Women in Horror Awareness Month 2011...So It Begins, mwahahaha.

Last February saw the start of something ever so slightly special, the first annual Women in Horror Awareness Month.  The brainchild of the wonderfully demented and perfectly peculiar, Hannah Neurotica, Women in Horror month is our way, collectively working together to let the world know that there’s more to women in horror than just tits and scream queens.  And that, SHOCK HORROR…this isn’t a new thing!!!  The only difference is that now we’re standing up and letting everyone know that we’re here, and in all capacities. 

Numerous events were held around the world including the UK event Ghouls on Film.  Hosted in Birmingham, England by one of my bestest friends in the universe, Nia Edwards-Behi, Ghouls on Film was the chance for me not only to catch up with one of my favourite girlfriends, it was the chance to witness some brilliant shorts and two movies with women at the helm.  It also gave me the chance to spend a little bit of time with Horror Channel darling Emily Booth as well as other kick ass gals in horror.

One of my favourite things about Ghouls on Film was having the chance to see the almighty awesomeness of Dead Hooker in a Trunk!!!  This underground tribute to the good old grindhouse days is one of the most fun movies I’ve seen in the past few years.  Directed by and starring the gore-geous sick and brilliant Soska sisters, DHIAT is a wonderful example of girl power in the industry. 

Jen and Sylvia Soska have fully embraced this awesome month, setting up a blood drive and encouraging everyone to Bleed for Women in Horror, how morbidly delicious right!?!.  This is something that the girls will be doing again this year I’m rather excited to have been asked to be part of their video to advertise this bloody mission.  Mwah!

Another wonderful lady who I’ve had the priveledge of net meeting is Dai Green, managing editor of Horror News.net and the most totally PC woman on the face of the planet.  Who LOVES clothes and is never naked, HA!  Yes, delightful Dai was a naughty girl and got herself kicked off Facebook for a picture that caused offense to some prudish people.  We all campaigned to get her original profile reinstated but the gods of Facebook were dicks and she had to start all over again.  That’s a whole lotta friends to recollect.  She’s all back now though and makes sure she behaves and is always wearing as much clothes as possible.

Now this is just a few of the beautiful, sick and twisted, gore loving ghouls that I befriended last year.  In fact, it was this time last year that I was on my wee mission to raise awareness of Women in Horror Month, getting quotes and doing interviews with not only girls in the industry but the guys as well.  Directors such as Adam Green and Joe Lynch know just how important the girls are too and have utmost respect for them.  Eli Roth in particular has a fondness and respect for Hannah and her Zine, Ax Wound, as does Frank Hennenlotter and Herschell Gordon Lewis. 

Last year was ace in the fact that I got to speak to one of my favourite horror chicks of all time, Amy Steel (now Pulitzer).  Amy was of course the first girl to ever take on Jason Voorhees; this was back in 1981’s Friday the 13^th Part 2.  20 years later and she still stands out as one of horror’s most awesome, kick ass females.  You can read my interview with her here.

I’m really looking forward to getting into all the goodness that this year is going to bring and I can’t wait to work with all these amazing women again and to do my thing.  I’m even going to give blooooood myself.  I’m not promising that I won’t pass out though, haha.  My other statement for the month, one that Hannah and I would love it if you joined us in doing so is dyeing our hair BLOOD RED for the month of February!!!  Mwahahahaha.