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| Sarah "Fatally Yours" Jahier |
Written by Michael Varrati
Hands down, women are cooler than men. This isn’t so much a divisive
statement in the battle of the sexes, nor is it me betraying my gender,
it’s just a sheer empirical fact.
I know no men who could deal with pregnancy with the grace a woman
could, in fact, most men I know complain at the slightest ache. The fact
remains that men can’t get pregnant because they couldn’t handle it…but
women can.
When soldiers are dying on a battlefield or a child is scared in the
dark, wherever there is a dire situation, it is our mother’s we call for
and whom we wish were there to protect us. Dads may be tough, but moms
are the fighters when it comes to their babies, and we all know not to
cross a mother.
Hell, even gay men, who should have no real reason to pay attention
to women at all make them their idols…and why not? Comparing Liberace
and Cher is no contest: Girl’s got more personality and attitude than a
whole room full of dudes combined.
So, with this in mind, when we here at Fatally-Yours set out to
celebrate Women in Horror month, I was more than okay with the
festivities. Some of my favorite performers in the genre (Jamie Lee
Curtis and Mary Woronov, to name a few) are women, and the female sex
has contributed to fright films far more than any other genre that I can
possibly think of, even if I strain my brain to the max.
Most of the event’s highlights come this month in the form of
interviews with prominent women in horror, a project that was
spearheaded and primarily conducted by our editor, Sarah Jahier. But for
all her attention to other women within the genre, I thought it would
be nice to turn the lens around and give our lovely ringmaster her due.
Without Sarah, and in fact many other female editors within the field, a
lot of horror publications wouldn’t even exist, and it is through her
careful juggling of all the writers, her love of horror, and her ability
to put up with each and every one of our psycho needs that
Fatally-Yours is the success that it is and looks as great as it does.
So for women in horror month, I took a moment to sit down with a
woman who I greatly enjoy working with and think very highly of,
Fatally-Yours’ own editor, Miss Sarah Jahier.
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| Sarah "Fatally Yours" Jahier |
Michael
Varrati: Let’s start with one of your favorite questions for some of
the ladies you’ve interviewed: What are your first memories of the
horror genre and how did you fall in love with it?
Sarah Jahier: I grew up on an isolated ranch in
Northern California, where we had no electricity except for a generator
we ran only a couple of hours a night. So, instead of growing up on TV
and movies, I grew up on books. There was a small library in town, and I
ransacked its shelves for anything by Stephen King while in elementary
school. When I was in junior high and high school I loved Anne Rice’s
books and just couldn’t get enough of anything spooky! So my fondness
for the genre originated from horror books, but when we moved to a
bigger town and a house with electricity I remember renting the
schlockiest horror movies I could find with a high school friend! Horror
back then was just for laughs, but then I saw
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre for the first time and everything changed! That film scared me like no other and I’m
still seeking a film that can chill me to the bone to the extent that
TCM did. After
TCM,
I just couldn’t get enough horror films. A film class in college led me
to broaden my horizons in horror and introduced me to Italian gialli,
Asian ghost stories, and German Expressionist films and so on. From
there, they say, the rest is history.
Michael Varrati: Naturally, this love had to have continued,
otherwise I imagine there would be no Fatally-Yours. What does horror
mean to you, and what about it continues to keep you in its thrall?
Sarah Jahier: Like I mentioned, I’m still searching for that illusive visceral thrill that I first experienced with
TCM.
A horror film that rattles me to the bone and yet has me begging for
more! I just love the adrenaline rush of being scared, but I like horror
movies that mess with your head and burrow into your brain to perturb
you hours, days, weeks, months and hopefully years down the road!
As for what horror means to me, it means a multitude of things.
Horror provides that pleasurable rush of adrenaline, it is a cathartic
experience where fears can be explored in a safe environment, it is fun
and silly entertainment, it is an examination of the darker side of
life, which I’ve always been fascinated with, and I think its dark view
on mankind is more realistic than all other film genres out there.
Believe it or not, I also use horror movies as a way to relax – they are
like a security blanket to me!
Michael Varrati: Bela Lugosi once said, “It is women who
love horror. Gloat over it. Feed on it. Are nourished by it. Shudder and
cling and cry out-and come back for more.” Do you suppose this to
be true? If so, what is it about the horror genre, which has notoriously
objectified women and has a fandom that is generally thought of to be
male, that you feel appeals to the female gender?
Sarah Jahier: Even though some films objectify women
and treat them as little more than pieces of meat, more horror films
are embracing strong female characters. And strong female characters or
not, women still enjoyed being scared just as much as men do. Plus, as
Bela was referencing, women grow up with their own horrifying
experiences. We have to deal with blood once a month not to mention the
body-horrors that go along with being pregnant or dealing with
women-centric diseases, infections, disorders, etc. like post-partum
depression, breast cancer, STD’s and so on. To quote Bela Lugosi again,
“It
is women who bear the race in bloody agony. Suffering is a kind of
horror. Blood is a kind of horror. Women are born with horror in their
very bloodstream. It is a biological thing.”
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| Sarah "Fatally Yours" Jahier in a Dance Party Massacre tee |
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Michael
Varrati: Often, horror films (especially slashers) have a female
protagonist, popularly referred to in the genre fandom as “the last
girl”. Do you think, in this case, female leads are empowering or are
further reinforcement of sexual victimization?
Sarah Jahier: I think it really depends on the
context of the movie. Some films feature a smart Final Girl who is
resourceful and doesn’t rely on someone else to save her. Other films,
though (past and present) feature a woman who survives, but only because
the men around her saved her. Those films irk me, because they show
that a woman can’t survive without a male’s help. And really, shouldn’t
we be past the whole “damsel in distress” thing anyway? Luckily, most
horror films feature kick ass “final girls” who stop at nothing to
survive or get revenge on someone who has wronged them. We are also
seeing more strong female villains, which, in my book, can be just as
important as how heroines are portrayed.
Michael Varrati: What women in horror do you admire, look up to, or are inspired by? Who would you say are your favorites?
Sarah Jahier: When I started Fatally-Yours, I was
greatly inspired by the few women writers that I found on the web,
including Heidi Martinuzzi of Pretty/Scary, Stacie Ponder of Final Girl
and Staci Layne Wilson of Horror.com. I am still inspired by these three
hardworking ladies, who wear their passion for the genre on their
sleeves!
I also admire all women who are involved in the horror genre, from
bloggers to actors to artists to directors to authors and so on! It’s
been so exciting to see so many new female horror writers in the last
couple of years, especially on many horror sites.
Michael Varrati: How did Fatally-Yours get its start? Clearly
you were a horror fan, but what lead you to go from casual fan to
creating this site and establishing yourself as a genre goddess?
Sarah Jahier: Hahaha, “genre goddess”! You are too
kind, sir! Well, I’m not sure if I’m there yet, but thank you!
Fatally-Yours started after I graduated college. Believe it or not, I
loved school and I really missed my horror film class I had taken my
last semester. As mentioned earlier, it really exposed me to many
different horror sub-genres that I was in the process of exploring. I
really wanted to continue writing about film, so *ta-da* Fatally-Yours
was birthed! I started it mainly to get ideas out of my head and put to
paper how horror films affected me and which new ones I discovered, but
soon it kept growing and growing and growing…
Michael Varrati: Do you feel Fatally-Yours has achieved the
goals you have set for it? Is there anything you’d like to see done with
the site that you have not yet had a chance to do?
Sarah Jahier: Well, at first it was sort of my own
space to express my thoughts, but then it kept growing and evolved to a
place where horror fans could discover new films/book/etc. I’ve always
wanted it to be about expressing my love of horror and sharing it with
others (hence our motto, “For the Love of Horror”) and I feel that we’ve
achieved this (in no small part thanks to my wonderful staff of
writers…I definitely couldn’t do it alone!), but there is always more to
be done! I say there is always room for improvement, and I hope to keep
expanding Fatally-Yours in one way or another.
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| Sarah "Fatally Yours" Jahier |
Michael
Varrati: What advice would you give to young women looking to go into
the horror genre, whether it be as a horror journalist, such as
yourself, or the writing, directing, or performance aspects of the
field?
Sarah Jahier: Believe in yourself and follow your
heart. If you want to do it, then do it and don’t let anything stop you.
Anything is possible, so aim high! Be fearless, but respect those that
come before you. Never close yourself off to an opportunity because who
knows where it may lead! With that said, don’t compromise your beliefs
and stay true to who you are. Don’t let people just use you for your
pretty face or body, show them how talented you really are!
Michael Varrati: Okay, now that we have some of the more
serious stuff out of the way…how about a few fun ones. Here’s a scenario
question: You’re the “last girl” and you get to lock horns with any of
the great horror movie villains. Who’d it be and why? Also, would you
fight to just survive…or are you out to draw blood?
Sarah Jahier: Oh, so many monsters and so little time! I would love to go up against the sisters in
Ginger Snaps,
though “against” is probably the wrong word…I would probably join them!
I think they are some of the best female characters in a recent horror
flick and just so dang cool! Thanks to writer Karen Walton for dreaming
them up and giving us some REAL female characters! I also have a big
thing for Maleficent in
Sleeping Beauty, which I know
isn’t a horror flick, but she is definitely one cool villain! I’m really
hoping Tim Burton does something cool with his upcoming re-imaging of
the story where he is planning on telling the tale from Maleficent’s
point of view. I would also love to pit myself against any of the black
gloved killers in giallo films, just to see if I could outsmart them!
And I would definitely be out for blood!
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| Sarah "Fatally Yours" Jahier in a custom SEIBEI zombie hunter tee |
Michael Varrati: You’ve made it pretty well known that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
(’74) is your favorite horror film of all time…but what is your least
favorite? I often consider this answer as telling as what we like the
most.
Sarah Jahier: Oh geez, ok, least favorite…hmmmm…one recent flick that comes to mind is
Return to Sleepaway Camp. The memory of watching that is still painful to this day. I also don’t enjoy realistic, snuff-type horror films, like the
August Underground or
Guinea Pig
series or equivalent. They aren’t bad films by any means, but I just
don’t particularly enjoy these types of horror films. I like my horror
to be an escape and entertain me while still staying smart, but those
realistic films just seem to be in it for the shock value. Besides the
cool special FX, I don’t understand their appeal.
Michael
Varrati: …okay, now that you’ve revealed your least favorite horror
flick, here’s the real challenge: Say something nice about the film.
Sarah Jahier: Ok, I’ll say something nice about
Return to Sleepaway Camp
– it has Felissa Rose in it! As for the realistic gore-type films, I
will say their special FX are amazing…but a bit too realistic for me, if
that makes sense.
Michael Varrati: According to your F-Y profile, you enjoy
throwing horror movie nights. What would you say is the perfect double
feature for a girl’s night in?
Sarah Jahier: Mmmmm the possibilities!!
Ginger Snaps and
The Descent
are some great female-centric horror films that I would love to share
with all my girlfriends. Recently, I also absolutely loved
Jennifer’s Body
(I don’t understand why people didn’t like that movie!) and at the end
of the month I am showing that to some friends alongside the campy and
hilarious
Zombie Strippers. How’s that for a double-feature!?
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| Sarah "Fatally Yours" Jahier |
Michael Varrati: Alright, the next few questions are also culled from your FY profile. You’ve listed your favorite directors, I’m going to name each of them and I want you to select just one of that director’s films to represent what you think is best about their body of work, and if possible, why. Let’s start with George Romero.
Sarah Jahier:
Sheesh, I really need to update my profile, don’t I?! I’ll tell you
what, I’ll select my favorite film from each director and tell you why
it is so relevant to the horror genre as well as explaining why I love
it so. I can’t guarantee I’ll pick the film that best represents his
oeuvre.
George Romero –
Night of the Living Dead. It contributed so much to the horror genre, and has that gritty immediacy that most horror films nowadays lack.
Lucio Fulci –
Don’t Torture a Duckling. Sure, there is
Zombi 2, which I also love, but my absolute favorite is
Don’t Torture a Duckling. Not only did it deal with taboo issues (killing children, among others), but it did so in a beautifully photographed way!
Dario Argento –
Suspiria will always be my favorite
Argento film and one I believe shows his filmmaking at its best. The
narrative might not always make sense, but the sheer beauty of the
colors he uses and skillful use of sound throughout the eerie movie just
kills me every time!
Takashii Miike – All of Miike’s films (well, at least the
thriller/horror ones, probably not so much his children’s movies) are
exhilarating rides of violence and breaking taboos. I think
Audition
is probably his most straight-forward work, though, and while the
tension simmers until it reaches its boiling point at the end of the
film, it still manages to creep under my skin and leave me unsettled.
It’s not just the violence, but the overall mystery and tension
throughout the film! Runner-up would be
Ichi the Killer.
Roman Polanski – I love Polanski’s POV techniques, especially in
The Tenant, that make you feel like you are in the protagonist’s shoes and as they slip into madness so do you. I think
The Tenant is an underrated film in the horror community and doesn’t get nearly enough props. People usually talk about Polanski’s
Repulsion, which I also like, but
The Tenant is just a near-perfect exercise in skewed perspectives and expectations.
Tim Burton –
Edward Scissorhands. All of Burton’s films are about the gothic visuals, and I think
Scissorhands is one of his most wonderfully vivid and fairy tale-like creations. This film is just a magical experience.
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| Sarah "Fatally Yours" Jahier in a Headstone City tee |
Michael Varrati: Now that we’ve just worked through all your
favorite horror directors, I’d like to take a moment to point
out…they’re all men. This leads me back to the theme of the interview
and our celebration of the month, who, if any, do you consider to be a
great female director within the genre?
Sarah Jahier: See, what did I say about updating my
profile?! This is an excellent point, though, and I would like to point
out that while men may become known for their horror movie work, women
directors usually don’t. I also think women directors move on to other
genres and tend to be more varied in their careers. Is that because as a
woman director it is hard to make a name for yourself in the horror
genre or is it because they tend to move on to other genres? Well, I’m
not sure, but I do hope we see more women directors in the horror genre
in the years to come.
As
for right now, I really can’t wait to see more of Devi Snively’s work
as well as that by Michelle Fatale. I also hope that Heidi Martinuzzi
does more films, because I absolutely loved her short film
Wretched. As for “bigger” names, I really admire Kathryn Bigelow for giving us
Near Dark, Mary Harron for
American Psycho, Mary Lambert for
Pet Sematary and Antonia Bird for
Ravenous.
Still, these directors have branched out to other genres and haven’t
really given us any other horror films (or at least ones that were as
good as these films). I see many more female filmmakers making horror
films, though, so hopefully we will be seeing a lot more female-helmed
horror in the future!
Michael Varrati: You’ve really spear-headed the celebration
of Women in Horror month with an intensive series of interviews with a
vast array of ladies within the genre. Is there anyone out there who you
didn’t get to interview that would be a dream come true for this event?
I suppose living or dead could apply, this being horror, after all.
Sarah Jahier: I would love to interview Cassandra
Peterson for her role as Elvira. I just love the sassiness and
brassiness she brought to that role! I also would have loved to
interview producer Debra Hill for all the contributions she made to the
horror industry, contributions I think she doesn’t get enough credit
for. Most people don’t realize she, alongside John Carpenter, brought
Halloween to life! It would be a dream come true to interview
Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, screen siren Barbara Steele and scream queen Linnea Quigley!
Many thanks to you Sarah, for taking time out of your schedule to
answer these questions, and on behalf of all us here at Fatally-Yours,
thanks for being OUR woman in horror!
Follow Sarah on
Twitter!
