Happy Birthday to Us

This is fucking hilarious from the amazingly talented artist, Shannon LeClerc. I would never hurt dear, lovely Eli, but the man does look good splattered in blood. Thank you for this - you've made a pair of very insane girls very happy.

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes! 29 on the 29th ;)

XO,
Your Twisted Twins

Happy (belated) Birthday Bad Ronald with a Special Twisted Twins Interview

Last night Sylv and I did something we should have done years and years ago. We watched DEAD RINGERS, the brilliant film by David Cronenberg starring Jeremy Irons and Jeremy Irons as identical twin doctors. I imagine it could be called a horror movie, but being identical twin ourselves it was a heart breaking tale of two twins, their complicated relationships with one another and themselves, and their decent into drug addiction. It was beautiful.

As you may guess, twins always have a special place in our hearts. From the 1988 film TWINS (yes, they're not identical) to the badass babysitter twins of GRINDHOUSE. Another sensational set of duplicates? Bad Ronald and his twin who merrily celebrated their birthdays yesterday. Bad Ronald has been beyond sweet to us clones and how does this outstanding doppelganger party on his birthday? By giving us Twisted Twins a sensational, in depth interview. Didn't I tell you? Twins just can't be beat.

It's actually quite a brilliant series of questions, the kind a only a twin would know to ask a twin. Get the low down on our super secret twin powers, how to tell us apart, who crossed the "finish line" first and how, and even about our upcoming elusive baby, AMERICAN MARY.

Enjoy the full interview RIGHT HERE.

Bloody Best~!!

Jen

Happy Birthday, Joss Whedon! (PS I Love You)

Today is June 23rd, a special day. Joss Whedon, the creator of a collection of unforgettable, iconic characters, heroes, and villains, celebrates his birthday today. And if you've ever met me, you know I love me some Joss.

Mmm-mmm.... that's some good Joss.

For those of you who don't know why Joss is the man, allow me to tell you.

For starters, if you're an avid reader of our lil' Penny Dreadful Diary, you may recall this year's Women In Horror month article where I wrote about the ONLY fictitious woman to make the list, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (If you missed it, catch up with my Buffy article HERE) I grew up one year behind Buffy, according to the time line of the show when it was in full swing, and that could mean only one thing. Yup, I wanted to be her. So, Joss is in part to blame for the woman I've become. He broke the stereotype that we were all getting used to. Buffy was his take on the typical horror movie victim; beautiful, slight, blond, unassuming, and seemingly helpless. Instead, Joss made Buffy Summers a girl who was strong, capable, confident, and the kind of girl we all wanted to be more like.

Now, anyone who's anyone should know that Joss is the genius behind Buffy. That's a given. It's like knowing vampires don't sparkle in the sunlight, they blow the fuck up.

Something you MAY not know about my hero? Joss started off writing for Roseanne. If you grew up in the 80's, this was probably a show you watched religiously. I always loved how it went from comedic to deadly seriously in a matter of seconds. Any time Dan (brilliantly portrayed by the genius actor, John Goodman) put his fist through the wall or grabbed his coat and keys and left the house angry? Whoa. You'd better believe you've gotta watch the fuck out.

He also breathed life into a show that is something of a guilty for me.

Glee.
Yes, I said it. I watch Glee. At season one, I looked on with hope. It's a great concept, but its execution left something to be desired. So many plot holes, so much character in-continuity, it just makes the writer in me cringe. Being a fan of Nip/Tuck until the crazy took over fully (if you've seen the show, you'll understand what I mean), I felt that Glee desperately needed a fresh pair of eyes. Guest directors would be a Godsend for the show. Better yet, celebrity guest directors (who wouldn't tune in for the Tarantino episode?). My prayers were answered when it was announced that Joss would be stepping in for an episode.
Better yet, he brought not only his stylistic perception, his carefully planned and crafted story telling ability, witty dialogue, and incredible ability to have us laughing one moment and then tearing up in the next, he brought a powerhouse. When Joss came in, he brought Neil Patrick Awesome... er... Harris as a special guest star, a close personal friend of his and the star of his hilarious Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. And NPH is on a hit show on another network, so you can imagine that that in itself was no easy undertaking.

Something Joss is known for? Planning storylines far in advance for all his television series, allowing for remarkable long-term continuity. And that is exactly what Glee is lacking. His episode, DREAM ON, is easily one of the top three episodes they've ever done, if not the best.

Joss Whedon has given us tv series after tv series that quickly reached cult status with their unusual, unique, and downright lovable characters.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Angel

Firefly

Dollhouse

Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog
And where does a man who's already had such a profound affect on pop culture and television? To the movies, of course. Fellow comic nerds can rejoice knowing that the Avengers are in Joss' very capable hands. With his writing and directing, you know the heroes and villains many of us have grown up with will be paid the proper respects and will actually resemble the characters we love. You don't get enough "happily ever afters" like that.

In closing, as I must close or I fear I'll never shut up, I love you, Joss Whedon. Have a wonderful birthday.


XO,
Jen

It's An Honor To Be Nominated

Today is the 27th of February which means several things. It was my incredible grandmother's birthday - she is eight four years young. I got to spend the day with family which is really special because we really don't get enough time to see each other. And today was the 83rd annual Academy Awards - which by doing the math means it started when my beloved Anyu was a rambunctious one year old.


The Academy Awards are considered extremely prestigious and often it gets one thinking about their own accomplishments in the film industry and where one's career may lead them. After a long day, I return home, turn on my cheery MacBook Pro, and see a new notification for National Horror Examiner's 1st ever 'Fear, Fright & Fret' Horror Awards! Holy shit, cool. I click and start to read ahead --

Best Lead Actress 2010 - Nominees: Ashley C. Williams (The Human Centipede), Jen Soska (Dead Hooker In A Trunk), Sylvia Soska (Dead Hooker In A Trunk), Ashley Bell (The Last Exorcism), Christina Ricci (After.Life), Emma Bell (Frozen)

AMERICAN MARY will have our last scheduled appearance as actors in film, so we can focus on writing and directing. It's something Jen and I have talked a lot about it and it makes sense for us now. But before my inner Black Swan leading lady dances her closing number, it is pretty fucking cool to be nominated with Jen for Best Leading Actress for our performances in DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK. A huge fucking honor. We did not win, but it put a smile on my face and made me feel a swell of pride. I also loved the reasoning --

The Winner is: Emma Bell (Frozen) - This was another very difficult decision for me to make. The Soskas were awesome in Dead Hooker In A Trunk but chosing between the two was an impossible task, and one that I refused to take part in. It was their first film and they both kicked major ass in the film. Sorry ladies, I know this wasn't fair of me, but I just couldn't chose between the two of you. You are both awesome! Emma Bell's plight in Frozen was a very realistic one, and Ms. Bell made me actually care about her character. More often than not, the characters in horror films are annoying and I actually want to see them perish, but I wanted to see Bell's character make it home alive.

I kept reading the list - which is a pretty fucking rad list mixing up indie and big studio horror alike in a hip, humorous, and fun way - read the entire list here and bask in the awesomeness. Then I got to the Best Directors of 2010 category --

Best Director 2010 - Nominees: Abel Berry (Kodie), Christian Grillo (Booley), Jen Soska & Sylvia Soska (Dead Hooker In A Trunk), Tom Six (The Human Centipede), Adam Mason (Pig), Evan Makrogiannis & Brian Weaver (The Super), Júlíus Kemp (Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre)

The Winner is: Jen & Sylvia Soska (Dead Hooker In A Trunk) - It seems that each category is harder to chose from than the last. Abel Berry and Christian Grillo are, without a doubt, two of the most talented directors out there, and they'll both go on to have huge careers. Berry's Kodie, and Grillo's Booley are easily two of the best films of the past 15 years. The Soskas' work on Dead Hooker In A Trunk is nothing short of amazing. The film is among the best pulp/grindhouse films ever made.

If you didn't see this earlier article catch up here, but this is the second time Scott Ruth, the Horror Examiner, has made me cry. Happy tears.

It is a very humbly and gracious opportunity to be nominated in this category and to win leaves me almost speechless. A very humble thank you to you, sir. There was an incredible team that came together on this film that really truly love making movies more than anything else. They came together and worked there asses off for nothing on an insane idea coined by two first time directors. The class and the support of these fine men and women made this film what it is today.


The horror community who dug the flick and stood behind it - you guys are the reason we can do this and make more films. I can never thank you enough, but making AMERICAN MARY a fucking good film will be the start.

Thank you for this sincere honor and privilege, Scott. Your support has been tremendous. Thank you kindly!

Sylv

Today the Twisted Twins Were Born

Well, not technically today, but that does make today our birthday. We'd like to thank everyone for their kind birthday messages and especially thank you all for supporting us and our work! We couldn't be more grateful and truly do thank you from the bottoms of our twisted little hearts. We promise that the best is yet to come. Stay tuned for some very wicked news coming your way...

XO,
Jen and Sylv

It's someone special's birthday today...

Happy Birthday, David Choi!!! Here's a little BTS mashup to celebrate this rad guy taking down another year. Really talented, great guy. Check his stuff out, you'll love it.



Also, I LOVE this cover. Enjoy! Happy Monday, girls and boys!

xo
~Sylv