huge disappointment because Eisener's 'Hobo' is a triumph in Canadian filmmaking that shows there's a lot more personality in Canadian flicks than what the 'nice and polite' stereotypes of Canadians would leave you to believe.
'Ginger Snaps' is huge as it was one of the biggest horror flicks to ever come out of Canada. The material was considered too sensitive, so the studio went with Canadian actresses for the leading and roles – could you imagine that flick without Katharine Isabelle or Emily Perkins? Even when Mary Harron was filming 'American Psycho', she had to deal with a public outcry due to the more graphic material of the story and she was just brilliant to watch. She became a hero of mine after that. She spoke so eloquently and intelligently about horror, satire, and the artistic merit of the project.
I rather enjoy the strangeness and quirkiness of Canadian horror. I think because Canadians have been stereotyped in this particular way, it's interesting to push boundaries and play with subject matter. The trick is to really know what you're making and why you're making it – just like the great Canadian projects and Canadian directors that have inspired us so. I want to be a part of making Canadian films that really stand out in the market because of their uniqueness.
RavMon: 'Dead Hooker In A Trunk'. How exactly did this project come about?
Jen: 'DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK' came from a film school experience gone wrong. Sylvie and I love movies. We started acting at an early age, here and there. Being twins, there was some opportunity. As we got older, our roles became much more limited. It was nothing but "slutty school girl" or "hot twins" or "bikini girl". I know the world needs bikini girls and God bless them, but enough was enough. We loved martial arts and have no problem getting roughed up and thought, "Hey, how about we try stunts for a bit? Maybe we're still in a bikini, but maybe we'll have more fun." We went to a film school that had an "action for actors" program. It was awesome. We met some very talented gentlemen in the stunt business. But when the stunt portion ended, the bullshit started. Among other short comings, we had a final project in our filmmaking portion of the program where we broke up into groups and were meant to do short films. At the time, the classes were so disorganized that we were leaving class early to go watch 'Grindhouse' in theatres. We figured we wanted to learn so we might as well watch the masters at work. We came up with an idea for a faux trailer like the ones in 'Grindhouse' and maybe, just maybe, if it was good enough, we could send it to Rodriguez and Tarantino and get it in the next 'Grindhouse' film. However, our school pulled our funding at the last minute which was supposed to be included as part of our tuition. They told us we had to absorb into another group as they had no money for our film.
Well, that shit didn't fly, believe you me. Sylvie and I set out getting our cast to volunteer on their own time and asked our contacts to help us film the thing. We made it happen on our own time, with our own money, using only our own resources. Additionally, this particular school had a list of things deemed unacceptable and inappropriate for their films and no student, under any condition, was to include anything on the list. Not only did we include EVERYTHING on that list, but we added a few extras that they maybe hadn't thought of or knew existed. Necrophilia, bestiality, gratuitous violence and gore, the "f" word…. The school allowed us to play our teaser, sight unseen, at our graduation ceremony. Dead last. Half the audience was so put off that they got up and walked out and the other half was laughing and cheering so loudly that you could barely even hear the trailer. It was epic.
Sylvia: I had never been a part of something that affected an audience like that. It was amazing because whether they liked it or hated it – everyone had an opinion on it. We wrote out the scenes we had on place cards – a little trick from Rodriguez that he talks about in his book "REBEL WITHOUT A CREW" (a must read for all indie filmmakers) – and then wrote a few more crazy scenarios we wanted to put in the feature length. Then we moved the scenes around to create a story line that was unpredictable and crazy, then we got to writing. Jen and I work like a tag team when writing. We pick scenes or sequences that we want to write, but tag in the other if either gets stuck. We are always rereading what the other wrote and tweaking it and talking about different things that would be cool. The other twin plays video games – it's a great system. We have it down to getting a script in two weeks, complete with rewrites during that timeline too.
Even with the strong reaction to the original fake trailer, it was difficult to build the right team for the project. We lost a lot of people from the fake trailer for various reasons, not too many people will work for nothing just for the love of filmmaking, especially with two first-time directors that have ridiculously ambitious plans for their feature. The coolest thing is that, yes, a lot of people called us crazy and said the project was destined to fail, but it kept assholes pretty far away from the project. The people who came onto the film were not only the most talented people working in the industry – thanks to the 2007 writer's strike – but were also people who have a strong love for filmmaking. That's why they were there. Almost no one got paid, yet everyone worked as both cast and crew together and killed themselves to make an awesome flick.
I think that's a huge part of the flick's charm. You can see that everyone there loves making movies and that's why they were there. Carlos Gallardo, 'El Mariachi', heard about the project and appeared – perfectly cast as God in the film. After we finished shooting the flick, we – Jen, CJ, and I – got started on the post and grass roots campaign to get word about the flick out there. Our first Goody had to leave the project two days before we went to camera, then a female character, and no one would take the role. I asked my then friend, now boyfriend, CJ if he would be interested. He said yes, we rewrote the script, and it was perfect. He saw some footage and told me "I can cut the shit out of that sequence." That was the start of our little indie filmmaking family. We're total nerds; we refer to our threesome as the Triforce.
RavMon: Was there an exact moment when you two realized, "Wow, this is getting big"?
Jen: I don't know. It still doesn't feel real. Some people have caught on about it in Vancouver and sometimes when we're out we get, "Hey! Dead Hooker in a Trunk", which always puts a smile on my face. It's pretty cool. Or people ask us if we're Twisted Sister. I usually smile and say, "That's the band, we're the Twisted Twins", ha-ha. Being identical twins we're kind of used to being an anomaly. People have looked at us like we're weird as far back as I can remember. I can't even begin to express how grateful we are to the horror community. People have really stood behind this film and it's because of them, and their word of mouth, that we've been able to come as far as we have. I'm still blown away by it.
Sylvia: We started the film in October 2007 and it's been a non-stop dedication to getting the film out there and seen by people. There has been so much rejection and cruelty, but I'm grateful for everything that has been harsh because I've learned so much about the industry and you need a strong sense of resilience to make it in this business, especially if you start as an unknown.
The process of people really getting behind the flick started during the first annual Women in Horror Recognition Month in 2010. It was the brainchild of Ax Wound's Hannah Neurotica to start a worldwide event where we celebrate Women in Horror, not only the Scream Queens, and not only for the physical beauty of the women involved, but rather the real sexiness of their brains and balls. 'DEAD HOOKER' got its premiere screenings that month, in its original extra long cut, first in Birmingham, UK at the Ghouls on Film Festival – huge thanks to Nia Edwards-Behi for selecting our flick – and then at the Pretty Scary DOA BloodBath Film Festival in Addison, Texas – huge thanks to Andrew Rose for selecting our flick.
After the film got screened, the horror community really got behind the flick. The reason why the film is where it is today is because people from around the world heard about the flick and shared it with their friends and got the word out. I can never thank these people enough for supporting independent flicks like ours because you make these movies get seen and picked up. The film has a limited theatrical run through IFC Midnight right now and that doesn't usually happen for Indies like this. I feel incredibly humbled by the outpour of support from beautiful strangers from around the globe.
I think the moment that really blew me away happened when 'DEAD HOOKER' was banned from the Roxy Theater in Saskatoon because of its title – that is without anyone bothering to watch the film. We started to make a strong stance against this and addressed the issue by suggesting that had anyone actually watched the film, they would have seen it was a satire. When people around the world got wind of this, they combined their efforts and stood up to defend the film. There were festival heads, university professors, horror writers, fans of the film, even very conservative religious folks, people from all different walks came to defend the outrageous censorship. It was just amazing. We even appeared in an article by Aaron Berman in RUE MORGUE about censorship that has been scape-goating the horror genre.
We are just getting started, my friends. Keep your eyes peeled next week for the conclusion of this sprawling interview, where we talk about the twins' next project 'American Mary' and reflect on the Hollywood vs. Indie debate!
Follow all things Twisted on the Twisted Twins' blog at http://twistedtwinsproductions.blogspot.com/
"It's the smiles that keep us going, don't you think? The giggles and bits of good cheer…" — The Gemini Killer In 1973, the movie-going public went somewhere it hadn't really been before: The heart of Hell on Earth. They went via the medium of […]Featured Article
"It's the smiles that keep us going, don't you think? The giggles and bits of good cheer…" — The Gemini Killer
In 1973, the movie-going public went somewhere it hadn't really been before: The heart of Hell on Earth. They went via the medium of film; in particular, the movie "The Exorcist". In a time when cinema taboos were being broken on an almost daily basis, this movie still managed to shock and repel millions with its raw view of demonic possession. The film's theme – an innocent young girl possessed by the vilest and most blasphemous of demons – was focused on with such unflinching and uncensored intensity that a whole new dimension was added to the horror film. True, Satan was a popular figure in the movies going all the way back to the silent "Haxan", but never was he (or his lieutenants) portrayed in such shocking detail. All that the recent "Rosemary's Baby" hinted at, "The Exorcist" shoved directly in the viewer's face.
The movie was a huge sensation and changed the whole landscape of horror. And its reputation was well-earned. But your fiendish friend, The Good Doctor, will go out on a limb (as he frequently does) and say that its sequel once removed, "Exorcist III", may be an even more unsettling look at demonic evil. Where the malignancy was confined to poor Regan McNeil in the original film, in "Exorcist III" it seems to be everywhere, in nursing homes, in hospitals, even in the confessional booths of the Catholic Church. "III" is on the surface not as up front and visceral as the original, but it lingers in my mind much more. I've seen many, many horror films in my depraved existence, but this one exudes a uniquely spiritual evil that's unlike any other movie.
We'll take a much closer look at that malice in a bit, but first, a brief look at the torturous path this film took to its release.
Following the smashing success of "The Exorcist", it was only natural that Warner Brothers wanted a sequel. However, director William Friedkin and original writer William Peter Blatty were dead set against the idea and strongly opposed it. Warner Brothers went ahead anyway and hired highly touted British director John Boorman to helm the sequel. Boorman was an extremely talented but erratic personality whose work ranged from the Oscar-winning "Deliverance" to the oddball and poorly received sci-fi epic "Zardoz".
Boorman's sequel became "Exorcist II: The Heretic", starring Richard Burton as a cynical priest who is called upon to once again exorcise the Assyrian demon Pazuzu from a now-teenage Regan McNeil (Linda Blair again). "Exorcist II" was ambitious in conception but a nightmare in realization. The disjointed, surrealistic picture has been cited as one of the worst major studio productions ever and, in fact, the Medved Brothers had it rated second only to Ed Wood's "Plan Nine from Outer Space" as the worst movie of all time in their book "The Golden Turkey Awards". Critics had a field day criticizing the movie, especially the outrageous performance of an obviously inebriated Richard Burton.
The financial and critical failure of "Exorcist II" put the kibosh on any further Exorcist activity until 1983 when Blatty wrote a sequel entitled "Legion". This would later become the basis for "Exorcist III". Ignoring everything in "Exorcist II", "Legion" had a much different tone and narrative than the original "Exorcist" story, focusing on how Lt. Kinderman finds a connection between a series of gruesome murders and the Regan McNeil exorcism case.
Blatty led the charge to film "Legion" and invited Friedkin to again helm the movie. However, Friedkin rejected having anything to do with an Exorcist-related project, especially after the debacle of the second film. For a time, John Carpenter was considered as a possible director before Blatty himself decided to bring "Legion" to life. But from the very beginning, Blatty clashed with Morgan Creek Productions over the concept of the film. Morgan Creek insisted on having the word "exorcist" in the title for commercial reasons while Blatty wanted it filmed as "Legion". In the end, the studio got its way. That would not be the last of the changes they would inflict on the movie.
In 1976, Lee J. Cobb, who originally played Lt. Kinderman, passed away, necessitating a change in actor. They could not have found a better replacement: George C. Scott took Cobb's spot. The choice was inspired. Scott brought an emotional grittiness and intensity to Kinderman that even Cobb would have found hard to match. Scott's portrayal ranges from brittle humor to intense weariness and to bristling rage. He's the anchor that holds the real-world aspect of "Exorcist III" in place. No doubt, many studio suit-and-ties probably called for a younger, more "bankable" star, but Blatty stuck to his guns and Scott remained.
Let's delve into the darkness of "Exorcist III", but beware! Keep the Good Book close because evil is everywhere in this sinister realm…
The movie opens in Georgetown, Maryland exactly 15 years after the exorcism of Regan McNeil. Police Lt. Kinderman is mourning the death of his friend, the priest Father Damien Karras, who was involved in that exorcism. On that anniversary, the world-weary Kinderman is also investigating a crime of unspeakable evil. As he tells his comrade, Father Dyer (Ed Flanders, excellently cast), a young black boy from the Boys Club has been decapitated, his head replaced by a stone bust of Jesus painted in blackface. The boy was also crucified on a pair of rowing oars.
Kinderman's deadpan recitation of this atrocity and Dyer's unspeaking response is a chilling example of what makes "Exorcist III" work. We almost never see blood and mayhem, but the gruesome details of shocking acts are related with sober realism. We sense throughout the film that Kinderman, a loving family man, is struggling with spiritual horror.
That horror continues as an elderly lady pays a night-time visit to the confessional booth at a Catholic Church. This is one of the best scenes of the movie and in contemporary horror. The old woman gives what seems to be a typical confession to Father Kanavan. He urges her to remember that Christ forgives all her sins, to which the old lady replies:
"Only the little ones. Nothing. Seventeen of them, Father. The first was that waitress in Candlestick Park. I cut her throat and watched her bleed. She bled a great deal. It's a problem I'm working on, Father…all this bleeding…"
Her voice rises to a demonic cackle as we see a look of fear on the priest's face. Quick cut to a body covered by plastic and Lt. Kinderman in the church. Father Kanavan's head has been found in the baptismal fount. The killer has struck again.
This is great direction, great movie-making.
Kinderman has noticed an even more unsettling detail in the killings of the young boy and the priest. On their hands has been carved the zodiacal sign of Gemini. This was a trademark of The Gemini Killer, a serial killer who left a bloody trail of victims in his attempt to embarrass his evangelist father. It is also a detail that was kept deliberately secret by the police. The catch is: the Gemini Killer was caught and executed many years ago. At almost the same time that Father Damien Karras cast out a demon from the body of Regan McNeil.
More details arise. The killer used a very rare drug to paralyze his victims while he committed atrocities on them, meaning they were alive during the time they were cut up and mutilated. Kinderman traces the drug supply to a nearby hospital, where the drug is in the possession of the department dealing with severely violent cases.
Also, fingerprints at the killings seem to belong to two different people.
As the lieutenant begins amassing more facts, the horror hits home, as someone very close to him is horribly killed by the same fiend. This time, a message is left for Kinderman, written in the victim's blood: "It's a Wonderfull Life". The doubling of the "L" is another trademark of the Gemini Killer. Kinderman begins to feel his sanity draining away as overwhelming evil makes its presence known.
When the lieutenant visits the psych ward for extreme cases, he learns of a mystery inmate known as "Patient X". To his shock, "Patient X" seems to resemble Father Damien Karras. Dr. Temple, head of the psych ward, reveals that Patient X was found wandering with no memory 15 years earlier. At exactly the same time Father Karras supposedly died. Patient X was mostly quiet and docile until recently, when he awoke from catatonia and became violent, saying he was the Gemini Killer.
Kinderman takes the dangerous step of interrogating Patient X on his own. This is where the movie has its most intense scenes. Patient X does indeed seem to physically be Damien Karras (Jason Miller, who played Karras in the original, returned to the role), but his personality and memories are those of the deceased Gemini Killer. Patient X seems to switch between the body of Karras and the actual Gemini Killer (Brad Dourif) as Kinderman watches.
Brad Dourif, well known for playing psychos and disturbed characters, simply outdoes himself as the ranting, obnoxious Gemini. It's a fantastic performance that reeks of moral sickness and evil, as the Gemini delights in giving Kinderman the gruesome details of his crimes. At one point, he casually reveals the following information:
"I sometimes do special things to my victims: things that are creative. Of course, it takes knowledge, pride in your work… For example, a decapitated head can continue to see for approximately twenty seconds. So when I have one that's gawking, I always hold it up so that it can see its body. It's a little extra I throw in for no added charge. I must admit it makes me chuckle every time. Life is fun. It's a wonderful life, in fact… for some."
His description of draining all the blood out of a victim's body without spilling a drop is also sure to make the listener queasy. Again, we don't actually see the violence, but the description is so detailed and matter of fact, we feel as if we've witnessed something truly horrible.
A fascinated and repulsed Kinderman learns more of what's behind the murders. It seems that after the Gemini was executed 15 years before, his spirit was intercepted by a malevolent demon just cast out from the body of a young girl. Recognizing a kindred spirit, the demon decided to use the Gemini to enact a diabolical revenge. It placed the serial killer's spirit in the just-dead body of the holy man, using him as a vessel. Due to Karras' actual death, it took almost 15 years for the Gemini to learn how to totally come to the surface and control Karras' body. That time is now. With Karras' soul screaming helplessly in the prison of his own flesh, he witnesses the Gemini using his body to commit unspeakable murders.
Using the power of his demonic master, the Gemini can possess the bodies of helpless Alzheimer's patients and use them to commit murders. No one would suspect a senile oldster of horrible mutilation murders. This is also the reason why the fingerprints are different at every crime. The victims are specially chosen to cause the most horror and pain to Father Karras, many involved with the original McNeil exorcism.
The Gemini now has some additional information for Kinderman. To show his absolute power, he will kill another innocent in the hospital and then target the lieutenant's own family.
After striking Patient X in uncontrolled rage, a fearful Lt. Kinderman begins to research the rites of Catholic exorcism. Meanwhile, we see another Catholic priest, Father Morning (Nicol Williamson), make preparations for an exorcism after experiencing signs and evil omens.
When the Gemini Killer strikes the next time, it results in one of the most masterful and terrifying scenes in modern horror. This is the "hospital corridor" scene. I'll let you experience it for yourself. This is a beautifully directed symphony of quiet suspense that explodes with a tenth of a second of shock that has a lot of viewers jumping out of their chairs. It's a real masterpiece by Blatty and I sincerely doubt if Friedkin or John Carpenter could have done any better.
The movie climaxes as Lt. Kinderman and the exorcist Father Morning both confront the power of the demon controlling Father Karras' body. I won't give away the conclusion, but it features this blistering dialogue from George C. Scott, as he puts all his rage into the condemnation of the hellish entity:
"This I believe in… I believe in death. I believe in disease. I believe in injustice and inhumanity, torture and anger and hate… I believe in murder. I believe in pain. I believe in cruelty and infidelity. I believe in slime and stink and every crawling, putrid thing… every possible ugliness and corruption, you son of a bitch. I believe… in YOU."
The conclusion of the film has ignited powerful debate since the movie's release. The studio demanded that an actual exorcism be included in the film, as well as a good deal of blood and special effects. Blatty's original treatment had none of this. The story was one of unnerving atmosphere and profound horror coming from the imagination rather than something blatantly in your face. Of course, this approach to film-making is about as popular as a fart in a car amongst the bean-counting suit-and-ties who run Hollywood.
So Blatty gave in to the studio again and agreed to the insertion of Father Morning's character into the film. Even casual viewers can detect that Morning was tacked on to the movie at the last minute. Nicol Williamson, an excellent actor, was wasted in a part that was virtually mute. He was around long enough to offer the obligatory exorcism as well as a gruesome scene where his skin seems to split open due to the demon's interference.
Also during the final confrontation, we have a glimpse into Hell itself and what seems to be the visualization of the horrific murder of the young black boy. It's a creepy scene, but it can again be debated that it was not necessary to the final denouement.
Another bit of oddness is a peculiar dream Kinderman has early in the film, where he walks through what seems to be a train station serving departed souls to heaven. Not only does the lieutenant have a casual conversation with the murdered boy, but he also encounters basketball star Patrick Ewing and male model Fabio as angels. Look carefully for a bit appearance by Samuel L Jackson before he hit it big. The dream sequence seems to be Blatty's idea, not the studio, and while it's not strictly necessary, it adds a further touch of weirdness to the proceedings.
"Exorcist III" was by no means a hit in the theaters when it was released. Unfortunately, the studio's belief that the mass audience had no interest in downbeat atmospheric horror with an aging star heading the cast seemed to be borne out. But the film got some excellent reviews and as time has gone by, it has acquired the reputation of being something fresh and different. Some reviewers, including your humble servant, even believe it to be superior to the original "Exorcist".
If Blatty's vision had been uncompromised, it's likely the film would have been better yet. Brad Dourif and producer Carter DeHaven have made statements saying they believed that to be the case. But fortunately, enough of Blatty's concept remained intact to make "Exorcist III" not only an effective horror movie, but a rare sequel that matches its predecessor. I highly recommend it!
"You again. You've interrupted me. Well… come in, Father Morning. Enter, knight. This time you're going to lose."–Patient X
Sometimes the most inspirational epiphanies strike during the unlikeliest times. Take Rich "Freakshow" Peterson for example. The self-made late night horror host and director of the Madison Horror Film Fest was neither of those things five years ago when he was kicking back on the […]Movie Interviews Movies & TV
Sometimes the most inspirational epiphanies strike during the unlikeliest times. Take Rich "Freakshow" Peterson for example. The self-made late night horror host and director of the Madison Horror Film Fest was neither of those things five years ago when he was kicking back on the couch, squeezing in the last bit of available rest and relaxation before getting up on stage and throwing down some classic Judas Priest tunes.
After some ups and downs, the studded leather biker jacket still rests comfortably on a bed of mothballs. In the meantime, Peterson has assembled a cable access horror program featuring beautiful, darkly sinister women and spearheaded by his evil – and green – alter ego, Freakshow. And perhaps more impressively, he's also established an annual horror film festival in Madison, Wisconsin – a progressive university town that always seems to be on the cutting edge of pop culture.
Ravenous Monster caught up with Rich Peterson and got the scoop on this year's Madison Horror Film Fest, what it takes to organize such an event, and the current status of an iconic slice of ghoulish Americana – The Late Night Horror Host.
RavMon: What prompted the first Madison Horror Film Fest and how did you go about setting it up?
Rich: It was Halloween, 2006. My band, Grinder (a tribute to Judas Priest) was set to play the Maximum Ink Halloween Spooktacular which I had developed back in 2003. My niece was out of town so I had to go to her house and let out the dog. I decided to chill out a little before we had to play so I kicked back on the couch and turned on AMC as they were running a monster movie marathon. The show was hosted by different guests. One of the guests they interviewed was Michael Hein, the director of the New York City Horror Film Festival whom I later had a chance to interview myself as the associate producer of the Graveyard Show Podcast in 2009.
I had always been a fan of horror films, but at the time I was not privy to the film festival network. I had heard of sci-fi conventions, of course, but was never aware of the horror genre conventions or festivals. Right then I decided that this was something that Madison needed. I figured with such a diverse cultural atmosphere in this city, we would fit right in and hopefully be able to showcase some of the local filmmakers' talents.
At this point I was living in Portage, WI and still trying to keep my eye on the Madison Music scene, booking a few shows here and there while mulling over the idea a bit. In January of 2007 I contacted one of the bigger theatres in Madison and discussed the prospect with them. The cost to put on the event, just with the rental and union workers and everything else that went along with it, came in at around $11,000 dollars, or maybe a little more. The venue was a perfect fit for the festival, but by no means would I be able to cover that amount of cost.
I put the idea on hold for a bit and began gathering information on other genre festivals at the beginning of 2008. By July of 2008, I had returned to Madison and decided to stop working in the music scene and focus on putting together the first festival. After putting together submission guidelines from parts of various other festivals, I put together a simple website, booked another theatre at a much lower cost, and started spreading the word through horror forums and other internet resources.
By the time the festival came around in October of 2008, we ended up with 23 films from around the world including Canada, Australia, Spain, and Italy. The amount of local films was very minimal, much to our surprise, but what was submitted was all good work and we included it in the festival.
RavMon: A couple years ago the Madison Horror Film Fest premiered Cory Udler's Incest Death Squad and Stuart Gordon was on hand for a screening of Re-Animator, followed by a Q&A. This year there will be a bevy of late night horror hosts, both in attendance and hosting via video. Do you try to establish a theme each year or is the line up dictated by the availability of potential guests, etc?
Rich: I don't want to say that we set out to set a specific theme. The idea is to make the event as entertaining as possible while still showcasing the yet-unseen work of the filmmakers. When it comes down to it, that is really our main goal – to try and cater as much as possible to the yet-unknown talents. Like when we had the opportunity to screen Incest Death squad, we had been involved with the film from basically the beginning and didn't feel it was fair to screen it at the actual festival as we were a bit biased. So we screened it as a pre-performance the Friday night before the festival to a sold out crowd. As far as booking talent, a lot of it does have to do with budget as well as availability of the talent. When we had booked Stuart Gordon, there was a lot of buzz about a possible [Re-Animator] remake as well as his strong ties to the University here and the Madison community. Everything just fell into place.
For this year's festival, we decided to go totally indie with the exception of Lucky McKee's, The Woman. Both Christopher R. Mihm and Thomas Berdinski have great films that are fun and campy in their own right. Incest Death Squad 2 has never screened in Madison so we jumped at the chance to the follow up which I am told is much darker.
As far as booking the horror hosts, there has been a great resurgence of the craft in America and we have the privilege of becoming friends with most of them through our show. Doctor Ivan Cryptosis is the official host of Christopher Mihm's films. Marlena Midnite and Robyn Graves from Midnite Mausoleum, as well as Doctor Sigmund Zoid and Roxsy Tyler, all appeared in Thomas Berdinski's film, "The Giant Rubber Monster Movie" which we will be screening at the festival pre-party benefit for WYOU the night before the festival on Friday October 7th. Once again, everything just kind of fell into place.
Ravmon: The last time we talked, you'd explained how a local late night horror host, Mr. Mephisto, was a major influence on you by virtue of the late Friday night horror movie showcase that aired on WMTV in Madison, WI from 1966-1982. In the age of the internet, is the Late Night Horror Host an endangered species or has the internet actually saved the Horror Host? Does this year's Horror host-centric fest have any added importance?
Rich: The horror hosting community is very alive and still somewhat undead, and a lot of that is totally due to the popularity of the internet. Anyone with a camera, a basement, garage, apartment or cardboard box, some sort of background, and a little talent and creativity, and also sometimes very little of each, can host a film online.
A lot of the hosts are still broadcast on the airwaves, as well, through the help of local cable access channels and now the supplemental analog channels each network affiliate has. A couple of examples would be Marlena Midnite and her show Midnite Mausoleum based in Iowa as well as the Bone Jangler out of Chicago. I believe that both of them are broadcast in around 40 markets across the United States on various cable access channels. Midnite Mausoleum can be seen here in Wisconsin in Kenosha, Milwaukee, as well as Fitchburg, which is right down the road from here.
The most important part of having the hosts involved with this year's festival, whether they are appearing live or via video, is to let the people know that the art is not dead. We are showing Christopher Mihm's film "Attack of the Moon Zombies" as a matinee performance in hopes that some children will be able to enjoy it. Who knows how many of them might just catch the inspiration and grow up to show the same, and maybe some newer, schlocky films in the future that we show now as horror hosts.
RavMon: Tell us about your own horror show, Bordello of Horror?
Rich: There isn't much to say besides the fact that Bordello of Horror is hands down the best written, best produced, and most entertaining late night horror show on the face of the Earth. But seriously, we're terrible…but getting better. We have had our moments when we shine, but then we have some real bad and rough spots as well. We finally have a girl on the show, Sinister Seductress Stormy, who has already brought a positive change to the show. We are starting to get a little more recognition here in Madison as well as in the Horror community.
We air locally on cable access channel WYOU from 1-3 A.M. Sunday mornings following Saturday Night Frights, which can be seen [locally in the greater Madison, WI region] on Charter analog channel 95, digital channel 991, and streaming online at www.WYOU.org. We recently got picked up by the Monster Channel as well. The Monster Channel runs 24/7 at 100ymm.com and features a variety of different horror host shows as well as occasional live broadcasts of different hosts' shows. I'm not sure if we are currently on a set schedule, but for right now we can be seen at 11 A.M. and 11 P.M. CST on both Fridays and Mondays.
RavMon: Is Bordello of Horror an asset for organizing a horror film fest? How do those two endeavors overlap?
Rich: Bordello of Horror was actually conceived because of both the festival and of course the influence that Dick Flanigan as Mr. Mephisto had on me as a child. Originally, when I was thinking about putting together the festival, I was thinking of merchandise to have available at the event. The idea of calendar girls came up, but then so did the issue of what to call them. Harlots of Horror kind of rolled off the tongue and then the idea that as Harlots, they would need a pimp in their life and so Freakshow, the Deacon of Darkness, the Posthumous Pimp was born. It was a natural fit for the outline for a horror show.
Now, as time has passed, the show is an outlet for advertising the event through appearances as well as on the internet and the show itself. The two tie together well as we have a built in host when needed and we have the opportunity of working with current and past filmmakers to showcase their films, not only at the festival but occasionally on the show, as well.
RavMon: How many horror film fests have you done now?
Rich: This will be the third Madison Horror Film Festival. We did the first one in 2008 and followed up in 2009. We then took a year off to regroup and work on the show a bit. Now that we have gained a bit more momentum, we hope to have many more to come, as well as a few other special events throughout the year leading up to the next fest. Through each event we learn a little bit more each time and hopefully we are honing our skills and we are able to bring the community what they want.
RavMon: What do you feel are your greatest strengths regarding organizing the fest?
Rich: Outside of a true passion for the genre and independent filmmakers, organization is my strongest asset. That and what I had learned through my career in the music industry, as far as booking talent and negotiating contracts. It helps that over the four years that I have been delving into the horror scene I have made plenty of contacts and friends.
RavMon: Which elements do you need to improve on?
Rich: I would say keeping a better eye out for upcoming films that we may be able to expose the public to. To be quite honest, I was totally unaware of "The Woman" by Lucky McKee that we will be presenting at this year's fest. A friend of mine on Facebook, Chippy McSchnitzel, who had attended at least one of the past events, turned me on to it and from there I looked into it and got it booked. Besides that, maybe better promotions for the other events throughout the year. Horror films are not just for the Halloween season, they just spark more interest at that particular part of the year.
RavMon: What are your top three favorite horror films in general and why?
Rich: Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the original) because of the graininess of that film the realism – that it could actually happen. Plus it was so damn twisted. Night of the Demons (the original) because of the sexiness and evil that it portrays. I have since become fairly good friends with Kevin Tenney and have thanked him for that film time and again. Toxic Avenger because of the campiness. It straight up started a whole off shoot of campy films and the Troma Empire. It was a great honor to interview Lloyd Kaufman and Toxie a couple of years back. It was an interesting and very informative interview, the man is a genius.
RavMon: Are any of these the same films that scared the young Rich Peterson?
Rich: Definitely! Texas Chainsaw Massacre scared the crap out of me and I wasn't even that young. That film will always stick with me. I remember seeing ads for a film called "Children Shouldn't Play With dead Things". That trailer alone haunted me for years. I just recently saw the film and it's a joke, nothing scary at all, but still a somewhat decent film.
RavMon: Which films are you showing this year at the fest?
Rich: Besides the featured films and their directors, and Lucky's film, we only have two other feature films. The rest are shorts. The two feature films are "The Collapsed", directed by Justin McConell from Canada, and "The Black Box", directed by Jason Balas and filmed in Texas.
The short films are entitled "Alone", directed by Eric Lauk, "Betania", directed by Andria Giomaro (Italy), "Flesh-Eating Fog" by Rob Michels from here in Madison, "GGS", directed by David A. Holcombe from Chicago, "Employee of the Month" which is a funny little film directed by Olivier Beguin whose film "Dead Bones" screened here in 2008, and "Last Seen on Delores Street" by director Devi Snively. Devi does some good work. Her short film, "Death in Charge" won an award here in 2009 and I just found out her feature debut, "Trippin'" just got a distribution deal.
The complete schedule is posted on the website at www.madisonhorror.net. We usually like to post trailers from the films on our site as well, but as these are mostly shorts, trailers are hard to come by. We'll have a few there, though.
RavMon: Are there any of these that you're particularly excited about?
Rich: I'm always excited for people to see all of them. Each and every film has its own great qualities. Over the three festivals, we have only run across one or two films that we didn't really care for. As far as this year, Devi's film is pretty good, as well as "Betania". That film was very well made. Both of the feature films entered in the fest are great as well. Describing the two, I would say "The Black Box" is a very interesting film while "The Collapsed" has some really good film work and a very interesting ending.
RavMon: What are the biggest obstacles you face putting this whole thing together?
Rich: Scheduling. Putting together the schedule each year is by far the hardest part of the job. There have been several films in the past that we just didn't have the time to show – some very good films at that. Just this year there were two films that we definitely wanted to show, but due to time constraints, we were unable to do so.
RavMon: What would your dream fest look like, having no limitations whatsoever?
Rich: Wow, that is a tough one because there are so many different ways you could go. I would say a four day event that would include numerous guests including Bruce Campbell, Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, George Romero, Elvira, Joe Bob Briggs, and many more. I would want to do a reunion of the original cast from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, multiple filmmaker and special effects workshops, and live entertainment every night by different horror themed musical acts including GWAR and Rob Zombie.
This has all pretty much been done at one convention or another, I would just really love to be the one doing it here.
In early 2010, I caught wind of a film hailing from Canada that had the indie world abuzz. I did a little research and was immediately dragged into the hype. Two beautiful twins who coined themselves the Twisted Twins had made a faux-grindhouse trailer and […]Movie Reviews Movies & TV
In early 2010, I caught wind of a film hailing from Canada that had the indie world abuzz. I did a little research and was immediately dragged into the hype. Two beautiful twins who coined themselves the Twisted Twins had made a faux-grindhouse trailer and showed it at their film school's graduation ceremony. Half the audience left in disgust while the other half roared with applause so loud it overwhelmed the trailer's dialogue. It was the ultimate one-finger salute to a school that did the women wrong. They say "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned". The school's shady business ways were a blessing in disguise – this sister act was on the fast track to giving the film industry the kick in the cahones it so desperately needed.
'Dead Hooker in a Trunk' has gained a cult following that rivals just about any film imaginable. It has played in numerous festivals and film events around the world, rightfully earning a spot on countless "Top Films of 2010" lists. The film first screened at the Ghouls on Film Festival in theUK. A few days later, it made its US debut in Texas at the Pretty/Scary DOA Bloodbath Film Fest.
As well-versed actresses and accomplished martial artists/stunt women extraordinaire, Jen and Sylvia Soska bring the goods on camera. Their relentless drive, a delicious combination of horror and humor, and a fierce determination for the craft they love are the things that really push the duo and their film over the top. The two women have doted on their project like any proud mother would their first born child, and for good reason.
Having funded their 'Hooker' project completely on their own and referring to Robert Rodriguez's awesome book 'Rebel without a Crew' as their Bible during filming, Jen and Sylvia have proven that you don't need a huge budget to make a great film. A few hyperactive and artistic minds, a hell of a fun story, and some girl power do a flick some good!
'Dead Hooker in a Trunk' is as faithful a nod to the classic grindhouse films as anything the film community has seen since the 1970s. The title alone should make just about any horror or indie fan grin like a madman (or woman). This movie has everything needed to become a timeless cult classic – gore, foul language, beautiful women, guns, awesome special effects and fight scenes, and hello? A DEAD HOOKER…In a trunk! To say this film has some legit street cred in the industry is a gross understatement. It's what happens when professionals are approached by dedicated filmmakers with an infectious energy.
The film introduces us to four of the most entertaining archetypal characters in genre history – we get Rikki Gagne as 'The Junkie', C.J Wallis as the devout 'Goody Two Shoes', and of course, the fantastic Jen and Sylvia Soska as 'The Geek' and 'The Badass', respectively. Tasha Moth, a gorgeous young woman who has assisted on several movie sets including 'Hot Tub Time Machine', 'Red Riding Hood', and 'Saving Silverman', plays the title character. In case you missed it, she's the dead hooker in a trunk!
From top to bottom, the cast is on the money, as evidenced by the presence of Carlos Gallardo, arguably one of the most kick ass dudes in cinema ('El Mariachi', 'Desperado', 'Planet Terror'), who has a cameo as God. It's only fitting, seeing as how the Soska twins look to Robert Rodriguez and his work as divine intervention. Then there's the cowboy pimp played by John Tench, ('Watchmen', 'Shooter', 'Brokeback Mountain').
The flick begins by taking us through a seedy bar where we meet The Junkie, The Badass and The Hooker. It's in this opening scene where the real grittiness is most glaring and in your face. You have to strain to hear some of the dialogue (the only real moment in the entire film where this is an issue), but it sets the atmosphere of the scene fantastically. Let's not have to be reminded that bigHollywoodfilms do this too – see the club scene in 'The Social Network' for a prime example. So if anyone points this out as a flaw, feel free to tell them to shove it.
After the night of the club scene, our four beloved characters quickly find that it's not an old bag of fast food stinking up their car as they innocently cruise around. Shit really hits the fan when it becomes obvious that someone wants the dead hooker for reasons that unfold delightfully. Not only are our characters avoiding the police at all costs, they run into a shoot-first, talk-later gang in a grimy apartment complex AND there's still the pesky fact that a serial killer is on the loose. Don't forget about the cowboy pimp, either.
Blood flies at a wonderful rate, the death toll suffices, and the stunts are jaw dropping. The buddy who watched this with me literally applauded following a confrontation between Sylvia's character and the cowboy pimp. Twists and turns are at every corner and by the time the end credits begin to roll, I am willing to bet you will have a grin from ear to ear on your face, just like I did.
Sure, there are certain aspects of this film that can be pointed out as flaws. We see dust on the camera lens during a few scenes. The audio is shaky at times. But those are the exact same things that also made this project one of the best film experiences I've ever had. That gritty, unapologetic film style has always struck a raw nerve in me. I only wish I had been sitting in a smoke choked theatre with the soles of my shoes sticking to the floor at two a.m. when I had the privilege of seeing the incredibly bad-assed Soska twins do their thing.
And enough cannot be said about CJ Wallis. He not only plays 'Goody Two Shoes', delivering some of the funniest lines in the flick, but he also did an incredible job editing and helping market this film. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that marketing is everything, especially with an indie horror flick. Wallis also does outstanding work on the film's soundtrack, which is definitely deserving of some space on your iPod, should it ever become available. The advantages of social networks cannot be underestimated. Wallis and the Soska twins have kept their Facebook and Twitter profiles updated religiously ever since 'Dead Hooker' began to gain its just recognition.
With a miniscule budget and an invaluable amount of gusto and creativity, this film hits on all cylinders. The production will be hard to top as far as indie flicks go. The script is written with balls and raw energy that seem to be lost in many recent movies. If it sounds like I'm gushing, it's because I am. In this writer's opinion, 'Dead Hooker in a Trunk' ranks among the indie horror elite – right alongside the likes of 'Halloween' and 'The Blair Witch Project'.
After viewing the film and immediately professing my undying love for this 'Hooker', I did something I had never done before, I wrote a fan letter. I didn't write it for an autograph or any cheesy reason like that. I simply wanted to let the brains behind this operation know how much I greatly appreciated all their hard work. To see a film made by two die hard horror fans, despite all the naysayers and budget restrictions, was a huge motivation for the independent filmmaker in me.
What's the point of this bit, you ask? Well, the lovely and talented Twins have granted Ravenous Monster an interview, one that will forever rank among the most memorable discussions I've ever had. Check back soon for the first piece of our two-part conversation. It's about to get bloody!
From ghoulies and ghosties And long-leggedy beasties And things that go bump in the night, Good Lord deliver us! –Scottish Prayer When I was a kid I really wanted to study dinosaurs, then I wanted to study sharks, then I wanted to study reptiles, then […]Featured Article
From ghoulies and ghosties
And long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord deliver us!
When I was a kid I really wanted to study dinosaurs, then I wanted to study sharks, then I wanted to study reptiles, then I wanted to write horror. My Mom and I used to go to Harry's Farmer's Market in Atlanta, Georgia, and pick out whole fish from the freshly caught counter–salmon or mackerel or whatever was the catch of the day–and cook them together. At twenty-eight, my cooking skills flounder if I'm expected to do any more than press a button or wait for a toaster, but the fascination I had with examining those fish, guessing at the ways they must have moved and the things they must have eaten, stays with me. At age six I was more excited to find bits of half-digested crab in the guts of a pompano than I was to go to Chuck-E-Cheese. I had a wishlist of fish I wanted to buy and examine, the weirder the better. What fascinated me was the beast–Tyrannosaurus or Komodo dragon or lowly pompano. Horror fascinated me–and still fascinates me–because it gives me more beasts to dissect.
Okay, I talked a good game in college about the importance of literary fiction. I answered on cue about the importance of thematic concerns and breaking down outdated narratives embedded in a heteronormative/Eurocentric paradigm. And you know something? I fucking lied. I can't write stories without monsters. RavMon's Editor-in-Chief, Jason gave me generous permission to do a monster-of-the-week miniseries exploring some of our most archetypal beasts. We'll start with vampires.
I have to be honest: there's a small part of me that still likes vampires a lot, and not because they're sexy. Being eternally young would be nice, but what's so neat about vampires isn't their perpetual youth, but their tie to history. Unlike werewolves, golems, zombies, etc., vampires are immortal. They live forever, and that means that any given vampire could potentially remember what life was like centuries ago. Very few writers (to my knowledge) have really considered the ramifications inherent in this.
Have you ever talked to somebody, say, a generation or two older than you who thought all music past 1975 was just noise, or still bore a grudge against Communists or the Japanese, or held racial attitudes that might charitably be called old-fashioned? Remember how you had to tell yourself that whoever you talked to–older relative, coworker, neighbor–was just a product of their time? Now imagine that instead of having a coworker who hates rap music or a great aunt who uses terms like "darkie" oblivious to their offensiveness, you have somebody who grew up being taught that anyone from the Indies was a benighted heathen or that slavery was part of the natural order of things or that Mongols were intended to rule the world by decree of the divine and eternal Tengri. Still want a vampire lover?
Wikipedia tells me that Edward Cullen of Twilight was born in 1901 and got vampirized in 1918 during the influenza epidemic, putting him about a decade past his centennial at the literary present. Think of all the things that might occupy a seventeen year-old guy's mind in 1918. World War I springs to mind immediately–if the fighting didn't end, he would have faced the very real possibility of heading to the trenches in a year. Ragtime, not rock, would probably be closer to his taste in music. Immigrant hordes would be pouring over into America, distrusted by some and hated by others. Jim Crow would have been the rule in the South, and people who had been born slaves and fought in the Civil War and Indian conflicts would still be alive, if aging. Do you like the idea of having a relationship with somebody who would most likely have attitudes very similar to those of your great-grandfather on things like marriage, courtship, politics and a woman's place? If so, then by all means, imagine a star-crossed affair with Edward Cullen.
I know tastes change over time, but somebody who was last seventeen in 1918 will not think the same as somebody who is seventeen in the first years of the third millennium. The further you go back in time, the stronger the dissonance will get. And 1901 is still a lot closer to us in terms of attitudes than Renaissance Italy, the Crusades, or ancient Rome–all popular eras for vampires to hail from.[1] This shoots down the whole Byronic Hero concept popular in vampire fandom today, but it opens up possibilities far more fascinating. How do we see the world from the eyes of somebody born in Mughal India? At what point would he stop thinking of himself as Hindu or Muslim or Maratha or Gujarati and begin to think of himself as something other (vetala or bhuta first, perhaps)? Not only would this make an awesome set up for a story about a Ghurka vampire who kills other vampires with his kukri (sweet!), but it also begs interesting questions about the mental price of immortality and at what point one has seen so many generations of mortals live and die that the killing of any one human, no matter how painfully, seems trivial?
I've thought about this stuff too, I have to confess. Usually I imagine what it would be like if I got vampirized, say, in a few decades and then kept existing centuries into the future, witnessing the rise of religious fanaticism and government-sponsored vampire hunters. Sometimes, though, I'll go backward and imagine myself as, say, a Spanish Jew who joined the conquistadors and ultimately received the gift/curse of vampirism after meeting Tezcatlipoca[2] at a crossroads in Tenochtitlan in 1519. A secret Jew who becomes a vampire–another being who must hide its identity to avoid persecution–raises some interesting thematic possibilities.
But when I think about it's a total power fantasy. As a centuries-old vampire, I wouldn't do the wanky Edward Cullen thing and try to perpetuate some sort of bullshit Masquerade as a "vegetarian" vampire. I'd be taking humanoid jaguar-form and tearing out the throats of people who displeased me or offended my antiquated values. My idea of a fun night wouldn't be staring dreamily at some stupid seventeen year-old mortal, but throwing huge festivals for my fellow vampires filled with buffets of living prisoners on tap. Oh, maybe there are younger vampires who try to do the Edward thing with the sensual bites and promises of immortal devotion, but I'd probably hunt them for fun as readily I hunted the living. Maybe I could stake them out to combust in the sunlight like undead firecrackers to celebrate the anniversary of my vampirizing, or set them loose in an underground maze and stalk them down one at a time.
And that still sounds more fun than going to Chuck-E-Cheese.
[1]Kim Newman in his brilliant book Anno Dracula discusses this point exactly. The story takes place in an alternate Victorian England where Dracula defeats Van Helsing and ultimately goes on to marry Queen Victoria. Socialites like Oscar Wilde adopt vampirism as the next big social trend and the murderer "Silver Knife" wanders London slitting the throats of vampire whores. Arthur Godalming is one of those who embraces vampirism (Newman makes it work) and he reflects on how the older vampires are like museum pieces: Dracula still impales people on stakes and Francis Varney employs medieval methods of discipline in his Viceroyalty over the British Raj.
[2]"Smoking Mirror"–the Aztec deity of magic, war, the night sky, rulership, fate and evil