Kweeny Todd: WIHM

Showing posts with label WIHM. Show all posts

Saturday, 28 February 2015

WIHM comes to a close...

But I have learned SO MUCH in the late while about who I really am. Granny Addams says adieu, and gives kisses to all her monster kids.

Yeah, even you in the back. Especially you.

Sunday, 15 February 2015

Monster Mavens WIHM Edition: Kweeny Reviews The Guest

It's no secret that I love Jovanka Vuckovic's work by now. She was a powerhouse on Rue Morgue back in the days when I first met her, and she still is one today. I love her writing, but her film making is really where she shines as an artist. So I have seen The Captured Bird, her first short film, and I was a backer of that one. It was brilliant. It had some flaws but I enjoyed the hell out of it. I still own one of the shirts from backing the film. I haven't seen all of her film stuff yet, but the fact she is doing Jacqueline Ness is testament to why I think she is a rising star in the horror film biz.

But enough of that.

Time to get my reviewer hat on and look at the guts of this beautiful monster of a movie called The Guest. *takes off wolf hat and puts on a different, bitchen hat.*

Now, I don't want to give too much away, because this film is really short. It's like 5 mins tops. And while that works, I feel kinda teased. I was hoping for more I suppose. Maybe I was so into the imagery and the subtly of which Jovanka tells a tale, or maybe it's deeper. Because I think she could have added a bit more...

But she is a fantastic director. I can't wait to see what Jovanka does with a feature! She knows how to frame shots well and really uses minimum space to it's fullest potential. Something about the way she sees the world with a camera is delightful and downright eerie. Just like The Captured Bird was. The Guest has that haunting eeriness, but it's also more mature. More sure of itself and uses less to do more.

The place I am in pain-wise made me really relate to the man in the mirror, who is haunted by a voice and is our main character. This voice knows too much about him. A lot of hints are dropped that this man has done bad things...very bad things, and might do more thanks to the voice.

I understand.

There is a level of hell within so deep and dark, that you have moments where you talk to yourself out loud. Debating things. Being tortured by demons.

Sometimes madness does that to you.

I think I wanted to see more of the story because of that. I wanted to know more of what happened, but I am a curious person by nature. And also, I think it would have comforted me to know more.

Jovanka isn't making films that comfort people.

But where Jovanka shines isn't in her storytelling, though she has a very strong, powerful voice. One that comes off like a hushed whisper and leaves you broken and bleeding on the floor. No, it is the imagery of The Guest that really got me. The white with blood symbolism. The ghostly child holding a heart. A mental hell realm made so bright it burns.

Just...wow.

For something so brief, the movie sure leaves you with something to think about. Something to chew on and ponder, and perhaps, torture yourself a little bit with while you talk to the shadows about all the horrible things you've done...

And are going to do.

You can find more on Jovanka's projects on her site. Do check out more of her work. You won't be disappointed.

Sunday, 8 February 2015

MONSTER MAVENS WIHM EDITION: Shit People Say To Women Who Like Horror

I thought we'd start this series off with a little video entertainment. I made this a while back when I was feeling healthier. I use my Youtube Channel to fool around with cameras and make blog videos. It's good practice. I film the videos, edit them, the whole bit. And I know they are shitty quality. But I like the practice. I love making stuff, like writings, painting on bones, etc. Especially if it's creepy and kooky. Creepy is my jam!

I was on a radio show during the week called Horror Happens Radio, and was interviewed. It was a weird experience. Not completely bad...just weird. I don't like listening to myself talk. I sound like a raving howler monkey.

Especially on a flare day. With a dash of mental anguish.

If you'd like to listen to Granny-Addams-Kweeny ramble about her art and life, click here.

Handling a camera is difficult currently with my conditions. Thus I stopped doing the videos. But I am sure I will get back to playing around with film making again some day soon. I do enjoy it, and I was getting more comfortable in front of the camera. I'm just oddly shy. I am an introvert who happens to be a ham. Go fig. But I really prefer to be behind cameras. Behind the keyboard. Painting in the dark. I love photography for that reason too. One day I will make my werewolf film Red Handed, just because I wanna say I tried.

And I also love werewolves...maybe a bit too much.

I just got a lot of other crap on my plate right now. Health and finances have not been good. I dunno if I should start a Kickstarter or something. People are really pulling for me to do one, so I am really seriously considering it. I do have a fledgling, first draft trailer of Red Handed! I wanna make a better one at some point, but here, enjoy my first ever Red Handed Trailer: http://youtu.be/vOofNt3AcyI

First time I filmed a trailer at all guys. EVER. Had my friend Eva Layne at Dark Media edit it for me. Thanks so much lady!

I dragged a pregnant lady covered in blood on the ground like she was being mauled by a werewolf.

I have photo proof:

Rachael Anderson is Metal As Fuck.

It was fun as hell. And I think that is the point of filmmaking.

If you'd like to keep updated on the progress of the film, and look at some awesome werewolf porn (let's be real here, that is what the page has become while I work on other things. The film crew and I just showing our love of werewolves.) just check out Red Handed Movie's FB page. There are film stills from our trailer we shot, concept art and of course, werewolf porn.

All the werewolf love you could ever want. *howls*

Anyhow, enjoy this video my friends. I made it for you! I am sure many of my lady horror friends out there can relate to these. And look, I am kissing Pinhead.

And wearing a wolf hat.

As you do when you are a Kweenybeast. ;)

Monday, 2 February 2015

Updates: WIHM: MONSTER MAVEN SERIES AND MORE!

Welcome back to my Gory Kingdom readers, and it's one of my favorite blogging times of year: Women in Horror Month! *tosses severed limbs and blood instead of confetti*

I have some great stuff lined up for the blog, so stay tuned. On the 8th, 15th and 22 of this month I will have some great posts for you on the topic of Monster Mavens in Horror: WIHM Edition. Everything from a video I made a while back on "Shit People Say To Women Who Like Horror", to a bitchen review of a female director I ADORE, to an interview with a female vampire. And she's one of my dear blogger friends too! *squee!*

So make sure you come visit me here in the Gory Kingdom! I wanna celebrate with friends!

And who doesn't love horror buddies? I sure do! The more, the merrier I say!

Oh, and I am sure there will be an update on my experiences at HOWL CON this coming weekend as I'm working my ass off for Living Dead Magazine. My bone business Marrow Mind Crafts is getting a lot of love too, and I'm gonna be on a horror radio show for WIHM -and- have an article in Malevolent Magazine for WIHM too.

Me. This guy right here. Doing all the things.

I have this expression going on constantly right now.

This is my life folks.

Someone pinch me.

Saturday, 22 February 2014

Maybe I Like My Edge Thanks: On Being A Female Monster Kid

Well, the month is almost over, but I did get inspired to write one more thing for Women In Horror Month. This one I am mighty proud of, and I hope you all enjoy.

Maybe I Like My Edge Thanks: On Being A Female Monster Kid

I like to affectionately refer to myself as a monster kid. I have been fascinated with monsters as far back as my first memories, probably because my first memories were horrible traumatic events. My actual first memory was the taste of blood in my mouth. I grew up in a horribly abusive home life, so I was surrounded by real life monsters walking around in human skins. I learned fear before I ever learned what love was.

It is just a fact of my existence. I don't claim all monster kids came to be such through the same means as I did. I just came to it the hard way you might say.

I have embraced my dark curiosities over time, and realized I am not alone. That there is a whole group of people out there, horror fans, monster lovers, and shadow chasers who love the same things I do. Everyone had different reasons for being there, but we were hiding in the dark corners together. When we looked around, there were many eyes looking back at us that understood.

I have loved all kinds of monsters and favored different kinds depending where I was in life, but I have to say, the one I kept coming back to over and over was the werewolf. I had a love affair with vampires during puberty, had a zombie period in my early 20's, and off and on keep having a fling with the Frankenstein's monster because I just adore his tragic story. But werewolves have always been my first love, and the one I relate to personally the most. A lot of monster kids have a favorite monster they feel personally touched their lives, and for me, it was werewolves. The struggle with being trapped between the worlds of beast and beauty makes sense to me. I grew up a very aggressive girl, who was too much of a fighter for her own good. Somewhere during puberty I snapped, and let a torrent of rage out on my abusers, then out into the world when I ran away from home. It took me years before I calmed down and tried to revert to human form again. I was pretty much like a werewolf in the throws of the full moon. I will never forget what that felt like, to be full of wild passion that felt like it was literally ripping my body and soul apart.

Sadly, there are not a lot of female werewolf stories to use as references, especially on film. While I watched every werewolf film I could get my hands on, I longed for more female beast ladies. Cat People was not enough for me, as I was not able to relate to cats. When I change, I am more furious and messy. I find cats are more graceful killers, and even though Cat People is a good movie, it lacked the viciousness wolves have. Cat People (both movies) tend to portray the shifter as sexy in a way I just wasn't able to relate to. It seemed too stereotypical. Some women are the sultry kind of sexy, but I am more like Ginger in Ginger Snaps when she shoves her fist into the janitor, “It feels so... good, Brigitte. It's like touching yourself. You know every move... right on the fucking dot. And after, you see fucking fireworks. Supernovas. I'm a goddamn force of nature. I feel like I could do just about anything.”

That is a kind of sexy I can sink my teeth into.

It took me a lot of digging to find out where the first female werewolf is shown on screen, and I was happy when I found the black and white classic Cry of the Werewolf (1944). Like a lot of werewolf films of the time, Cry of the Wolf is pretty hammy. But there is a certain charm to the black and white films of that time period that makes the silliness of it wonderful to watch.

But if you were to ask me what my favorite representation of the female werewolf is on film I would have to tell you it is Ginger Snaps (2000). I was finally given a werewolf story that understood me as a female monster kid. This film captured everything I needed to see on screen. From the horrors of becoming a woman, (and to me, having my period is a horrific experience. I call it my monstrous moontime for a reason) to the transformations Ginger goes through when she changes into a wolf, from the strange and wonderful relationship the two sisters have together. I love how they were just weird, creepy girls who stood out from the crowd and got picked on for being so. How they were fascinated with horror, like I am, and just wanted to be allowed to be so. Their school project made me laugh and clap because I DID shit like that as a kid. I made art projects that disgusted my teachers, who treated me like I was broken in the head when really I was just expressing myself. These girls were just weirdos. PERIOD. Their mother was a bit smothering and their father didn't care enough, but despite that they would still be weird just because they honestly are. No matter what society might say, some of us ladies drawn to the monsters are actually drawn to them because we like monsters! The reason we love it doesn't really matter. The horror of everyday life just becomes more manageable when we have an outlet to express the darkness we see.

Ginger Snaps also put words to horrors that are very feminine, without excuses. I love Ginger telling B off in the drug store, “Just so you know... the words "just" and "cramps," they don't go together...” It made me howl out loud! Because I am one of those percentage of women who do have horrible things happen to her body during her moontime. “Just” and “cramps” don't cover it for me. I am sometimes literally crippled in pain because I get cysts and other nastiness that goes on in my body. And as women, we are taught to not talk about these things. Some of us are trained to suffer in silence. And here was a horror movie that both lovingly poked fun at that kind of shit and also said, “Hey, this happens. Deal with it.”

I enjoy body horror that relates to the female body. I NEED body horror that does. Because like a lot of horror fans, we watch horror to face things that we might fear, or are disgusted by, or that just fascinate us. And lots of horrific things happen to women all the time. I need films about monster babies tearing themselves out of women, or vagina dentatas, or the horror of mensuration. Because damn it, those are MY fears. Being a women is fucking scary sometimes.

And this is why I love Ginger Snaps. Not only did I get a movie that dealt with the horrors of being a werewolf and that feral passion they possess, but it was a WOMAN viscerally dealing with it. With two female leads coping with the change, trying to stay sisters throughout the film. Right down to the bitter, bloody end. The makers of this film knew the tropes they are playing with. They knew the statements they are trying to make. They even point out the flaws a lot of horror movies play into when women are used in films. Ginger herself says, “A girl can only be a slut, a bitch, a tease, or the virgin next door.”

Well Ginger and Bridgette are more than these flimsy tropes.

We need movies like this. Movies that deal with the horror and beauty of female monsters. That show the struggles we endure when our monsters are exposed to the light. I want to see more movies like Ginger Snaps made, even if I have to find a way to make one myself. This is partly why I wrote Red Handed, and why I hope to get it off the ground. I wanted to bring the werewolf back, and put my own spin on it.

I'm a werewolf monster kid, and I am proud of my changes. Even the ugly ones.

Monday, 10 February 2014

Why Kweeny Supports WiHM

For the last two years I have been a strong supporter of WiHM. You can look back on some of my posts in my tags, but this year I only have this post as an offering to the month. Because despite the things in my life that have made it hard for me to keep up with the blog (like my laptop getting stolen) I can at least offer this one piece of writing that is very much from the heart.

I support Women In Horror Month.

I don't care if people think it's just a bunch of famous chicks patting each other on the back, or if they think there is no need for such an event because they can't see the oppression, or whatever other bullshit I have heard people say about it. Sure, have your opinions. You are entitled to them. But my reasons for supporting the cause are none of these things.

I'm not famous, or super good looking, or anything but a struggling artist. I do what I do for the love of genre. I am a woman (though I identify more as gender queer) and have been raped, humiliated, beaten and nearly killed just because I am so. I have personally witnessed sexism in the different circles I run in, such as among horror writers, directors and hell, even among bloggers. I delete comments at least once a month from some anonymous asshats who think it's funny to make sexual remarks at me and to tell me I should be raped just because I am female. OR that I'm so sexy, he or she should fuck the shit out of me. Especially when I work really hard on a post, as if to discredit me and my work because damn it, I have breasts.They do this to push my voice down. It doesn't work of course. I have been through far worse.

So I don't support WiHM to get attention or anything like that. I'll get attention whether I want it or not.

I do it because I love this genre, work hard to be a part of this community, and breasts or not, I belong here. I don't just wear gothy clothes, buy horror merch or any of that shit. In a world where I am bombarded with images of final girls who are slaughtered like cattle, I have examples of people in the horror community making work for the genre that breaks those illusions. This event makes a difference, even in a small way. Because it's not just horror that has this problem. But we can start trying to change things by starting within our communities.

I am a horror fan. This is a huge part of my life.

Horror helped shape me. Gave me a place to explore and expel darkness that lurks inside me. And despite some shitiness from people on the internet, I have found I have a strong community of awesome folks who get why I would like horror at all.These people, and yes many are women, help me to feel connected in a world that makes connection difficult and tells me who and what I can love.

This month is for all the dark dreamers, the final girls, the monster ladies in the mist of a change, and the strong females who take matters into their own hands. Under the skin we are all creatures of the night. And we make the sweetest music when you let us.

Sunday, 24 February 2013

Monster Mavens: Kweeny Interviews Monica S. Kuebler

For WiHM I wanted to find a Monster Maven near and dear to my heart. Someone who’s not only an amazing inspiration, but a good friend. Monica is a talented lady of horror and wears many hats. She’s Managing Editor of Rue Morgue Magazine, runs her own press called Burning Effigy, and has started her writing career with her Blood Magic series. Monica loves horror. It’s more than a job for her.

Let’s talk about what got you started in horror to begin with. What was your first taste of horror as a young girl?
Watching Doctor Who with my mom in the afternoons after I came home from kindergarten. It wasn't out-and-out horror, but it was my first taste of monsters and genre storytelling and I was hooked.

So I have heard you say that vampires are your favourite horror monster. Why is that? What makes vamps your main bad?
Because they are so endlessly malleable and versatile – a vampire can be anything from an animalistic, barely sentient bloodsucker to a thousands-of-years-old creature who was turned unwillingly and still desperately clings to his or her humanity. They can be wholly supernatural or have their roots in folklore or even in science and biology. They can be scary or sexy or some combination thereof. There are just so many iterations of them available to creators that as long as people continue to take chances on revising and messing with the core mythology, there will always be the promise of fresh vampire stories on the horizon.

Bleeder, which is now becoming a series called Blood Magic, wasn't the first thing you've written. Care to share some of your other writing accomplishments?
I've been a professional journalist for ten years now and before that I spent about ten years writing poetry and performing it around Canada and the US. I had a poetry/spoken word collection called Some Words Spoken, which I co-wrote with painter/writer/musician Cynthia Gould, come out back in 2002.

What would you say inspired your vampire creations in Bleeder?
The vampires were largely inspired by my desire to make bloodsuckers scary again (but not one-dimensional killing machines either). I also was interested in removing the “undead” attribute and the idea that vampires can make other vampires by draining a person and then feeding them their blood (or any of the various variations thereof). Essentially, I wanted to posit them as creatures that, at some point during history, diverged from humanity’s own evolution. I find that intersection where science and the supernatural could possibly meet endlessly fascinating.

Tell us more about what Bleeder is about, and what inspired making it into a series.
At its heart, Bleeder is a duo of intertwined coming-of-age stories. It’s also a tale of friendship, monsters, inner fortitude, first love, and responsibility - to one’s people, to one’s family and to one’s station in life. It concerns a fifteen-year-old girl who is kidnapped by the Nosferatu - here a largely nocturnal, subterranean species that receives its sustenance through blood. The Nosferatu king abducts Mills (our heroine) because he not only believes that her father broke his contract with him, but that by drinking her blood, he’ll be able to leach mystical powers from her. Things take an unexpected turn when the king’s son, Keel, a vampire who has not yet reached full maturity and thus is still half-human, develops a (rightly) forbidden fascination with her. The tentative and complicated camaraderie that forms between Mills and Keel - two teenagers from vastly different worlds and societies - ultimately takes them on a peril-fraught journey that neither of them could have predicted.

Bleeder originally began as an origin story for Mills, a secondary character in the final novel of the other young adult horror/urban fantasy series I’m currently working on, but midway through writing it, I realized that it was a much bigger narrative than could be told in one book. While Bleeder is very much a stand-alone story and can be enjoyed as such, at some point I started to think of it as “The Becoming” part of the tale, whereas Letters from New York (the novella that takes place between the first and second book in the Blood Magic saga) and the proper sequel Ruler are more concerned with the lasting ramifications of all the things that Mills and Keel did in that first book, and how those decisions continue to influence and affect them and all those around them.

You released Bleeder online a chapter at a time, which was a very bold move. Do you think it helped get a reader base? Or did you think your work in the genre already gave you enough street-cred to be respected as a horror writer?
This question comes at an interesting time. I’m currently doing my first editorial pass on the novel since originally writing and posting it. While I worked with an editor throughout the serialization process, I’m admittedly a little embarrassed going back over those early chapters now. Not only did I find some very green mistakes in there, but when you are rolling out a 150,000-word novel week to week, it’s almost necessary to add in extra stuff just in case you need it later. Now, after the fact, I’m realizing that I don’t need as much of that preliminary set-up as I first thought and, as a result, I've been able to cut nearly 2000 words out of the first two chapters alone.

All that said, serializing online has proven exceptionally valuable in that I get real-time feedback about what’s working and what’s not for my target audience. And I’m taking those comments into consideration as I do what I hope will be my final or, at the very least, my second-to-final pass on the manuscript.

It’s also definitely helped build a following and a fan base for the series, which was one of my goals in doing this. I don’t think my years spent as a horror journalist really give me much cred at all as a horror author, but that’s okay because I never expected to come out of the gate and immediately be a respected fiction writer. I wholly expect to work for it just like everyone else. Respect is something that should be earned, not simply tossed around. Besides, putting out a magazine for mostly adult readers is worlds away from writing monster stories for teens.

Has being an Editor with Rue Morgue and Burning Effigy helped your writing style or made it harder to find your voice in some ways?
I think it’s helped. What’s that thing they always say? In order to be a good writer, you need to read lots, so I think being submerged in words each and every day of my life has helped me hone my craft some. That said, I still catch myself making newbie mistakes, because fiction writing like journalism is a craft and not all the rules and best practices carry from one to the other. Juggling both of them, one has to get used to frequently changing hats and styles of writing.

Rue Morgue is still my favorite horror magazine going. Wish I could get it easier here in Oregon. Can you tell us some of the most fun moments you’ve had working for the magazine?
While getting to do what I love for a living means that I’m having fun more often than I’m not, the highlights for me have definitely been getting to travel (sometimes halfway around world!) for set visits and conventions, and getting to meet my idols and so many of the writers and filmmakers who I worshipped and who inspired me as a teenager. I feel more blessed in this than I can convey.

What is a day at Rue Morgue like?
Well, I come in, wrestle with the werewolves and then help change the bandages on the mummy in the basement... No, seriously, it’s a lot like any other job, but the end result is a really cool magazine. I attend meetings (to determine the content of future issues), answer email, update the website and social networks, assign features and reviews to freelancers, edit incoming copy, conduct interviews, and write.

So, you are a big geek like myself, and have a book collection that makes me salivate. If you had to choose 5 books you cannot live without, which would they be?
Confession: I’m absolutely hopeless when it comes to questions that demand lists of favourites. I’m not kidding. This is single hardest thing you can ask a person like me. It’s not that I don’t have favourites, more that I have too many, and they change from day to day (and even hour to hour at times, depending on my mood, the weather outside my window, you name it), and are spread across multiple genres and subgenres. Also, I’m a sucker for multiple-novel, epic series, which makes this kind of picking and choosing even more impossible. I may be able to give you an answer I’m wholly satisfied with by NEXT Women in Horror Month.

You’ve done so much to contribute to the horror genre, which makes you a Monster Maven in my eyes Monica. How hard has it been for you as a woman working within the genre? Do people take you seriously?
I’ve honestly never felt that my gender was an issue, but then again, I don’t make it one. I think people take me seriously because I approach my work and my craft and my dealings with others in what I hope is a professional manner. Some sexism probably does exist in the genre, but I seem to have been spared it entirely. Then again, I’ve always been a bit of a tomboy and am much more comfortable around people of the opposite sex, so perhaps that figures in somehow.

If you could give advice to someone reading this right now, who’s thinking, “I wish I could do that.” What would you say? How would you inspire them to fight for their dreams?
I’d tell them: Don’t give up. Don’t ever stop learning and evolving. Work hard. Always do your utmost to be professional and respectful. And be prepared to make some sacrifices in order to live your dreams, especially at the beginning. If you are hung up on material comforts or the amount of digits in your paycheque, the artist/writer’s life may not be for you. There’s a lot of struggle, and often a lot of uncertainty, not to mention the time and energy investment needed before the payoff comes, if it ever does. But if you’re doing what you love, hopefully it won’t feel like work and that will make things easier.

And that’s a wrap! Thanks for taking the time out to talk to me Monica! Feel free to Pimp your stuff here, so interested readers and stalk you and your work.
Bleeder and Letters from New York, which officially kicks off on March 1st, can be read for free at http://www.blood-magic.net. They are also serialized on Wattpad.com, Goodreads.com, Figment.com and almost everywhere else fiction is shared online (just search for “Bleeder”). For updates on Burning Effigy Press happenings visit, http://www.burningeffigy.com and for more on Rue Morgue, drop by http://www.rue-morgue.com. My official website, from which everything (and then some) is linked, is at http://www.deathofcool.org.

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And that will conclude my contributions to WiHM! Thank you for all your support readers! It's been a great honor to be an Ambassador for this. Let's see what I can bring for next years celebration!

Sunday, 17 February 2013

Monster Mavens: Kweeny's Top 10 Scary Bitches

The female of the species is more deadly than the male...

If you've been an avid reader of this blog then you know by now I have a slight possibly "unhealthy" obsession with monsters of all kinds. I have my favourites like anyone else, but overall, as long as it's a monster it has a home here in the Gory Kingdom. Today I thought I'd put the spotlight on some of my favorite scary monster women, in honor of WiHM.

Now I chose these bitches specifically because they bring darkness to the feminine role in horror. Yes, these ladies are beyond fucked up, and that's how I like them. I like my Scary Bitches to have depth of character. They represent fear or dread, or they are brutal, twisted creatures with a lust for blood. I wanted the finest of the creepy women, from classic horror monster Mavens to now. I think we can learn from the past as well as the present, so I chose my Twisted Sisters carefully. They will not be ranked by number, but put in order of the year they graced the screen in monster form. So please enjoy...

Kweeny's Top 10 Scary Bitches of Horror

THE BRIDE (1935)

A lot of times in the classic monster era, they made sequels to things like Dracula, The Wolfman, and of course Frankenstein with female versions. for example: She-Wolf of London, The Invisible Woman, Dracula's Daughter. The one I prefer of course is The Bride of Frankenstein because the depth of that story is said so profoundly with such little dialogue. The Bride is so iconic and she says so much with just a scream. A scream of horror, revulsion and pure disbelief at the situation she has been tossed into. Elsa Lanchester will forever be my favourite of the classic horror movie Monster Mavens.

THE GORGON (1964)

I have a fondness for the mythological Gorgon. Especially the tale of Medusa. Of course, The Gorgon in this flick is Megaera, and if you study Greek myths as I do you'd know that is the name of one of the three Furies, not a Gorgon! But hey, Furies, Gorgons, they are all monstrous women in the end. I love this movie because the Gorgon in question is played by two women and each do a fabulous job in my opinion capturing the dark heart of the beast. The human counterpart was played by Barbara Shelly while the monster was played by Prudance Hyman. I love seeing this creature come to life on film, and how intense her gaze was when she looked upon people.

REGAN (1973)

I will admit, when I first saw The Exorcist when I was 13, I was still a god-fearing Catholic. I have since found my own spiritual path, but I still have a love for the exorcism movies because of this one. The idea that a force can possess you and completely alter your existence is a little terrifying to me. Linda Blair is so friggen scary in this movie I couldn't sleep for days. When the released the "Never Before Seen" version I had to see it. And that scene when she spider walks down the stairs...still gives me the willies. Good on you Regan, for creeping us all out!

CARRIE (1976)

Stephen King's Carrie was the story that launched his writing career. And you can see why, even in the film version. Sissy Spacek plays Carrie and does an excellent job. Her mother is creepy as hell too in this film, and reminded me very much of my own mother issues. But the image of her coated in blood and her eyes completely devoid of compassion, that is when she is a full-fledged scary bitch. I like that it doesn't happen until the very end. I like when movies take their time and show you details on what makes a monster become a monster. And yes, some monsters are just people who've been pushed way too far.

ALIEN QUEEN (1986)

If you've seen Aliens then you know who this scary bitch is. This monster isn't a human woman, but she was terrifying. One of the things I love about Aliens isn't the fact it has all the cool marine-combat stuff (though that is cool), but the fact is a tale about mothers. The face off with Ripley and the Queen is beautiful because it shows that no matter what the species, a mother protects it's young. The Queen is a vicious predator, but she is a mother too. Even if only at the most basic, primal level.

THE EVENT HORIZON (1997)

Yes, I know what you're thinking. Kweeny, The ship in Event Horizon is not a woman. But isn't it though? Here me out, like the Alien Queen it is not acted by a person. It is sentient though, and it is referred to constantly by Dr. Wierr as a she, especially once he becomes more in tune with the ship. She is constantly talked about as if alive, as if a character in her own right. And the fact she can effect everyone with her evil hell powers means she is as valid a monster as the Alien Queen. So yeah, scary bitch ship gets added to the list.

ASAMI YAMAZAKI (1999)

Audition is one of those twisted films I like to recommend to people who want a movie that will get under your skin. , Asami played by Eihi Shiina, is a monster in human clothing who has an angelic face, but can torture people worse than any Hostel flick you've seen. She'd make Leatherface blush with her technique. There is something deep and unsettling about a sweet-faced girl like Asami who can be so downright sadist and creative in her methods. This is definitely a movie that warns appearances can be deceiving.

GINGER (2000)

It's no secret I am a huge Ginger Snaps fan. It's one of my favourite werewolf films because it has a feminine twist, but also because it's just a really well done story. I can sympathize with the two sisters in this, and Katharine Isabelle is AMAZING as Ginger. Her transformation really connected with me, probably because I have always felt a connection for the torment, passion and hunger werewolves feel. So having a werewolf go through puberty, pretty much encapsulated my feelings about puberty. Also, this movie has the most amazing transformation effects. Werewolves really need practical effects over CGI to capture the horror of their natures.

MAY (2002)

I do enjoy stories about normal woman who turn monstrous. May is another movie in this vein. May is played by Angela Bettis, who captures the tragic darkness of the character. The thing about May is that she is so desperately sad, despite how horribly gruesome her plans become later. the thing I like about May is that she isn't supernatural. She's just a messed up girl, and even though what she "creates" at the end could be supernatural, but it's more likely it's all in May's head. She is a bit loopy.

THE WOMAN (2011)

And my final pick for scary Bitch of horror is The Woman. Not only is this a really good movie with a very twisted story, but the acting by Pollyanna McIntosh as the wild Woman who is found in the woods just makes the movie for me. Maybe because of what she represents, and the way this movie brings up many interesting questions about patriarchy and how woman are seen. Sometimes, the people we see as monsters aren't as bad as those who play the part of "normal" people. This character of The Woman though touches on primal fears that surround woman. She's the wild aspect of the female species. She plays by her own rules, is a hunter, and though she is tortured terribly, she never let's them take her wild spirit away. In the end, she gets her revenge, and it's brutal and very satisfying.

And those are my 10 lovely scary bitches of horror! Feel free to share your opinions in the comments section and please tell me who you think would make an awesome scary bitch! Monster Mavens come in all shapes and sizes after all. Hell, some were never human to begin with!

Sunday, 10 February 2013

GIRLS HORRIBLE MOVIE NIGHT: WiHM Edition

Welcome readers to another crazy addition of Girls Horrible Movie Night, where I grab a couple of my favorite bloggers and we sit down and shoot-the- shit about a cheesy flick we just watched. I figured since it's WiHM, I would subject my dear blogger chums to a delightful classic piece of cinema trash called The Wasp Woman. This is a movie Elvira might even have issues staying awake for! My gal pals this time are Emma from Little Gothic Horrors and Holly from Holly's Horrorland! Thank you ladies for joining me!

Emma: Thank you for inviting us, Kweeny!

Holly: Yes, thank you, Kweeny! Glad to suffer with such great company!

KT: You know what I always say, "If I'm going to hell I'm dragging you all with me..." I mean...*cough* So Emma, tell the readers a quick summary of the movie we just watched?

Emma: Okay... Janice Starlin, founder and owner of a large cosmetics company, fears that company profits are falling because she's not cute enough to be the face of her brand any longer. She turns to a nutty scientist, Dr. Eric Zinthrop, who says he can reverse aging with enzymes he has extracted from queen wasp jelly. Impatient for results Janice breaks into Zinthrop's lab and injects herself with extra doses. Unbeknownst to Janice, Zinthrop's animal test subjects had begun to mutate and become violent.

KT: Yeah well I'd be violent too if someone was poking me with stupid honey shots. Because we all can't be immortally beautiful like Emma and Holly here. Seriously, what do you ghouls use to stay so young?

Emma: Immaturity! Hehe.

KT: *chuckles* Oh I got that in spades...

Holly: Hah, same here!

KT: What do you think of the concept of the Wasp Woman Holly?

Holly: It reminded me of my mom who actually used to give me these royal jelly honey pills!

KT: REALLY? So this is a real thing? Well, not the crazy bitch turning into a wasp part...but the pills themselves?

Holly: Yep! They were like vitamins. Luckily they didn't have the same side effect!

KT: Weirdness. Woman will do pretty much anything for beauty now won't they?

Emma: Royal Jelly is sold in health food stores here, but I'm pretty sure it's just from bees not wasps!

(For the readers who don’t know, Emma is from Australia)

KT: I will say these Wasps are scary mother fuckers. They don’t care what you are, how big you are, they can just keep stinging you until you fall over dead. I am pretty sure a Queen Wasp isn't gonna take anyone's shit.

Emma: When they were making this movie they could never have envisioned that in about fifty years women would be injecting themselves with botulism to look young.

KT: *nods* It's true! kinda boggles the mind when you think about it. Here we are in 2013, watching a black and white movie about woman destroying themselves for beauty. Back then the idea of Wasp Jelly was scary. Now we bleach our assholes!

Holly: True enough Kweeny.

Yikes! That close-up of the wasp. *shudders* Yet they don't freak me out as much as spiders!

KT: I can handle spiders. I can handle snakes. In fact I love snakes! Wasps though...at least this movie wasn't about cockroaches. I'd be out of here in the flash.

Holly: I love snakes too! It's just bugs that eh, bug me.

KT: It's a pretty natural fear to have Holly.

Emma: Spiders freak me out, but I hate wasps. I was stung when I was a kid. I was visiting my grandparents, sitting out on their balcony, quietly minding my own business, and it stabbed me in the shoulder!

KT: Ouch!

Emma: Yeah, they're aggressive, evil little things!

KT: Yup, and they can just keep coming at you if they are mad. Which is why when Janice becomes the monster Wasp lady, I had to laugh. Her mask was just so terrible. Of course for the time period it was probably considered scary to think of woman as such aggressive monsters.

Emma: Yes, the mask was a shocker!

This was the first time I had actually seen the movie. I love the poster art for it, but talk about false advertising!

Holly: Indeed! It was unbeelieveable! (Sorry, couldn't resist!)

KT: *shakes head* Holly, you better beehave or I'll...

Emma: Ha! Buffy-worthy puns there, ladies! Well done!

Holly: Or you'll spank my beehind? lol. I'll quit now.

KT: *bows* I do what I can.

Have you guys ever seen the original black and white movie the Fly? The mask kinda reminded me of that. Though that one had a better story in my option.

Holly: *giggles* And yes, I loved The Fly! Just imagine if The Wasp and The Fly mated! *shudders*

KT: EW! That would be a match made in bug hell. She'd totally eat him after.

Holly: Of course.

Emma: What bugged me (hehe) was that here she was, a successful career woman who had built up her own cosmetics empire, and she was being blamed for the fall in company profits because she was getting older. Perhaps the company would have been making more money if the staff actually did a little work. Her female employees spent all their time gossiping, smoking and buffing their nails, and the male employees spent all their time gossiping, smoking and coming up with conspiracy theories about the boss.

KT: YES! That annoyed me too Emma! I wish we could say that today this doesn't happen, but sadly, this does. Women still do crazy things to keep their youth so they don't get booted out by the next new petty young girl to come along. It's sad.

Holly: I was thinking that too, Emma!

KT: So what does Janice do to try and save her company? Puts herself on the line to be a guinea pig for a new drug. And gets turned into a monster for her efforts. What do you think the lesson is here girls?

Emma: Look at all the celebrities who turn themselves into monsters with terrible cosmetic surgery now! Obviously no one paid any attention to the cautionary tale of 'The Wasp Woman'!

KT: It was probably not a very popular movie. Though you are right, it had a smashing poster! I wish she turned into that beastie!

Holly: Lesson here: Let someone else test the drug before you! Actually, not to even try them in the first place. Bee happy with yourself!

KT: LOL! Just Beeee yourself!

Holly: We're all beeautiful!

Emma: Haha!

KT: There is a certain charm to black and white movies isn't there? I dunno about you guys, but I am more forgiving to them then a bad movie done now. Some movies, like Troma, you can really tell were made with love, but some movies...they just don't have the feel that black and white cheese has.

Holly: Yes, the poster was the best thing about this movie! I agree completely! I love black and white movies. Even this one. And other early Corman movies. They're charmingly corny.

Emma: If they'd made the story portrayed in the poster it might have been interesting. "A beautiful woman by day - a lusting queen wasp by night." When did that happen? Did I miss all the lusting? I was expecting some kind of fifties femme fatale, but even when she started to get younger, she was more giddy schoolgirl than seductress. I do like the black and white though, and there's something about that Mid Century time period that always appeals to me

KT: Yeah, I think they missed an opportunity there. It had such potential to really delve into some deeper issues women face, but it just fell flat. I'd love to see someone do an amazing remake like they did for the Fly.

Emma: By the way, did anyone else laugh when Dr. Zinthrop stepped out in front of the car? Does that make me a sociopath?

Holly: There actually was a remake! In 1988 I beelieve (there I go again! lol)

KT: Maybe a wee bit of a sociopath, but we still love you.

Oh there was Holly? I'm gonna have to look it up!

Emma: I read there was a remake called 'Rejuvenatrix'.

Holly: I totally laughed at that too! And yep, that's the movie!

Emma: Oh, and apparently there was another remake for television in '95 called 'The Wasp Woman'/'Forbidden Beauty'.

KT: The Wasp Woman had so much potential, but when it came to touching anything meaningful, it just falls short. It's a shame really. I still had fun watching it, how about you girls?

Holly: Yep, despite its faults, I still enjoyed it too. And it makes me want to see the remakes!

Emma: Oh, yes! I definitely had a good time watching with you girls. It was a stinker though. I'd be interested to see the remakes too, but as I've never heard of them before now, I don't hold high hopes.

KT: From 1 to 5 how would you gals rate this honeycomb?

Emma: Haha. 1 but fun!

Holly: I'm going to give it a 2, cause it gave me some good laughs!

KT: Well this was fun ladies! I think we should retire now and get our beauty sleep. Or perhaps you'd prefer Queen Wasp Jelly injections? *slaps on a pair of rubber gloves and pulls out a syringe*

Holly: Yes, please! There's some noisy children outside for me to attack. >: )

Emma: I don’t need any. I have my own beauty secrets. *flips her long dark hair* Thanks for all the fun, ladies!

KT: Holly needs a little help with the agony...*whispers from background singers* Agony…

Thank you both so much for joining me! Both of your blogs are fantastic just like you! Check out Little Gothic Horrors and Holly's Horrorland readers! You won't beeeee disappointed!