Do you think you will ever make a film in another genre?
J: Definitely. We did a documentary called Please Subscribe www.pleasesubscribemovie.com with CJ Wallis of FortyFPS Productions. It follows YouTube sensations Tay Zonday, David Choi, Happyslip, and Daxflame as they show us how the rise of Youtube has not only changed their lives, but the entertainment industry forever.
It’s a beautiful film with a lot more heart than many would expect from a Twisted Twins project. It has real laugh out loud moments, as well.
I would never limit the films that I’ll make. I know there will always be our dark sense of humour in there somewhere and a dash of horror for good measure. I would say that a romantic comedy written by Sylv and me would be much different from a traditional take on a romantic comedy. We like to spice things up and get people excited. It’s an element in the film making process that somewhere got lost. I remember sitting in the theatre before Jurassic Park started. it was packed and everyone was so excited just to be there. to be part of it.
You could eaves drop into any conversation and hear people talking about the same thing. “I will remember this moment forever.” I want to be a part of that. I want people to actually want to go to the theatre and hope that they are about to see something that’s more than just a “what am I going to do tonight?”
S: I don’t think Jen and I have ever sat down and said: ‘Let’s make a horror.’ Please Subscribe, doesn’t have that horrific element to it, but it’s a documentary and I suppose nothing horrifying really happened during the filming. When we started to work on ‘American Mary’, we decided we wanted to make a character piece that really got into the brains of people who exist in and outside of underground culture and the similarities therein. ‘DHIAT’ was our version of a road trip movie without the lameness that is usually associated with girls being rambunctious on their weekends.
“We have a coming of age buddy comedy called BOB ready to go and it probably has some of the most disturbing situations ever put in a ‘comedy’…Our dark humor and fascination with horror pops up when we work – so those elements will always be present…”
What is Women in Horror month?
J: Women In Horror recognition month is a month started by the absolutely amazing Hannah Neurotica of Ax Wound Zine. And if you haven’t read Ax Wound, you owe it to yourself. It’s read by Eli Roth, Quentin Tarantino, and your friendly neighborhood Twisted Twins. It is sheer brilliance. But I digress. Needfully so, but still, back to the matter at hand, Women In Horror month.
Essentially it is a month long celebration that recognizes the incredible work and achievements by women in the arts with a focus on horror. We’ve come a long way, but women still are struggling to be recognized the same way as their males counter parts. The month has world wide celebrations, film festivals, special events, interviews, shows, and podcasts that celebrate women in horror.
Last year, when WiH month began, marked the world premiere of ‘DHIAT’. Before then, we hadn’t even been able to get it screened anywhere. Now, it has literally played across the world. WiH month is no same part of that incredible feat.
In addition, last year Sylv and I started and continue to run the WiH Massive Blood Drive. It is a world wide event that runs all month long with one simple purpose. To encourage people to donate blood. It has been a great success and is a way of us all giving back. If there’s anything that horror fans love, it’s blood. And, it’s in you to give.
There is a huge demand for blood and so few people actually give. Is it scary? I guess. But we’re horror fans! It’s a beautiful way to celebrate WiH month. We did an ad last year that was met with great reviews and upped the ante this year. We collaborated with many talented women in horror including Elisabeth and Brenda Fies, Shannon Lark, Jennifer Cooper, Tara Cardinal, Marichelle Daywalt, and Maude Michaud to bring the world our unified message: “We want your blood!”
The Scarlet Ending, a sensational group out of New York, created an original song specifically for the event. The video features our femme fatales singing along and kicking ass. We also have an appearance by a talented young actress, Sierra Pitkin, who most will recognize from Juno. The whole thing was cut, shot, and choreographed by our favorite feminist, CJ Wallis.
And as an added bonus we revealed in the ad our actress that will be playing the title role in American Mary, Katharine Isabelle.
S: Women in Horror Recognition Month is a great, unifying event the whole world over. Thank you so much for putting it into existence, Hannah Neurotica. It is a celebration for great women in the past and present that just didn’t get the recognition that they deserved. For example, Alice Guy was the first narrative director, meaning she created creative storytelling through film and was a woman and there is almost nothing on her anywhere. She lived in a time (at the turn of the 19th century) where her gender worked against her and her pioneering efforts were greatly ignored. Now, there is a month dedicating to sharing information on women like her and I feel like we are better because of it.
It also gives present and future artists the opportunity to share their work – from film, to writing, to painting, etc. There are female-focused film festivals the world over. There are pieces being written throughout the month to raise awareness on different artists. And this isn’t a girl’s club. We all know that feminism is all about equality and I just love how I am seeing just as many men as I do women participating in the events and celebrating their favorite, inspirational ladies.
How do you make fake blood?
J: THANK YOU for asking. Anyone reading, please keep in mind that blood should be dark red. Not bright. Maybe if it’s stylistic, sure, but don’t be lazy. I’ve often wanted to do a Rodriguez style “10 minute film school” on horror effects. Okay, here we go.
Recipe: Fake blood on a dime.
You will need:
Bucket for mixing. (One you don’t mind having forever stained homicide colors).
Red food colouring.
Corn syrup ( I prefer the golden colored kind).
Water.
Chocolate syrup.
First, start with the corn syrup and add the food coloring. Mix and add more as you deem necessary. A little red goes a LONG way. Now, depending on the effect, you may want your blood more watered down or more thick. If you are running your blood through a line, you’ll need it watered down. If you want to cover something or someone in blood, keep it on the thicker side. Add chocolate syrup to darken your blood. It should at the end have a rich color to it. Mix and play around with it.
See what works best for your own individual needs and style.
For “monster” or “creature” blood, exchange the red coloring for a green or purple and experiment. A great horror tip is the following: get friendly with your local butcher and I’ll tell you why. You can get pigs eyes special ordered in from most. My man in North Van is Sam. He always laughs when I call in and ask for him. What you may or may not know about pigs, is that they have many similarities to the humans, particularly their flesh and eyes. Their eyes come in all the beautiful colors that human eyes come in. You can special order them in for a buck a piece. They make incredible props.
……Sausage Casings make for wonderful intestines, as well.”
You can find out more on the twins on their website www.twistedtwinsproductions.net and follow them on Twitter @twisted_twins.
Among the deluge of Hollwood Remakes it’s great to see a pair of new directors creating exciting and original work on their own terms AND finding an audience to watch it. The Twins have the talent and the energy to get to the very top. Most of all their films are FUN!
Look out for their new movie American Mary at a cinema near you soon.