Don't Miss American Mary in San Diego

 "It's scary how well "American Mary" is made. But the real horror in the film comes in some unexpected places. I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that the story does turn into a revenge film and part of what’s scary is the darkness Mary finds inside herself. That’s what makes the Soskas so good. They do not go for the knee-jerk scare of something jumping out of the dark or for gross-out gore. They deliver carefully calibrated horror that looks to the darkness that lies within each of us. And they are really smart about how they use gore effects; they know when to show blood and when to leave it to our imaginations. They prove that all horror needs is a woman’s touch to refresh it. 

The Soskas will have a special video introduction for the film on Friday night at 10 p.m. They will be in town on Saturday for a Q&A following the 10 p.m. screening. The second film in the series will be "Gut," with filmmaker Elias offering a mini-workshop on making and distributing an independent film after the two screenings of his film on June 14 and 15."

Beth Accomando paid out of her own pocket to make sure American Mary played in San Diego. I don't even know how to express my gratitude for such an opportunity and I cannot wait to see you guys there!

Read the whole piece here!

-Sylv

Beth Accomando Brings American Mary to the Masses through NPR!!

"It's the season for horror films, and one that is making the rounds of festivals called Scream Fest and Fright Fest is American Mary. The film is directed by twin sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska who specialize in horror films made without heavy dependence on CGI. In their latest film, they explore ideas about women's bodies as well as blood and gore."

LISTEN TO THE WONDERFUL INTERVIEW WITH JEN, ME, AND TODD MASTERS HERE!!!!!

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST: You're listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News.
Tis the season for horror movies, and Canadian twin sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska are doing their part with the new film "American Mary." It's been playing the film festival circuit at events with names like Fright Fest and Screamfest and coming soon Shudderfest. From member station KPBS, Beth Accomando reports on those two specimens of the rare species: the female horror director. 

BETH ACCOMANDO, BYLINE: When Jen and Sylvia Soska were little girls, they weren't playing with Barbies. They were playing with spiders or huddled in the horror section of their video store. 

SYLVIA SOSKA: We would go around looking at the back of boxes for the bloodiest things, with the goriest messes, and we'd be like, oh, this is a good one, and we'd beg our mom and never, never, never let us watch one until "Poltergeist." 

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "POLTERGEIST") 

HEATHER O'ROURKE: (as Carol Anne Freeling) They're here. 

ACCOMANDO: And that, says Sylvia Soska, changed her life. The film terrified her, but her mother calmed her fears by explaining the art of special effects. 

SOSKA: She told me everything I saw was systematically made by very talented artists with the intention of scaring me, and I was like, wait a minute. These people's job is scaring people? 

ACCOMANDO: That's the job the Soskas wanted. But horror tends to be male dominated, and it relies on tried and true formulas. The Soskas embrace the darkness in ways that can jolt even jaded horror fans. Their latest film, "American Mary," tackles a subject that's rarely discussed: body modification. In the film, Katharine Isabelle plays Mary Mason, a med student whose financial hardship leads her into the lucrative world of underground surgery. Her clients ask her to split their tongues or surgically attach horns to their foreheads. 

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "AMERICAN MARY") 

KATHARINE ISABELLE: (as Mary Mason) So what are we doing here? 

ACCOMANDO: Ruby wants to look like a doll but can't find a plastic surgeon willing to snip and stitch to her specifications. 

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "AMERICAN MARY") 

PAULA LINDBERG: (as Ruby Realgirl) No one looks at dolls in a sexual manner, do you know why? 

ISABELLE: (as Mary Mason) I don't know why, I guess, because they don't have all their parts. 

LINDBERG: (as Ruby Realgirl) Exactly. 

ACCOMANDO: Beatress is another character with extreme body modification. She wants to look exactly like Betty Boop. 

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "AMERICAN MARY") 

TRISTAN RISK: (as Beatress) I'm lucky enough to be able to afford to make myself look on the outside the way I feel on the inside. Fourteen different surgeries to getting to look like this, some going out of the country to find the best doctor for the job. 

ACCOMANDO: A lot of people would look at these characters as freaks, but the Soskas embrace them. For Jen Soska, what's really freakish are the more commonplace plastic surgeries. 

JEN SOSKA: If someone gets breast implants or gets a face-lift, sure, you can say it's for themselves, and it's for their self-esteem, but it's also building into what society, you know, accepts as a form of beauty. They're not doing it just because it's something they purely enjoy. They're doing it because they're fitting into what everyone wants you to look like. 

ACCOMANDO: In many ways, the Soskas' "American Mary" takes its cue from Todd Browning and his 1932 film "Freaks." 

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "FREAKS") 

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (as Character) (Unintelligible). We'll make her one of us. 

ACCOMANDO: Both films depict outcasts with genuine compassion. Browning mixed actors with real sideshow circus performers, while "American Mary" uses people with real surgical changes mixed in with actors using prosthetics. 

SOSKA: You're never going to be 100 percent sure when you're looking at a prosthetic in this film or if you're looking at somebody that actually has something physically changed about them. 

ACCOMANDO: The makeup and surgery effects in "American Mary" were done by Todd Masters of MastersFX. He says the Soskas are really savvy filmmakers. 

TODD MASTERS: They were really smart about how and when they reveal blood or blood gags. And blood gags and effects and things like this are almost like punches in a boxing fight, you know, and you want to play them at a specific time to get most impact. 

ACCOMANDO: A lot of horror films fall into the rut of remakes, found footage and CGI gore, but these twisted twins want to show that all horror needs is a woman's touch to set it on a fresh new course. For NPR News, I'm Beth Accomando. 

BLOCK: You are listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.

-Sylv

In Bed in the UK with Monster Island

                

 "Our last day in the UK! Twisted Twins Jen and Sylvia Soska were in town to screen their amazing AMERICAN MARY at FrightFest, so we joined them in their hotel room for some candid hang-out time. We got to see the world premiere of the new Dr. Who Sonic Screwdriver at Forbidden Planet. And of course we got to see awesome films at FrightFest! Thanks so much for watching! Stay tuned for the end of the podcast hiatus!"

It's no secret that Jen and I adore Miguel Rodriguez and Beth Accomando. So, I suppose it's no surprise that when we see them on the road, we take them back to our hotel room for hang outs. Here is a very candid hangout in our London borrowed pad for Fright Fest.

-Sylv

Mary Mother of Mod, Reviews from Fright Fest

"The terrifyingly talented twins from Canada, Jen and Sylvia Soska, deliver the most original film of the festival with American Mary. Their first outing, Dead Hooker in a Trunk, was a raucous, DIY, violent action film, but for their sophomore effort they deliver a radically different and even more impressive product. If Dead Hooker was all raw, wild energy, American Mary is all about cool, subtle control." - Beth Accomando, About Movies (full review)

"The most pleasing thing about American Mary is that we are given a truly original horror film, which is a rare beast indeed these days. That the Soskas have provided a genuine female voice in the genre is almost a mere bonus when put next to the film itself, a skilfully shot and thoughtfully written black comedy piece that has so much to offer its audience beyond the splatter it would have been reduced to in less capable hands." - Sam Faulkner, Screen Geek (full review)

  "American Mary should be considered as the Soska Twins declaration of intent. It’s a declaration that says that these twins are a real talent to keep an eye on and who have shown a maturity with American Mary that may just surprise many people." - Andy Stewart, Andy Erupts (full review)

"With directors on top form, a stunning performance from lead actress Katherine Isabelle (between this and Ginger Snaps she should be a much bigger star) and an original story that balances horror and humour to perfection, American Mary is one of the years best films and proves once again that Canada knows how to make great horror movies." - Everything Geek (full review)

"American Mary is the rarest thing which you always hope to find at a festival like this, an original horror movie. It’s about a young female med student studying to be a surgeon who falls into the underground world of body transformation, initially as a means of making money, but later for darker motives. It is a film told from a female point of view, and about issues that impact on women. It examines misogyny and presents surgery fetishism and body modification as something positive standing in contrast to the twisted undercurrents of the normal world. An extremely entertaining film and the highly striking Soska sisters aka The Twisted Twins, swept into FrightFest like a breath of fresh air." - Chris and Phil Present (full review)

"Anything by the Twisted Twins has to be outstanding, but team them with Katharine and we have an unstoppable force of nature."- Rhiannon Irons, Truly Disturbing Horror (full review)

"This is the Soska Sisters' calling card; with such a wicked sense of fun and a killer sense of aesthetic, they look set to carve themselves (no pun intended) a niche slot in the genre, but it would be thrilling to see their subversive eye turned elsewhere." - Becky Reed, This Is Fake DIY (full review)

"American Mary is a thoughtful film, and one that does not have a singular interpretation. Too it defies categorisation. Predominantly a psychological thriller, it incorporates elements of comedy and horror to go along with a narrative that can be viewed as a critique of the American Dream, a modern retelling of the Greek Myth’s, of the relationship between the God’s and mortal man, or even a postmodern fairy tale. Original and thought provoking, the film informs through entertainment, providing us a window through which we can gain an insight into the world of body modification; a world that has no reason to be thought of as subversive or its inhabitants demonised. This is the potential of cinema, of art, to simultaneously entertain and inform, to challenge our pre-conceptions, and American Mary as entertaining, as it often is, goes beyond simply embracing entertainment value." - Paul Risker, The London Film Review (full review)

-Sylv

Cinema Junkie Delivers the Goods at Comic Con

A great deal about how a person can reach success is rated on the people you surround yourself with. I know as a fact that without the people who have stood beside Jen and me and our work, that we could have and would have never been able to do the things we do - from our crew, our cast, our family, and our extended family in the horror community. It is at this time that I must sing the praises of one of the most hard-working women, dedicated to excellence with no holds barred, Beth Accomando, the Cinema Junkie.

If you are unaware of the awesome that is Beth, please click here to get caught up with the rest of the class. Jen and I have long dreamed of having the opportunity to go to Comic Con and with our sophomore film, AMERICAN MARY, fast approaching release, it was the chance of a lifetime not only to attend the convention as fans, but to promote the film. Being Comic Con first-timers, a lot of what the convention would be was unchartered territory for us, but Beth was there not only to support and guide us through the beautiful chaos, but she is the woman responsible for our autograph meet and greet as well as our panel.

Because Beth Accomando fucking rocks. She doesn't take no for an answer and she's the kind of woman that makes things happen. In this case, she gave us the experience of a lifetime where we got to speak on a panel discussing AMERICAN MARY with Jen, myself, Todd Masters (our master FX artist behind the film), and Paula Lindberg (our Ruby RealGirl and very first cast member) - all moderated by Beth.

Here is the full panel in all it's awesomeness for those of you that were unable to attend and those of you that want to relive the rad.




Here is the full article on AMERICAN MARY at Comic Con by Beth Accomando - take a read, pass it to your cool friends, and thank you for doing so! 

I am going to be thanking Beth for the rest of my life for her kindness, and knowing her, she's just going to keep being so amazingly supportive of the independents and giving us the opportunity to do this. Thank you, Beth, we had the time of our lives and we owe it to you!

-Sylv

Post Comic Con Bliss & Humble Thanks to Those Who Made it the Time of Our Lives!

Today Jen and I have been hit with the 'nerd flu'. What is that? The loving nickname that the bug many people suffer post-Comic Con. Maybe it was from the crazy five days of nerd heaven, complete lack of sleep, or the sadness of having to leave the most perfect place on earth - I like to think it's something I caught from a Spider-man, Batman, Wolverine, Punisher, or Deadpool (second thought, almost definitely something from Poodle).

                         
A most humble thanks to Randy Jablonka, our Batman and Bruce Wayne, our Soldier for Hollywood from our AMERICAN MARY team who was kind enough to show two Comic Con newbies the ropes, gets us our press passes, and keep us out of trouble. A very honoured thanks to Beth Accomando, the Cinema Junkie, who was the woman behind securing our AMERICAN MARY panel at the Con who has been a steadfast supporter of the indies and is just a remarkable woman. Check Beth's wicked article on her experience at the Con here.

I am still reeling from the incredible outpour of support, kindness, and fucking radness from the people at the Con and those in internet land that were unable to attend, but were there in awesome. We had our panel to a capacity room and many apologies to those outside that couldn't make it in. Thank you to all you fucking cool folks that stopped us, said hi, and have been the ones to make it even possible to do this for a living.

Thank you to all the sites that have been backing our insanity. I mean look at these incredibly cool folks pimping the Comic Con MARY and the new trailer! --

FANGORIA

DREAD CENTRAL

ABORT MAG

SHOCK TILL YOU DROP

I LIKE HORROR MOVIES

SINFUL CELLULOID

LIBERAL DEAD

FEARNET

DAILY DEAD

SOBERING CONCLUSION

BLOODY DISGUSTING

BLEEDING COOL

SCREEN READ

YAHOO NEWS

PLANET ETHERIA

ALL HORROR

WICKED CHANNEL

THE PROVINCE

BEYOND HOLLYWOOD

JADED VIEWER

QUIET EARTH

CULT FILM FORUM

DAILY GLOBE NEWS

TALES FROM THE BATCAVE

LA TIMES

SOMEWHAT NERDY

HORROR MOVIE FANS

HORROR-MOVIES

MANIA
THE BLOOD SPRAYER

Here is our panel for you guys that weren't able to make it. We are going to be posting another clip with more of the panel very soon too!






There is a shit ton of pictures getting uploaded to Flickr right now. If you see any pictures of us from the Con, please send them along - took a shit ton and would love to see us hanging out with you (especially if we were all cosplaying together!)

A huge fucking stupidly honored and humble thanks to all of you that made this possible. In days, the new AMERICAN MARY trailer is at 10 000+ views. Holy fucking shit. Haven't seen her yet?

We are so excited to share this film with you all. Thank you for making it possible - your support gives a life to independent horror that it could never have without. Thank you for being amazing supportive friends to a pair of insane twins. We promise to keep working very fucking hard to somehow warrant the kindness you have shown us.

AMERICAN MARY TRAILER!!



LOVE YOU GUYS!!! MORE POSTS TO COME. MORE MARY TO COME. CAN'T WAIT FOR YOU LADIES AND GENTLEMEN TO SEE THE WHOLE FLICK!!

-Jen & Sylv

One More Sleep Til San Diego

Flying out tomorrow morning, special MONDAYS SUCK on www.RadioAmplifire.com tomorrow live from San Diego, then see you're beautiful faces at Comic-Con International in room 5AB 11am-12pm with Jen, me, Todd Masters, and Paula Lindberg moderated by Beth Accomando for our American Mary panel.

Get your first look at the film and get your American Mary Comic Con exclusive surgical masks!


-Sylv

Get Your Comic-Con Exclusive American Mary Swag!

Only days away until our AMERICAN MARY panel in room 5AB - 11am-12pm at the San Diego Comic-Con International on Thursday the 12th. Meet Jen and me, our master effects artist, Todd Masters, our Ruby RealGirl, Paula Lindberg, as moderated by the Cinema Junkie, Beth Accomando.

There will be an exclusive peek at the film and some special Comic Con exclusive swag - be there and get your horror on at the Con!


xo
Jen & Sylv

Twisted Twins Present American Mary Panel at Comic Con

I am very extremely proud to announce our panel at Comic-Con International. Come out & get a sneak peek at the new film, some Comic Con exclusive swag, and hear us cuss like sailors. First twenty people get a twin hug, just kidding, everyone gets one.

"Thursday 11:00-12:00 Twisted Twins: American Mary — Jen and Sylvia Soska (of tWIStED tWINS PRODUCtIONS and the makers of Dead Hooker in a Trunk ) and Todd Masters (of MASTERSFX and make-up effects producer on True Blood) will discuss the use of prosthetics in horror. The Soskas will also address the challenges of working in a male-dominated genre. They will unveil a sizzle reel from their new film American Mary. Paula Lindberg (Ruby in American Mary) will also be on the panel, which is moderated by Beth Accomando (author of the KPBS blog Cinema Junkie). Room 5AB."

Please spread the word, bring your cool friends, and meet the mastermind behind the monsters and effects of countless of killer projects, Todd Masters, the phenomenal and stunning actress whose performance as Ruby RealGirl made the production of the film possible, Paula Lindberg, and the utterly crazed in ambition and film substance Twisted Twins, Jen and me.

For those of you dying to get a sneak peek at our upcoming AMERICAN MARY - this panel is your personal invite to that. Hope to meet you ladies and gentlemen there!

-Sylv

Revolt In Style Magazine Article by Beth Accomando featuring the Twisted Twins

A little sneak preview.

Blood Soaked Best!

Jen

Cinema Junkie Makes a Stand Against Bullshit

The Canadian grindhouse homage "Dead Hooker in a Trunk" screened in San Diego last year at Horrible Imaginings but the film has run into controversy trying to get a screening in Saskatchewan for the Dark Bridges Film Festival.

Censorship really ticks me off. The case involving "Dead Hooker in a Trunk" is the kind of censorship that business folks like brush off by saying they are not really "censoring" they are just responding to the marketplace. Only problem with that is sometimes the "marketplace" is just one person or a few complaining people trying to force their narrow boundaries of acceptable fare on others. And to make matters worse, the people who claim to be offended have never bothered to actually see what it is that they are trying to ban from public view. But wait, I get ahead of myself.

-Beth Accomando, Cinema Junkie

There is almost nothing in the world that I love more than a smart feminist. There are so many misconceptions on feminism and every time a 'feminist' speaks out without having all the facts, they make the rest of us look stupid. Like the 'feminist' that anonymously called complaining about the screening of DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK who also cowardly ripped down all posters advertising the screening festival in the middle of the night. Thank you for trying to get us bare foot and pregnant, making a delicious dinner in the confines of the kitchen. That said, 'anonymous' probably didn't think that far or farther than her own knee-jerk reaction to something she didn't have all the facts for.


Thank God that isn't the situation in all cases. One of the most brilliant and well spoken feminists I have ever had the pleasure of knowing is Beth Accomando. She has heard about this banning bullshit and she decided to look into it with this expertly articulate article and interview with John Allison, the programmer for the Dark Bridges Film Fest. Beth doesn't pull punches and says it like it is with a full knowledge of the entire issue and I love her for it.

Now I'm not saying that these films are inoffensive or that if the complaining folks had seen the films they would change their mind. Quite the contrary. These films are almost designed to be offensive and the the outraged parties might have become even more outraged if they had bothered to see the films or even watch the trailers. But the films serve up a gleeful kind of offense, the kind John Waters would be proud of because it offends as it skewers conventional values and suggests anarchy is better than a tame status quo. Plus there is such a sense of joy in the inventive, do-it-yourself filmmaking that if you love horror or just film in general it's hard not to take some delight in the filmmakers' passion. The real question is, "Are these films not just offensive but obscene, and obscene to the point that audiences should not be allowed the choice to see them?"

In my opinion these films are not obscene, and people who want to see them on the big screen should have the opportunity. A midnight screening with viewers made fully aware of the films' ratings and content seems perfectly reasonable. No one is being forced to watch and the late hour restricts who would be able to see the extreme films. So there has to be a very clear distinction made between merely offensive and obscene. Because as John Cleese once said: "Some people deserve to be offended."

Please take the time to check out the whole, informative article. It explores the whole issue without any sugar-coating which is precisely the way an adult discussion about censorship in today's world should be handled. I would like to thank Beth for looking into these events up North and sharing the story with people. Even if this wasn't our film that had come under attack, I would still be in an uproar that a film was banned from a theater without being viewed based on a satirical title.

I don't think the nay-sayers expected this kind of response from the horror community which has been looked down upon like a group of sadists with no artistic merit in the work they love. In a way, I'm happy that this happened. It gave outsiders an opportunity to find out who really makes up the horror community: intelligent, responsible, and informed individuals interested in an open discussion and exchange of ideas. So many beautifully put together thoughts, while they were probably just expecting us to say 'fuck you' and run away like frightened animals.


It's a great day for horror indeed. Despite the fights we will all be fighting for a very long time to educate those who don't understand us and why we are impassioned about what we are.

~Sylv

Beth Accomando Rants and Raves about the Twisted Twins

"I love women who can kick some ass. It's a rare quality on screen and even rarer in real life. Jen and Sylvia Soska are starting their careers kicking a little ass and for that they deserve some praise. Rather than bemoan the lack of opportunities for a pair of sexy, horror-loving, twin sisters they went out and did something about it. They made 'Dead Hooker in a Trunk.' " ~ Beth Accomando

If you don't know you should know that Beth Accomando is a damn good writer. And what makes a damn good writer? Talent, of course. A way with words? A delicious way with words this lady has. Insight and intelligence? Yes and, oh hells, yes! But what makes Beth particularly awesome is her boldness and her honesty. She doesn't shy away from speaking her mind and that quality gives us nothing but respect for the lady.

As I'm sure we all know, it is in fact Women In Horror month and the event has grown to even greater heights this year. It is nothing short of amazing. As this spectacular second celebration winds to an end, I urge everyone to not go out with a whimper, but a bang!

In that vein, allow me to present to you this wicked awesome article and interview between yours trulys and the wonderful miss Beth Accomando.

Read the FULL ARTICLE WITH INTERVIEW HERE!


Do not go gently into that good night, my friends...

XO,
Jen

Starting the Year Off Awesome with Beth at Bleedfest

Missed BLEEDFEST? Oh, C'MON!! We totally told you about it WAY in advance. If you're in California, shame on you. If, however, you're in some distant corner of the world (much like ourselves...), here's the next best thing to having actually been there.

Beth Accomando, you may recall her downright gore~geous pics posted in our PENNY DREADFUL DIARY from the HORRIBLE IMAGININGS HORROR FILM FESTIVAL OF SAN DIEGO. You can see that post and drink in a hard, but satisfying shot of radness HERE. It's cool, I'll wait. This entry will be waiting for you when you return.

All done? Welcome back to the party. See? I told you Beth rocks. And, she was also in attendance at this past BLEEDFEST.


As promised, here's the next best thing to having been there yourself. Allow Beth to take you through the festival. What was hot? What was so very not? Her writing is not only insightful and beautifully written, it is also bullshit free. Check out the festival through her eyes HERE.



And get ready for the NEXT BLEEDFEST IN FEBRUARY!! Why's it so special? Well, aside from BLEEDFEST being chalk full of wickedness, it will be a very special WOMEN IN HORROR month edition. That's right, boys and grrls. Start hitch hiking to the West Coast now...

XO,
Jen

Horrible Imaginings is Anything But Horrible!!

In our life time, we've seen many things. We've seen the start of "comics to film craze" and seen many of our heroes brought to life on the big screen. We've seen films in 3D. We've seen the Atari give way to the PS3. We've seen the beginning of so many great things. We can now add to the list that we've seen the start of the HORRIBLE IMAGININGS HORROR FILM FESTIVAL OF SAN DIEGO.


It was a great honor to have DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK be part of this incredible event. A very special thanks goes out to everyone who made it possible. Thank you to the fans for coming out! Thank you to festival head and founder, Miguel Rodriguez, for making it all possible. Johnnie Wolf was the Projectionist for ALL the films... Lauren Way was the Bartender, Several local artists donated their time as well.. And Nicolas Simonin (Derailed producer) filmed all the Q and A's...

Countless others!!!!

And thank you to Beth Accomando and Gaaron O'Rourke Varner for these beautiful photographs... you can just see the wicked awesome~y goodness.


Mister Miguel Rodriguez


Miss Beth Accomando


Is that a needle in your mouth or are you just happy to see me?


The incredible Elisabeth Fies.


The sensational Brenda Fies.


The usual suspects


I don't know what it is, but I want that drink somethin' fierce...


Festival Head at, well, the festival.


Just awesome. Who doesn't love heads? ;)


Gaaron looking DAMN fine in his Dead Hooker~!!


The mad scientist. EVERY fest should invest in one.


Just cool.


Awesome decor~!!


Capturing all the behind the scenes magic~!!


The after party~!!


Blood soaked embraces to everyone who took part! We're truly looking forward to next year's festival~!!

XO,
Jen