For my birthday -- and also for fact that I'm a twin -- I'm celebrating by spending my special day with another set of kick ass twins... The Soska Sisters.
Yeah, yeah, check your filthy minds. This meeting is all on the up and up. Being a twin, myself, and being a horror fan to boot, I was instantly fascinated when I first heard of the Soska twins, Jen and Sylvia, and their Twisted Twins Production of Dead Hooker in a Trunk. I contacted them for a look at the film, and was truly surprised at what I saw. Not only did they pull off an impressive debut, but this pair of freshman filmmakers crafted a nicely solid film. It was obvious to me that the Soska twins weren't just avid film fans. They clearly had studied the films they watch, as well, and developed their own eye for cinematic mayhem.
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| Don't even |
The ladies have been busy busy busy, getting their debut film Dead Hooker in a Trunk out there on the VOD market, and also in a wider distribution for the DVD market with IFC Midnight. And right now, they are casting their hotly anticipated follow up, American Mary. They've already snagged a major star for their newest flick, and she's red hot... But, I'll let the twins tell you all about that.
BadRonald:
First and most importantly -- twins!! Who was first, and by how many minutes? (I was second, by 5 minutes!)
Sylvia Soska:
Me! But I sort of
cheated, I guess. I am nineteen minutes older, and came out at seven
pounds. Jen was only about three. Apparently, I tried to eat her in the
womb. Womb combat - point Sylv.
Jen Soska:
She's 19 minutes older than me and STILL calls me
her baby sister to this day. She crossed the finish line at 4:58am
April 29th, 1983 (on a Thursday, I believe) and I followed at 5:17am. On
our 18th birthday, she woke me up at 4:58am on the dot with the
Beatles' Birthday and jumped on my bed. The lyrics "they say it's your
birthday, it's my birthday, too, yeah" are something we've always loved.
When we were littler we kind of assumed it was written just for us
twins. I still haven't paid her back for it. When it hit 5:17am, she
just calmly stopped jumping and went back to bed.
BadRonald:
And what cool Twin Powers do you possess?
Sylvia:
We actually have matching skull rings so we can do the twin powers
activate jazz. We sort of speak without words through looks and
butchered English. If you talk to one of us - since we share the same
brain - the other will come up to you and say the exact same thing. That
one isn't really a power as much as it is confusing.
Jen:
We totally have twin ESP or something. We can
sense where the other is in a crowded place if we get separated. If
we're apart, we can feel if the other is upset or scared or happy. I've
had awful feelings in the pit of my stomach without Sylv being with me
and I just have to call her and find out what's up. It's pretty
accurate. No one knows me better. We're very similar, but very
different. We really compliment one another. I honestly feel sorry for
you "normies" out there that have to go through life without a twin. I'm
incredibly grateful to have her. Twins are very lucky to have that
special bond.
BadRonald:
Did your folks do the ol' let's dress them up the same gimmick? Or did they let you be yo' self?
Sylvia:
They did the same
outfit thing when we were little. Since I almost killed Jen and she was
the miracle baby, she got the adorable pink outfits and I was left with
'the other color' - yellows, blues, whatever the fuck.
When we were older, my parents actually supported my
strange wardrobe choices. They developed over time, but I had phases
before settling on a mainly black, posh wardrobe. In highschool, we were
very adventurous with our clothing. I had snake skin pants, mesh
shirts, and lots of high heels. They are my favorite.
Jen:
Yeah, as kids we were very clone-y. Same but
different colored duds. Highschool was where we changed. When we were
little we even kept our hair the same. Uncolored, long, and straight. In
highschool, we experimented with different looks. Changing your
appearance as a teenager felt very liberating to us, especially when
you're at the age where you're just trying to figure out who the hell
you are or what that even means.
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| Got my eye on you |
Sylvie would have a platinum bob do and I'd have jet black with
bright red highlights underneath. She'd have Mary Jane fire engine red
locks and I'd have permed dirty blond hair. We changed ourselves like we
were Cher at a concert, ha ha
BadRonald:
How did a couple girls like you get to become the horror icons and fans that you are today?
Sylvia:
That's incredibly
kind of you to say. I hope to actually become that one day, but I'm
going to work hard to make it happen. Ever since we were little girls,
we were always drawn to the strange and unusual. I have two very clear
memories involving spiders - one, I loved to play with bugs, but when I
handled spiders, people would react in fear and that really fascinated
me. The animals were harmless, yet adults would run from them. The
second, I had a cupboard open and I just saw the legs of this huge
spider slowly grasp the edge which caused me to run out of the house
screaming. I ran to my dad and my grandfather to tell them - and they
didn't even react. It got me thinking about fear and its power over
people.
Jen and I would hang out at a very young age at the
local video store in their dressed up horror section. We would creep the
movie cases, looking for the most graphic and scary images, then we
would make up amongst ourselves with the description what happens in the
film. After much begging, at the age of ten, our mom let us watch our
first horror movie - POLTERGEIST. We made it through the film, but bed
time was when the terror sank in. My mom did something that would change
my life. She sat us down and told us what we saw - the efforts of
talented artists who wrote the words, played the characters, and even
made the monsters with the intention of scaring me. It was like being on
the inside of a huge secret. I never looked at horror the same again.
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| High five |
Jen:
What a compliment. I'm far too humble to think of
ourselves that way. I'm truly a fan of horror. I know many people see
it as a sub genre and I couldn't take that as more insulting. There are
many many piss poor horror flicks out there, but there are just as many
unwatchable comedies, dramas, and romantic comedies. Horror has a bad
reputation. It's our choice to do horror because we love it so much. I
feel that it has been out of the hands of the fans for too long. That's
why there are constant remakes being pumped out or poorly written and
equally poorly executed pictures out there. It's a tough time out there
financially, too. No one wants to take a risk on something new. I feel
we are the voice of the fans, being fans ourselves, and it's our duty to
deliver what has been missing for far too long. Something new and
original.
I don't exactly recall a time where we didn't like horror. As
children, we spent hours and hours outside hunting bugs and then tossing
them in wolf spider webs making note of each resident's size and
looking for the legendary "big one". We loved Halloween always. We had
to make our own costumes to ensure every last details was pitch perfect.
We would sneak into the horror section of this wicked video store which
is sadly long gone called Flickers. They beautifully decorated the
section with card board movie beasts and cob webs year round. We'd peak
behind the covers to see the images on the back looking for the scariest
images and then beg our mom to rent them. Horror just came naturally to
us. It's like how some girls dream of their weddings. I dreamed of
things that would scare the shit out of most people and more so I
dreamed OF scaring the shit out of people. It was a real laugh for us
and always in good fun.
I would thank the outstanding horror community for embracing us and
our DEAD HOOKER the way that they did. I feel almost like an ambassador
of horror. If people didn't stand behind us, tell their friends about
us, and spread the word via blogs and reviews and posts and tweets, we
wouldn't be where we are today. We appreciate the hell out of the people
who believe in us and our work. We make everything we do with them in
mind.
BadRonald: My twin is the sports buff -- knows everything about every team,
plays a lot, and keeps in shape. Me, I'm the film buff, the literary
type, the consummate knowledge seeker. But we both love horror to
death. Compare and contrast your twin selves.
Sylvia:
We're extremely
similar except - Jen has this beautiful optimistic outlook on the world,
and I tend to be more dark and brooding. We joke that she's Joss Whedon
and I'm Lars Von Trier and somehow we can make films together.
Jen:
ha ha, it's true. I turned to her today and said,
"Sylv, you're the Erik." She just stared blankly back, so I explained.
"You're Magneto and I'm Xavier. You have seen so much real life horror
that you have no faith left in humanity. I have seen the same, but in
spite of it all and in spite of knowing better, I still have hope and
want to make the world a better place." It's true. I am so the Charles
in the relationship. Sylvia is so Plath. She's a dark and tortured
artist. Not to say she isn't a wonderful and kind person, she has an
incredible heart and so much strength, but you'd be a damn fool to try
to bullshit her. She sees right through it and takes none of it. You
fuck up with her and that's it. No second chances. I'm a hopeless
optimist and idealist. I'm headed for a lot more heart break, I imagine,
ha ha. We beautifully compliment one another.
I tell her all the time, "thank GOD you don't have Magneto powers."
BadRonald:
Dead Hooker in a Trunk -- unbelievably great title. How'd you come up with it, as well as the movie?
Sylvia:
Jen is really funny. She gets these random bits of genius out of nowhere. The title was all her.
We were in film school - and it was only called that
to rip off students as there was nothing that even resembled a school
there - and were disappointed with what we had been conned into. We had
decided to quit acting as the roles we were being offered were only
super-sexualized twin fetish inspired roles. Nothing wrong with
sexuality, but there's a different from playing Roller Girl in BOOGIE
NIGHTS and being a piece of ass whose tits are in focus, but face isn't.
We had extensively trained in marital arts and wanted to transition to
stuntwork. We might still be in bikinis, but at least we would be
kicking ass while we did. The school had outsourced a stunt portion and
that was excellent, but the rest was a waste of time and money.
We were ready to end film work entirely, but thank
God GRINDHOUSE was in the theaters at the time. We would go to the
theater almost everyday and take real film school. We grew up watching
Rodriguez and the massively collaborative flick was incredible. There
was even a Canadian director named Jason Eisener with a fake trailer for
a film called HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN. It made us stoked about filmmaking
again. After we got the funding for our final project pulled, we went to
the theater to cheer ourselves up. After walking out, Jen turns to me
and says, 'Dead Hooker in a Trunk.' I ask what is that. She replies,
that's the name of the film we're going to make a fake trailer for. We
would make in on our own with our industry friends, we would put all the
material deemed 'too inappropriate' for the school in it and add the
ones they missed like bestiality and necrophilia, and we would present
it at graduation at the very end.
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| Didn't see that coming |
When the trailer played, half the audience walked
out and the other half was laughing and cheering so loud that you could
barely hear our intentionally offensive dialogue. People started asking
about the feature. We wrote it in two weeks based around the wild fake
trailer scenes and were shooting shortly after that.
Jen:
I'm very proud of the title. There's so much
competition out there and when you're a couple nobodies from Canada who
have never made a film before, you've got to have a strong marketing
plan as you develop your film. Your title is your first impression. You
only get to do it once. I hate how many film makers have weak, bland
titles. You're really fucking yourself when you do that. You have to
pick something that will stand out, be unforgettable, will get an
emotional reaction out of whoever hears it, and makes people say, "I
gotta see that." DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK does just that. Also, if you
don't get a giggle out of the title, you likely know that there won't be
much in the film that'll win you over. It divides our audience as much
as it excites them. Pick something smart, indie artists. You owe it to
yourselves and your work to give it the best fighting chance out there
that you can.
BadRonald:
You've had some people bellyaching about the title. What happened? (Saskatoon, right?)
Sylvia:
It still really
shocks me. The Roxy Theater in Saskatoon got an anonymous phone call
complaining about our film which was using their venue as a part of the
Dark Bridges Film Festival. That night, those same cowards went and
ripped down all the posters that the promoter had bought to market the
event around town. Tom Hutchinson decided to ban the film from their
theater on the title alone without ever bothering to watch the film. Had
they watched it, maybe they would have realized it was satirically and
the only character that the anti-heroes do treat with an dignity is the
deceased Hooker.
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| BSF |
I sent an open letter to Tom Hutchinson, but no one
from the theater ever bothered to even respond. They tried to blame it
on real life prostitute slayings which, sadly, are not only a regular
occurrence in that city. We didn't create the term 'dead hooker in a
trunk' but rather tried to take something shocking and put a story there
where you are forced to see this woman as a human being despite how
'loathsome' some people find her occupation to be. In Vancouver we had
the Pickton killer kill dozens of girls at his pig farm. The open season
on these women is disgusting.
After that, they tried to blame a church group for
the banning because of the subject matter which is ridiculous. We shot
parts of HOOKER in our Roman Catholic Church and many members of the
congregation happily attended our screening of the film. It was such an
act of prejudice. It's amazing what the misinformed and uneducated can
do if given any authority. Then, they banned HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN for
good measure.
Jen:
It was disappointing for so many reasons. It was
our first Canadian screening outside of Vancouver that we hadn't
organized ourselves. We were so excited! I mean, we're fucking Canadian
and when I heard they banned our film I was taken back big time. We had
been welcomed in the UK, loved throughout the USA, and won awards in
Brazil, but our own country wouldn't even show our film. More so, they
wouldn't even WATCH it. It was because of the title alone. It's
intentionally satirical. It would be plain stupid to name the film
something so blatant and then be disrespectful. In fact, had they taken
the 92 minutes to watch the film, they would have found that despite
having a total disregard for human life and the bodies they leave in
their wake, our four heroes go out of their way to put the Hooker's body
to rest. And there's a definite tone shift when her death scene
happens. Much of the violence is tongue in cheek and over the top, but
her death is very real and ugly. It should be upsetting to watch.
I must say that Saskatoon is a cool city and I don't hold it against
them. The Broadway Theater welcomed HOOKER and HOBO in with open arms.
And local businesses, that were made aware of the controversy, happily
accepted our posters. And when the films screened? It went off without
incident to full theaters of happy people. Thank you, Saskatoon. Can't
wait to bring AMERICAN MARY to the Broadway Theater. I think we'll skip
the closed minded, judgmental Roxy, not that I imagine they'd ever
bother speaking to us or apologizing. Clearly, an open and intelligent
discussion is too much to ask for from them.
BadRonald:
Now, you're working on American Mary. Can you spill some guts on the project?
The news is, you've got a name lead.
Sylvia:
I am fucking thrilled to be working with Canadian Horror Icon,
Katharine Isabelle. We have been huge fans of hers for a long time. I
tried not to write the script with any particular actors in mind, but I
would be lying if I didn't admit talking about how cool it would be to
have Katie as our Mary. You sometimes meet people that you dig the work
of and they totally ruin themselves for you. I was nervous about meeting
her and I'm very obsessed with the story and the title character, so
the person taking on the role had to be perfect.
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| Ginger Snapped |
Katie blew away all expectations. She's a phenomenal
actress and it's really weird that you don't see her in more roles like
this. She very much is the only person I could ever see bringing Mary
Mason to life. It's going to be a lot of fun watching her create this
character - I'm a fan and I get the privilege of working with her. I
honestly have no idea how I got so lucky.
Jen:
Oh, it's killing me to not talk more about our
girl. We're incredibly proud of our second film. It's the polar opposite
of DHIAT in so many ways. We have plenty of Grindhouse style films in
us, but it was important for us to do something different with this one
so we wouldn't get pigeon holed as only being able to make one kind of
film. Quite the opposite, actually. You'd be quite surprised with what
we have in the works. AMERICAN MARY has very unique characters and our
title character has this beautiful and tragic arc. I know there are a
lot of girls out there that will really relate to her. We hope that when
they have a shitty day, they can put on AM and feel strong, like they
can go out there and take on the world. There are some awful role models
for women and especially young girls right now. Don't even get me
started on Bella from the TWILIGHT series. It's like they're saying in
big neon lights, "don't worry! Some guy will come along and save you.
And if he doesn't? Another shirtless guy will show up and then save you,
too." Mary is one touch bitch and Katie is going to blow people away as
her.
We are working with the geniuses at MastersFX on the film. You may
know Todd Masters and his team from TRUE BLOOD, SIX FEET UNDER, and
everything ever worth watching. Their effects are breath taking works of
art. I have so much respect for what they do and it a dream come true
to be working with them.
BadRonald:
For
me, I've seen just about everything there is in the horror filmscape.
And I'm pretty darn guilty of having watched my share of "bad" horror
movies for the pure fun of it. But the movies I find myself gravitating
to, these days, are ones that rise above the standard issue. The ones
that speak to the intellect as well as the guts. Films like Martyrs, The Woman, The Inside,
stuff like that. Really, anything that draws the terror and suspense
from the characters, rather than the gimmickry. In DHIAT, I saw that
you guys really love to play with character, too. How did you approach
the script, and the production of it?
Sylvia:
The creation of
the film was all in the vein of Rodriguez's film school. We followed his
film schools, we had his making of EL MARIACHI book - Rebel Without A
Crew - on set at all times. We nicknamed it 'the Bible'. In it, he
mentioned how he wrote each sequence on a cue card then moved them
around to figure out a good order. Since the script came after the fake
trailer, we had all these cool scenes but now we had to link them
together and flesh out the story.
We grew up on crazy films that were fun to watch, so
it was really important to create the same feelings with HOOKER. We put
as much insanity in it as we could pull off - word spread through the
city and the indie film scene about what we were attempting - to follow
in Rodriguez's shoes. Lots of people wrote us and the project off - that
it was too ambitious, the material was too crude, and the no budget a
death sentence. But word spread all the way to the El Mariachi himself,
Carlos Gallardo, who ended up giving us some wonderful advice as we
continued and even makes an appropriate guest came as God.
Jen:
In addition to being lovers of film, we are very
influenced by comic books and video games. Wait, I think I'm supposed to
call them "graphic novels" now, right? If you watch DHIAT knowing that,
you'll see some very blatant comic and gaming references. We wanted to
make our heroes larger than life. We intentionally gave them each a
single outfit so it would be the equivalent of a super hero and their
costume. When you see Spidey, you KNOW it's Spidey because of the duds.
When they tried on the Black/Symbiote costume, people freaked because
they didn't have their hero it what they came to know him as. We wanted
people to know Badass is in a low cut tank top FASTER PUSSY CAT KILL
KILL style with acid washed jeans and shit kicking boots. Anyone that
sees the film has those very clear images burned into their minds. It
was a definite super hero and costume tribute.
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| They shoot guns, too |
In the sketchy building where Junkie picks up drugs and all hell
breaks loose, there's a SILENT HILL reference. Anyone who's played the
games knows that when you hear those sirens, shit is about to go down.
On the wall we referenced graffiti in SH2. "There was a hole here, it's
gone now." Geek loses the same eye as Big Boss from the METAL GEAR SOLID
series. Also in a torture sequence. In FINAL FANTASY games and many
RPGs, the final baddie goes through three transformations. That's why we
had three villains. So no one would be able to predict when the film
would end or where the hell it was going. I hate watching a film and
guessing the ending. SPOILER ALERT. I saw SHUTTER ISLAND and thought,
"oh, fuck, I hope the missing patient Leo's looking for isn't himself."
Yup, I bet you can guess where that went.
There are tons more references, shout outs, and tributes. I bet if
you watch now knowing what total nerds we are, you'll see way more than
you would have ever expected.
BadRonald:
Can you each rifle through your greatest influences? Your fave films?
Sylvia:
Robert Rodriguez has had a huge influence on me. All the directors
involved in the GRINDHOUSE project changed my life with that film. Eli
Roth is one of the most kind, supportive, and down to earth gentlemen I
have ever had the pleasure of calling a friend. His advice helped us a
lot with DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK and it was because of his request to
read one of our more 'straight forward' horror scripts that we wrote
AMERICAN MARY. It's really cool to be going through this process and
have a guy whose been through it all there to support you and make sure
you don't fuck up your film.
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| Arrr! |
I love Mary Harron and Lars Von Trier for their
provocative films and the class, intelligence, and eloquence that they
defend those films. I think that's partly why I really wanted to push
the envelope with AMERICAN MARY, because they inspired me to. Clive
Barker is a huge influence. His work changed the way that I look at
horror.
Favorite films - AMERICAN PSYCHO, SUICIDE CLUB,
MARTYRS, REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, ANTICHRIST, HELLRAISER, HOSTEL 2, THE
MARIACHI TRILOGY, anything with Spider-man in it - I'm a hopeless
fangirl.
Jen:
Robert Rodriguez is the reason why we made DHIAT. He
told us we could do it and you know what? He was right. He's a genius
and a self made man. He's smart as hell and can do just about every job
on set. We carried his book, REBEL WITHOUT A CREW, with us at all times
on set. We called it the bible. Honestly, if you don't own it, go grab a
copy. It's an inspiring piece of literature. Even if you aren't a film
maker and have no desire to be one, it'll inspire you to go out and
chase down whatever your dream is. I love how Robert has his Ten Minute
Film Schools. Most people would keep their tricks to themselves. Robert
loves fill enough to try to show others how to make their stuff better.
I have to say Quentin Tarantino. He's a master of his craft. He has
this beautifully defined style that shines through in his work. The way
we marries music to imagery is breath taking and no one does it better.
He loves film and it shows. He's seen everything and makes it his job to
know everything about filmmaking. You have to respect that. It really
pisses me off when someone says something ignorant like, "he's
overrated." To that I say, "go fuck your pretentious self." It's like
when I hear people bitch that the Beatles are overrated. Where would we
be without the Beatles and Tarantino? Their contributions to their craft
have influenced all of us, even if we're too arrogant to admit it.
We began reading Stephen King in elementary school, much to the
dismay of our teachers and principal. His dark and twisted sense of
humor took hold of us at an impressionable young age and we came to feel
that horror was meant to have humor in it. I still love a laugh snuck
in with my grotesque moments. Even if it's an uncomfortable one.
I love Joss Whedon. His story arcs that are gorgeously planned out
over a whole series where you'll see something that seemed unimportant
happen in season one pay off big time in season seven. He's wonderful
and playful with language. And he showed me I can be strong. I was
always a little thing and got bullied and teased quite mercilessly when I
was younger. Seeing Buffy had a profound effect on me. Coupled with my
love of super heroes, I made a decision to be strong and threw myself
into martial arts. They wouldn't teach me how to use weapons, though I
had started up quite a collection, so I did the reasonable thing and
trained myself. I've practiced introducing myself to Joss and telling
him how much he and his work means to me, but I still don't have
anything perfect and witty yet. If I can form words in his presence,
it'll be a win.
My favorite films? THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY, anything
Rodriguez, SUICIDE CLUB, WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT, BATMAN RETURNS,
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, AUDITION, INSIDE, LET THE
RIGHT ONE IN, PAN'S LABYRINTH, DOGVILLE, THE THING, JACOB'S LADDER, and a
whole lot more.
BadRonald:
One
topic that has become a great interest of mine is the depiction of
women in film, particularly violence towards women, coupled with the
societal image of females. Since women have had short shrift in the
horror genre for decades, I've enjoyed the fact that filmmakers are
using the very genre to speak to us about our perception of women. And
I've really enjoyed it that, more and more often, it's a woman behind
the camera who is making the statement. What are your thoughts on this
trend, and where do you guys fit in?
Sylvia:
I was horrified to
learn that the very first director of non-fiction filmmaking and the
person who revolutionized cinema was actually a woman named Alice Guy.
She would go on to work on over seven hundred films, she loved horror -
especially vampires, and her studio on the East Coast would rival the
West until the Hollywood movement tragically ended her career. There
have been some incredible women working in film for a very long time,
but there hasn't been a focus on the recognition of these women.
Gaffers and crew were given Alice's film credits
because they were men. She worked very hard within the stereotypical
roles for women at the time, but insisted that women made better
filmmakers because of their capacity for emotion. She was a really cool
chick.
I found out about her when I was researching women
in the industry that made an impact on the horror scene during Women In
Horror Recognition Month, an event every February brainchild of Ax
Wound's Hannah Neurotica. It's a brilliant event that focuses on
celebrating the ladies that paved the road for us and the women working
today with hopes of making the notion of women not only liking horror
but being a part of creating it. I know when I was getting teased in
school as a little girl, I would have loved an event like this to make
me realize that I'm not alone and loving this genre is nothing to be
made to feel ashamed of.
I hope that our films and our story will inspire
people - men and women - to follow their dreams and create their own
films. There is an onslaught of soulless studio crap being forced on us
right now and the best place to counter-balance that is with unique,
interesting, and original indies.
Jen:
I find horror is a place where you can really see
the evolution of where women stand. It's almost a reflection of their
current places in society. When Ridley Scott cast Sigourney Weaver as
Ripley in a role that was written in a way that either a man or woman
could have played it, something epic happened. A heroine was born and we
got hungry for it. Look at my personal favorite, Buffy. "...just the idea of some woman who seems to be completely insignificant who turns out to be extraordinary"
~Joss Whedon. Buffy was his answer to the helpless, little blond that
always ends up dying in classic horror films. He took the stereotype and
turned it on it's head. That's what we like to do, too. We wanted to
shake things up and get people excited. Times are changing and the work
has to reflect that. Right now there are so many women that are kicking
ass in front of and behind the camera. Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar win was
an epic moment in history. Sure, we've been here for a while, but women
are producing some strong work and demanding to be paid attention to. I
don't feel that women deserve any easy breaks. Actually, quite the
opposite. I'll be the first to serve up a hard slice of truth when I see
a woman's work that needs some improvement.
I want to challenge the stereotype. I want to encourage others,
girls and guys, to step up and go after their dreams. Everyone told us
we were idiots to make DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK and maybe that's so, but
not too many people say that to our face these days, ha ha.
BadRonald:
So often, the image of "girl power" has come with a big sexuality
sticker attached. Not that you ladies aren't [blush] sexy, but you
don't seem to parade your sexy selves around and then say "Oh, but I'm
smart, too!" Actually, you guys put your smarts right out there, up
front. And the sexy... well, that just comes naturally [blush, giggle].
It's refreshing that, in the popscape of "girl power," where
girls glean more about fashion and body image over the "power" message,
that you guys can show the true feminine strength with pure and honest
work. How'd you get to be cool like dat?
Sylvia:
We've been acting
since childhood. As we got older, the roles went from cutesy and without
substance to super-sexualized and without substance. I have no problem
with sexuality, but I like some sort of thought put into why there is
that sexuality rather than fuel for a quick wank. It's all about the
intention behind it.
I think there is a misconception that to be a smart
business woman that you cannot recognize that sexuality or sexiness in
yourself. I think being a comic book nerd is sexy. I think loving horror
movies is sexy. I like dressing and looking a certain way. To me, it's
empowering. There is a certain amount of attractive appeal to my
appearance, but it would be rather pathetic if how I look was all there
was to me.
When I was about fourteen, people started acting
strangely around Jen and me. I bet you know about the twin fetish. Some
people get so freaked out, like a threesome is about to happen and they
don't want to screw it up. I wanted to have a reason more than being
pretty twins for people to find me interesting and I think I have. Like
Judge Judy says - Pretty fades, stupid is forever.
Jen:
There's a fine line between sexy and slutty and
we try not to cross it. You have to keep your integrity. Never let
anyone push you to do something that is out of your comfort zone. Look
at Drew Barrymore. She's sexy and peels it off, but it's on her own
terms and there's strength in that. I'd say a fear of undressing and
being comfortable in your own skin is just as bad as slutting it up just
to make someone else happy. Believe you me, being an identical twin,
we've found ourselves in some terrible positions where based on our
youth people have tried to get something out of us we weren't willing to
give up. We were smart enough to get the fuck out of those situations,
but you should take care not to get yourself in them in the first place.
This industry is filled with predators and they'd just love to chew up
and spit out pretty young things. I have no problem with sex and nudity.
Both have their time and place.
A brilliant friend of mine has a saying. NJAPF. It's Not Just
Another Pretty Face. I hate to say it, but if you look a certain way,
some people will assume you're a total moron. When Sylv and I meet some
people, it's like we have to prove to them we're not drooling idiots.
They see us and assume we've gotten to where we are based on our looks.
We've worked our collective asses off. If there was a way we could've
just stood there, batted our eyes, and flicked our hair, we never
discovered it and honestly wouldn't have taken the easy route. I think a
little suffering goes a long way to build character and we've had more
than our fair share. You have to be smart in this business and that goes
for men and women.
I never throw the fact that I'm a decent looking girl around nor do I
even bother saying that you should watch our films because we're women
and we have it harder than the boys. That's just ridiculous. We put the
focus where it should always be placed. On creating good, strong work.
We want our work to speak for itself. When I hear someone say, "hey, a
couple Canadian girls wrote and directed DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK? That's
cool, I had no idea", I love it.
BadRonald:
The Addams Family! You two had lobbied for a little while to try
and get some notice that you would love to do your own version of the
classic TV show and comic strip. I absolutely loved the idea, and was
so glad to find that you had reflected my own desire that any redeux of
the Addams Family be done with the morbid and satirical humor from the
original Charles Addams panels. I now hear that that friggin' Tim
Burton is going to take it on. You think maybe he saw you two coming
and he snatched it up? hehe
Sylvia:
Yeah, I heard
about that, but I think it might be cancelled. I'm not greedy - I love
the Addams Family. They gave me and Jen something to relate to that made
us feel like we weren't all that weird. We were mercilessly teased
growing up and even got spat on in private school for being 'witches'. I
think there really should be a film on the original Charles Addams' New
Yorker comic strip. It was a strong satire on how people perceive one
another and treat different people. It would be an honor to bring it to
life, but I think it just should get made. Just please, whoever, stick
as closely to the strip as possible. Make Thing a decapitated head that
rolls through the halls, make Pugsly a sadistic Dennis the Menace, don't
go camp, please go class.
Jen:
I love Tim Burton. Admittedly, I'm a bigger fan
of his earlier work, but I would love to see what he would do with an
Addams Family film. I mean this in a completely non-arrogant way, but I
am not intimidated or put off by him making an Addams Family film in the
least. I've heard he's doing it and I've heard it's a rumor. Who knows,
right? Sylvie and I have this outstanding and unique vision for the
Addams Family. It's a throw back to Charles Addams' classic comic strips
and unlike anything. I know that the way we would do it would be very
different from his version. I would be honored to just have the
opportunity to make an Addams Family film. I want those characters and
their message to live on for future generations. I know it's early in
our careers and we'll have to prove ourselves with AMERICAN MARY and
likely a film or two more before a studio would give us such an
important franchise. And that doesn't scare me. I look forward to the
challenge.
 |
| Just imagine! |
BadRonald:
Oh, and what up with the Munsters TV makeover, where they're going
to explore the origins of the family, and get all dark drama? Is this
insanity or what?
Sylvia:
The entertainment industry is very interesting. The artistic creative
types usually have to depend on the non-creative financing
establishments to get made. Creative types want to change the world,
create new material, or hold source material sacred. Non-creative types
don't want risk in their investments, so they look at things that have
worked in the past/have already been made/seem popular at the time and
make soulless shit. Someone might have said let's make it like DEXTER or
TRUE BLOOD in the vein of the popular darker series and that's where
the insanity started. Next year, one third of every film will be a
remake, prequel, or sequel. We truly need new ideas not stories rehashed
then raped.
Jen:
You have to have a respect for the original because to do
anything else is disrespectful to the fans. People hated Kirsten Dunst's
blond-ish hair as Mary Jane and you know what? They had every right to.
I was one of them. It's so basic. It's not true to the character. Many
of these characters have been around for decades and there's a reason
they've been able to survive so long. There's no need to fuck with that.
People think a reboot of an old classic is a safe way to make some easy
cash off their fans, but it's got to be done right. I shudder at the
thought of remakes. I would "re-imagine" or pay tribute to the original,
but I'd always pay the proper respect to the original and the fans.
BadRonald:
Are
you guys Dark Shadows fans, at all? I was one of those kids who ran
home to watch it, and I'm not sure if I like Tim Burton messing with
it. But maybe, being Canadian, you were Strange Paradise fans instead?
Sylvia:
I'm ashamed to
admit that I am unfamiliar with both. I do miss the old Tim Burton
films. I went to the Tim Burton exhibit in LA this past week and his
drawings and creativity blew me away. I wish he would go back to
creating his own material because I think he can be brilliant.
Jen:
I'm so embarrassed. I never saw it, but I'll have to make up for
it. We watched almost everything together. It's rare that I'll have seen
something without Sylv.
BadRonald:
Thanks sisters, for being twins, and for being cool filmmakers...
and thank you for answering my silly questions. In parting, could you
each give me a title of any movie that I must absolutely find and watch?
Sylvia:
Thank you for talking to
us! This was a really fun interview, so we appreciate it. Ok, I gotta
give you some goodies. A really fun one is PIECES. As is NEW YORK
RIPPER. Eli Roth introduced me to them and they are fantastic flicks
that you might have not seen yet.
Jen:
It was a real pleasure chatting with you. You
know your shit and I respect the hell out of it. Go see PHANTOM OF THE
PARADISE. Thank me later ;)
BadRonald:
Thanks ladies!!
While looking for some old school horror to watch this past weekend, I turned to good ol' APV. They're not the bastion of old school horror, iby any means. But, lately they've collected a good number of VHS style retro flicks, and not just horror, but comedies and drama from the 70s and 80s. It's a real kick! I felt like I had uncovered some dust covered box at a grage sale, loaded with old Betamax tapes!
