Mangled Matters' Justin Hamelin Looks at Back 2011 & Dead Hooker Tops the List!!

There is few big a thrill as having a fellow horror nerd & writer dig what you are doing. Jen and I are hopeless horror geeks, it's our crack and our pipe can always be stuffed mores (don't do crack, girls & boys, just watch lots of horror), and when we made DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK it was in the hopes that people who grew up on the insane flicks we did would feel a certain throwback to those flicks and see something that left them feeling thoroughly entertained.

As 2011 takes its final dirt nap, we find our DEAD HOOKER has done just that and may I introduce you to Justin Hamelin of Mangled Matters and Ravenous Monster, if this fine gentleman has yet to grace your horror loving lives --

"I am a horror fanatic who has been writing since I was able to hold a pencil (albeit the 'incorrect' way to many teachers in my lifetime). I absolutely love the horror genre and am slowly getting up the courage to call myself a horror aficionado. Writing, learning, horror and the arts are my passion."

And if I do say so, type so, blog so, myself - a really fucking cool guy. We've had the pleasure of chatting much in the past and it's always a fucking blast. So, when I woke up this morning to his Top Ten List of 2011, I was fucking ecstatic to see DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK had made the cut in a very coveted position (hookers know all the rad positions).

"I cannot wait for the next twelve months. There will be short stories, screenplays, short films and horror conventions to be conquered. There are over fifty interviews that will be posted to celebrate the amazing Women In Horror. There will no doubt be a ton of stories and memories along the way. I'm going to love every minute of it.

With all of that being said, let's take a look back at what I deem a pretty solid year in horror. We were treated to independent gems, arguably the best haunted house film since 'Poltergeist', and enough blood and guts splattered across the calendar to keep us rolling into the new year!"

And what did the fabulous Mr. Hamelin have to say about DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK?

"The indie scene hasn't produced a flick as downright kick ass as 'Dead Hooker In A Trunk' since John Carpenter introduced the world to a boogey man named Michael.

The minds behind this ode to the gritty grindhouse glory of yesteryear are fast becoming the leading ladies of independent horror.

Jen and Sylvia Soska envisioned this film as a one-finger salute to a crappy film school experience. What they created was a bloody, fun and truly amazingly bad ass movie that is only the beginning for the ridiculously talented Soska twins.

Hollywood, take notice.

'Dead Hooker In A Trunk' friggin' rocks!!"

So, that turns out to be one of the best compliments of our twisted little lives. Check the whole rad list here - a lot of my favourites are here too that you should totally check out. Thank you, Justin, for bestowing this ginormous honour to us. I am so happy that DEAD HOOKER hit home and thank you for taking the time to get the word out about the project.


If it wasn't for the support of people like you - true horror fans - the film would never have been able to spread as far as she has and give us the ability to live our dream of being able to make our very own horror movies. We can never thank you enough, so we promise to keep making strange and entertaining flicks that will hopefully brighten any shitty day, much like a real good hooker!

~Sylv

Round Two With the Twisted Twins & Ravenous Monster

"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."
-Justin Hamelin, Ravenous Monster

My sister, Jen, has given me so much strength in my life. I lived a nightmare for two years when I was 21 years old when a customer at the Starbucks that I worked at became infatuated with me. He was thirty years my senior and decided he wanted to fuck me. He would show up constantly, grab at me, even touch himself while watching me work. You'd think a big corporation like Starbucks would have done something to protect me, but they simply transferred me to another location where the harassment could continue.

Despite the police reports, despite all my efforts to stop it, this went on for two years before the circumstances and reports would allow me to take the case to court. The judge was so angry that he could barely speak and the ruling was five years - no contact. The event left its mark on me and I wasn't myself anymore. I didn't want to leave my room. I got rid of my apartment and Jen and I returned home. But Jen would never allow me to feel weak for long. She forced me into private, hardcore martial arts training and created Badass.

When we wrote the script, I had to be that character in her mind, even though - Jen more appropriately would get those parts. All these feelings came back to me when I stood in front of the flame bar and said Jen's fucking ridiculously tough line "Like dying could kill me." Ironic that I saved her, because she's always been there saving me.


I am one of the luckiest girls in the world because I have the most amazing people in my life. One such amazing gentleman is Justin Hamelin who took the time to do a massive interview with us. He's one of these people that honest to fucking goodness love the genre and when he speaks about it - you tend to like even your most beloved favorite flicks that much more. Speaking of incredibly kind, love the genre, gentlemen - here's a little peek at the part two of our interview --

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.

No more previews, click here to read the entire lovely piece. If you missed the first part, get caught up here.

A very humble and sincere thank you to Justin for taking the time and dealing with our crazy schedule to have this chat. It was a wicked time and hope to come back and bug you with news about AMERICAN MARY!

~Sylv

Ravenous Monster's Justin Hamelin Interviews the Twisted Twins

When we say we that the people that dig our work are our reason for getting up in the morning we're not just saying it because it's a nice thing to say. We damn well mean it.

It's a dream come true for a couple of hopeless horror nerds to be creating their own stories and sharing them with the world. What's even cooler is that people like it and we love them for it. It quite literally makes our days to hear from people who have seen DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK or are asking about AMERICAN MARY. And I know I will always be just as excited to hear from anyone who has been so good as to check out our shit and tell their friends.

I was so happy to hear from one Justin Hamelin of RAVENOUS MONSTER. He had seen DHIAT and loved it. Clearly, he's a man of taste. He wanted to chat with us and we're were more than excited for the opportunity to talk with him. And he got in touch with us just before we went into heavy pre-production on MARY and thus have had to shut up for a while (probably for the first time in our lives). That, to us, proved it was meant to be.

Justin is a wicked awesome writer and a truly kick ass human being. He has reviewed our beloved first born baby, DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK. If you missed out on that, I, as always, have got you covered. Here is his FULL REVIEW OF DHIAT.

And, onto the main course, may I present to you PART ONE OF OUR RAVENOUS MONSTER INTERVIEW.

Stay tuned for Part Two.

And may I just extend our sincere thanks to Justin for taking the time to drop us a line and talk with us. Not to mention, thank you for checking out DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK in the first place.

Bloody Best!
Jen

Ravenous Monster's Justin Hamelin DHIAT Review and Twisted Twins Interview

"‘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." ~Justin Hamelin, RAVENOUS MONSTER

Ravenous Monster is a fucking cool site.

Officially, Ravenous Monster is a webzine that delivers the latest horror news, reviews, interviews, and analysis. Born of a love for the all mighty horror flick, Ravenous Monster also covers books, comics, music, and games. They seek to expose the bloody best the genre has to offer to the legions of horror fans out there!

And we love that.

Recently we had the pleasure of speaking with one of their brilliant writers, Justin Hamelin. It was our absolute pleasure to speak with him and the interview itself? Well, boys and grrls, let's just say it was epic. It will be coming VERY soon and featured in two delectable portions on Ravenous Monster. And we just can't wait.

But fear not, you won't be waiting long and we, in fact, have a tasty morsel of an appetizer for you all. Justin was not only kind enough to talk the time to chat with us, but he has also reviewed our first born baby, DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK. The film review is wicked awesome and will get you damn excited for the interview.

"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." ~Justin Hamelin, RAVENOUS MONSTER

I wish we had been there with them.

Enjoy the FULL DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK review RIGHT HERE!!

And thank you most humbly to Justin for taking the time to not only get in touch with us, but to review the film and interview us Twisted Twins. Can't wait for next time.

Bloody Best!
Jen