"American Mary is a criminally under seen black comedic horror film set in the world of body modification. The film is the sophomore feature from Canadian twin sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska who blew away audiences with their low budget grindhouse riot girl epic Dead Hooker in a Trunk and just wrapped production on See No Evil 2. The film follows Mary (Katharine Isabelle from Ginger Snaps), a surgical student who ends up performing body modification surgeries as a way to get herself out of debt and ends up becoming a rock star in the field. As much as I loved Dead Hooker, the Soskas blew me away with this film. It’s funny, disturbing, and even heartbreaking. These two lovely ladies are two of the best new voices in horror and I will be following their career for years to come. This is an absolute watch and one of the best films of the year in any genre." - Project Shanks (full piece)
"American Mary
I've been waiting for a full year to put American Mary on my top five list! Released very late last year, thus qualifying for 2013 consideration, American Mary oozes style. Jen and Sylvia Soska grabbed their sophomore effort by the throat and didn't let go until they had a fantastic film. Audiences have fallen in love with not only American Mary but the highly marketable Soska sisters as well. The Twisted Twins nabbed Katharine Isabelle to play the deliciously devious Mary Mason, and the star brought viewers on a fantastic ride of pain, disillusionment, revenge and some of the craziest body modifications you've ever seen. Fantastic music also adds to the thick atmosphere in the movie. American Mary officially put the Soskas on the map, and with their next film, See No Evil 2, already in the can, these girls have the world by the surgically modified balls." - Dread Central (full piece)
"Katharine Isabelle in American MaryCount me as a huge fan of The Soska Sisters’ latest cinematical endeavor, American Mary and a huge part of that is due to the breakout performance by Katharine Isabelle. Isabelle’s always been pretty great, but she proves in American Mary that she’s truly a star with a remarkably engaging and heartbreaking performance that I fell in love with. The Soska’s themselves serve up some powerhouse material with their tragic story of a medical student working outside of the system, but make no mistake, it’s Isabelle who knocks it right out of the park in American Mary." - Daily Dead (full piece)
"American Mary
I was lucky enough to catch “American Mary” before it’s 2013 release. The Soska Sisters ( Dead Hooker in a Trunk) take their bizarre style of film, and take it to the next level. Katherine Isabelle is great as our title character, and you really feel her breakdown to sociopathic behavior. This is a 4 star effort from the sisters ( who even have a cameo in the film)." - Horror Movies.ca (full piece)
"07) AMERICAN MARYOh, Beatress. This was a look that could have very easily worn the actress, but Tristan Risk owned this character design and made it her own. I was very impressed with the plastic look of the living Betty Boop, and the attention to detail of making a woman look like an actual cartoon character was on point. In comparison to the "Ruby Real Girl" character, Beatress didn't look like the typical 'overly plastic-Jocelyn Wildenstein' character, she really looked like Betty Boop." - Day of the Woman (full piece)
"4. American MaryA solid follow up for the Soska sisters. I enjoyed Dead Hooker in a Trunk, but I loved this. Katharine Isabelle steals the show. Unique and full of great gore and body mods, as well as the sexiest Betty Boop looking lady ever." - Guts and Grog (full piece)
"American MaryDirected by twin sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska, American Mary has been popping up on a ton of best of lists and for good reason—the original premise and convincing performance by Katherine Isablelle, star of the Canadian hitGinger Snaps, helps American Mary rise above many of the independent horror films released in 2013. American Mary is just twisted enough to satisfy horror fans bent on the films of David Cronenberg and Takashi Miike." - PopShifter (full piece)
"American MaryJen and Sylvia Soska, two confident women of horror, gave the genre a standout film with the well-crafted “American Mary”. While the scares may be scarce the character development and dread filled atmosphere keep the film compelling. The narrative makes interesting comments about self-identity and the manipulation of it both physical and psychological. These two budding directors have offered an exceptional horror film." - Daily Dead (full piece)
"9. American Mary - Ginger Snaps’ Katharine Isabelle gives a great performance in this, the second film from Jen and Sylvia Soska (the “Twisted Twins” and directors of Dead Hooker in a Trunk). Mary finds Isabelle as the eponymous character, a young med student who falls into performing illegal body modification surgeries to support herself financially. When a violent incident sends Mary spiraling into madness, the film’s heroine slowly transforms into the (admittedly sympathetic) villain of the piece, racking up a body count even as her sanity erodes. This film’s strong lead performance, offbeat subject matter, and beautiful photography make this a must-see." - Dread Central (full piece)
"2. American Mary (Xlrator Media) - The Soska sisters are becoming a name that is really synonymous with horror. American Mary is proof that these women can stand tall in a genre that is led mainly by males."
"6) American Mary (Xlrator Media) - This applause-worthy sophomore effort of the Soska twins features the bodaciously babely female antihero that the modern horror genre desperately needed and teaches us an important lesson in recognizing self worth, wreaking vengeance upon those who have wronged us, and the dire consequences of crossing the sometimes dangerously thin line between malice and madness." - Cinesploitation (full piece)
"2) AMERICAN MARY (Dir. Jen & Sylvia Soska)Like Kate Chopin’s The Awakening was adapted into the world of underground strip clubs and body modification. Surgery is a messy thing, and this film captures both the fascination and the terror associated with the performance of it and the surgical profession itself. Any one filmmaker – or, in the case of the Soska sisters, two – that can offer something this bold and subversive deserves to be on everyone’s radar." - Diabolique Magazine (full piece)
"On our Best of 2013 Show we run down the Top 5 Movies, including my pick for #1.... Jen & Sylvia Soska's American Mary!" - Mike Wendt (full piece)
"1) American Mary:Taking inspiration from the works of David Cronenberg and Takashi Miike, American Mary is a low budget feminist horror film that takes the viewers into the world of body modification with excellent practical make up effects and a potential future horror icon role for Katharine Isabelle of “Ginger Snaps” fame delivering an equally scary, funny and kooky performance." - Snake Bite Horror (full piece)
-Sylv