American Mary Up With Multiple Nominations for the Fright Meter Awards

"When it comes to film awards, everyone looks towards the Oscars as the pinnacle of achievement. The only thing wrong with the Oscars? Our beloved genre of horror is often or completely overlooked! That's where the Fright Meter Awards comes into play. Along with myself, there's 35 plus committee members made up of genuine horror fans, bloggers, actors, writers, directors and producers "making the Fright Meter Awards truly the most prestigious horror award given."

From mainstream to independent, big names to newcomers, popularity or form of release, nothing is overlooked and if it's worthy of a mention, we consider it. So without further ado, here are this year's nominees…" 

American Mary is up for Best Makeup, Best Screenplay, Best Ensemble Cast Performance, Best Supporting Actress - Tristan Risk, Best Actress - Katharine Isabelle, Best Director(s) - Jen & Sylvia Soska, and Best Horror Movie. Fucking amazing to have such an honour!

Check out the nominees and vote here!

-Sylv

NYCC Talks to the Twisted Twins about See No Evil 2

Jen and I chat about See No Evil 2 at NYCC. Please enjoy!

-Sylv

Masters FX Makes the best Monsters

Katharine Isabelle and MASTERSFX are reunited after American Mary on the upcoming SEE NO EVIL 2 Movie. Best pic ever. Mary comes back to admire her Grant handiwork.

-Sylv

MastersFX, The Thing, and Slither hit the Rio Theatre

Hey Vancouver!!

MARK THIS DATE DOWN!!! July 27th the RIO THEATRE is doing it again. Bringing you an experience you can't download. This time, it's the thing gore~gasms and nightmares are made of. A DOUBLE BILLING of practical effects at their BEST with John Carpenter's THE THING and James Gunn's SLITHER. The monster master behind SLITHER and everything awesome, Todd Masters, himself will be in the house and you can't have this much bloody fun without us Twisted Twins, me and Sylvia Soska, coming on like locusts!!

There will be prizes! There will be goodies galore! Surprises! And a Q and A with Todd Masters himself.

PLUS lots more on the way to be announced.... DO NOT MISS THIS EVENT!!!!

Doors 7:00
John Carpenter's THE THING 8:00
Q&A with Todd Masters 10:00
SLITHER 11:00

Double bill pricing in effect! See both films for $13/$15 door.
Individual films are $8/$10 door
19+ w/ bar service
www.riotheatre.ca
www.riotheatretickets.ca

https://www.facebook.com/events/607686132582973/

Film Deviant Talks to Mary

FILM DEVIANT: Can you describe the “spritz” of blood that got on you in the storage locker scene? 

KATHARINE: (laughs) Yeah, the spritz of blood. I’m not a big fan of being covered in cold sticky blood at 3 in the morning when you don’t have any shower facilities on set. You know your fingers glue together and it’s incredibly uncomfortable and I’m a bit claustrophobic. And we had shot the following scene where I have the card to (16:04) and my hair is perfectly clean, I’m all cleaned up and so I said to one of our amazingly talented people from MastersFX, Jason Ward, that, after I bludgeoned the security guard (who is actually one of my best friends Sean Amsing), there should only be a little spritz and try to keep away from my hair because in the next scene I’m perfectly clean, so it needs to be something that I could maybe clean up with a Kleenex or a little napkin or something. We start doing it and Jason just has this look on his face and he empties this huge fucking canister, you know like 2 feet tall of blood and I look like I fell in a pool of blood. Fortunately you know they did that because it’s a great scene, it would not have been so awesome and so effective if it was just a little spritz of blood. But yeah, I stood up and was like..., "you motherfucker...you totally tricked me", and they’re just laughing their asses off and I’m just covered in blood.

READ THE WHOLE INTERVIEW HERE.

-Sylv

American Mary and Twisted Twins in the Province

"Twin Vancouver writer-directors Jen and Sylvia Soska are being hailed as horror’s next big thing as they surf a bloody wave of fan and peer acclaim for their indie horror hit American Mary.

The movie stars Katharine Isabelle (the pubescent werewolf of 2000’s Canadian cult hit Ginger Snaps) as Mary, a med student who pays the tuition with fetish-scene body-modification surgeries, and then takes an even darker turn after a betrayal by one of her med-school profs.

“Basically if you ever make a woman mad, that’s what goes through her head,” said Sylvia during a visit to Burnaby’s Masters FX, indicating a limbless male torso that hangs in a glass case. “She just says she’s fine.”

The twins’ feminist twist on horror’s traditionally male mad scientist had Britain’s Guardian newspaper calling the film: “a post-feminist chimera ... with heavy splatterings of Saw-like sadism but a healthy measure of intelligence, too.” "

Read the whole piece HERE.

-Jen

See American Mary at The Rio Theatre with Killer Exclusives

The Rio Theatre is a staple in the Vancouver scene for giving a cool venue for filmmakers to screen their work. These are the guys and gals that first screened Dead Hooker in a Trunk, have us out for their Horror Nights, and fought the law and won to keep their excellent theatre serving drinks and kicking ass.

I am honored to have American Mary screening at the theatre and because this theatre is so special and the film itself is a testament to Vancouver talent, we are doing something very special and exclusive. 

May 31st you will be to meet the monster makers of MASTERSFX behind the characters and creations you see in the film. You will get to meet and get your photo with a very special piece from the film like no other, and be sure to ask them how they make that stuff look so real in the Q & A. Also, look out for our beloved dark doctors Clay St. Thomas and Nelson Wong at the screening.

June 3rd, Beatress Johnson, Tristan Risk will be there for a Q & A which you don’t want to miss as she is phenomenal in the film and the girl of our horror dreams.

Please get the word out, share the event, and make sure you can get to the screenings. We don’t have too many Canadian generated films like this with full Canadian teams like this and the film really shows off how badass our industry is!!

Get Your Details HERE!

-Sylv

FEARnet Has A Horrifying Exclusive Clip From American Mary

DO NOT WATCH IF YOU DO NOT WANT ANY SPOILERS. If you have already seen American Mary or just through caution to the wind by watching spoilery clips (like so fucking spoiler, I cannot stress this enough), then please enjoy this FEARnet exclusive.

"'Twisted Twins' Jen and Sylvia Soska return with their highly anticipated body horror film, American Mary. In this exclusive clip, Mary is taking photos for her website to promote her back-alley surgeries and body mods. American Mary is currenly available on VOD, and will hit theaters on May 31st."

Watch it HERE!

-Sylv

Women In Horror Massive Blood Drive PSA 2013

Every Women In Horror Recognition Month, we encourage people and horror fans out there to be every bit as brave as the heroines we've come to know and love in front of and behind the camera with our Massive Blood Drive, a world wide event.

You can't think horror without thinking blood. We are in dire need of donors world wide. Every 3 seconds in the USA alone, blood is needed. There is no substitute for blood. Many people rely on blood donations just to live. There has been a decrease in donors and the need for blood and donations grows every year. Please give the gift that saves lives. Each donation can save up to three lives.

After all, it's in you to give.

Blood Drive PSA BTS

Jen and I had a great time testing yesterday and shooting today with MASTERSFX for our Massive Blood Drive PSA. Video is coming soon, but here's a little BTS with us, Todd Masters, Jason Ward, Lori Sandnes, and Jennifer Latour.
            

Please enjoy! And please be brave and donate. The number of donors has steadily been decreasing and someone needs blood every three seconds. Take on the little prick and be a hero to someone. 

-Sylv

5 Second Horror Film School

Cheap horror trick. Do you wear disposable contact lenses? Fake blood in the face = red eyes. Don’t wear em too long cuz it’s most likely not good for you, but does add a horror show element for whatever you’re up to.

Got lots of blood on us today with Masters FX for our Massive Blood Drive PSA shoot today. Coming very fucking soon. Here’s Jen and me post shower still with red eyes. 

-Sylv

Ten Pages of Mary In Diabolique

I love this shot of Jen with the MASTERSFX piece from American Mary. Part of the ten page coverage in DIABOLIQUE MAGAZINE. Pimp.

-Sylv

Horror Calendar Girls for More Horror

Jen and me as October in the 'More Horror Mistresses of Mayhem 2013'. 

Shot by: Shimona Henry
Girls: Bianca Salazar and Jacqueline Breakwell
Gentleman: C. Ernst Harth
Head: MASTERSFX

For each calendar sold, 48 meals will be given through the charity Feeding America . Click here for yours!

-Sylv

AMERICAN MARY wins big at Shudder Fest!

 We’re speechless…

American Mary wins Best Picture, Best Directors, Best Actress, and ties for Best Special FX and Make-Up and Best Screenplay at Shudder Fest!! Thank you so much and a BIG congrats to the AM cast and crew!

Best Picture: AMERICAN MARY

Best Short Film: VICKI (dir. Bill Palmer)

Best Director: Jen & Sylvia Soska (AMERICAN MARY)

Best Screenplay tie: I AM A GHOST (HP Mendoza) & AMERICAN MARY (Jen & Sylvia Soska)

Best Special FX: Jon Breznan & MastersFX (AMERICAN MARY)

Best Actor: Jamie Dufault (MURDER UNIVERSITY)

Best Actress: Katharine Isabelle (AMERICAN MARY)

Best Soundtrack/Score: Tim Fife & Tim Lang-Grannan (MURDER UNIVERSITY)

The Jaded Viewer Sees American Mary in New York

"One can't talk about American Mary without mentioning the NON-CGI effects they employed. Special effects guru Todd Masters uses stellar prosthetics and old school blood techniques to get us some ample splatter and gore. The Soska's seem adept at giving us cringe worthy scenes that have a Kubrick-esque element to them such as when Mary goes all Kill Bill on her "victims". With some clever camera work,  I have never seen such  pure torture scenes become still photos worthy of a place in the MOMA."

The first person to ever write ANYTHING about our first film, DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK, the fabulous Jaded Viewer saw AMERICAN MARY at her Film Society of Lincoln Centre in New York. It's really cool to that he had the opportunity to see the film. And dug it.

"Never have I seen a movie that delves into this subculture, treats it respectfully and slices in a perfect horror movie inside. I guarantee American Mary will etch it's way into cult status. It's perfect blend of sly black humor, absurd and eerie characters and torturous scenes of pain and agony that equal a milkshake of cult awesomeness. 

Horror movies have just grown up in a big way thanks to American Mary."

THE WHOLE RAD REVIEW HERE!!!

Thank you to everyone who has been going out to the screenings, the people who are telling their friends, and all the people who have been supporting the film. You, ladies and gentlemen, fucking rock!

-Sylv

Free Posters from the Twisted Twins and a Kiss from Tristan Risk

 Come to the MASTERSFX booth at the SON OF MONSTERPALOOZA Saturday October 27th and meet Sylvia Soska and me! We'll be signing FREE American Mary posters from 1:30pm to 2:30pm with the sensational Tristan Risk who will be running a kissing booth by donation for the ItGetsBetter(LGBTP) Project. Cannot fucking wait to meet you all and see old friends ♥

XO,

Jen

GET DONE BY MASTERSFX!

Hey, you monster lovers - want to get made up with prosthetics by MASTERSFX? Four looks include: Zombie, Beauty, Victim, & Party Monster.

Once in a lifetime opportunity to get professional prosthetics, the application filmed by FEARnet, and a tour of the infamous LA shop - responsible for killer FX on projects like: True Blood, Sinister, Slither, Six Feet Under, and American Mary. 

$250 donations for the email charity@mastersfx.com - which will go to Southern California Hospice Society - limited to only 25 tickets. 

Each donation will also get you two tickets to the VIP Son of a Bash, Son of Monsterpalooza after party!

-Sylv

American Mary Sweeps the Screamfest LA 2012 Awards

This past week, AMERICAN MARY was given the extremely generous accolades of Screamfest LA with five golden skull wins - a beautiful statue designed by the legendary Stan Winston. It was a huge and sincere honour to have the incredibly unique and different film get recognized like this. 

The category wins are as follows -- 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - Brian Pearson

BEST MAKEUP & FX - Masters FX
Makeup Department

Jon Berezan .... lab technician: MastersFX
Jeny Cassady .... special effects makeup coordinator: MastersFX
Tim Chappell .... key hair stylist (as Timothy James Chappell)
Chris Clarke .... lab technician: MastersFX
Stefania De Benedetto .... makeup trainee
Chris Devitt .... sculptor: MastersFX
Andrea Dulmage .... special makeup effects unit assistant: MastersFX
Céline Godeau .... key prosthetic makeup artist: MastersFX
Jennifer Latour .... makeup effects: prosthetics, MastersFX
Amber Makar .... key makeup artist
Raj Mariathason .... lab technician: MastersFX (as Raj Mariathasan)
Todd Masters .... makeup effects designer: MastersFX
Yukiyo Okajima .... lab technician: MastersFX
Yukiyo Okajima .... sculptor: MastersFX
Erin Peters .... lab technician: MastersFX
Erin Peters .... sculptor: MastersFX
Sarah Pickersgill .... sculptor: MastersFX
Owen Pierson .... key hair stylist
Werner Pretorius .... sculptor: MastersFX
Werner Pretorius .... shop supervisor: MastersFX
Brad Proctor .... foam technician: MastersFX
Lori Sandnes .... makeup effects: prosthetics, MastersFX
Niki Simpson .... first assistant hair stylist (as Nikki Simpson)
Niki Simpson .... first assistant makeup artist (as Nikki Simpson)
Bronwyne Sloley .... lab technician: MastersFX (as Browyne Sloley)
Amelia Smart .... makeup effects: prosthetics, MastersFX
Jason Ward .... makeup effects: prosthetics, MastersFX

BEST ACTRESS - Katharine Isabelle

BEST DIRECTOR(S) - Jen and Sylvia Soska

BEST PICTURE - American Mary

Thank you to everyone who voted, everyone who came out to see the film, everyone who has been supporting the film, and to the cast and crew who came onto the project because they loved the story and wanted to make it amazing. You see that dedication in every frame and that's why any of this is even possible.

-Sylv

25 Years of Being Fucking Awesome!

25 YEARS OF BEING FUCKING AWESOME!!!!

Like monsters, like crazy effects and character designs? Jen and I have been big MASTERSFX fans for years and it was an hour to have Todd Masters and the team bring the world of AMERICAN MARY to life.

"Todd Masters is one of the most celebrated FX wizards working in the business today. This year marks his company, MASTERSFX's 25th year in business, though Todd has been working behind-the-scenes since he was a child. In this exclusive FEARnet video, Todd tells us how he got started in the business, and highlights two of his shop's biggest clients: Fringe and True Blood."

Check out this rad interview from FEARnet.

Cannot wait for you ladies and gentlemen to see what we dive into with this fabulous team for AMERICAN MARY. I think you'll mega dig.

-Sylv

Paula Lindberg, The Real Girl Behind Ruby Realgirl

Before there was a feature green lit for AMERICAN MARY, there was a group of indie brats that got together in a veterinary clinic for twenty hours to create something that would prove that the film could be done and how they would do it.

The very first cast member, Paula Lindberg, would be transformed in a gruelling sixteen hour session with effects before we got the professionals at Masters FX to create our perfect Ruby Realgirl. From the moment she was cast to every following moment, Paula become the unique, sprite-like, doll and brought Ruby Realgirl to life. Her performance and dedication was a part of what got things happening.

Moving on to your newest project, American Mary, how was it working with the Twisted Twins (Jen and Sylvia Soska)?  

Paula: Amazing. The twins continue to inspire me with their drive and creativity. They’re not waiting around for someone to give them a career; they’re making it happen for themselves. And they’re not just regurgitating the same old stories, they’re creating highly original work, and it’s exciting to be a part of that.  

As an actor they are also wonderful to work for because they give you the perimeters of the character, but then imbue you with so much trust and freedom to create something truly unique within their vision. In what other film am I going to get a play an underground surgery obsessed Barbie wanna be??

I can never say enough good things about this sensationally gifted actress and what a stand out performance and life she brings to the world of AMERICAN MARY. It was an honour to experience our first Comic Con together and I cannot wait for the film's release, so everyone can get to see her fantastic work on the big screen.

As that approaches, here is a very wicked interview with Paula and Indulgently Horrific as she speaks about the film, her role, Comic Con, and what other rad she has coming up. Please enjoy!

-Sylv