My Vagina Isn't My Resume - The Women of American Mary

"As I'm greeted raucously by the Soskas and Tristan Risk, I notice a willowy blonde sitting in the corner observing us. "Dammit," I think, "that's Katharine Isabelle. I didn't know she was going to be here." Sensing my surprise, Jen laughs and says, "This is Katie. She flew in last night." 

Katharine stands and we shake hands. "Sorry," I say shyly, "but I didn't prepare for you." She smiles, then drops her head and makes an exaggerated sad face. Jen says, "It's okay. No one's

 prepared for Katie."

The Soskas are road warriors, relentlessly grinding it out on the film fest circuit the world over. I'm extremely curious about how they manage such an arduous schedule. I mention that I'm still recovering from the boozy karaoke party a few nights earlier, during which the Soskas commandeered the stage to the delight of the crowd and performed a passionate version of Aerosmith's "Dream On." If this is typical festival life, how do they manage it on a nonstop basis?

Sylvia Soska smiles, saying, "If we had the choice, we wouldn't do anything but this. It's kinda what we live for." 

READ THE WHOLE VERY HONEST & EXPLICIT PIECE WITH THERON NEEL HERE!!

-Sylv 

 

Fantastic Response from American Mary's American Premiere

"I've been covering horror movies for a while now, and over the years I've noticed a lot of very interesting genre films about women -- that are also written and directed by men. That's meant as a compliment. Indie filmmakers like Paul Sole

t (Grace), Mitchell Lichtenstein (Teeth), and Lucky McKee (May, The Woman) are clearly and admirably fascinated by females who exist in an environment of dark fiction, but let's be frank here: there should be more horror films about women -- that are also written and directed by women. The dark and disturbing, yet oddly accessible American Mary looks like a firm step in the right direction. Written and directed by a pair of twin sisters from Vancouver, American Mary is easily one of the most fascinating female-themed horror stories of the past few years, and it should absolutely serve to open a few more doors for the audacious and plainly talented Jen and Sylvia Soska." - Scott Weinberg, FearNET (full article)

"All of which leads rather too neatly to the latest gory slice of body horror making shockwaves around the cinematic world, and having its Northern Premiere at Grimmfest: Jen and Sylvia Soska’s darkly funny and at times deeply disturbing di

ssection of the cult of beauty, cosmetic surgery addiction, body image and body modification, American Mary.

Combining the visceral physicality and ambivalent perspectives of Cronenberg or Barker, with a kind of raised-eyebrow archness and cold-eyed camp grotesquerie worthy of John Waters, and featuring a stunning, emotional powerhouse performance from Katherine Isabelle, already a Body Horror icon from the Ginger Snaps films, it tells the story of impoverished medical student Mary Mason, who gets pulled into the shadowy underworld of illegal body modification surgery after she performs a few questionable procedures for a local mobster.

The Soskas know their stuff.

The film explores every aspect of body horror head on: sado-masochism, fetishism, physical transformation, fear of sex, discomfort with one’s own appearance, loss of control. It might almost serve as a primer for a whole sub genre." - Steve Balshaw, Mancunian Matters (full article)

"American Mary is filled with splendid gore sequences, the odd humour and superb acting throughout. Ginger Snaps star Katharine Isabelle puts on a great performance in her role as Mary Mason and is still stunning as ever… The Soska sisters 

seemed to convince viewers with this film how they are capable of making a truly entertaining and edge of your seat Horror flick. The Twisted Twins also make an appearance during the film, so keep an eye out for that…

The film is highly recommended to all viewers (except young children), as it is one of the most entertaining Horror films of 2012 along with The Cabin in the Woods and it will have something to satisfy almost any Horror fan. Humour, gore, Katharine Isabelle… What is not to like?" - Adam Chabbi, The Daily Horror (full article)

 "American Mary isn't just the most startling and original horror film of the year, it's also a feature that announces the arrival of two very exciting talents to the genre in the shape of sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska." - Chris Tilly, IGN (full article) 

 "Katharine's character, Mary, was so compelling and the tone and production design of the film so distinctive (see it with a Goth chick you know, she'll love it), we liked it anyway and will definitely be checking out whatever Jen and Sylvi

a do next. The story focuses on the culture of underground body modification surgery, and thus a lot of the shocks in the movie were of the naked variety, including one (technically) full frontal shot of a woman who willingly had her nipples removed and vagina sewn shut to look more like a doll. Katharine’s non-nude streak continues, but considering she spends several scenes dressed in a corset, thigh-highs, and/or a latex apron, there’s still plenty to feast your eyes on here.

American Mary was definitely one of the more interesting Q&As we attended as Jen and Sylvia took the mic with co-star Tristan Risk wearing replicas of the (very revealing, by the way) ensemble Katharine wears in the film." - Skin Central, Mr. Skin (full article)

"But that was way back in 2010. What have they done for us lately? Many is the filmmaker that crashed and burned following a fast rise. Oh god, what if it was all a fluke? 

Well, the Soskas are back with their sophomore feature, American Ma

ry, which had its U.S. premiere at Fantastic Fest last night. And I’m happy to report that the Twisted Twins’ success is no fluke. American Mary delivers the goods. It’s no Dead Hooker, but don’t despair; that’s a very good thing.

One of the most impressive things about Mary is how completely different it is from the Soskas’ debut. Where Dead Hooker in a Trunk was a gonzo thrill ride, American Mary is a frosty revenge thriller — all warm, pulsing viscera beneath a cool, steely surface." -Theron Neel, Planet Fury (full article)

"AMERICAN MARY is a huge step fowards after DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK (which I am a big fan of), and not just from a budgetary standpoint, but from a confidence level displayed in the writing and directing by the twins. It portends even greate

r works of art from these powerful, creative, and risk-taking filmmakers." - 

 Corey Mitchell, Bloody-Disgusting (full article)

"With American Mary, the Soskas present a unique canvas of surgical oddities and “freaks” not often seen on the screen, calling to mind some of the characters who would breeze through Nip/Tuck. However, the Soskas give them more purpose and heart than Ryan Murphy’s series did, creating a strong, eclectic gallery of personalities like Beatress (Tristan Risk) – a woman who transformed her visage to resemble Betty Boop and comes pretty damn close to stealing every scene she’s in. 

Brian (Drive Angry) Pearson’s photography is gorgeous, shifting from one color palette to the next as we’re carried from Mary’s makeshift surgery room to the grungy environs of the strip club scene." - Ryan Turek, Shock Till You Drop (full article)

"With American Mary, the Sisters Soska definitively prove they’re more than just a pair of pretty faces by delivering a film that is not only a quantum leap from the previous feature but also, without getting to hyperbolic about it, represe

ntative of one of the most exciting new voices in the genre. Eschewing genre clichés and easy pandering, this sophomore effort delivers a textured, engaging and original effort that should deservedly break out amongst the horror faithful.

" - Johnny Donaldson, Geek League of America (full article)

 -Sylv

Blood Soaked Snow Courtesy of Crazy Canucks!

                         

"Horror has been in Canada's snow for decades now, starting with the classic Cannibal Girls and Black Christmasin the early '70s, through the classic early Cronenberg years of Shivers, Rabid and The Brood in the late '70s. In the '80s, we got films like Prom Night, My Bloody Valentine and The Gate. In the past decade, we've had flicks like the Ginger Snaps series, Cube and PontyPool. In fact, you could even count the last three Dead movies by George A. Romero as Canadian — after all, he is a Canadian citizen now and made all three films in Toronto." -Kelly Michael Stewart, PLANET FURY

For those of you new to this blog and/or the antics of myself and my twin sister, Jen, here is something that changed my life. We were always big horror nerds, we loved Rodriguez flicks, and at the end of 2007, GRINDHOUSE changed our lives. We had been going to a rip off claiming to be a film school, they had pulled our funding to our final project which just made us artistically pissed off. It was at that time we were inspired by the faux trailers in the multi-collaborative project, but it was Canadian Jason Eisener's HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN that truly made us think - yes, we can eviscerate too! That was the where our first film, DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK got her sexy legs.

Now, I'm a very proud Canadian. We have this beautiful country filled with interesting quirky people. Yes, we are polite, but as anyone who has Canadian friends or enjoys Canadian films can tell you, Canadians are fucking weird. I adore that weirdness, that different approach that brings original stories to life. There is a lot of talent here, and it's not only on our hockey teams (minus playoff season, seriously, what the fuck happened?). I feel very privileged to have been included on the fantastic Kelly Michael Stewart's Ten Canadian Genre/Horror Filmmakers to Watch For List.

"I've put to together a list of 10 Canadian genre/horror filmmakers and filmmaking teams who I think are worth watching out for in the next year. Remarkably, there are a ton of directors that I couldn't even fit on this list, so that gives you an idea of the wealth I had to pick from. All of the chosen people have a feature or two that are out now or will be out in the next 12 months. Most of these names you likely haven't heard of yet and are best described as "bubbling under" in the industry. The one thing that they all have in common is that they have recently put out an interesting film or a small body of work that is pointing to greater things. Keep an eye on the following filmmakers in the next year and see if you agree."

The list includes: Foresight Features, Astron-6, Jason Eisener, Black Fawn Films, Karen Lam, Justin McConnell, Ryan M Andrews, Evan Kelly, Richard Powell, and the Twisted Twins. Click here for a proper introduction to these Canucks and the rad article. A huge and humble thanks to Kelly for including Jen and me on this list - very fucking cool of you!

-Sylv

Get Your Own Fresh Dead Hooker and Hooker on Steroids Future Ambitions

Since the beginning of DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK, Jen and I have come to learn first hand that there is no such thing as overnight success. To follow your dreams, to make something that is important to you, to having that something - even a crazy GRINDHOUSE-inspired flick about a dead hooker that finds herself in a group of don't give a shit twenty-something's firebird's trunk - reach an audience around the world takes dedication, time, and focus. It also takes a horror community that loves these kinds of films the way that you do, who back you up like that buddy you can call at 3am when shit hits the fan because that's how fucking awesome they are.


Theron Neel and Planet Fury have always been that buddy to us. Supporting the flick from it's 'woah, there's some Canadian movie about a dead hooker, lol' stages to today where the film has been released this past May 23rd in the UK, courtesy of Bounty Films, and Australia, through Monster Pictures, a television premiere on the Horror Channel, multiple repeats of that showing, and then August 3rd, when IFC Midnight bought the final regions, released the film on VOD and limited theatrical screenings throughout the US, and on January 31st, 2012 - their DVD release of the flick will be upon us.

"It's been a long haul for Jen and Sylvia Soska's Dead Hooker. What began as a film school project morphed into an exploitation classic that attained near-mythic status on the festival circuit and transformed the Soskas into indie darlings along the way.

Sadly, though you've likely read about this flick, you probably haven't seen it. But, thanks to the beneficence of the folks at IFC Midnight, on January 31 you’ll finally get the opportunity to enjoy the Twisted Twins' debut feature."

Other than the repeated night of your life if you take this girl home, what do you get?

"Rebels Without a Budget": A 15-minute featurette following the making of Dead Hooker In A Trunk, which is a mash-up of alternate footage, B-Roll and candid moments throughout the production showing aspects of the process of making a no-budget independent film.

Director Commentary Track: Featuring Jen and Sylvia Soska, Recorded February 2011. The Twins discuss various aspects of the film and its creation set to screen specific moments.

Post-Production Commentary Track: Featuring Jen and Sylvia Soska with CJ Wallis. Recorded February 2011, this track will discuss some of the tricks and methods used along the way to side-step the time and budget limitations during production and post.

A Discussion With Carlos Gallardo: Shot in Carlos' home in Los Angeles shortly after completing his scenes, the Twins and Carlos discuss El Mariachi and the history and war stories of low-budget filmmaking.

Deleted Scenes: Several scenes that were deleted from the original version of the film due to pacing, etc.

What else do we have planned? Read the entire piece here and/or here - better read both for good measure - to get all the goods as we speak briefly about upcoming AMERICAN MARY, an actual sequel to HOOKER following in Rodriguez's DESPERADO footsteps, and all the things DEAD HOOKER. Thank you to Theron for always supporting the little guy, the little guy has been able to travel the world because of your faith and backing. Not too many dead hookers get spread around this far.. that came out wrong.. aw, fuck it... this is a huge fucking thrill and we cannot believe that this day is almost upon us!


Thank you for reading, watching, tweeting, blogging, screening, sharing, and caring, girls and boys. The horror community consists of the greatest folks on the fucking planet and you are all living proof. You can preorder this chick here (fuck yeah).

~Sylv

Halloween Memories on Slammed & Damned

Boys and grrls, if you are avid readers of our Penny Dreadful Diary (and truly, why wouldn't you be?) you must be well acquainted with our beloved friend and exquisitely talented writer, reviewer, and interviewer, Theron Neel of Slammed & Damned as well as Planet Fury.

I hope all you fellow creatures of the night are recovered or recover-ing at this point. And hopefully, my darlings, you remember exactly what you did this Halloween, even if it's fuzzy patches that slam back into your mind like post traumatic stress disorder style acid flashbacks. We had the pleasure of chatting with Theron about our Halloweens past...

"We would look forward to it all year long. My parents thought it was funny because we would muchly prefer Halloween to Christmas, birthdays, anything else. There have been lots of folks that used to come over to me and say, “It’s not Halloween” because of my attire. Now, every day kind of is." ~ Sylvia Soska

"We’re very lucky to be able to have Halloween every day, but there is something undeniably special about Halloween. We’ve almost religiously dressed up every year. It makes me sad to hear “grownups” say that they don’t like Halloween and haven’t dressed up since they were kids. Where is it written or said that once you reach a certain age you have to stop having fun? And that’s really what Halloween is — a whole lot of demented fun." ~ Jen Soska

For the full Halloween Interview, please enjoy it RIGHT HERE!!!

And thank you, as always, Theron. You're absolutely wonderful.

Bloody Best!
Jen Soska