Interview with Actress and Producer Katrena Rochell

Katrena Rochell co-stars in the much anticipated comic book adapted film Kick-Ass starring Nicholas Cage and Mark Strong. Katrena plays a sexy junkie in the Matthew Vaughn directed film, produced by Brad Pitt’s Plan B Production Company, which was recently released in the US from Lionsgate. Also in 2010, Katrena stars in the, Psychosis opposite Charisma Carpenter and Paul Sculfor. She plays “Helena” in the psychological thriller that she co-wrote and executive produced.

On the small screen in her native Untied Kingdom, Katrena will be seen this year in the made for TV movie, Casting Nina a British mockumentary about the absurdities that surround the world of the entertainment industry. She is best known for her role in television film currently airing on the BBC The Last Days of Lehman Brothers, where she plays “Ezzy” opposite esteemed actor, James Cromwell.

Katrena was just cast opposite Michelle Morrow in an untitled sci-fi thriller about the end of times directed by Michael Shelton. She also just signed on to produce and star in a new untitled film that deals with a small town family’s struggles with crystal meth addicts. Her other film credits include the independent film, Joy Division and the video short  JD Pilot.

Katrena is co-director of the British production company Kingsway Films that produced Psychosis and Joy Division. She began her acting studies at Mesa Conservatory and continues to study at the Impulse Theatre Company when in the UK. She divides her time between London and Los Angeles. In her free time she enjoys reading, painting, hiking, tennis and cooking.

Fatally Yours: What are your first memories of the horror genre and what drew you to it?

Katrena Rochell:  Friday the 13th was my first memory… I was a little girl and having a slumber party. We somehow got one without my parents knowing. I remember I felt so  terrified…and alive! Then we would all go outside in the dark and walk…Terrified.

Fatally Yours: What does horror mean to you?

Katrena Rochell: Fear of the unknown

Fatally Yours: What made you want to pursue acting as a career and how did you get your start in the entertainment industry?

Katrena Rochell: I love the stage and performing on it. I fell into it by accident really at university. I was terribly shy and when it was my turn to go on stage, I would just die….But it made me feel so alive! It also made me curious and question things….look at things differently. I did what everyone else trying to be an actor did. Moved to LA and auditioned and did as many plays and films as I could. I have been doing it for awhile, it’s just lately things have started taking off for me.

Fatally Yours: What made you want to create your own production company and what kind of films are you hoping to produce? 

Katrena Rochell: I was frustrated being in London and never being “right” for the part. I’ve always been told I’m very hard to pinpoint. I decided if I was ever going to do anything I would have to do it myself. I was lucky because I was surrounded by people who make things happen as opposed to waiting for things to come…I guess it rubbed off on me…When I started doing my own things, that is, when I started booking. What type films would I want to produce? Anything dark with shock value! I also want my films to be honest and explore the dark side to our humanity.

Fatally Yours: You are in the comic-book adaptation of Kick-Ass, a film that everyone seems to be buzzing about! Tell us about your experience working on the film with the cast and crew and your overall thoughts on the film itself. 

Katrena Rochell: The film is great! Matthew Vaughn was a dream to work for. He is so creative and willing to play to create something that fits. I also worked the two weeks with the stunt guys, which are so amazing.  It was the biggest film set I have ever been on and it was absolutely fabulous…I didn’t want it to end.

Fatally Yours: You will also be starring in the upcoming Psychosis, alongside Charisma Carpenter. You not only star in the film, but also executive produced as well as co-wrote Psychosis. Tell us what it was it like acting and producing simultaneously, as well as being a writer on the film. 

Katrena Rochell:  Reg Traviss and I had wrote Charisma’s part for me and we were only making a short. It just continued to grow and we gained amazing support along the way. I ended up playing a smaller role. It was not anymore difficult than just acting because Reg was so on top of everything. I consider that film my “film school”  as it is where I educated myself on the ways of making a film from start to finish.

Fatally Yours: Speaking of being a writer, do you wish to pursue that career more along with acting and producing? Are there any scripts, etc. you are working on now?

Katrena Rochell: I don’t consider my self a writer. I could not do it alone. I am currently working on a film about crystal meth set in Tennessee that I developed along with my partner Andrew Docker. We are also producing it and plan on shooting at the end of summer. I also have an idea that I am going to do next which is something I have wanted to do for a very long time….

Fatally Yours: We celebrated Women in Horror Month here on Fatally Yours back in February, so now I’d like to ask you a few female-centric questions. Do you think female roles in horror films have shown improvement and that there are more strong female characters being featured in films nowadays? 

Katrena Rochell: I think it is better but still has room for improvements…

Fatally Yours: Have there been any roles that you’ve turned down because you found them too stereotypical, offensive, exploitative, etc.?

Katrena Rochell:   Yes.

Fatally Yours: Do you ever get annoyed by the stereotypical “bimbo in distress” who always seems to end up naked for no apparent reason in some horror movies?

Katrena Rochell:  It has its place… but that is it…

Fatally Yours: Do you think there is a horror movie that is equally fair in terms of men being objectified or at least losing the same amount of clothes?

Katrena Rochell: Nothing comes to mind

Fatally Yours: What are your overall thoughts on how women are portrayed in horror films (or in films in general)?

Katrena Rochell:  Obviously women do not get the same opportunities as men…which is totally unfair. Now more women are moving into other aspects of film making (myself for instance) so I believe they have a responsibility to create change. Saying that, generally, women do not care so much if you have a hot man taking off his clothes…we find it cheesy… or at least I do…I suppose that is the difference in men and women.

Fatally Yours: Behind the scenes, do you think more and more women are getting involved in directing, producing, writing, etc.? Why do you think that traditionally more men have been involved in the behind-the-scenes aspects of filmmaking than women? 

Katrena Rochell: I’m not sure why men have been more behind the scenes in the past, but I certainly know that is not the case anymore. I produce and act and have occasionally tried writing…anybody these days can create anything.

Fatally Yours: And now, back to some fun questions! What has been your favorite character you’ve portrayed? The most challenging? 

Katrena Rochell: I loved playing Desserick in Finding Nina. She is absolutely a lunatic…crazy alive character. We did mostly improv for that  show.

Fatally Yours: If you could play or go up against any fictional horror villain in a film, who would it be and why?

Katrena Rochell: I’ve I always wanted to play a serial killer… It is fascinating to see what makes them tick. I’d love to explore that.

Fatally Yours: What women in the entertainment business, specifically the horror genre, do you admire and look up to?

Katrena Rochell: I honestly look up to any woman who manages to have a career. It is so difficult and even more so the women who manage to keep working once they get a hand in the door. It’s easy for people to sit around and criticize and judge. I try to see the good in all.

Fatally Yours: What would be your dream role/project?

Katrena Rochell: I’m working on that one at the moment. We have just commissioned a writer to write it and as soon as I’m finished with the crystal meth project, I will focus on “my baby”.

Fatally Yours: What advice would you give women who want to pursue a career in the entertainment business?

Katrena Rochell: Do it. It’s the time now… it’s just like the revolution of the 70′s. People can do it themselves now… and women have already started leading the way… [like] The Hurt Locker [Kathryn Bigelow was the first female director to win the Best Director Academy Award].

Fatally Yours: Where can people find more info on you?

Katrena Rochell:  www.katrenarochell.com Psychosis will be out in July!  And Kick-Ass opens this Friday [since this interview was conducted, Kick-Ass has opened in theaters across the country].

Interview with Filmmaker Lis Fies

Lis Effing Fies is the producer/writer/director/adequate actor/hippie wrangler/songwriter/nudist in the acclaimed, fucked up horror feature The Commune. Lis was the associate producer of Conventioneers (2006 Spirit Award – Cassavettes). She is known as the blogger Kid Sis in Hollywood, and is the inspiration for the comic character Kid Sis featured in the Eisner-winning Mom’s Cancer (as seen on CNN). Her unproduced feature screenplay Pistoleras won first place in the Action category of Creative Screenwriting Magazine’s Expo Contest and second place in Fade In’s Thriller category. But what will be on Lis’s tombstone is that she played the monster who stole the Green Power Ranger’s powers.

Fatally Yours: How did you fall in love with the horror genre?

Lis Fies: Man, I was a late bloomer. Backstory: My mom used to call me “Carol Anne” because as a kid I was tormented by bizarre nightmares. Weird stuff a six year old shouldn’t think of, like people on meat hooks suspended over rivers of blood. My mom’s only explanation was I must have been a Vietnam Vet reincarnated as her little girl.

Because of how sensitive and unhinged I already was as a kid, horror movies impinged too much on me to watch. I was the girl at the slumber party who would be in the other room during the horror movies. I did fall in love with Poe short stories when I was a kid, but I was actually frightened of horror movies to the point that when I got my first job (it was of course at a video store), I made the other employees put the horror titles away. I felt afraid looking at the covers. And then when I worked at Eclipse Comics I positively cringed whenever I had to package a Clive Barker order. I’ve spoken to several other women in horror who felt strongly afraid of horror movies when they were younger as well and also avoided the genre until their 20s. I think it’s a testament to women’s emotional fearlessness that we needed to explore what held the most dangerous energy for us.

Long story short, I didn’t fall in love with horror until my twenties when I went through a lonely depression spell and felt that horror actually pulled me out of it. The more I watched, the better I felt.

Fatally Yours: What does horror mean to you?

Lis Fies: To me it’s an incredible art form in which to explore taboos, emotions, and politics. I love that it’s an empty vessel that you can use as an allegory, yet still be entertaining to a broad spectrum of people. But at the deepest level, I’m a storyteller because I want to know what makes people tick. What better way to explore psychology and the subconscious than in the dark, walking on the dark side through the desires we lie to each other and ourselves about.

Fatally Yours: How and when did you get involved in the horror genre? 

Lis Fies: In undergrad at UCLA I interned at Debra Hill Productions because, well, she was the woman. I mean come on, Assault on Precinct 13, The Thing, They Live. I had learned to read on my big brother’s Avengers comics (Eisner winner Brian Fies) and Star Wars was a ridiculous influence on me, so I already understood genre. I think because Debra and John [Carpenter] had done so many brilliant movies I could understand, I was able to see Halloween and really get it, and realize it is one of the best movies ever made. An incredibly special film, by filmmakers who knew what they were doing and were purposeful. So that was a moment that opened my eyes. It was fortuitous for my movie taste growth that that pair was cagey and ballsy enough to be genre jumpers instead of staying pigeonholed throughout their careers.

I don’t get the snobby bias against genre. Industry folks talk about Scorcese and Coppola like they were the only ones doing edgy work in the ‘70s/early ‘80s and like only the dramas from that time period are valid, which is total crap. I still think Carpenter and DePalma are the most underrated living directors and expect to see at least one more genius work from each. Okay, and Larry Cohen. If you don’t love Q: The Winged Serpent, you’re dead to me.

Fatally Yours: What is one thing you’ve done within the horror genre that you are most proud of?

Lis Fies: I was able to portray the graphic rape of a character we loved and have the energy generated from the scene be empathy instead of unintended or prurient eroticism. That was one of the biggest goals of my filmmaking career, ever since studying the mistakes of The Accused and pretty much every other rape scene in mainstream films in my undergrad days at UCLA. I wanted to be informed enough to make filmic choices that would elicit the emotion in an audience I chose them to feel, in the absolute trickiest event to capture. And I decided to go for it on my first film. So if I get hit by a bus tomorrow, at least I’ve made a few men feel the betrayal and horror of rape both as the protagonist themselves, and as an avatar they empathized with. That’s huge. It’s been done successfully less than a handful of times in cinema.

Fatally Yours: How would you convince people who aren’t horror fans to give the genre a try? 

Lis Fies: I think Scream is a good gateway drug. And Rosemary’s Baby. My path in was through the holy trinity of Twin Peaks, Silence of the Lambs and The X-Files. Yet another reason I advocate genre-mixing: you open up the door to new fans who enjoy your action, comedy, or psychology and THEN they learn they like horror, too.

Fatally Yours: Do you feel women in horror get the proper recognition when compared to their male counterparts?

Lis Fies: No, I feel female filmmakers and the subject matter they’re interested in are completely discounted by both the horror audience and the majority of its press spokespeople. The cold reality is no one makes it in this business until someone higher up than them gives them their stamp of approval and a hand up. Look at the Masters of Horror’s epic exclusion of females. That series evolved out of those directors wanting to hang out and have dinner with each other once a month, and apparently there weren’t any women they wanted there. It doesn’t mean there aren’t any horror women period, it means women are still being excluded from the networking that leads to lifetime friendships that leads to favors and working together on film projects. The Big Problem is most men in Hollywood have no interest in a woman unless she’s their Significant Other, relative, or bros’ girl. Otherwise, they don’t know what to do with a woman and totally discard her instead of becoming friends and mentoring her. It’s the same way in the comic world, PS, and I imagine could be extrapolated to politics and the corporate world as well.

The real elephant in the room is can men and women be just friends? Does this pattern keep occurring because we’re not capable of platonic friendships? And/or is it because even as “cool” women emerge who could be brought into the boy’s club and crack it open for more women, men can’t risk it because of the lawsuit and gossip potential. I mean look, in our gossipy society and the nauseatingly sexist world of Hollywood, can an obviously feminist and well-intentioned man like a Wes Craven take a hot younger female director like me (wink, wink) under his wings without speculation that he’s sexually interested in her? Because no one is going to risk their own career to help an unattached woman. Or at least, no one has yet. The precipice female filmmakers balance on is very Edith Wharton The House of Mirth, and most of us are dying alone out in the cold.

So where we women horror filmmakers need help from our male compatriots, fans, and journalists is we need you to take an interest in us as humans; to take a stand and be our friends. We need you to be our heroes if we’re going to be able to ever truly progress and be heard. We need fellow female filmmakers to continue watching how men network, and emulate their teammate strategies that come from a sense of abundance as they create projects that include men and women. And we need both genders to have the humanity to allow male/female friendships to exist without projecting sordid intentions onto them. These are strategies that will provide a fertile ground for women to actually become visible and potent members of the horror community.

Fatally Yours: As a woman in horror, have you found it harder to be taken seriously in a genre that seems to be dominated by males? 

Lis Fies: It’s not even about being taken seriously, it’s about being discounted to the point that you’re invisible. To me the real holocaust in horror is that there’s a close-minded righteous clique attitude being promoted that only allows a few subgenres to be defined as horror. I was at a famous LA genre festival and I was late to see a good friend and female director’s slow burn psychological horror. On the way in I stopped to talk to some journalists who were eating and asked if they were coming in with me. They basically sniffed and looked away. No interest. Several were women. So what is a female filmmaker to do to get into a festival to get press to find an audience and a distributor when the very material we pick and our approach to it generates shrugs from the gatekeepers? Yeah, I’d call that pretty fucking hard.

And really all that subgenre pre-judgment is bullshit because horror journalists couldn’t write enough praise for Paranormal Activity once a big studio and flavor of the month ad campaign was behind it. But maybe if they’d championed Amanda Gusack and the far superior In Memorium that film would have been seen and adopted by Uncle Spielberg instead. See how complicated the problem is?

Fatally Yours: As a female filmmaker, do you feel horror directed by women is different than that which is filmed by men? If so, how is it different and why?

Lis Fies: I think that there’s a higher, more visible percentage of men who get into the horror genre with their first film because they think it’s lottery ticket money and an easy way to work their way up the ladder. That cocky twenty-something USC film school type who copies Saw again, or makes another unimaginative slasher rip-off but has nothing original to say and clearly thinks horror is beneath him. Nothing is more insulting to me than these filmmakers who come in and take a big steaming dump on the genre thinking it’s some chess career move. The women’s accomplishments I’ve seen seem much more premeditated and aware and auteur-esque. They’re raw and honest. You don’t really find women working in this genre who don’t love it and want to use it to explore personal demons, fears, the human psyche…all the great mind fuck adventures that really only horror safely offers.

Fatally Yours: Since you’ve been involved with the horror genre, have you noticed a change in women’s roles within horror whether it be roles in horror films, women behind the camera, women writers, etc.?

Lis Fies: Yes. There are more and more deserving female filmmakers not being given the same opportunities of funding, press, representation, distribution, and studio deals as their male counterparts. I’m just hoping the internet distribution revolution hurries the fuck up. I’m out of dead relatives jewelry to sell, and giving platelets knocks me out the whole day.

Fatally Yours: What women in horror do you admire?

Lis Fies: My friend Katt Shea, who has been an incredible mentor to me. Debra Hill. Maya Deren. Mary Harron. Heidi Martinuzzi. Angela Bettis. Stephanie Rothman.

Fatally Yours: If you could direct one woman from the horror genre, living or dead, in one of your films who would it be and why?

Lis Fies: Oh definitely Jessica Harper. She’s still stunning, and seems like a down-to-earth, super interesting person. And I’d make her sing. I really wanted to work with Zelda Rubenstein. But you know what the Jesus answer to this question is? Mary Shelley. Hahaha I win!

Fatally Yours: What inspires, influences and motivates you?

Lis Fies: A floating paper bag. Sooo beautiful. Just kidding. I always start with a question or idea I’m personally struggling with and want to solve for myself. I’m motivated by emotions, psychology, and a quest to understand human behavior. I’m inspired by other artists’ work. As much as I consume movies and TV, I can be just as inspired by the alchemy of music, live performance, and novels. I need to see a certain amount of brilliance a week to feel sane.

Fatally Yours: What are your favorite horror films, books, etc.?

Lis Fies: I always fall for the intellectual, boundary-pushing films about rebels, underdogs, and outsiders. The Wicker Man, Don’t Look Now, The Shining, Carrie, Repulsion, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Angel Heart, Jacob’s Ladder, Evil Dead II, Tremors, Peeping Tom, Psycho, The Howling, The Thing, The Lost Boys, Blue Velvet, The Watcher in the Woods, Ginger Snaps, May, Bug, Surveillance, Poltergeist, The Craft, Django Kill!, The Frighteners, Videodrome, Misery, Alien, Silence of the Lambs. I’ve just started studying giallo, but I’m not educated enough to speak to favorites there yet. Basically if it’s got authentic emotions, intelligence, an original voice, and brass balls; I feel love.

Fatally Yours: Outside of horror what do you enjoy doing?

Lis Fies: I’m a comic book reader. I used to do stunts and have just started getting back into martial arts and working out. I’ve been blogging for five years. I love to talk with interesting people in small groups or one on one situations. Cuddle, have sex, swim, read, write, play with my dogs. Dance, poledance classes, listen to music. Fritter away hours on the computer chatting with friends on Twitter and Facebook. Being a rabble-rouser. I spend a lot of time laughing. My second favorite thing in the world to do is to drive around LA streets late at night, alone, with the wind in my hair and the radio cranked up to a punk song.

But my favorite thing to do is watch and/or make movies. Without that, I die.
 
Fatally Yours: What are your goals for yourself within the horror genre?

Lis Fies: There are so many movies I want to make. Pistoleras is up next, which is technically a teen chick Spaghetti Western. Though a true SW has incredibly horrific moments and Pistoleras will not disappoint. After that, if I can earn a middle class wage making a solid horror feature every year and a half, I’ll feel happy. Ultimately my goal is to explore more ideas and emotions I’m confused by to find answers, and to continue to expand the concept of horror to include women’s minds and the mixing of genres for fresh, frightening stories. I’m also starting THRILLEDFEST, the world’s first thriller film festival later this year. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that women are drawn to that subgenre, or that it is the most ignored by the current horror community. Time to do something about that.

And Heidi Martinuzzi and I are working on two female centric film festivals together. Heidi’s done an immeasurable amount of good for women and the men who love them, and gets no worldly thanks, by the by. Zeus knows The Commune would be nowhere if Heidi hadn’t found it, and I would have killed myself thinking I’d failed at the one thing I’ve been working at every waking moment since I was six. It’s different for a woman. I’d given up having children and a husband to make movies, and here I was broke and my movie was ignored. So I was tying up loose ends, donating my stuff away, planning on offing myself at a screening of Paul Blart: Mall Cop when Heidi emailed me out of the blue and said she loved my movie. The Commune hadn’t gotten into one festival or had one article written about it until Heidi saw it, got it, and took a stand. Everything good that’s happened to it has come from a sixth degree of her review. That’s how much change one person can make to a female filmmaker. So thank you so much Sarah, for being one of those people. And thank you to Hannah Neurotica for putting out the call for recognition and teamwork. And huge appreciation to Andrew Shearer of Women in Horror (Georgia) and Andrew Rose of Pretty Scary Bloodbath (Texas) for providing the film festivals we need to appreciate women horror makers in February.

Fatally Yours: It’s been an absolute pleasure! Where can people find more info on you?

Lis Fies: They can see my feature at www.TheCommuneMovie.com and keep up with me at www.LisFies.com

Interview with Actress Michelle Tomlinson

Donned Scream Queen of the Month (Nov. 2009) and the recipient of the 2007 Shriekfest Film Festival’s “Pretty/Scary One to Watch” award, Michelle Tomlinson is receiving rave reviews in four separate feature films currently captivating audiences throughout the film festival circuit.

Tomlinson earned the Pretty/Scary Award for her work in The Cellar Door, a horror and psychological thriller that is earning its own recognition for improving upon the girl-trapped-by-a-serial killer storyline. The award is sponsored by the online magazine Pretty/Scary: For and By Women in Horror which called Tomlinson’s performance, “groundbreaking.” Scream TV said, “Ms. Tomlinson is fascinating to watch in this role … (her) strong performance as (the heroine) Rudy is one of the most exciting in recent memory.” A sequel to The Cellar Door is slated for production in 2010.

Tomlinson also stars in the Kevin Tenney (Witchboard) directed, humorous, high-concept horror film Brain Dead. Brain Dead was honored with the “Best B-Movie” award at the ShockerFest Film Festival, and has picked up nominations and awards for visual effects, makeup, screenplay, and best horror feature at over a dozen film festivals.  The film just finished a theatrical release and is being released on DVD. George’s Intervention, a tongue-in-cheek horror comedy feature directed by JT Seaton is also making the Festival Rounds with 11+ Film Festivals.

Tomlinson’s acting abilities span far beyond just the horror genre. She also currently stars in the indie drama Indelible, which has received several awards on the festival circuit and just wrapped shooting two features back to back (Second Class Citizens playing a white supremacist and …Xtra Man playing a fluffy and vapid ex-stripper!)

In her approach to her craft, Tomlinson exhibits the kind of discipline and creativity one might expect from the child of a Marine and an artist. While festivals feature the work of scores of actors, rarely does a performer enjoy four feature films (playing diverse characters) circulating the festivals at the same time.

Fatally Yours: What are your first memories of the horror genre and what drew you to it?

Michelle Tomlinson: Watching Freddie scare the hell outta teenagers with my Dad. I love gory special effects, even since childhood. I always wanted to play the girl who gets to kick the villains ass.

Fatally Yours: What does horror mean to you?

Michelle Tomlinson: Taking ordinary circumstances, adding a twist of lime and making even the most mundane moment explode with suspense and fear. Also something that can get deep in your psyche and disturb you at the sheer possibility of ‘that’s something that could actually happen.’

Fatally Yours: When did you discover you wanted to pursue acting as a career and how did you set about fulfilling this dream? 

Michelle Tomlinson: Ever since I was about six. I did a few plays when I was a kid then switched gears in high school and focused on Video Productions instead. I got to learn the other side of the camera. I picked acting up again when I was in college at ENMU and got my Bachelor’s in Theatre. Shortly after graduation, I scooted to L.A. It seemed like the logical next step.

Fatally Yours: Was there one specific role you played in a horror film that made you want to pursue more opportunities in the horror genre or have you always wanted to act in horror? 

Michelle Tomlinson: Hands down, it was working with Kevin Tenney in the Feature Film Brain Dead. Not only did I have a blast with my character, work with the greatness that is Kevin, I also got to see some really cool special effects happen behind the scenes. I fell in love.

Fatally Yours: Many of your performances have been very well received. Do you have a favorite character you’ve played or performance you’ve given? 

Michelle Tomlinson: It might sound nuts, but I love them all. No matter what character it is, I still see room for growth and improvement in every film I’ve been in. I love the process and the experience of getting to put on different “skin suits” and consider myself blessed I’ve been able to do that and that some people dig it.

Fatally Yours: What upcoming horror films are you working on?

Michelle Tomlinson: There’s a sequel to The Cellar Door in development that I’m particularly excited about.  I have a few other projects in the fire, but that’s the one that’s horror.

Fatally Yours: When can fans expect to see more webisodes of The Mis-Adventures of McT & A, your web-series with Kimberly Amato? 

Michelle Tomlinson: As soon as humanly possible. Amato and I are working on our scheduling for that as we speak and talking about different avenues and ideas of shooting things simultaneously across the coasts. The short answer: SOON.

Fatally Yours: How did The Mis-Adventures of McT & A come about?

Michelle Tomlinson: A Skype meeting in the middle of the night. We were up late and brainstorming. Keep in mind I live in LA and Amato lives in NY…So when I say middle of the night it was around 11:30pm here and 2:30am there. We got a little slap happy and started tossing out ideas and came out with that one. It was Amato’s original concept and we both tinkered with it from there.

Fatally Yours: What is one thing you’ve done within the horror genre that you are most proud of?

Michelle Tomlinson: Simply being a part of it is something I am extremely proud of. I have met life-altering people in this genre. I’ve accomplished one of my lifelong goals: To be in horror flicks.

Fatally Yours: Are there certain roles you haven’t taken or will refuse to take because they are too exploitative or make you uncomfortable? 

Michelle Tomlinson: It takes quite a bit to make me feel uncomfortable in a role. That doesn’t mean I haven’t turned down a role here and there, but ultimately if it’s a good project I’m in. I’ve done the nudity thing, but it was something that added to the storyline of the film. Not to mention it was in a blink and you’ll miss it section. I suppose if I were asked to run around naked for the majority of a film just for sales, I’d respectfully decline.

Fatally Yours: Dario Argento once said, “I like women, especially beautiful ones. If they have a good face and figure, I would much prefer to watch them being murdered than an ugly girl or man.” Alfred Hitchcock elaborated by saying, “I always believe in following the advice of the playwright Sardou. He said, ‘Torture the women!’ The trouble today is that we don’t torture enough.” What is your reaction when reading those quotes? 

Michelle Tomlinson: It really sucks that women have always been a target for violent and torturous acts in film. I know it’s twisted, but it’s understandable to a certain degree. We’re supposedly softer, weaker, nicer and more vulnerable than the fellas. The juxtaposition is that we’re actually quite the opposite in every way so we’re all playing against the type of who we really are! I also feel like most guys like the idea of being the hero to a damsel in distress. It’s a male dominated genre and industry. It only makes sense. This is where I quote Ani DiFranco though: “What if there are no damsels in distress… And I called your bluff… Don’t you think every kitten figures out how to get down whether or not you ever show up?” 

Fatally Yours: Do you ever get annoyed by the stereotypical “bimbo in distress” who always seems to end up naked for no apparent reason that many horror movies feature?

Michelle Tomlinson: Yes. I do. I know T & A increase sales, I get it. Thankfully, it seems like we are heading into an arena where that’s not always the case and those aren’t always the roles. In watching The Strangers,  Liv Tyler did not once bare all. And she was most certainly a girl in distress. The lack of showing her rack did not lend to a lesser film. It scared the hell out of me plenty without it.

Fatally Yours: What horror movie would you say is equally fair in terms of men being objectified or at least, losing the same amount of clothes?

Michelle Tomlinson:  Hostel.

Fatally Yours: What are your overall thoughts on how women are portrayed in horror films?

Michelle Tomlinson: My thoughts are conflicted. Sometimes women are shown to be these weak and feeble creatures with zero redeeming strong qualities. Other times, there’s some meat and strength to them. Like in Wolf Creek. Albeit the ending made me go nuts, there was some seriously strong and weak female character work going on simultaneously throughout the whole film. The roles are balancing themselves out. It’s not just high school bimbos getting axed whilst pleasuring the male lead anymore!

Fatally Yours: What has been the most challenging character you’ve had to portray? 

Michelle Tomlinson: Definitely Rudy from The Cellar Door. She had extreme moments of vulnerability that made me cringe. I don’t care to share my vulnerability with people just being me! But between the kick ass script that Chris Nelson wrote and an amazing Director in Matt Zettell mixed with me allowing myself to just GET OVER IT, I did get there. Rudy was such a cool ride.

Fatally Yours: If you could play or play against any fictional horror villain in a film, who would it be and why?

Michelle Tomlinson: I would kick Freddie’s ass for scaring the living hell out of me as a child. As for being the Villain, I’d love to play a wicked twisted serial killer…Just to see if I could.

Fatally Yours: Since you’ve been involved with the horror genre, have you noticed more women becoming involved behind the camera as directors, producers, writers, etc.? 

Michelle Tomlinson: Absolutely. Look at Heidi Martinuzzi! The girl is her own mutli-hyphenate in the Horror Industry.  One of my best friends is Brooke Lewis, for those few who don’t know her, she’s been Producing and Acting in Horror Films. Her latest project is the critically acclaimed iMurders. Amato was a co-Producer on Under the Raven’s Wing and my girl Alexis Adkins is writing a series called Be Nice that’s more twisted than anything out there. So yes, I definitely see a rise with women on that side of the camera!

Fatally Yours: What women in horror do you look up to?

Michelle Tomlinson: Definitely the aforementioned females from the last question. I’m lucky because I actually know them and adore them. And of course there’s Jamie Lee Curtis and Lynn Lowry. Lynn was a joy to work with on George’s Intervention and Jamie Lee just seems like a bad ass who all but originated the term Scream Queen.

Fatally Yours: What would be your dream role/project?

Michelle Tomlinson: As far as non-horror, Amato and I have two feature film projects in development that are dream projects, Touch and Dreaming Reality. Touch is a really gritty Sundance indie drama and the character is a private investigator with a pretty serious past who has to kick a lot of ass in the present. Dreaming Reality is more a dramedy and the character is sassy as all hell. Both will be a lot of fun.
In the horror realm, I really would love to play some kind of supremely mental-case twisted chick who’s a serial killer. I don’t know why that appeals to me so much, but it’s just so beyond dark that I’m fascinated to see if I could pull it off and still keep the character likable in some respects.

Fatally Yours: What advice would you give aspiring women actors?

Michelle Tomlinson: Always side with integrity and you’ll be ok. We get put in some pretty hairy situations sometimes and are forced to make some pretty serious decisions. When we start to make a dent in our careers, you’ll be amazed at the slime that will ooze up from the gutters in the form of a flashy smile and sports car.

Keep your head at all times and live in integrity.

Fatally Yours: In your opinion, what makes the perfect scream queen and who is the ultimate scream queen?

Michelle Tomlinson: To me, a Scream Queen is a strong female character in a horror film played by an actor strong enough to pull her off. The ultimate? Jamie Lee Curtis.  Hands down. The more modern Scream Queens that I love and adore for their skill? Kimberly Amato and Brooke Lewis. Perhaps I’m biased, but I am attracted to focused and skilled human beings – so I think that my opinion is a strongly supported one!

Fatally Yours: What inspires, influences and motivates you?

Michelle Tomlinson:  Never knowing when the end game is. I’m so in love with life and I’m excited to still be a part of it. My Mom, nature, animals and my friends all inspire me to constantly reach higher.

Fatally Yours: What are your goals for yourself within the horror genre?

Michelle Tomlinson: To create even stronger and more interesting female characters set within extraordinary circumstances that creep people out and maybe even make them think a little bit. I just want to keep going, ya know? This is what I love.

Fatally Yours: Where can people find more info on you?

Michelle Tomlinson: 

http://www.michelletomlinson.net
http://www.facebook.com/mightymct
http://www.myspace.com/mojochicken
http://www.twitter.com/mojochicken

Interview with Filmmaker and Actress Kimberly Amato

Kimberly Amato has appeared in a variety of independent films, including Fistful of Sand, Deception, Perfect Criminals, Weekend Rental, Amity and Billy’s Choice. Most notably, she portrayed the title character in Susan Adriensen’s Under the Raven’s Wing. The role garnered Amato with critical acclaim with coverage from wide variety of places including Pretty-Scary.net, AfterEllen.com and Curve Magazine. The film was awarded the best film of 2007 by BumsCorner.com.

Amato has a knack for getting into a characters mind having in her arsenal a BA in Psychology from Hofstra University and a MA in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She’s been called a “Jack of All Trades” working behind the camera as well as in front as often as possible.

Along with the award winning television pilot Party Girl Amato has co-produced Under the Raven’s Wing and two other short films. Most recently she and Michelle Tomlinson created The Mis-Adventures of McT & A as sketch comedy series which will be screened at the Pretty Scary Blood Bath Film Festival in 2010.

As if that wasn’t enough, Kimberly Amato is also working with Bridge and Tunnel Media on a Spanish Novella trilogy and is in the final stages of editing her first novel.

Fatally Yours: How and when did you fall in love with horror? 

Kimberly Amato: I don’t know exactly when, but I remember Nightmare on Elm Street being the first horror film I saw. There was something fascinating about it. I’ve always been interested in the macabre and this is just an extension of it.

Fatally Yours: What does horror mean to you? 

Kimberly Amato: It’s the ability to take the simplest and most inane thing and make it terrifying.

Fatally Yours: What are others’ reactions when you tell them you are involved in the horror genre?

Kimberly Amato: Some people scoff at it asking how often have I taken my clothes off. Others ask to become part of my next project if I’m producing it. I’ve met very good mix of people and I truthfully enjoy hearing everyone’s opinions. It gives me more to work with on the next project.

Fatally Yours: Why do you think the horror genre has primarily been a man’s domain?

Kimberly Amato: I think it’s because there has always been the idea of women not being strong enough to combat evil. Fortunately, with the advent of the women’s movement, strong female characters have gained momentum.

Fatally Yours: As a woman, do you think you are viewed differently than your male counterparts in the horror genre? If so, how and why?

Kimberly Amato: I do think I’m viewed differently, partially because of my gender but also because of my background. The viewers are used to seeing women in certain roles, so it’s hard to bring a strong female character to life and still give the fans what they want. You have to bring sex appeal across even if you are fully clothed, buried in mud or just sitting at the kitchen table.

Fatally Yours: Even though women seem to be getting more and more involved behind the scenes in horror, why do you think there are less female horror directors, writers, producers, etc. in the genre than males?

Kimberly Amato: I think it’s because it’s difficult to be taken seriously in other genres after you have directed horror. For men it can be a stepping stone, but it feels like for women it makes you a one trick pony. I co-produced a feature horror film and didn’t get credit for the hard work I did from people outside of the horror industry. However, once I co-produced, starred, co-wrote and directed a comedy television pilot – I earned more respect. The work load was the same, but the recognition and respect was not, unfortunately.

Fatally Yours: What elements can female filmmakers/authors/journalists/etc. bring to the horror genre that are lacking in males’ perspectives?

Kimberly Amato: I don’t think it’s that we bring something specifically different to the table. I think it’s the opposite. Women in general can make a movie just as well, complete with gore, nudity, and all the elements that make a great horror flick – but are not being given as many opportunities to do so.

Fatally Yours: Do you think it’s harder for women to be taken seriously in a genre that seems to be dominated by males? 

Kimberly Amato: In some ways, yes. If you notoriously have women being used as nothing more than skin, why would you take them seriously? Film has some basis in the real word – does a woman who sells her body for show get respect? Not really. Why would filmmaking be any different? Unfortunately, women in general are utilized for our bodies more than our talent or our minds. Slowly, we are dispelling these generalizations but in order to succeed we have to play the same game as men. We have to sell DVD’s or tickets and skin sells.

Fatally Yours: Since you’ve been involved with the horror genre, have you noticed a change in women’s roles in the industry? 

Kimberly Amato: I have seen more women taking strides behind the camera to make quality productions as directors, producers and writers. Having been in a horror film directed by a woman it’s wonderful to see the trend continue with more fervor than ever.

Fatally Yours: Do you ever get annoyed at how women in horror movies always end naked or with their clothes ripped off? 

Kimberly Amato: Very much so. I understand the main audience demographic is male, so that’s the driving force behind it. I wish it was different, but at this point in time it isn’t. Personally, if the female character is going through something where nudity will enhance the story line – I’m all for it. However, seeing a woman nude for the sake of nudity just seems wrong and such a step in the wrong direction for women in the entertainment industry.

Fatally Yours: What horror movie would you say is equally fair in terms of men being objectified or at least, losing the same amount of clothes?

Kimberly Amato: I wish I could name a few, but honestly none come to mind.

Fatally Yours: Do you feel you’ve become desensitized to stereotypical scenes in horror like the half-naked girl screaming and running for her life in slow motion? Or are these types of familiar horror tropes still effective and necessary? 

Kimberly Amato: I have become extremely desensitized at this point. I love horror and enjoy watching it regardless, but sometimes I wish the tired old adages would change. Heck, at least shoot them in a different way. To be blunt, my friends are not huge horror fans, but for them to tell me a film is very predictable with specific cliché scenes – things need a new point of view or a different presentation.

Fatally Yours: Do you feel that other people view women as being “soft” and not able to endure horror as well as men? How do you fight this stereotypical view?

Kimberly Amato: I don’t know if people view women as “soft” since we are expected to be easy going. So, I wonder if “soft” is the right term. However, some people would view women as incapable of making a good, solid horror film. The only way to combat this view is to keep our integrity, never quit and put the most amazing project we can out there. Once more people see what women are capable of, the more doors open.

Fatally Yours: What women in horror do you admire and why?

Kimberly Amato: I admire Jamie Lee Curtis as a mainstream Scream Queen. She took her following and made it into a massively successful career. Then there is the obvious choice of Brooke Lewis, she can create a feature, a web series and anything else she puts her mind to – all the while bringing the best possible performance to the screen to accompany the project.

As far as up and coming actresses, I admire Michelle Tomlinson. I saw her film, The Cellar Door, and found she did more stuck in a box (literally, she was trapped in a wooden cage) than someone with a script full of dialogue and a huge set. Since I started working with her, I find her ability stretches much further than the average Scream Queen.

Fatally Yours: What advice would you give women who want to become involved in the horror genre?

Kimberly Amato: You better have a thick skin. This industry is hard and there are women and men willing to knock you down a few pegs to get what they want. Be true to who you are, fight for what you believe in and don’t be afraid to say no. Sometimes passing on a project you feel ill at ease being a part of is a good decision. Don’t be afraid to say no.

Fatally Yours: What’s the last disturbing horror movie you saw?

Kimberly Amato: The Descent – I hate small spaces and seeing the women trying to climb through these little caverns, with no air, the roof collapsing. Yeah, it freaked me out a bit.

Fatally Yours: What’s one horror movie you think is HIGHLY overrated?

Kimberly Amato: Paranormal Activity – the new Blair Witch… all hype and very little return on my money. What makes it worse, they ordered a sequel.

Fatally Yours: What are your favorite horror films, books, etc.?

Kimberly Amato: I read mostly non-fiction books about various criminals so that in itself is frightening. I have always been very partial to the Nightmare on Elm Street series, The Descent, the first Saw film (the subsequent sequels lost the essence of the original) and Silence of the Lambs.

Fatally Yours: What is your ultimate goal while working in the horror genre?

Kimberly Amato: To create films that showcase the worst of humanity in the most realistic manner possible. They don’t have to make a fortune, but they have to be good quality films.

Fatally Yours: What upcoming projects are you working on?

Kimberly Amato: I’m working on a bunch of projects this year. First, there is the web series, The Mis-Adventures of McT & A, Michelle Tomlinson and I have begun working on. The first episode is located on my YouTube page and we have a Facebook group where fans can send us suggestions, emails and images. Michelle and I are also working on two feature films this year. One called Touch – the teaser trailer is also available on my YouTube page. Then there is Dreaming Reality – both are in the pre-production phase. We’re also doing a benefit for abused women in Los Angeles.

I’ve also been brought on board to work with Bridge & Tunnel Media on a Spanish novella trilogy. We’ll be shooting the first episode of the first novella in the next few months. And last but not least, I’ve just completed my first novel.  It’s a murder mystery and the lead is a female psychotherapist.

Fatally Yours: Where can people find more info on you?

Kimberly Amato:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1742671/
http://www.KimberlyAmato.com
http://www.myspace.com/KimberlyAmato
http://www.twitter.com/KimberlyAmato
http://www.LittleCrownProductions.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/kkat76
“The Mis-Adventures of McT & A” Facebook Group

Interview with Filmmaker Maude Michaud

Born and raised in Montreal, Maude Michaud has been involved in various artistic activities – including music, theatre, dance, writing, and photography – for most of her life. When she was 14, upon spending a summer watching Reservoir Dogs and other indie hits from the ‘90s, Maude decided that she wanted to become a filmmaker.

She produced, wrote, directed and acted in her first short film, Finding Hope, which was screened as part of the official selection of the International Teen Movie Festival in Toronto. The following year, she directed her first horror short, Spirits, which screened at the same festival. She then enrolled in the Communication Studies undergraduate program at Concordia University where she got a hands-on training in film and video. She is currently directing her first feature length documentary on women and horror films as part of her master thesis in the Media Studies program at Concordia University.

Over the years, she independently wrote, directed and produced over 15 short films and video projects. In addition to the aforementioned film festival, her films also screened as part of the Young Cuts Festival (Montreal & Toronto), the Wreck-Beach Film Festival (Barrie, Ontario), the Short Film Corner during the Cannes Film Festival (Cannes, France), and the Montreal Fetish Film Festival. In 2004, she was a finalist for the Jeunes Cinéastes (young filmmakers) contest for which one of her films won the best original music award.

Even though she is a huge horror fan, she loves to explore a variety of genres in the films she directs, which results in an eclectic body of work including: horror dramas, slightly surreal quirky tales, and explorations of unconventional relationships. She also works as a photographer and, occasionally, as a director of photography.

Fatally Yours: How did you fall in love with the horror genre? 

Maude Michaud: My love for the horror genre began when I was a kid. I don’t know why, but I was always attracted to dark and creepy stories, so I never missed an episode of the show Are You Afraid of the Dark? and was an avid reader of the Goosebumps series (and any other similar books). Contrary to most kids my age, I was not scared by the content, I wanted more! Then, one afternoon, I watched Poltergeist III on cable TV (I think I was 9 at the time) and this marked the true beginning of my long love story with the horror genre! I started watching every single horror films I could get my hands on and I became totally hooked on the genre!

Fatally Yours: What does “horror” mean to you?

Maude Michaud: I find that “horror” means different things at different moments in my life. It used to be about confronting my fears and getting an adrenaline rush or about making me uncomfortable and testing the limits of what I was able to watch. Right now, I feel true horror is all about pushing psychological boundaries and giving in to our deepest, darkest urges. We all have really sick ideas crossing our minds at some point or another, so I ask myself: what if we followed up on these ideas? To me this is truly horrific because there are no limits to the human psyche and how sick or twisted someone can be. If you can think it, then most likely other people are also thinking the same thing (or worse) and maybe even doing it! It takes you away from fiction because it has the potential to be real. I find this kind of horror that slowly creeps up on you much more effective than formulaic films that look like they’re made to show off special f/x! Of course I do enjoy almost all subgenres of horror, but in order to be truly bothered or horrified there need to be a twisted psychological or human nature element involved.

Fatally Yours: How and when did you become involved in the horror industry?


Maude Michaud: When I turned 16, I decided I wanted to become a filmmaker, so I wrote and directed my first short film using my father’s handycam. It was a really lame ghost story shot with no budget and no special f/x in my parents’ house with friends acting in it. I loved the experience, but realized that if I really wanted to make a good horror film, I’d have to get more varied filmmaking experience. I went to film school and kept making short films projects on the side, but I couldn’t find any like-minded people who loved the genre enough to work on projects with me. As a result, I put my horror ideas on the back burner and started experimenting with other genres. Then, fast-forward to a couple of years later, I decided to rework one of these ideas and made Recessed with the help of my friend and longtime collaborator Sandra Lombardi. The end result rekindled my love for the genre and convinced me I was finally ready to try my hand at horror again! Since then, I’ve continued to experiment with the genre and tried to contribute as much as I can to horror-related events by getting my films screened and collaborating on various projects.

Fatally Yours: I’ve had the pleasure to see two of your short films, Snuff and Recessed, and was impressed by how much you accomplished and conveyed through mood and atmosphere (both shorts had none to very little dialogue). What inspired the creepy, dark stories of both films and what draws you to the darker side of life in general?

Maude Michaud: I do like to keep the dialogue to a minimum in my projects. One of my film teachers used to say: “Remember the basic rule of filmmaking: show, don’t tell.  Cinema is a visual medium.” It influenced my way of thinking about films, so whenever I think of a story, I focus on how the story unfolds visually first, then worry about what needs to be said (or not) after.

In the case of Snuff, I was inspired by the medium itself (8mm black and white film) and the urban legends surrounding the idea of snuff films; I thought it would be interesting to use this specific type of film stock to create a fake ‘snuff’ film – with a twist at the end!  The inspiration behind Recessed is a tad more complex. At the time, I was really into Japanese ghost films, especially how they use everyday moments and domestic spaces as a menace for the characters, so that inspired some of the creepy parts of the film. I also really like the idea of telling the story from the madman’s perspective and exploring the human psyche, which is what Recessed essentially is. I just love to leave things open-ended and let the audience decide how they want to interpret what it all means. Don’t get me wrong, I do have an explanation for what happens in Recessed, but I much prefer to know what people make of it as I’ve heard so many different interesting theories! I guess I could sum up by saying that many things draw me to the darker side of life, but there seem to be recurring patterns such as the uncanny, the darker side of the human psyche, and playing with people’s expectations.

Fatally Yours: Can you tell us about your upcoming films Hollywood Skin (selected as part of the Viscera Film Festival) and your documentary about women in horror?

Maude Michaud: Of course!  I made Hollywood Skin for an anthology project helmed by director Lis Fies and titled I Hate L.A. (as the title suggests, the different segments have to deal with a negative aspect of life in L.A.). Inspired by my previous short film Reflection (which is a segment of the Frankenstein Unlimited anthology) in which the main character is the one inflicting the horror upon herself, I decided to follow a similar line of thought with Hollywood Skin. It’s a very introspective story centered on the main character’s descent into madness as she becomes so obsessed with her body image that she sees only one solution: self plastic surgery.

As for the documentary project (which will also serve as my master’s thesis project), I started it because I felt that women in horror were underrepresented (if not completely absent) from academic literature and mainstream media. As a woman who loves horror, I felt conflicted reading feminist critiques of the genre; was it possible to call oneself a feminist AND love horror films? I got started researching women actively working in the horror industry and started interviewing them to get their thoughts on the genre, their opinions of feminist critique, and how (if) they try to change the genre through their work. As I keep meeting more and more female filmmakers, writers, journalists, etc, the project keeps increasing, so I’m starting to seriously reconsider the scope of the documentary! I can say it is slowly transforming into a series of shorter documentary segments that will allow me to cover a wider variety of topics! I’m aiming to release the first segment this summer, but in the meantime you can visit the temporary website (http://www.bloodybreasts-documentary.tk/) to get more information!

Fatally Yours: Many (though not all) horror films feature violence that’s explicitly shown against women. Why do you think violence against women has usually been shown more explicitly than violence against men?

Maude Michaud: I think a lot of it has to do with stereotypes that are the backbone of cinema: men are often represented as being the heroes while women are typically the ones needing to be rescued. Horror films do play with these stereotypes by usually killing off characters regardless of their gender and by offering women the heroic role of the ‘final girl’. However, it is true that even though men get killed almost as often as women do, the scenes depicting the murder of female characters are usually longer and more explicit that those of the men characters. I don’t know why that is. I think there are a lot of societal taboos associated with the representation of violence against men; if we look at the news, we tend to see way more stories of graphic and brutal violence against women, while stories in which men are victims are usually only briefly mentioned. I don’t know why, maybe it makes people uncomfortable, maybe it shows a certain weakness that screws up with the stereotypes of the male’s heroic untouchable strength, or maybe it’s just easier to represent a cat-and-mouse game between the killer and female victims. Hopefully things are changing now as we start having more male victims (with graphic murder scenes) and seeing interesting reversals in terms of gender roles within horror.

Fatally Yours: In reference to the previous question, Dario Argento once said, “I like women, especially beautiful ones. If they have a good face and figure, I would much prefer to watch them being murdered than an ugly girl or man.” Alfred Hitchcock elaborated by saying, “I always believe in following the advice of the playwright Sardou. He said, ‘Torture the women!’ The trouble today is that we don’t torture enough.” What is your reaction when reading those quotes? 

Maude Michaud: Wow, I think I could write a whole essay on this weighting the pros and cons!  I’d say my initial gut reaction is that I feel very conflicted; part of me agrees with the quotes and understands what Argento and Hitchcock mean from a director’s point of view, while the other part of me feels like strongly reacting to the quotes because it just furthers the stereotypes of female as victims. Either way, I think they illustrate very well one of the driving force behind slasher films and I think it would be interesting to shake things up a bit by subverting these ideas and seeing if people react differently to them.

Fatally Yours: Why do you think sex and violence are so intertwined in the horror genre? How often would you say that nudity and sex scenes are actually relevant to the story in a horror film? 

Maude Michaud: The first thing that comes to mind is Freud’s notion of the two basic conflicting human desires: eros (the life/sex drive) and thanatos (the death drive). Also, there’s a very fine line between sex and violence; sex itself can be very violent… There is also this whole idea of struggle for power over another person, both in sex and in violence, which is something horror films represent very well.

In French there is this expression “la petite mort” (the little death) that is a metaphor for orgasm; I think that is an interesting juxtaposition of the two ideas. This might be why it is so easy to intertwine them in horror films… As far as how often nudity or sex scenes are relevant, I tend to say it depends on many factors such as the story, how the scene is shot, etc. I’ve seen as many relevant sex scenes as I’ve seen unnecessary gratuitous nudity, so I think it would be fair to say that it’s a good half and half.

Fatally Yours: How do you respond to people that believe that horror films can only be enjoyed by males or that feminists can’t possibly enjoy horror films? 

Maude Michaud: I don’t agree with this because I think horror can be empowering for women; there are so many great roles for women within horror that consist in way more than being the victim…  People tend to take horror too seriously or think of it in a way that is a bit too literal…

I think the main problem is that when we say the word ‘horror’, people automatically think of slasher films even though there are many other subgenres of horror! A lot of people also see horror as a misogynist genre because of its representation of women, which I think is a shame because I can think of other genres that are way more demeaning! Romantic comedies for example! (laughs) If we stop and think about it, defeating a psycho killer is way more empowering than finding the perfect pair of shoes or the perfect boyfriend, no?

Fatally Yours: Though the horror genre has primarily been a “boy’s club”, it seems that more and more women filmmakers are getting behind the genre. What is your personal opinion on why there are less female filmmakers than males?

Maude Michaud: I think some women might be intimidated by the idea of the horror genre as being a “boy’s club” and as a result, do not dare to try it or do not know where to start. I think it’s a shame because this kind of thought helps maintain the status quo instead of allowing new voices to be heard.

That’s why I have one thing I’d like to say to women who would like to make a horror film: “Go, pick up a camera and start shooting. Dare to try. Tell your story like YOU want to tell it.” At first, I had trouble finding people to work on my projects, so I went ahead and did (almost) everything on my own. Then I started networking, meeting like-minded people and it just went from there.

I feel like the horror genre is at a turning point where it needs new voices and new kinds of stories to evolve. Wouldn’t it be great if female filmmakers end up being the catalyst for change?

Fatally Yours: Have you noticed any new trends in the horror genre that empower women? If so, what are they and do you think they will change the way horror films are viewed?

Maude Michaud: In the last 10 years or so, there has been more stories that focus on women’s experiences and are told from their points of view, which I think is a refreshing change. Ginger Snaps and Grace are my two favorite examples as they both deal with very female-centric, horrific situations in a way that is different from how similar subject matters were represented in the past (by taking a male perspective).

Another interesting trend is the subversion of audience’s expectations. The segment with Anna Paquin in Trick R Treat is a great example of that (I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen it!). I don’t know if these trends are going to significantly change the way horror films are viewed, but I certainly feel empowered by them and it just makes me want to contribute even more to their evolution through my work!

Fatally Yours: Have you faced any challenges in the film industry because of your gender? 

Maude Michaud: Apart from macho comments from classmates and the constant need to tell people I wasn’t interested in directing romantic comedies or chick flick (the genre people automatically assume you want to work in when you’re a woman), I can’t really say I faced any challenges because of my gender. Well, maybe a bit at first as I wasn’t always taken seriously when I said I wanted to direct horror films, but it stopped when I showed people what I can do and proved that I was serious about it.

Fatally Yours: What women in horror do you admire?

Maude Michaud: There are so many! The first one that comes to mind is Kathryn Bigelow because she devoted her career to genres that are traditionally considered as “boy’s clubs” so kudos to her for that. Also, Mary Harron for her version of American Psycho, Karen Walton for writing the wonderful Ginger Snaps, fellow Montreal filmmaker Izabel Grondin who always has crazy and wicked ideas, and Marina de Van, director of the French film In My Skin which is one of the most disturbing (and one of my favorite!) horror films. Of course, I also have to add Maila Nurmi (Vampira), Barbara Steel, and Elvira on the actress side of things. I’m sure I’m forgetting tons of others, but those are the first ones that come to mind.

Fatally Yours: What are your thoughts on the modern horror climate? 

Maude Michaud: As I quickly mentioned earlier, I feel that things are changing. It seems that the horror genre is at a point where it needs a good rejuvenation and I think that is why we see more films that are genre cross-over or throwbacks to older, lesser known films. I think it’s a good thing as injecting new blood into the genre will only make it stronger!

Fatally Yours: If you could direct one woman, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Maude Michaud: That is a really hard question; it’s nearly impossible for me to pick just one, but I promise I’ll keep the list short!  First I’d say Tura Santana as I’ve had the chance to attend a Q and A where she was the guest and she has a kick-ass personality which I’m sure would make working with her super fun! I’m also a huge Rose McGowan fan, so I would definitely love to direct her in one of my films. In terms of Canadian actresses, I have a few that I’d really love to approach one day to work with, mainly Katherine Isabelle and Mia Kirshner. Lastly, I also need to include Melanie Laurent because her performance in Inglourious Basterds completely blew me away.

Fatally Yours: What inspires, influences and motivates you?

Maude Michaud: I’m very influenced by psychology and perception! I love Freudian theories and I think a lot of them are fun to incorporate in horror stories. I also have a fondness for insanity and unstable characters, for telling the story from the madman/madwoman’s perspective… I read a lot of psychology books about personality disorders and I find them inspiring for characters! And of course, I love to play with people’s expectations by twisting the story in different ways and taking the unexpected route.

Fatally Yours: Do you have any upcoming projects you can discuss with us?

Maude Michaud: Of course! In addition to finishing my documentary and promoting my short films, I’m also finishing the script of my first feature film, which is definitely an upcoming project as production will start later this year if everything goes as planned. I’m also working on a DVD compilation of some of my short films that I’ll independently distribute through my website later in the spring.

Fatally Yours: Where can people find more info on you and your films?

Maude Michaud: I’m currently building a website for my production company, Quirk Films, but in the meantime people can find basic information about my films on my main website http://maudemichaud.com as well as my blog http://maudemichaud.blogspot.com, which is where I post upcoming screenings, events, news, etc. I’ll make an announcement on the blog as soon as the Quirk website is up and running, but until then I hope you’ll stop by and drop me a line!

Interview with Author and Actress Barbie Wilde

Barbie Wilde was born in Canada and educated in the USA and England. As an actress, she has appeared as the Female Cenobite in Clive Barker’s classic horror movie Hellbound: Hellraiser II, as a vicious mugger in Death Wish III, as a robotic dancer in the Bollywood blockbuster, Janbazz and as a drummer for an electronica band in the so-called “Holy Grail of unfinished and unreleased 80′s horror” Grizzly II: The Predator, AKA Grizzly II: The Concert.

In the early 1980′s, Barbie performed in New York, London and Amsterdam with the mime-dance-music group, SHOCK: supporting such artists as Gary Numan, Ultravox, Depeche Mode and Adam & the Ants.

As a television presenter and writer, Barbie helmed The American Hot 100 for Skytrax TV, The Morning Show and Supersonic for Music Box TV, The Small Screen for ITV, Hold Tight for Granada, and The Gig for LWT. She also presented the film history show Sprockets, which is still shown on Sky TV.

After completing her first novel, The Venus Complex, a fictionalized journal of a serial killer, Barbie is currently working on an erotic vampire novel called Valeska.  She has also contributed a well-received short story entitled Sister Cilice to Hellbound Hearts, a horror anthology based on Clive Barker’s novella, The Hellbound Heart, which was the basis for eight subsequent Hellraiser films.

Fatally Yours: What does horror mean to you?

Barbie Wilde: Horror is a very intimate thing for me – rooted in my childhood. I watched a lot of horror movies when I was a kid and I took them very seriously. I believed them and I was quite a fearful child because of it.  My nightly routine was to check in the closet for monsters, underneath the bed for alien pods (from Invasion of the Body Snatchers) and underneath the covers for flesh-eating spiders.

Fatally Yours: How did you fall in love with the horror genre? 

Barbie Wilde: I can’t really say that I’m unconditionally in love with the horror genre, but it certainly had a major impact on me.

As a kid, I was fascinated by vampires, but to be frank, it was more a pre-teen/teen sexual thing. After all, who wouldn’t want to get bitten on the neck by Dracula (played by Christopher Lee) or Barnabas Collins from Dark Shadows?  I wrote a term paper in junior high entitled “The Vampire in Gothic Literature” and my teacher, Mr. Eugene Roche (I can’t believe that I remember his name), told me I had a truly Gothic mind, which was a thrilling complement at the time.

The things that really got me going are the 1950s and early 1960s Sci-Fi Creature Classics on “Saturday Afternoon at the Movies” that my older brother made me watch on TV. I recently viewed the 1956 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers again and I still found it hard to look at – it had such a devastating effect on me when I was young. (I was always devising tests for friends and family to see if they had been taken over by aliens. It made for a very paranoid childhood.)

Other favs were The Thing (1952), The Haunting (1963) and The Innocents (1961).  Of course, television horror was influential, such as repeats of the original series of The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery and The Outer Limits.

I’ve also enjoyed (if that’s the right word) the Alien franchise, Event Horizon, The Ring, John Carpenter’s The Thing, Audition and Constantine. I’m not really into the new visceral horror movie trend, such as Saw and Wolf Creek. I recently watched Drag Me To Hell and while effective, I couldn’t really take it seriously, although it had its truly gross moments.

Of course, to me, horror is much more intertwined with humans rather than monsters, hence my fascination with serial killers: horror with a human face, in other words.  Horror for me is more concerned with human yearning and anxiety. It’s not gore that turns me on, but the plausibility of the ordinary turning into the extraordinary.

Hitchcock’s Psycho still sets the standard for me and I remember very clearly watching it on television with my parents in the late 1960s. It was ground-breaking for its time and still is, in my opinion. My favorite modern equivalent would be Se7en.

Fatally Yours: You are most well known for your portrayal of the Female Cenobite in Hellbound: Hellraiser II. What drew you to this role and how did you land it? 

Barbie Wilde: I suppose I was asked to attend the audition because of my training as a mime artist. They used mime artists for 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968 and a lot of film-makers since then have gone for mimes or dancers for mask or creature work because of their physical discipline. I can’t think of any other reason why they would’ve call me in, other than the fact that I was the right size for the costume made for Grace Kirby, the “Female Cenobite” from the first Hellraiser film.

I nearly didn’t go to the audition, because I found the first Hellraiser movie so disturbing. I also thought that I was going up for “The Chatterer” and the concept of being in a complete face mask was too much for this claustrophobic. I was relieved to find out that I was auditioning for the role of the “Female Cenobite”.

Perhaps I got the part because I knew what a Cenobite was, since I looked it up in the dictionary before my meeting with the director, Tony Randel. He was under the impression that Clive had invented the word and I had to correct him on that point.

Fatally Yours: You’ve done a lot in your career, from acting to mime performances to interviewing rock stars to hosting a film review program to writing, among other things. If you can pick, what has been your favorite? 

Barbie Wilde: To be honest, I never felt that acting was my forte, but I really enjoyed being a TV presenter and being myself on camera. However, my new love is writing -  creating characters and stories, and being the ruler in my own little universe – but it is the hardest thing to do.

Fatally Yours: As an author, are there any sub-genres of horror (vampires, zombies, etc.) that you are sick of? What type of horror would you like to see more of?

Barbie Wilde: There has been a real glut of vampires on the market recently, but I can’t say I’m sick of them, because I’m writing a vampire novel. Trying to create something unique out of that genre is a challenge.

As mentioned above, the type of horror that I prefer is less blood and guts, and more suspense.
I know that this might be an unpopular thing to say, but I really don’t have much time for zombies. They’re weird, dead and boring. Werewolves seem to be mindlessly violent, but to be fair, I haven’t seen any recent zombie or werewolf films lately.

Vampires have a bit more class, depth, sexuality and character, which is why they’ve had such enduring popularity over the years.

Fatally Yours: Why do you think the horror genre has been primarily male-dominated?

Barbie Wilde: Well, let’s face it, the world is male-dominated, so it’s always going to be a battle to get your work noticed. I take heart that one of the first great modern horror stories, Frankenstein, was written by a woman. Think of the problems that Mary Shelley must have had, trying to get published back in the early 19^th century, but she managed it. (Of course, the first edition in 1818 was published anonymously, so that may have helped.)

Fatally Yours: What elements can female authors bring to the horror genre that are lacking in males’ perspectives?

Barbie Wilde: Horror from the clichéd male perspective is normally a nasty monster chasing a screaming girl whose clothes are slowly falling off. The discomfort for men might be seeing this in reverse!

I don’t like to be judgmental of writers, male or female, so I can only speak for myself.  In my own work, I seek to use my imagination to expose the sensuality and sexuality that is inherent both in horror and crime. In my novel, The Venus Complex, which is still looking for a publisher to understand it, I wanted to show the sexual mindscape of an ordinary man who becomes a serial killer. I don’t think sexual motivations have been fully addressed yet in most of the fictional serial killer literature that I’ve read.

In Sister Cilice, the story that I wrote for the Hellbound Hearts anthology, I explored the sexual frustrations of a woman who was never allowed to be herself and who was so demoralized by her world that summoning the Cenobites was a relief and an escape for her.

By the way, one horror author that I know of that does address sexuality and sensuality beautifully is Clive Barker.

Fatally Yours: Do you feel women authors in horror get the proper recognition when compared to their male counterparts?

Barbie Wilde: Well, like I said above, it’s a struggle to get your work recognized, whether you’re male or female. I think that there may be a perception amongst reviewers and publishers that women may not be quite up to the task, or perhaps they find the idea of women writing horror unpalatable.

Fatally Yours: Since you’ve been involved with the horror genre, have you noticed an increase in women becoming involved with the genre, whether they be fans or writers?

Barbie Wilde: I’m seeing a lot more women being involved in all levels: writing, directing, running websites, you name it.

Fatally Yours: Do you feel that other people view women as not being able to endure horror as well as men? How do you fight this stereotypical view?

Barbie Wilde: I think men and women may view horror from different perspectives, as there are plenty of women of my generation that I know who wouldn’t dream of watching films like Hellraiser or Saw. However, there is a tough new breed of females out there that I’ve met at conventions who absolutely adore horror.

And as to how to fight the stereotype: well, three quarters of the men on this planet still regard women as their possessions who are just there for sex, babies and cooking.  As long as women are out there creating and making powerful statements about their art and the alterative ways to be perceived by men, there’s hope that this might change eventually.

Fatally Yours: How do you go about creating strong female characters in your stories?

Barbie Wilde: I just like to create interesting characters; their sex is immaterial. I loved inventing my serial killer, Michael. I think that I have a lot of hidden rage that I was able to tap into to make him a believable character.

To create Sister Cilice, I went back to the source material: The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker. I loved the sensuality and tone of that story. After thinking about it for a few days, I came up with the opening paragraph of the story and then it just spewed out of me. I don’t know where my ideas come from, it’s almost like channeling, if you like. Once I create the characters, I let them go and see where they take me.

Fatally Yours: Which women in horror do you admire?

Barbie Wilde: Mary Shelley, Shirley Jackson, Anne Rice (for Interview with a Vampire only). I liked Sarah Pinborough’s story, The Confessor’s Tale, in Hellbound Hearts. I really enjoyed the True Blood TV series – from the books written by Charlaine Harris. True Blood was violent, audacious, sexy and hilarious – and quite original.

Fatally Yours: What inspires, influences and motivates you to keep writing about the darker side of life?

Barbie Wilde: I’ve always been obsessed by the darker, criminal side, perhaps because it’s so alien to what I am as a person. Is it admiration with the power the dark side exudes? Probably.

As far as influences are concerned, you just have to turn on 24-hour TV news to be confronted with the dark side of human beings – as well as the more unpleasant aspects of Nature.

Fatally Yours: What advice would you give women who want to become involved in the horror genre?

Barbie Wilde: Don’t give up. Follow your passions and obsessions, wherever they may lead. (Although keep it legal, if you can.)

Fatally Yours: Who are your favorite horror authors and what are your favorite horror novels?

Barbie Wilde:  Writers: Clive Barker, Paul Kane, Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, Shirley Jackson. Novels: Dracula, Frankenstein, The Stand, The Shining (at the heart of the story is a perversion of family relationships, which is very interesting), The Hellbound Heart, American Psycho, Paul Kane’s Red.

Actually, my favorite books are usually nonfiction, because I’m constantly, continually researching.  My top non-fiction author who specializes in crime would be Colin Wilson – for Order of Assassins: The Psychology of Murder, Written in Blood and The Criminal History of Mankind.

Fatally Yours: What was the last good book in the horror genre that you read?

Barbie Wilde: I thought that Darkness and Light by Paul Kane was excellent. I also liked Closer by Sarah Gran.

Fatally Yours: What are your goals for yourself within the literary world?

Barbie Wilde: I’d like to get my first novel The Venus Complex published and finish my vampire book as soon as possible. I’ve also co-written a musical and I’d love to see that produced. It’s quite violent and contains elements of film noir. The website is at: http://www.sailormusical.com

Fatally Yours: Where can people find more info on you?

Barbie Wilde:  at http://www.barbiewilde.com

Interview with Actress Melissa Bacelar

Born in New Jersey, Melissa Bacelar started her horror career in 2000. She has worked with Troma Films, Lions Gate, Anchorbay, Halo 8, Brain Damage and more. Melissa is an actress, producer, model and animal activist that has been in over two dozen international men’s magazines. She has done around 20 indie films and a handful of theatrically released thrillers. She has worked opposite Val Kilmer, John Cho, John Schneider, James Gunn and can be seen on both the small screen and big screen. When she is not acting Melissa is rescuing, rehabilitating and re-homing homeless animals.

Fatally Yours: How did you fall in love with the horror genre? 

Melissa Bacelar: During my first film shoot. I was amazed at the pure devotion all of the people on the crew had for the genre. These people were working and working really hard for barely any money just to be involved with a horror film. Coming from large budget sets and seeing people who are making a TON of money hating the fact that they have to work and counting the minutes till their next cigarette break…It was amazing.

Fatally Yours: What does horror mean to you?

Melissa Bacelar: Sexy, strong women who kick ass and wear amazing clothes, cool monsters and lots of blood.  It’s a lifestyle, a fantasy that I get to live in most of the time.

Fatally Yours: How and when did you get involved in the horror genre?

Melissa Bacelar: It was about 10 years ago and a friend of mine told me I should audition for this cool film company called Troma. They were casting the Toxic Avenger IV. So, I submitted a head shot and I got a call to come in. That was when it all started.

Fatally Yours: What is one thing you’ve done within the horror genre that you are most proud of?

Melissa Bacelar: I really love Skinned Alive [aka Eat Your Heart Out]! Lions Gate distributed and I play a zombie hooker. This film was so much fun and I loved the role I played! It was a great cast, crew and an amazing script!

Fatally Yours: Do you feel women in horror get the proper recognition when compared to their male counterparts?

Melissa Bacelar: It depends how you look at it. I think women get to have all the fun! We get to dress in cool costumes and get photographed, because I am a woman in horror I have been featured in Maxim, FHM and several other main stream magazines. I get flown to horror conventions and I have the best fans in the world. So yeah, I love the recognition I get. It’s amazing.

Fatally Yours: As a woman in horror, have you found it harder to be taken seriously in a genre that seems to be dominated by males? 

Melissa Bacelar: I don’t think it’s the horror industry I think it’s Hollywood in general…Really it’s life. We choose to be part of an industry that judges people on how they look. Not to say that you have to be stunning or not. It’s just that we play what we look like on screen. So if we look like bimbos or scientists that is what we will be cast as. I think people need to realize we work in a stereotype. We book work because we look like a stereo type. I know what I look like and I know who I am. I am a crazy chick who rescues dogs and is way too nice to everyone. I look like a Barbie doll. So there ya go. I book the hookers, strippers and porn stars. It’s a job and it is really fun.

Fatally Yours: Have you ever felt exploited as a woman by any roles you’ve taken? Have there been certain roles you wouldn’t take because you felt the role was too exploitative? 

Melissa Bacelar: At this point I love every role I have done. You are an actress because you want to be something you can’t be in real life. I play hookers, killers, zombies, strippers… It’s all fun and different from who I am. In real life I spend most of my time rescuing dogs. On film I eat men. If I didn’t like a role I probably wouldn’t take it but it’s fiction, it’s play…It has to push the limits.

Fatally Yours: As an actress, do you feel roles in horror for women tend to be weaker or stronger than those for males? 

Melissa Bacelar: In the past most horror films had male leads, male killers, male monsters. I have been pretty lucky because a lot of the films I have been in were written to have strong females. So, in general most films are predominantly driven by male characters. But even in those films there are extremely memorable women.

Fatally Yours: What are your overall thoughts on how women are portrayed in horror films?

Melissa Bacelar: When you think of horror you immediately think of naked girls kissing and covered in blood. At least I do. I do as a producer, as a woman and as an actress. I think there are women who feel empowered when they are naked and being portrayed as sexy. I do. I love my sexuality. So, I think women are portrayed in many ways. As sex symbols, as cold blooded killers, as victims. We wear a lot of hats.

Fatally Yours: What has been your favorite character you’ve portrayed?

Melissa Bacelar: Pandora in Skinned Alive. She was twisted, hot and a heart breaker.

Fatally Yours: Since you’ve been involved with the horror genre, have you noticed a change in women’s roles within horror whether it be roles in horror films, women behind the camera, women writers, etc.?

Melissa Bacelar: Absolutely! I go to horror conventions and there are little girls with their moms wanted to take pictures with me. Women are fans. They are writers and directors. It’s pretty cool.

Fatally Yours: What inspires, influences and motivates you? 

Melissa Bacelar: First of all I love being in front of a camera. But what truly inspires me is animals. I want to be recognized and make a lot of money so that I can rescue homeless and abused animals and educate the public.

Fatally Yours: What are your goals for yourself within the horror genre?

Melissa Bacelar: I hope to continue to work on interesting projects. Like any actor I hope to create a role that becomes an iconic figure in the genre. I would love to be a female Jason.

Fatally Yours: Where can people find more info on you?

Melissa Bacelar:  www.MelissaBacelar.com and on Facebook too!