Review of Jennifer Campbell's Short Film Hike!

As I mentioned in my interview with director Jennifer Campbell, I think one of the reasons why I instantly took such a liking to Hike, is the fact that it is without a doubt the kind of short I could totally see myself making!!  I mean, whenever I'm out and about walking, be it through the woods, or along the beach, or up in the hills...I always picture myself finding body parts...or a completely whole dead body!!  Sick I know, but I can't help myself, haha.  My mind just drifts off...and that's usually where it drifts to...limbs amongst the driftwood!! ;) 

With its stunning location and superb direction, what I appreciate most about Hike is how simple...yet wonderfully effective it is at the same time. It beautifully conveys the perfect image of some of the true horrors that are actually out there. As a girl with a total serial killer fascination, this is horror at its more shocking and perverse because it's so real!! 

Hike is the perfect example of the ultimate male monster. The one that blends into society. The one who despite all they may have, still needs that power play that comes from victimising a woman. One who is either physically unable to fight back, or one who has been so mentally abused, that they don't have the inner strength in them left to fight!! 

These are the men that everyone is always so shocked when they hear about some of the atrocities they have committed. They are the friendly neighbour, your kids scout leader, the boy next door...the kind of guy who we wouldn't even contemplate a danger when they ask us to go out for a hike in the woods! The best serial killers are usually the ones that blend in with society. And in the case of someone like Ted Bundy, they also happen to be some of the worst when it comes to the level and extent of violence committed!!

When describing Hike, Vancouver based director Jennifer Campbell had this to say - 

“Hike is about violence against women, being silenced and ultimately being victimized because someone is bigger, stronger and able to overpower.”

We live in a society where violence against women is shockingly high, and a lot of it is precisely down to this mindset.  Men need to show just how big and strong they are, and just how easily they can hurt their partners...or mothers, sisters, daughters...granmothers!!  

Shorts such as Hike are such an eye opener in that they remind us that whilst we may feel safe and secure in our day to day lifestyle...you never know what kind of evil may be lurking just round the corner!!  It is for this very reason that it is important for women to be self aware, and able to know that there is always someone they can turn to for help.  

I've said this before, and I'll say it again...I think the reason that women appreciate horror so much, and just why they're so good at making it, is that the levels of violence and rape against women, it's so much higher than anything against men.  Hell, childbirth is enough to give any woman an appreciation of horror, haha.  All joking aside though, I think it's wonderful that there are women out there such as Jennifer Campbell, who are making films like Hike, who are conveying the word about such topics, but in a way that opens insightful debate and understanding.  Not in a, "shove it down your throat" kind of way.  I'd just like to add on a separate note, that it's also quite appropriate that all of the funds from the Have a Heart for Horror Cook Book, a cook book filled with recipes and art from various female figures working within horror today (including yours truly!!), are going to Project Get Safe.  This is a non-profit corporation dedicated to preventing real life horrors such as victims of abuse, domestic violence, teen youth shelters, halfway houses.

Check out the trailer for Hike below and keep up with the news from Jennifer Campbell and her production company Whitebowl Productions at the Official Site and Facebook page.  

I would also just like to say I've edited this to say Congratulations to JC for her award for Best Women Director in the Shorts Category at the PollyGrind Film Festival in Las Vegas.  With shit loads of films showing over a massive 17 days, this is truly a well deserved honor for Miss Campbell.  So YAY....Go Jen!! :) 

Ooh, and it also took the award for most Over the Top Special FX at this year's Stiletto Film Festival as well.  The FX that it is referring to is one that when watching the Sons of Anarchy Season 5 finale, it made me giggle and think of Hike!!  BWAH! ;) 

So yes, expect great things to come from this fellow JC, who not only shares my first name...she also shares the initial of my second name...woooo, creep~tastic!!!  Bwahahahaha. :)

Jennifer's Bodies February 2012 - Working in Association with the Dundee University Film Society with a Fellow Horror Chick! YAY!

Okay so this February's Jennifer's Bodies, I am so psyched to announce that I am working alongside the Dundee University Student Film Society!  :)  Now as if this wasn't cool enough, the main chick~a~roo in charge of the society, is a fellow kick ass horror gal!  Florence is also a fellow Horror Blogger Alliance chick, and when I went to post a reply to a blog post she had done, I saw a post from another horror chickzilla, The Real Queen of Horror!  Aaaah, what a small world we live in!  What other genre of film are you gonna find yourself bumping into others online so much as with horror?  Florence is wonderfully kooky with a wicked taste in film and a great sense of humour, and I urge you to check out her blog, A blog by your new friend: Florence NOW! :D

Jennifer's Bodies will be taking place on Sunday 26th February in the Tower Building at Dundee University.  You can find more information over at my Jennifer's Bodies page, including the full line up and tickets etc.  All of the money raised I am donating to a fellow woman in horror to go towards her 1 year old boy's medical bills for an operation to rectify his Craniosynostosis.  

Jennifer's Bodies 2012 - Now Open for Submissions!

Greetings my fiendishly awesome ladies...and boys who work with awesome ladies in zee horror movie industry...just wanted to let y'all know that I have now opened up submissions for Jennifer's Bodies 2012, and Official Women in Horror Month event.  If you hop on over to my Official Jennifer's Bodies Blog, you can check out the submission guidelines and all the details for sending your glorious horror features and short in zee way of Miss Morleysaurus!  I eargerly await your response! <3

Kristy Jett - Super Dork - Discussing the Popcorn DVD Release and Documentary, Fright Rags, San Diego Comic Con and her New Project - Read it Here First! :)

Kristy Jett is one hell of a force to be recognined with.  Not only is she an amazing writer, she is also one chick that you don’t want to fuck with.  A point that was proven like a hefty kick from a steel toe capped Dr Martin boot to the balls as “festival organiser” John Gray discovered.  Basically Gray was responsible for organising a Friday the 13^th mega reunion/festival, one that would pretty much bring together anyone and everyone from the whole Friday the 13^th series.  This never happened though and after taking the money, time and time again he came up with excuses as to why it had been rescheduled/cancelled and why individuals were having such a wretched time getting their money back.   Kristy caught wind of this and decided to take matters into her own hands to make sure that fans weren’t left with a completely bitter taste in their mouths…with no help from John Gray!

Now Kristy, I really have to applaud you for this, I mean you saw how upset people were with this whole schebang and despite the fact you had nothing to do with it, you took it upon yourself to make sure that the fans weren’t left empty handed at the end of the day.  You really are a wee bit fab!  How does it feel knowing that you have helped support your fellow Friday the 13^th fans, and also probably scared the crap out of anyone considering pulling a trick like this in the future?!     

Thank you for saying such sweet things! When I first heard about this guy and how essentially as soon as someone called him out on what he did he just harassed them until they sunk off into the night, I knew something had to be done. I really didn’t know that anything I would do could make a difference. And believe me when it started everyone told me there was no point- it would go on forever. It felt like it would too haha. But I just kept digging. The only thing I did that no one did before me was bring all of the facts on Gray together and put them in one place for everyone to see.  That brought all of the fans/victims together in the same place. At that point all I did was empower them to file cases with the attorney general and keep pushing, not to give up. I can’t take credit for them doing what was inside of them all along, they just needed reassurement. I couldn’t be more elated that the attorney general and FBI are investigating Gray. All along he has been so arrogant making it clear if he was backed into a corner he would file bankruptcy and not owe anyone a dime. He somehow missed the fact that he was committing fraud and even if he monetarily never pays a red cent, he will pay criminally…hopefully with his freedom.

Now speaking about Friday the 13^th, the arrival of Tommy Jarvis in Part 4 introduced the viewers to one of the geekiest characters to ever appear in the slasher-movie’verse!  Fuck Randy from Scream (no offence Wes!) but Corey Feldman’s portrayal of a young Tommy Jarvis is that of a true horror nut…and future Tom Savini!  Lol, right Kristy you really are a total nerd-o-rama!  I was pretty sure that Jarvis was based on Savini but just went to double check and guess what article came top of the search engine….YOURS!!!  Specifically THIS one!  For those of you too lazy to actually click on the link and see exactly what article I’m referring too (just bloody well read it already, ha!), this is what I just nabbed from the article written by Kristy - “the character was in fact based on Savini, who returned to the franchise in Part 4 to effectively kill the monster he created in Part 1.” (Picture below - Kristy with Part 5's Reggie the Reckless)

Anyhoo, what is it that you most love about this character?  And did this love continue in Parts 5 and 6 when Tommy was older (and not Corey!) or was there just something about the super nerdtastic 12 year old that made you feel that little bit more like yourself?

I am a sucker for recurring characters in Horror sequels, mainly because it’s so unheard of. I have been in love with the character of Tommy Jarvis since Corey Feldman, it amplified with John Shepherd as Tommy in part 5 (my favorite) but it went over the top as one of my favorite actors of all time, Thom Mathews played him in part 6.  I felt for Tommy, I mean think about it, he lost his carefree childhood because of Jason. We see him going from a little nerd to having to defend his life against and then kill Jason. We meet up with him in part 5 and here he is a troubled teen at a halfway house, still a prosthetics nerd, but battling his inner demons. Throughout the film we’re even unsure if he is the “new” Jason or not! Then when we get to part 6 we’re no longer worried that Tommy is a danger to us, and we’re ready to watch him end Jason. To reclaim the sanity in his life once and for all. It’s such an amazing character arc, especially to be found in a slasher series! In my dreams, one day I get to write the new FT13th reboot and it’s all about Tommy Jarvis coming back once and for all to defeat Jason….and Thom Mathews stars! (Picture below - Kristy with Thom Mathews and their illegitimate child!) 

Out of all of the Friday the 13^th’s, what are your top 5 deaths? :)

Christ, that’s a tough one. Ok, I am not going to sit and think about it, I will just think of the first 5 that come to mind.  :)

In random order…

- Love machete to the face of wheelchair guy in Part 2…see what happens when you play electronic football?!

- Crispin Glover screaming about the corkscrew in that nasally voice and then getting it through his hand and a machete to the face.

- Tommy Jarvis hacking Jason up in Part 4, Feldman is so classic in that scene.

- Watching poor Violet meet her end a few moments after her amazing dance scene in Part 5! Maybe I like the dancing more than the death though…

- Love Jason getting it at the end of part 6…I do love my Thom Mathews. :) (Picture below - Thom Matthews as Tommy Jarvis in Friday the 1th Part 6)

What was your first step onto this glorious blood red brick road of awesomeness that you happen to find yourself on right now, where did Miss Kristy Jett start out? (Picture below - Kristy with Friday the 13th (2009)'s Jason Voorhees, Derek Mears)

When I was a kid I saw The Evil Dead at far too young an age, but it was all for the best! I have been watching Horror since I was age 3. My parents worked a lot and my sister would let me watch whatever. My mother never liked that I watched the stuff, but she always explained to me that it wasn’t real. I think that gave me a better basis than other kids that age who just get plopped down in front of a tv with no explanation. Horror has been my lifeblood for as long as I can remember!

How did you come about working for Fright Rags?  Plus what is your favourite tee that you guys have done to date, what is one tee that you would love to do?  I absolutely love my C.H.U.D and I Drink Your Blood/I Eat Your Skin ones.  The one I HAVE to get though is the Sleepaway Camp: Unhappy Campers one.  My friend Mac never lets me forget that he has this tee and I don’t!  It’s not fair! *throws little hissy fit* ;)  Yous have got it back in a small now though so I WILL get it, heehee! (Picture below - Kristy at a Fright Rags stand with the legend that is John Landis)

I met my boss, Ben Scrivens (creator/owner of Fright Rags) at a Convention in 2008. I had no idea we lived in the same town! It started out as me constantly bugging him to help him out. A few months later I joined the Fright Rags table at the next Convention, where I proceeded to outsell all of the boys together and Ben promptly officially hired me. My persistence is what got me the job. Essentially I am the “Girl Friday”, I handle customer service, administrative duties, promotion, and I go to all of our Conventions. I do a little bit of everything!

My absolute favorite tee is a parody mashup called Bogus (see picture above). It’s a The Monster Squad and Night of The Creeps dealie and if you look at the tombstones on the bottom of the shirt you can see my last name is on one of them, that makes me entirely biased, but I don’t care, it’s a brilliant shirt! My dreams are coming true…we are doing an original Popcorn shirt…and a Wizard Master shirt eventually…le sigh…. 

Right, so one of my favourite movies that have come out in the past wee while has been Paul (pictured right), starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost…two of the UK’s greatest geeks/X Philes/horror nerdoid’s!  You know, I remember when Spaced (the first time these two dorks got their thang on!) aired, I was at University and always remembered watching Spaced when I was in Halls of Residence.  I loved these guys from the get go and I remember when Shaun of the Dead first came out, when I tried to explain it to people coming into my cinema that it was the guys who did Spaced who had made this movie, 99% of them were fucking retarded as to who I actually meant!  This did not impress me AT ALL!  Anyhoo, getting off subject, these two nerds were a refreshing breath of air to both British Film and TV.  Hell, they made my inherenly geeky self proud to be British!  Anyhoo, to cut a long story short…the story of these two nerds in Paul, isn’t just a story in a Greg Mottola movie, it’s the story of these two nerds that I have been following since 1999 on their beautiful GAY love fest of a road trip.  The kind of road trip I have wanted to make for as long as I’ve been watching these pair!  That road trip my people, is that of the one that leads to San Diego Comic-Con!

Kristy, this year I want to geek out there even more, that is because I know that both you and the lovely Lianne Spiderbaby are both going to be there as press for the event, representing Fangoria!  How did this come about and what are you most excited for?  And more to the point, have you ever been there before?

I owe everything Fangoria related to the amazing Rebekah Frye McKendry. She is the reason for all of this. I owe Bekah most of my print career. She got my foot in the door and that has made all the difference. She’s the one who forced my way into the SDCC group haha. I have never been and I guarantee I will never go again. I kid! But I am secretly worried that I won’t be able to handle the crowd! I am excited to meet Todd Farmer. I made him promise to stop by the Fangoria table for high-fives. He’s a big Fright Rags fan and it’ll be awesome to meet him in person finally since I love his last two flicks- My Bloody Valentine 3D and Drive Angry.

I am just excited at attending the nerd mecca! I hope Sam Raimi shows up and recognizes me from how often I gush about him and asks me to move into his house and nanny his children…I’d do it. (Picture above - Kristy shows her love for The Evil Dead with the ladies of The Evil Dead)

We all have our idols, people who if we actually met, we’d be a bit of a nervous bumbling fool in front of.  Who is the one person, who if you met, you would look like the least cool person ever in front of…just because you’d instantly turn into a nervous rambling idiot in front of them?!

Sam Raimi (pictured right) no doubt. I have no idea if I’d cry or lost all control in my knees first. It will be an experience when I meet him, for sure. :) 

Now let’s speak about your biggest passion of the moment and that would be the release of 1991 movie Popcorn on DVD.  For this release you are also working on a retrospective documentary, a documentary for the ultimate Popcorn fan!  It’s pretty fucking cool that you’re doing this, your nerdiness knows no boundaries!  This is obviously going to be a lot of hard work, enjoyable of course but hard work all the same.  So what exactly do you have planned for this and when do you hope to have a release date for the DVD.  Plus, what can us as fans do to help?

The battle to get this film re-released has been going on for about 2 years now, but the past 8 months is when things have really heated up. The plan is to have a beautiful new transfer, maybe even Blu Ray! The release date we have in mind is March of 2012, it’s tentative but if things keep going the way they are it should happen! The biggest way fans can help is by contributing to our IndieGoGo campaign. This is to help us finance the retrospective doc and other special features! We have so much planned I can’t even begin to tell you!

http://www.indiegogo.com/Help-Fund-the-Retrospective-Doc-and-Special-Features-for-the-Popcorn-DVD

  

For those out there who have never seen the movie, what would you say to them and why do you think they should see it?

One thing a lot of people don’t know is that his was primarily a Bob Clark project (Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things, Black Christmas, Deathdream). Even though he technically walked on directing he stayed on set and helped Mark Herrier through his directorial debut. The film is such an homage to the William Castle school of cinema. It’s a fun romp that takes the typical slasher flick and makes it into a campy meta-film that everyone should see at least once in their life! (Picture below - Kristy with Popcorn's Jill Schoelen)

Which character do you most relate to in Popcorn and why?

Hmmmm…probably Joanie. I am always the sassy girl in love with the nerd, so it makes sense haha.

What else can we expect to see/hear from you in the future, what would you like to accomplish next after Popcorn is finished…any plans as of yet?  You are a brilliant writer, have you ever thought about writing a screenplay…perhaps you even have one tucked away in your socks drawer right now!?

I do have a screenplay I am working on! I am working on this one idea that has been milling around in my brain for years, plus John Squires (Freddy In Space) my brother from another mother and I are working on a script that is a total tribute to the Horror community. It’s more of a comedy than anything.

Other than my screenwriting, I have other re-release and documentary ideas. Once Popcorn is completed, my next venture is a documentary on Stephen King’s IT. I am breaking that information here, I haven’t gone public with it yet. :) (Picture below - Kristy with IT director Tommy Lee Wallace)

And last but by far not least, just how awesome is Bahnick (Adam Barnick for those not in the cool club…or should I say FAN CLUB!) in real life?  Is he a bit of a lightweight when it comes to drinking, could we girls drink him under the table? ;)  Heehee. 

One thing that I don’t know if I say enough, is that Adam Barnick is such a brilliant man. Not just his filmmaking, but him in general. Over the past few months we have become closer friends and I could just sit and listen to him for hours-and have haha. He is going to go so far in this business, and in life too. He has such a good head on his shoulders. I really feel like he’s one of the few people who “gets it”, ya know?

As far as what kind of a drinker he is, I wish I could say, the one time he and I were drinking at the same time I was tipsy and I started hitting on him. Needless to say I came off like an ass, but that goes to show you how great he is- he has never judged me on it. Or if he has, he’s hid it well.

All around though, Adam Barnick is the kind of person that young filmmakers should pay attention to. He does deserve a fan club, and I will gladly commandeer it!

Women in Horror Recognition Month 2010 Wins Rondo for Best Fan Event

I know I'm a bit late in blogging this but I would just like to congratulate everyone who was involved with Women in Horror Recognition Month 2010 and made it possible for it to win the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Fan Event.  The Rondo's are in memory of B-movie actor Rondo Hatton, a man whom I have discovered I share a birthday with.  How cool.  So yes, R.I.P Mr Hatton, April 22, 1894 – February 2, 1946.  And also thank you to everyone who voted and made this possible and to Hannah Neurotica for starting Women in Horror Recognition Month.  You are a fucking STAR!!! :)

Bloody Breasts - A Web Series by Maude Michaude

Maude Michaud is a wonderfully macabre woman who is already making a bit of a name for herself in the independent horror scene, so much so that April 3rd's Bleedfest in LA hosted by Lis and Brenda Fies had then show a retrospective of her work.  By the sounds of things it went down very well, which is ace.  As if that wasn't enough, she has just released the first episode of her new web series, Bloody Breasts.  An awesome name if ever I heard one.   You can view the first episode HERE.  

You can also read the interview I did with her back in March on this very Blog!  Enjoy!!! :)

I HATE LA - The Feature

I am super excited to be able to share the new trailer for the feature film I HATE LA.  7 (Kick Ass!) Lady Directors...11 Interlocking Horror Vignettes...1 EFFED Up City!!!!

The film is going to be premiering on April 3rd in LA at the monthly BleedFest, hosted by the wonderful Fies sisters Elisabeth and Brenda.  Not only do they put together and host this monthly event, it is down to them that I Hate LA exists.  After her amazing feature debut The Commune (which totally freaked the living shit out of so many of the people at my Jennifer's Bodies Women in Horror event.) this is their follow up to prove that  the women are equally as good as the boys in this industry!!! :)

Maude Michaud - A Wonderfully Macabre Interview With A Wonderfully Macabre Woman!

Wow, okay so your short SNUFF is a wicked little film.  From the grainy black and white texture of the Super 8 film to the wonderfully dark chords striking though the background like an organ of doom.  I’m a sucker for old black and white silent films and this made me think of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lodger, just style wise and creepy music with a killer kind of way.  What kind of films inspired you as a young film maker and made you think, I could do this?

My first exposure to horror films was Poltergeist III, which I watched on cable TV when I was still a kid. I remember thinking: “wow, there’s something else than stupid family-friendly movies?! I wanna see more!”  From this point, I started seeking out any thriller, horror film or creepy entertainment I could find, asking the help of my grandma who is a huge Hitchcock fan.  So yeah, Poltergeist III is responsible for my love of horror.

However, even though I grew up watching mostly horror and thrillers, it is the wave of US indie films of the mid-90’s that really inspired me to become a filmmaker.  I remember spending a whole summer (I think it was summer of ’97 or around that time) discovering these films. I think it was Reservoir Dogs or Steve Buscemi’s Trees Lounge or Greg Araki’s Doom Generation (or a mix of the three!) that really inspired me to pick up a camera and do everything I could to become a filmmaker.  I first started to experiment with ‘safer’ themes and dramatic shorts, but it didn’t take long before I went back to my first love and focused my work on horror!

What is it about the idea of snuff films that fascinates you so?

I’m fascinated by ideas that bother me; I don’t know why, but it seems that these themes and ideas are the ones that get the creative juices flowing! In the case of snuff films, what bothers me is the fact that someone would enjoy watching a filmed murder knowing it happened for real. It forces me to reflect on my own enjoyment of horror films. As horror fans, we can all enjoy an entertaining death scene, but to the point of wanting to watch someone die for real… that is just plain sick and terrifying!  (and worth exploring in the context of a horror film)

I love the contrast of all the things you love and portray in your work; it’s all very dark and macabre and a little bit fab.  The Portrait is based loosely on the 1882 Edgar Allen Poe short story The Oval Portrait.  Nearly 130 years later and it still translates beautifully without losing any of its original meaning.  Is this one of the things that appeals to you about Poe?

Yes, I always found the dark romanticism present in Poe’s body of work to be timeless. Same for his stories which, as opposed to the work of more recent horror authors, can still be enjoyed without feeling dated.  I also love that a lot of his writings deal with madness, which is a theme I particularly love; and I like how he writes about macabre, yet beautiful things.  

As far as the adaptation of The Oval Portrait goes, it has always been my favorite Poe story.  I remember reading it for school and finding it breathtakingly beautiful.  To this day, it has been haunting me and I have been wanting to create something to celebrate it. A few years back, a friend told me about the idea of creating an anthology of short films inspired by Poe, so I instantly told him about wanting to do my adaptation of The Oval Portrait. Unfortunately, the project fell through, but the idea for the short remained and this is how The Portrait was born.

Where did you get the idea for your delicious turn in the Twisted Twins Massive Blood Drive PSA?

I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do and had trouble finding inspiration. I didn’t want to do anything that was too dark or too cliché, I wanted it to represent who I am, and I wanted it to be fun and simple, but I didn’t have any specific idea! I was brainstorming and, at some point, I thought about the idea of a housewife stabbing a big cake and fell in love with it! Also, the cake was a nice symbol for the celebration of the Women in Horror month and I always sing and dance in the kitchen, so it would be natural for me to do so for the video!

I’m someone who’s really happy and bubbly, so the overall attitude in the video is 100% me. Plus, I love the whole retro look and I thought it, along with the psychotic-smile as I repeatedly stab the cake, would add a nice touch of light-heartedness/humor to the clip and would show another side of me that people don’t necessarily get when they watch my films.

Is there one particular story that you have always dreamt of bringing to life?  This may be a novel, a short story or even a real life story?  Something you feel really passionate about and think that you could do it true justice?

My initial response when I read the question was ‘no’; I have scripts and ideas that I’ve been wanting to make for years, so the priority would be to make those over adapting other existing works. However, I decided to give it some thoughts as I never really stopped and pondered the issue. 

First, I’d have to say Chuck Palaniuk’s Snuff, but it’s already being made as we speak.  There’s also Bret Easton Ellis’ Lunar Park which is one of my favorite books and would be an amazing challenge to adapt to the screen. And I’d love to make my own version of Valley of the Dolls, while remaining more faithful to the book, which would probably end up being a nine hours, three-parts epic!  ;)

Hollywood is a very fickle place and I imagine you have to be downright thick skinned to live there.  When I showed your short Hollywood Skin at my Women in Horror Month Event, Jennifer’s Bodies, at lot of the women there really appreciated it and loved the fact that there was someone out there recognizing that not everyone is an emaciated skeleton.

I think the message is universal and speaks to a lot of women… and men too! You’d be surprised how many men thanked me after seeing the film and told me they were really touched by it… So far Hollywood Skin has touched a lot of people and I keep hearing positive comments from people who loved it. It’s really motivating and it pushes me to keep making films, so thank you for telling me about the positive response!

There is this insane belief in Hollywood that you have to be a drone of everyone else and if you’re not good enough, then you’d better get to the plastic surgeon to have a little chop, chop, chopping done here, there and everywhere!  The thing is, when people watch these big Hollywood movies and see these glamourous stars looking “perfect”, it’s not reality.  But it is so hard for some people, and unfortunately more so for women, to see that.  I love that with Hollywood Skin, our protagonist has literally taken matters into her own hands to achieve that look.  And that maniacal smile afterwards, that’s the most fucked up thing about the short in my opinion.  It makes me think of the line from the Manic Street Preachers song 4st 7lb “Such beautiful dignity in self abuse.” 

I just love that maniacal smile! It was really important to push the obsession as far as I could to drive the point across… and for her to take matters into her own hands. I feel the insanity of her action reflects the insanity of these beauty standards.

This short is obviously a statement about all the superficiality of Hollywood and the fact that hearts are broken every day.  What are your thoughts on Hollywood as a whole and do you think you could ever live there?  And more to the point, would you want to?

As far as superficiality and unrealistic beauty standards go, I don’t think it’s only Hollywood’s fault; I think the entire fashion/media/image industry should be blamed, and most of us too for buying into the idea and consuming these superficial ideals. 

That being said, the first time I went to Hollywood, I understood how someone who is fragile and moves there can be quickly crushed and destroyed; it might be the city of dreams, but everyone living there is pursuing the same dream!

Despite all this, I love Hollywood and I try to go there as often as I can. There is something exciting in the air, especially for a cinephile! And things can happen very fast... I also know amazingly talented women filmmakers who live there and I love visiting them and collaborating on projects.  I’d love to live there one day, if this is where my career is taking me… but I don’t think I’d permanently establish myself there.  I’m too much of an “East coast” girl at heart!

Okay I know we’re all about the feminism but the boys deserve a shout out every now and again, ha!  Who personally stands out for you?  Not literally of course! ;)

David Cronenberg!  He’s one of my role models as a director; I really admire and respect his body of work and the themes he tackles.  I’d love to one day be able to look back and have a similar career path.  I must also mention David Lynch who has been a HUGE inspiration for me aesthetically and in terms of how far I can push an idea and how I can tell it differently.  And last but not least, Vincent Price; I’ve been under the spell of his macabre charm for the longest time and I’m a huge fan. 

This coming April at Bleedfest (hosted by the looovely Elisabeth and Brenda Fies), they’re having a little retrospective of your work and also showcasing some new stuff too.  How much are you looking forward to this and what can fans expect to see from your new shorts?

I am so excited about this! This retrospective will be an important milestone for me, so I’m looking forward to the occasion! As for my new shorts, I will be launching the first two episodes of my web-documentary series on which I’ve been working for the past two years, so this is super exciting! I’ll also premiere Elizabeth which is a collaborative mini-short I shot in L.A. with Lis and Brenda Fies and my friend Michelle Ayoub last summer; it will be included in I Hate L.A. Too. The Portrait will also have its festival premiere for the occasion, and I’ll sneak peek my next short Red by presenting two scenes from the film!   

Apart from those, Lis and Brenda will also screen a few of my older shorts that have toured the festival circuit and I’ll be there for a Q&A!


And lastly, what can we expect to see next in the macabre world take over of Miss Michaud?

There are a lot of exciting things coming up! First, I’ll finally be launching my web series Bloody Breasts; I’ve started the project as part of my masters’ thesis two years ago and it evolved with time from a straightforward documentary on women and horror to a multi-episode web documentary series! I plan on keeping a steady pace of one episode per month; the first season will explore the question of women’s place in the horror genre and will feature interviews with many different women filmmakers, journalists and actresses. The editing is going very well so far and I already have some ideas for season two if I have a good positive response with season one.

I’m also in the sound editing stage for Red (pictures of Isabelle and Olga below ), my latest short, so I’m preparing a big fall release for it, starting with the festival circuit. Right now, I’m keeping quite busy preparing the marketing for it and conceiving the poster, which promo pics I’ll use, etc… I might cut another trailer, but it’s not 100% sure yet. As I already mentioned, those who will be there at Bleedfest in April will get a nice little sneak peek!

Last but not least, I’m also developing my first feature film for which I want to start pre-production later this year. I can’t say much about it right now as I’m still juggling a lot of things, but you can expect an official announcement along with the launch of a web-financing campaign in late-April/early May.