"In the season 2 finale of Unboxed Watched and Reviewed I watch the very anticipated American Mary, The new movie by the Soska twins. (Dead Hooker in a Trunk)"
"American Mary, a new horror movie directed and written by twin sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska that opens on Friday, takes on such hoary conservatism. If the horror movie is typically about punishing women, this one is the opposite: it's about restoring robbed power. It centers on the titular surgeon-in-training (Katharine Isabelle) who falls into an extreme black-market body-modification subculture. The problem of cinematic objectification is addressed with characters who are literally objectified and thus desexualized: Mary's first procedure in a non-traditional OR involves cutting off a woman's breasts and sewing (mostly) closed her vagina, completing the patient's transformation into a doll not in the Runyon sense but the Mattel one. The filmmakers posit that it's not fair that God gets to decide what kind of body we have, and thus bestow that divine power upon the women themselves. They're in total control of their bodies."
"Their names are Jen and Sylvia Soska and they’re the future of horror filmmaking.
I say this not as a piece of hyperbole that the sisters can put on a Blu-Ray case (though feel free, ladies), but simply because, with their new film, American Mary, they managed to create a fantastic piece of horror cinema that literally left me in disbelief of what I was watching. The film freaked me out. It made me edgy. It made me squirm. It made me turn it off when my wife walked in the room.
But, most importantly, American Mary kept me engrossed. And to think, I almost didn’t watch the film."
"What’s truly horrifying is how much our leading lady, Mary Mason (Katharine Isabelle), is forced to endure. From financial woes, to vicious tongue lashings and blows to the ego from med school professors, to a very crude and humiliating incident involving said professor. It’s enough to make a person snap—and Mary is able to do just that in the most elegant and sophisticated manner possible. There are so many outstanding, noteworthy elements of American Mary that could easily justify a lengthier review. The special FX, the brilliantly complementing score, the cinematography, the exquisite lighting… I absolutely loved everything about this movie. But I think what I love most is how great of an achievement American Mary is for the Soska Sisters, and the Canadian horror community in general. And also the fact that, as a female horror film fan, I now have a new admirably bad ass female horror icon to write about… and maybe even dress up as for Halloween."Read it all here!
"The Kiplings are on holiday as Chris and Phil keep warm under the duvet and embrace American Mary. Phil finds a tiger on a lifeboat, takes no nonsense from Jack Reacher and reviews two Sons, whilst Chris gets stenched by Beyonce, unlocks Charlie and saves the best film of the year until last. I’m guessing there’s no piss drinking in it?"
"After seeing this movie, I’m torn between this and the masterful Loved Ones, as my favorite horror film so far this year (no doubt that Cabin in the Woods comes close, as well). One thing, I have no doubt about, though, is the fact that the Soska Twins are the future of horror. I am more excited than ever to see where they will go from here. Their artistic abilities and love for this genre makes them stand head and shoulders above much of their counterparts. To me, they are currently on a whole another level. As is this sexy, scary, darkly funny, and magnificent film. You simply must see this movie as soon as you are able to!"
"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 scalpel enters a full, fleshy breast and delicately, almost sensually circles the areola's entirety whilst blood oozes out, the surgeon's fingers gently tracing her handiwork.
Both nipples are eventually removed.
The next procedure involves surgically removing all physical receptors of pubic ecstasy and stitching shut the vagina of the aforementioned nipple-bereft body, save, of course, for the smallest allowable opening for the expulsion of urine.
The surgeon is spent, stunned, but satisfied - secure in the knowledge that her first stab (so to speak) at body modification is a success. The client eventually expresses sheer joy over her all-new sexually adhedonic state; how perfectly she's been able to fulfil her own personal essence of womanhood via the excision of those physical extremities which alternately offer enticement and pleasure. Whatever you say, babe. In the words of Marlo Thomas: "Free to be you and me."
Can movies possibly get any better than this?"I read this introduction to Greg Klymkiw of Greg Klymkiw's Film Corner several times as I loved the description so wholly. Often after a screening of AMERICAN MARY, I will find people describing the film to a friend that was not in attendance and the reenactment of the events that unfold in the film are such a treat to hear from another story teller. This was a treat as such. A big one.
"What sells the film is the world the Soska Sisters create. It's seldom obvious and more often than not we believe it - or at least want to. In many ways, the film is similar to the great early work of Walter Hill (pretty much anything from The Warriors to Streets of Fire) wherein he created worlds that probably could ONLY exist on film, but within the context of the respective pictures, seldom felt less than "real". (That said, Hill was ALWAYS showy, but he knew how to make it intrinsic to the dramatic action.) This makes a lot of sense, since it always feels like the Soska Twins are making movies wherein those worlds that exist realistically on-screen, but furthermore evoke a feeling that the film has been wrought in a much different (and probably better) age than ours.
Dead Hooker in a Trunk and especially American Mary, seem to exist on a parallel plane to those halcyon days of 70s/80s edginess reflected in the Amos Poe New York "No Wave" - not to mention other counter culture types who straddled the underground and the mainstream - filmmakers like Scorsese, Rafelson, Waters, Jarmusch, et al who exploded well beyond the Jim Hoberman-coined "No Wave". Their work even approaches a bit of the 80s cult sensibilities of Repo Man, Liquid Sky or even such generational crossover titles as Eraserhead, Blue Velvet) and the deranged work of more contemporary directors like Eli Roth, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino - all of whom "steal", to varying degrees, from earlier periods of film history, but use the work of previous Masters as a springboard to make the pictures all their own. (By the way, I'm not necessarily suggesting American Mary is culled from any of the aforementioned but rather, that the Soska Twins are clearly working in the same sort of exciting territory. It's especially dazzling when it's within a burgeoning stage of their development as film artists.)
A number of the cast members are truly first-rate. Katharine Isabelle as Dr. Mary has come long and far from her groundbreaking performance in the classic John Fawcett-Karen Walton werewolf picture Ginger Snaps. Here she delivers a courageous performance on a par with her turn as the cursed teen werewolf back in 2000. It's 12 years later and Isabelle has blossomed into a tremendously engaging screen personality. The camera might actually love her even more now that she's gained considerable physical maturity (and the Soska Twins have definitely used their four great eyes to work with their cinematographer Brian Pearson's additional two eyes to add to her stunning, real-woman looks). Isabelle's 12 years of toil in mainly television has given her a myriad of roles and experience, but in American Mary, her brave, deadpan (and often very funny) delivery blended with moments where the character is clearly repressing anything resembling emotion is the kind of thesping that demands more roles as terrific as this one. Please, get this woman out of Television Hell and put her on the big screen where she belongs."CHECK OUT THE WHOLE RAD PIECE HERE!
"Mary has a pet bird; it's interesting to note that once Mary accepts her position as a back alley surgeon and moves into a new place that can also serve as her office, we never really see the bird again. Its cage remains covered. In the East, birds symbolize the departed soul, and in the West, the bird symbolizes the saved soul. Mary seems to be Hungarian, and Hungry is considered the transitional country between the East and the West. Which does the Bird represent? Since it remains covered, it can be thought of as both departed and saved, dead and alive.
Perhaps it’s a reference to Schrödinger's cat. Either way, the principal remains the same. No, I'm not over-thinking the film, it really is that deep.
American Mary is a deeply effective film. You can't help but fall in love with Mary and want to save her, and she wants to be saved, but won't let you. Like the best films, it will haunt you for days afterward, forcing you to play out scenarios in your head where the sun would rise and better decisions would be made."
"With Dead Hooker in the Trunk, Jen and Sylvia Soska showed the horror community that they can make complete and entertaining film with almost no money. With American Mary, they're about to show the world what they can do when you write them a check. Beautifully composed shots, lighting that conveys warmth while sustaining the feeling of cold isolation, and layers of imagery and emotional substance, this is a film to be absorbed, and you will do so with minimal effort. A film about hope and love as much as it's about violence and violent intent. I urge everyone to see this film and support it. An original horror idea by arguably the next great film-making team and brought to life by true artists. American Mary is the type of film you can discover again and again, seeing something new each time you watch it. There are so few of those films out there and even fewer filmmakers capable of telling a story in such a way. I've met the future of horror; its last name is Soska."
"One thing that stood out for me about the film was the respect the Soskas pay to those who actively play a role in the body modification scene. I may not be one to take part in such things but it’s good to see the perspective paid here towards those who choose this lifestyle. Also, the film’s look and feel is way more beautiful than I expected. Sleaze and style seem to be mixed with equal parts here and ultimately kept my attention throughout the whole damn thing. It’s a rare thing for an audience to cringe, laugh and ogle the talent on screen in the same sitting and I applaud AMERICAN MARY for inciting such mixed reactions all the way through.
Alas, the highlight throughout the film, was Katharine Isabelle’s performance as Mary. While Jen and Sylvia Soska stated AMERICAN MARY was an analogy for their experience in Film School, I must also state this is a pretty compelling character study. Brilliant, sexy, diabolical and dangerous, Isabelle takes us down the road Mary walks with a sort of reckless abandon that you rarely see on screen these days. As Dr. Mason ventures further down the rabbit hole, the film builds as well and we’re left to cringe and laugh our way through a darkly sensual and somewhat bloody ride." - Aaron Pruner, Icons of Fright (full article)
"Does anyone remember watching early work by odd auteurs like David Cronenberg or Dario Argento and having an epiphany moment of ‘here is a talent not to ignore’ – welcome the Soska Sisters. The vibrant young duo and their perversely and passionately abnormal movie "American Mary" is film unlike anything I’ve seen in recent years. A wonderfully insane conundrum of horror, drama, revenge and the effect power has over people – in other words a seriously savory mind job." - Jason Coleman, Starpulse (full article)
"Hey everyone, Jeff here reporting on the first night of Toronto After Dark 2012! All in all, I’d say it was a great night; though I could’ve done without the rain (more on that in a minute). The Bloor was packed with energetic TAD fans, the beer was flowing, and the movies were both solidly entertaining."
"After the first feature wrapped, I spent about 30-45 minutes standing outside in the pouring rain, which was rather cold and unpleasant, but no fault of the festival organizers (Note To Self: Bring larger umbrella tonight!). However, it was totally worth it, as about 20 minutes in, we were greeted by Jen and Sylvia Soska (aka The Twisted Twins), the writer/directors of the next feature American Mary.Not only were they super enthusiastic for two people who were running around in a miserable downpour while wearing short skirts and vinyl."
"After that came the “main event” of the evening, the Canadian premiere of American Mary. If you haven’t heard, the film is about an aspiring surgeon who unwittingly finds herself thrust into the dark world of underground body modification. The film is a far leap in both tone and production value from the Soskas’ first feature, Dead Hooker In A Trunk, it is an impressive sophomore effort with stunning cinematography, a wonderful lead performance from Katharine Isabelle, great practical effects and makeup work, and some delightfully demented scenes. This one comes with a strong recommendation to horror and genre fans, and seeing as the Soskas announced during their introduction that Anchor Bay had just picked up American Mary for distribution in Canada, it sounds like it won’t be long before you get the chance."
"The film itself just looks beautiful, so visually different than Dead Hooker. The content of the two films couldn't really be more different either, showing the range that the Twisted Twins have as both writers and directors. While Dead Hooker was an amazing first feature, especially given the complete lack of budget, Mary is a whole other animal. It gives the audience a chance to see what the Soska Sisters can do when given a budget. What's more impressive is that the entir
e film was shot in fifteen days. Fifteen! That's unheard of, especially when you consider the quality of the film.
And now the numbers:
Film - 5 out of 5 Stars
Radness - 8 out of 5 Human Corsets
Tribal Scarings - Get out of here
It seems like everything is coming up Milhouse for the Soskas and their American Mary crew. They were picked up by Universal Pictures for European distribution over the summer, which is mind blowing. Monster Pictures is releasing the film in Australia, too. But there was big news revealed last night, and that is that Anchor Bay has bought the Canadian distribution rights, which I'm so stoked about. Now we just have to wait and hope to hear about American distribution. But that's not all: after an already busy year of screening Mary at different festivals, Jen & Sylv are going to be staying on the road for a few weeks more, heading back to LA for Son of Monsterpalooza and then to Monsterfest in Australia, where they get to hang out with THE Elvira."
"A few years back twin terrors Jen and Sylvia Soska announced their arrival to the filmmaking world with their action packed, gore streaked exploitation flick Dead Hooker In A Trunk. Their debut developed a following in the underground due to the twins ability to craft funny engaging characters and take-no-prisoners attitude towards violence and mayhem. Their follow up American Mary doesn't walk through the door their debut opened-it bursts through the wall Kool-Aid Man style shouting 'Oh Yeah!' at top of its lungs in order to let the horror community know that there's a new pair of voices in town that are going to be reckoned with for years to come."
- Mike Snoonian, All Things Horror (full article)
"This is true art, rarely seen in cinema today. It's a slightly more civilized, 21st century take on torture porn with high production values and a killer narrative but there's much more here than meets the eye. Yes, it's hard to watch at times, but those who appreciate movies the way they used to be made won't want to turn away. In American Mary we gorily discover that hell hath no fury like a female surgeon scorned." - Larry Richman, PROnetworks (full article)
"Happily, not only is the considerably pricier AMERICAN MARY an astonishing improvement on DEAD HOOKER in every respect, it’s a quantum leap in another tonal direction; a gorgeously art-directed exercise in psycho-sexual grand guignol full of strange characters, grotesque imagery and bizarre, black-as-night humor. It’s a definitive body horror film, elegant, disturbing but never oppressive and if nothing else, it’s the work of two powerful, loud voices whose joy of moviemaking screams from every frame." ~ Chris Alexander, FANGORIAThere are names in this business that are synonymous with horror and you don't get much cooler, much more badass, more much with your fingers on the pulse, and much more legendary than FANGORIA. If you don't know FANGORIA, welcome out of your cave.
"Katherine Isabelle (the GINGER SNAPS trilogy) stars as Mary, a med student who is in dire need of extra scratch. In a desperate bid, she applies for a job in a greasy strip club as a rub and tug masseuse and during the “interview,” when revelations of her surgical intern status is revealed, is called on to repair a screaming thug who had been roughed up a bit too much by some club underlings. This quickie cash “meatball surgery” leads to an impromptu appearance by Beatress (Tristan Risk), one of the club’s dancers, at Mary’s apartment. Beatress has had her face grimly “revised” to resemble that of Betty Boop, skin pulled tight, mouth pursed, skull implants re-shaping her face, and after witnessing Mary’s “performance” asks if she would be willing—for a tidy sum—to operate on her friend, another body modifier who wants her nipples removed and vagina sewed shut so that she resembles a living Barbie doll. Mary complies and her success and growing obsession lead her to becoming “Bloody Mary,” one of the most in-demand underground body-tweaking surgeons in the city."As much as DHIAT was a "sit up and pay attention to us" film, AMERICAN MARY is a "now let us show you what we can do". She has made an early appearance at the wonderful FrightFest Film Fest in gore~geous London with a theater packed of horror fans and now she begins to peel back her own bandages and give the world a better look. There will be several film festivals across the globe where she'll be turning up and we truly hope that when she makes an unveiling near you, you'll be able to attend.