Hot & Horrifying: The First Ladies Of Horror (5)
with Denise Gossett Greetings and salutations, Denise. Been busy lately? Bet that was dumb question, huh? Yeah, is there a day when I'm not busy? hee hee I am a full time actor, full time festival director, and full time mommy to a baby.... Take a moment to tell me all about Shriekfest. Was this your brainchild alone, or did you have your friends collaborating on it too? I came up with the idea 10 years ago after having starred in a horror film called "Chain of Souls". I wanted the producers/director to take it the festival route and they said that there just weren't any horror film festivals out there....so, there came the idea. I approached my sister in law Kimberlee Beeson and told her my "silly" idea and she said let's do it! I was shocked, so we got the web page going and went from there! The first year was crazy because we put it together in 2 months! But, it was fun and has grown like crazy ever since. Several years after we started it Kimberlee had a baby and decided to raise him in her home town of MI, so my new partner became my husband Todd Beeson. With all of the horror film festivals out there very year, do you ever find the competition to be a little overwhelming, or do you have a lot of loyal followers? I mean, you will have to admit, the Fangoria weekkends are hard to top. Well, there are alot out there. Fangoria weekends are pretty awesome, but, I must say, that we really don't look at it like competition. There are lots of fests and conventions and we think it's great that horror is getting all of this recognition! It's very exciting, there's so much talent out there and now with all of these venues, the fans finally get to see it all! Are you yourself a filmmaker? If so, what films of your own have appeared in Shriekfest? No, not a filmmaker. Aw…too bad. Have you ever had any of your festival contributors go on to bigger and better things? I mean, as in directing a film with a big budget, that type of thing. Oh absolutley. We've had winners in our under 18 category go on to have their screenplays made into films. We've had filmmakers go on to get 10 picture deals directing, we've had tons of folks get agents, managers, funding for their next project, etc. It's very exciting. How many films were shown at Shriekfest in 2008? Last year we screened 32 films and we had over 40 screenplay finalists (shorts and features). Wow! From a critical point of view, what would be your opinion of all of the lame remakes filmmakers are churning out these days? I, myself, believe in leaving a classic horror film well enough alone. Paying homage to a film is one thing, and butchering it is something altogether different. I strongly agree with you! I can't stand it that they are taking our beloved films and redoing them. Let them be...do something similar if you want, but dont' call it a remake! It's so sad b/c what's going to happen is today's generation of horror fans are not going to know the originals, they will only know the remakes and the remakes are not always better, most are quite bad. Are you a frim believer in the fact that female filmmakers are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the very near future? I think they will be, and actually, already are. Just look at April Burril, Monique Dupree, and Rachel Grubb, just to name a few. But of course! Women filmmakers are getting stronger in numbers and stronger in their power in this industry! Which makes me very happy for many reasons. Plus we'll start to see stronger female characters...they won't always be the ditz running through the woods with her shirt off. I like those ditzs though! Have you ever done any acting yourself? You might take your rightful place among the Scream Queens! Hee hee...yes, I have. Tons actually...that is how I make my living and is my first love. www.denisegossett.com I do films, tv, commercials, used to do tons of theatre as well. You can see me on such TV shows as "The New Adventures of Old Christine", "Samantha Who?", "Veronica Mars", recurring on "Zoey 101", "Drake and Josh", "Fashion House", "Side Order of Life", "Mind of Mencia" and many, many more. Cool. I will have to catch some those reruns.What is on the horizon for Denise right now? Ah, trying to come up with new ways to help filmmakers and screenwriters...I love sending referrals. Take Shriekfest to new levels. I'll keep up the acting on bigger projects. I just finished shooting 5 films that will be making the rounds. Celebrate my daughters one year b-day later this year and try to find some "me" time. hee hee Any last words before you go? Follow your dreams...I don't care what your situation is, you can have what you want...even if it means you have to work two jobs but only get 1 hour a day to write that screenplay...the time is going to pass whether you take that 1 hour or not, so you may as well take it. Films can be made for smaller budgets now, take advantage of that...get out there, do what you love. If you don't love what you are doing, you need to change that! Reach high! thank you so much, I've enjoyed our chat! NVF Films interview with Scarlet Salem Hey beautiful! Long time no-see. How have you been? I’ve been wonderful! Its been a great year so far! I've been keeping tabs on you, and I see you have been a very busy girl! Tell me about the film Strip Club Slasher! If you like strippers and slashers, you’ll love this film! Oh! Me like strippers and slashers! I’m going to be shooting this early part of fall 2009 with NFTS Productions. Its going to be amazing! We have a great cast which includes, Joe Knetter, Elske McCain, and Rachel Grubb to name a few. I’m really excited to film with NFTS again because they’re such great friends of mine and we all always have a blast together! You can visit the Myspace page at: http://www.myspace.com/470040668 It's always such a pleasure to speak with you, and I always look forward to it. Now, today, if you don't mind, I am going to be a little bit nosier than usual, and dig a little deeper into your psyche, your INNER being, if you don't care. See what makes you tick. First of all, tell me a little bit about your youth. Was your childhood a happy one? Haha, well you know, just cause I’m a huge fan of horror, doesn’t mean I had a bad childhood. I actually had a pretty good one. I didn’t meet my father till I was about 16, so my mother was my mom and dad most of my life. I was never spoiled and learned not to take life for granted. With a single parent raising 2 children on their own, I think my mom did a great job! She sure did a good job with you! Someone in your line of work must get lonely sometimes - even when you aren't really alone. Do you ever feel that way in a crowd? Honestly, I don’t. I’m a very open minded, free spirited person and you’d know that just by meeting me in person! Its impossible for me to feel lonely in a crowd, just because I never have a chance to get that way. I’m easily entertained and an easy entertainer, hehe! You sure entertain me, babe! You strike me as the type who is very kind-hearted deep down, though, not at all like your on-screen roles. I bet underneath all of that scary persona you convey on film, you are a real sweetheart, aren't you? I bet you cried when they shot Bambi! Aw... thank you! Yes, I am very kind hearted and yes I do cry! They’re usually happy tears if anything because I’m not a sappy movie goer, haha! How about pets? Do you have any pets, kitties or puppies? Or are you the snake and tarantula type? I do have pets! They’re the ones that keep me sane…. Just kidding! Yes, I have a cat named Gomez (after Gomez Adams of course), and two rabbits named Cadbury and Zeus! Those pets are as close to children as I get! I’m not a fan of snakes or tarantulas, sorry! I am a girl underneath all this! Hehe! What was your most memorable - and pleasant - experience working on a film? I get mixed reactions on this one. Hm..., I get this question all the time…. But there’s sooooo many its hard to choose, really! I would have to say one of the most memorable experiences I had was on the set of ‘Killer Biker Chicks’. As harsh as the conditions were, that whole time we filmed in the Vegas desert with a town of 90 people, that experience was memorable! So many things happened, good and bad, the whole week we filmed, I will never forget it! Luckily my co-star and great friend Elske McCain and art director Dennis Willman were there, which made everything that much better!! Ok, back to scary stuff, out of all the ladies you have worked with, who was the SCARIEST one of all? I have heard Tiffany Shepis can be a real ''screamer''. Honestly I haven’t really worked with any ‘scary’ girls, only some diva’s… which I consider VERY scary, haha! Do you think you will stick to being in front of the camera, or would you like to try your hand at being behind the camera someday? A little directing or production? Right now, this point in my life, I like being in front of the camera. I will leave the possibility open for directing or producing, because you just never know! If you ever get a chance to take your place behind the camera, what genre would work within? Horror? Scifi? Or would you choose a totally different genre from the one you normally act in? I would leave that one open! As much as I love horror, it would be nice to try something new… maybe a romantic comedy…..haha! Well, as much as I hate to, I have to sign off for now. Do you have any last words to leave us with? Thank you Iron Dave and to everyone else who supports the independent arts! With out you all, I wouldn’t be able to do what I love, and that’s to entertain!! Bloody Kisses!! Kisses to you, too.! NVF Films Interview with Liz Adams Greetings, Liz. Been keeping busy? That's a silly question, huh? SIDE EFFECT is screening in Asia and at Comic-Con in San Diego this month, those preparations have been keeping me pretty busy. I've heard a real buzz about your film Side Effect, but haven't had a chance to see it yet, and would love to. What was the particular inspiration for that one? Oh, you want my recipe do you? Sure! Ok! The initial inspiration for SIDE EFFECT was some research I did on the side effects of SSRI anti-depressants and other medications that are being given to quite a few young kids these days. I think many people would be shocked to learn that the pharmaceutical industry has created the term “homicidal ideation” to describe a side effect for some of their products. (Certain drugs have been linked to both homicidal and suicidal impulses in a small percentage of people who had taken the medications.) Now, as a storyteller, I became fascinated with the idea that a medication could create an unintended side effect that would cause a normally non-violent person to murder a loved one. To me that is “true horror”. It’s horrifying, but not super fun, right? So, I looked at the some classic horror, and put a twist on the main ingredient, “the babysitter in peril.” Then I threw in a dash of flavor from an old urban legend, and let it all stew. After the alcohol boiled off, it turned up a question. What if evil didn’t come from an unseen world of demons, but what if evil came in a pill? So, I threw it all in a skull shaped pie tin and baked it at 350 and out popped SIDE EFFECT. (That said, I want to be clear that I’m not against anti-depressants, I’m sure they have helped many people when prescribed and used correctly. I’m just a horror filmmaker with an overactive imagination trying to scare guys in black t-shirts.) Glad you cleared that up. I recently read part of a blog post where you stated that ''making sure your subject matter was unique,'' was one of the key elements in producing a successful film. Isn't that hard to do with the horror genre, though? One of the longest-lasting conventions of the horror genre is the unknown as a source of horror. No matter how far our society advances, I think that there is just something about the unknown or the unexplainable that makes the hair stand up on the backs of the audiences’ necks. The trick is finding a new way to keep an idea fresh. I think a careful balance of suspense, gore, and character motivation is the true formula for a successful horror flick - of course a baby in the oven never hurts, either. Speaking of the horror genre, it's amazing just how many ''famous'' filmmakers cut their teeth on low-budget horror. Do you find the horror genre a good venue for cutting your teeth? You are absolutely right, so many great directors (and actors too) have cut their teeth on genre pictures, I certainly feel that I am in good company. For example, Francis Ford Coppola directed DEMENTIA 13 (1963), Jack Nicholson appeared in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1960), and many people forget that Steven Spielberg's first notable film (originally made-for-TV) was DUEL (1972) - about a monstrous and malevolent gas-tank truck without a driver – then of course he went on to direct JAWS (1975), and write and produce POLTERGEIST (1982). Martin Scorsese also got in the game with the remake of CAPE FEAR (1991) starring Robert De Niro. The list goes on and on. Who were your early influences? Whose work was it that prompted your interest in the film industry? My vintage favorites and biggest influences are: George Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD & DAWN OF THE DEAD, Kubrick’s THE SHINING, Polanski’s ROSEMARY’S BABY, DePalma’s CARRIE, and Wes Craven’s NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. In my opinion the best horror movies are scary and entertaining – on the surface, but also offer more if the audience wants to think more deeply either about human nature or about our culture as a whole. The directors I look up to reflect those values in their films. I have been tossing the following question around lately to mixed reaction. What is your general opinion of the all the remakes of classic horror films these days? I appreciate from the studio’s point of view that a remake comes with valuable name recognition built into the project. It is expensive to advertise and promote movies these days and if any of that ground work has been laid with audiences in the past, it is a benefit to those writing the checks. I’m always glad when horror movies get released and do well at the box office; it encourages studios to take more chances on the genre. As an artist I really like to see unique visions and new ideas up there on the screen too. I think there is room for everything in our genre. Do you see women in film becoming more prominent as time goes by? It’s amazing how many women filmmakers there are out there now. It’s great to see more women out there doing it, especially in the horror genre. I think directors are drawn to direct movies that are in a genre they enjoy. In the past girls and women were a minority in the audiences for horror films. However, the phenomenon of young girls being a large percentage of the audience for horror movies is a big trend and more and more young female fans are turning out for horror. I feel that as these girls continue to grow up and direct movies of their own, we’ll be seeing a lot more women gravitating to the genre. Do you attend many film festivals? Sundance used to be the big venue for aspiring filmmakers, but now, there are so many festivals, there is no shortage for people to choose from. Yes, I traveled the film festival circuit with SIDE EFFECT this past year. I’ve been to Europe three times with SIDE EFFECT, (Scotland, Germany and Spain), as well as to quite a few domestic fests. SIDE EFFECT was won seven awards to date. The biggest thing I’ve learned during this experience is about how audiences react to SIDE EFFECT, both in the theater and when I’m doing Q&A’s. I’ve had the amazing opportunity to talk to the fans and learn about what they like and don’t like. That’s the kind of feedback that is just not available from friends, family or crew members. Also, I've been really thrilled to learn how much support was out there for me from the other women I come across in the horror community, their support has been instrumental for me to get some of the early exposure that I've gotten. (I've also gotten a great response from male fans and male festival programmers, and it makes me happy to know that both men and women enjoy the short.) One of the strangest things that happens to me at festivals is when people approach me and comment that I must be “a sick/twisted individual”. I have to laugh at that. I’m really a very sunny, positive person. SIDE EFFECT did not come from a “dark place” in me, I really just want to entertain people, and horror is such a fun way to get a response from an audience. I really love it when people make noise when they are shocked, frightened, or amused by in the film. Finally, I also learned how much I really love horror fans. These folks really support the genre and the filmmakers who set out to entertain them. They are willing to embrace films without “known” actors and support projects that may have lower production values, without judgment for these things. They are just looking for some good scares, good gore and an unusual tale. Have you ever considered making a full-fledged, balls-to-the-wall horror film? I’m not sure what you are asking, I guess if putting a baby in the oven for the audience isn’t a balls-to-the-wall horror film, I don’t know what is. Yeah, I guess you're right. I guess I was thinking more along the lines of a slasher film. SIDE EFFECT is a short film and I do have plans for a feature called BLOOD LEVEL. Cool! Anything exciting on the horizon for Liz? How about a full length version of Side effect? The script for the short film SIDE EFFECT is the first ten pages of a feature length script called BLOOD LEVEL, which I have written. BLOOD LEVEL picks up the next day at a nearby high school where the kids are clamoring for the new achievement-enhancing drugs to help with test scores. A slacker named Lucas discovers that the drugs are turning the kids into killers. But it is too late - before anyone can stop the blood-thirsty teens, Lucas and the killer kids get locked into the school on test day, leaving Lucas to battle for survival against his former friends in a school turned death trap. BLOOD LEVEL is a tale of science gone wrong set in the twisted world of Generation Rx, I’m hoping my financing will come through soon so we can get started. Any last words before you leave us? I love a good scary movie. As a fan of the horror genre, I have always been fascinated by the way horror reflects back the collective nightmares of a society, and how the changing subject matter of what is considered horror mirrors the changing fears and worries of a culture. Horror subjects range in themes from nuclear accidents that create monsters, to the threat of a fifty-foot woman, to brain eating zombies that confront us with our fears of disease, conformity and our own appetites. Despite all the positive things that science has done to benefit humanity, there is still a deep distrust of the scientific and medical communities and I think this is represented in the sub-genre that SIDE EFFECT falls into, and my personal favorite – “science gone wrong”. There is something for everyone in our genre and I’m so glad that folks like you, take the time to write about it and celebrate the folks that bring the bloody gore to the silver screen. Thanks! NVF Films Interview with Shannon Lark Good morning, Shannon. Been keeping busy? Dumb question, huh? There is no such thing as a dumb question, except when it’s really, really dumb.:) Glad you feel that way. I've been looking over your Chainsaw Mafia site, and it's great! So much great talent! What's this about the Vicsera series? It sounds so...vicseral! The Viscera Film Festival is a short horror film festival for women. We aim to facilitate the potential careers of women horror filmmakers who are just jumping into the blood bath. We give awards and distribution to the officially selected filmmakers by releasing an annual Viscera DVD, along with working with Sponsors stationed all over the world to bring the films to the eyes and ears of those in completely new geographical areas. We also offer one Viscera Award per year, which goes to a production consisting completely of the female gender. That’s cast and crew; everyone must have a vagina, or really want to have a vagina. This helps to get more women working together, instead of cat fighting and discussing boring topics like nail polish. We should really be making horror movies. It’s all about promotion, and viscera! Hooray for viscera! And this Living Dead Girlz sounds great, too. You are very pretty for a zombie! What prompted the idea for a zombie dance troupe? That has to be a first. You think you might be Vegas-bound? I was directing one of my first short films, “What Ever Happened to the Zombie Killers?” and hired Amber Steele as the choreographer for the zombie dance routine. Amber looked at me during a Saturday rehearsal and jokingly mentioned a zombie dance troupe. My eyes glazed over at the very second! About a year later we were up and running. Amber was the director and choreographer and I was the gore wrangler (special FX), manager, and a featured dancer until I left the troupe in late 2008. I don’t see why Vegas wouldn’t take the LDG, they would fit right in. And I love your moniker ''San Francisco's Gore-Gore Girl.'' Do you hold this honor in high regard? Definitely! I’ve since left San Francisco to follow my dreams, but the city will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s where I got my start and found a community of people who loved horror as much as I do. Forgive me, I should have asked this already; what was it that attracted you to the horror genre to begin with? Any early influences as far as actresses are concerned? What launched me into my obsession with the genre was an experience I had when I was 4 years old: my Mother took me to the ballet in Columbus, Ohio. It was a relatively gory rendition of Romeo and Juliet. Red mylar streamers burst out of Juliet’s chest, flying hundreds of feet into the air. I realized at the time that they were dying, and the streamers were blood. It was beautiful! From that moment I was hooked. Earlier on (and still to this day) I was more influenced by films themselves: The Elephant Man, The Shining, In the Mouth of Madness, and The Evil Dead. I bet you attend a lot of conventions, like Fangoria's Weekend Of Horrors, have a lot of fans asking you for autographs. Has anyone ever asked you to sign a specific body part? Sorry...I couldn't resist asking. {Laughs}. Yes, I do get asked for autographs. I sell them on my site too! No one has asked for the signage of a body part. I have been garnishing a chain saw at the Weekend of Horrors, so I’m sure it can be a bit intimidating. What would you say has been your favorite genre film to work on? I recently interviewed RetarDEAD's creators Dan West and Rick Popko, and I bet that film was a blast. Oh definitely!! Those guys are hilarious. My favorite that I’ve worked on lately was a film by Stacie Ponder, titled “Ludlow.” My character is just going absolutely insane in a hotel room, drowning herself in booze and pills. What started out as a twenty minute script turned into practically a feature length, which we shot in two days! It was insane. We shot for 23 hours straight and it was an emotional roller coaster. Stacy and I had never worked on anything with each other before, and now we have 4 films slated to be shot. It’s truly inspirational. I was really thrilled to have you accept my interview invite, and I bet Rachel was, too. Where did you and Rachel {Grubb} meet up? Rachel contacted me last year through email to let me know about her work. My company honors women who work behind the scenes by placing them in a Viscera Woman archive, where our viewers can find out about their work. Her positive nature and personality led me to ask her to be on staff. Rachel has just been wonderful! She writes a column titled The Scream Queen Mafia, where she interviews modern Scream Queens working in the independent world. Sounds great. In your honest opinion, do you feel a difference in atmosphere on the set of a film directed by a woman as opposed to one by a man? Oh definitely! This is not to say that it’s any better, it’s just a different experience. Women are usually more…visceral (heh), while men are more external (duh). Does that make any sense? I love working with both sexes, it’s just wonderful to see a female pick up a camera; it’s liberating for the rest of the gender. Makes sense to me. Speaking of film, are you going to be taking part in the upcoming Women In Horror documentary? I've only seen some clips, but it looks great. By Reyna Young? Yep! Why yes I am! I’m stoked about it. I blabbed on for an hour while doing the interview and rambled about existentialism, so I’m sure it will be interesting. I've been tossing this question around lately to mixed reaction: Do you feel that there are way too many lame remakes of classic films being spewed out right now? I mean, paying homage is one thing, but wringing the proverbial tit dry with endless remakes and sequels and prequels is another thing entirely. Perfect example: Friday the 13th. Come up with some original material, for God's sake. How about “The Changeling” with Brangelina? Yes, there are way too many remakes being spit out to the masses. From a marketing perspective, it’s a great idea! Remake a film that’s already laid out the storyline, get someone famous to be in it, and fans old and new will line up to see it. Usually it’s the same company that distributes the classic that creates the remake (they do own the rights to the film), and they re-release the classic on DVD which contains special features and never seen before footage that the old school fans will buy in a heart beat. Bam! They double their profit.
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