Maude Michaud

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

In French there is this expression “la petite mort” (the little death) that is a metaphor for orgasm; I think that is an interesting juxtaposition of the two ideas. This might be why it is so easy to intertwine them in horror films." ~ Maude Michaud

In many of our pieces you will hear that we met this wonderful woman at the Viscera Film Festival. But that just happens to be an undeniable truth. This particular woman is one that we were speaking with prior and just over joyed to learn would also be attending the festival. More accurately, we met at the sensational Heidi Martinuzzi's MISTRESSES OF HORROR GATHERING. She is a fellow Canadian whose supreme talent and provocative work fills me with Patriotic pride.

"My love for the horror genre began when I was a kid. I don’t know why, but I was always attracted to dark and creepy stories. Contrary to most kids my age, I was not scared by the content, I wanted more!" ~ Maude Michaud

She lists her personal likes as: 16 mm, acting, alfred hitchcock, alternative lifestyle, art, b-movies, bdsm, camera, cinema, corset, david lynch, directing, editing, fetish, film, film festivals, filmmaking, high heel shoes, horror films, kitsch, lipstick, media studies, movies, music, photography, producing, quentin tarantino, reading, retro, scriptwriting, sexploitation films, sinema, tim burton, underground films, weird films, and writing.

Allow me to introduce a woman who many of you know and respect, but many of you may be hearing of for the first time. Take my advice, buys and grrls, you'll want to make yourselves very familiar with the name...

I present to you, film maker, French Canadian, and an artist in every definition of the word...

MAUDE MICHAUD

Maude started writing and directing short films at the age of only 16.

Her shorts, Recessed and Complex(e)/Modèl(e) were showcased part of the Short Film Corner at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and the 2008 edition of the Wreck-Beach Film Festival.

Other of Maude's works that have screened in festivals include: Perceive (2004 YoungCuts Film Festival), Spirits (2002 International Teen Movie Festival), Finding Hope (2001 International Teen Movie Festival) and Mirage (selected for the 2004 edition of the Jeunes Cinéastes contest, winning the prize for Best Original Music).

Amazingly she has worked on over 15 short films and video projects, including 12 as a director, and was hired as a director of photography on the independent feature film, C.F.A.L. – Chance for Another Life, directed by Marc-Antoine Desjardins.

Here she is at the 2010 Viscera Film Festival with two of my favorite Women In Horror, Brenda and Elisabeth Fies. And, yes, that is a DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK behind them along with a poster for the Fies' brilliant BLEEDFEST.

And again with Elisabeth and yours trulys.

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

This is her short film, RECESSED.

"The inspiration behind Recessed is a tad more complex. At the time, I was really into Japanese ghost films, especially how they use everyday moments and domestic spaces as a menace for the characters, so that inspired some of the creepy parts of the film. I also really like the idea of telling the story from the madman’s perspective and exploring the human psyche, which is what Recessed essentially is. I just love to leave things open-ended and let the audience decide how they want to interpret what it all means. Don’t get me wrong, I do have an explanation for what happens in Recessed, but I much prefer to know what people make of it as I’ve heard so many different interesting theories!" ~ Maude Michaud

Here is the trailer for her next film, RED.



Even though Maude is a huge horror fan, she beautifully explores a variety of genres in the films she directs, which results in an eclectic body of work including: horror dramas, slightly surreal quirky tales, and explorations of unconventional relationships. Appropriately, she has named her production company QUIRK PRODUCTIONS. She also works as a photographer.

Above is a photo taken behind the scenes of her short film, HOLLYWOOD SKIN. It was a stunning, stand out piece that played at the 2010 Viscera Film Festival. I'm so sorry that I couldn't find this shocking cinematic slice of brilliance online to share it with you. But don't pout just yet...

You can however donate to the Viscera Film Festival (a festival that doesn't even charge a submission fee which is a huge kindness to independent film makers) and purchase a DVD of all the 2010 Viscera Film Festival Selections here. You can also see Maude's official site HERE and purchase her complete works HERE.

Maude is an outstanding writer and keeps a wonderful online blog that is all kinds of amazing. You should treat yourself and check it out HERE.

And in closing, allow me to express my most sincere thanks to Maude for being such an incredible inspiration in my most terrible attempt at french...

Merci pour votre bel et unique voix dans l'horreur. Vous êtes absolument juste quand vous dites, « je me sens que les choses changent ». Vous êtes le type de changement je suis heureux de voir.

Merci pour non seulement l'être une grande inspiration à moi, mais nombreux d'autres.

Sanglant Mieux!
Jen