Interview with J. Lincoln Fenn by David Kempf

J. Lincoln Fenn began her horror career in the 7th grade when she entertained her friends at a sleepover by telling them the mysterious clanking noise (created by the baseboard heater) was in fact the ghost of a woman who had once lived in the farmhouse, forced to cannibalize her ten children during a particularly bad winter. Strangely, it was the last slumber party she was allowed to have.

Her debut novel, POE, won the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award for Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror and went on to become an Amazon bestseller. DEAD SOULS was published in September 2016 by Gallery Books. The author grew up in New England and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of New Hampshire. Currently she lives in Seattle with her family, and is at work on THE NIGHTMARCHERS.


When did you first become interested in writing?

I think like all writers, I started out as an avid reader. I was the kid who checked out the maximum number of books from the library and wore holes in the fabric of the couch from reading. Then in college I knew I wanted to tell stories, but wasn’t sure what medium. So I took all the writing classes I could, from poetry, to screenwriting, playwriting, even acting and directing. My work is very dramatic - I look at it as a way to produce a movie in someone’s mind.


How did you get involved in fantasy/horror?

The strange thing is I started out trying to write a memoir about my parents’ deaths. And I just couldn’t nail it - it was too close. Then this character, Dimitri, started rumbling around in my head, and I wrote the first paragraph, so I wrote the first chapter, then the next, and these paranormal/urban fantasy elements surfaced, and I went with it. But it still has a lot of narrative details of things that really happened to me.

And then I’ve always been interested in the supernatural - in high school I had a copy of The Modern Witch’s Spellbook, I owned runestones and tarot cards, and as I grew older that interest pointed toward Eastern mysticism. I spent two years living in a Buddhist retreat center. And it seems to me that what we call reality is actually skimming the surface of something else. Fantasy/horror is where you can explore that creatively, and then walk away and say ‘ha ha, just a story, nothing to see here,’ when in actuality, there is.


Why do you think the deal with the Devil is so popular in horror fiction?

It’s interesting that you ask that, because Discover recently posted an article, The Origins of an Ancient Fairy Tale, where researchers think the ‘deal with the Devil’ story could possibly go back about seven thousand years. So it’s been pretty popular for a while.

It’s a story about human hubris and aspiration, avarice and ingenuity. There’s always this struggle between our base instincts and something higher. I think we’re all the characters in our stories - it’s a way to look at our complexity, try to make sense of it.


Why do you think horror and fantasy books remain so popular?

We’re very imaginative creatures, and we can’t quite be satisfied entirely with reality the way it is. We have to tinker with it, create new and different worlds. It’s also a place for us to look at the things that are too disturbing to look at directly.

The War of the Worlds was H.G. Wells’ attempt to get people to feel the shock and horror of a colonizing force with advanced weaponry and an agenda that’s unknowable. What that would feel like. A straightforward novel about British imperialism might have been harder to connect with emotionally.


What is it about Edgar Allan Poe do you believe is so timeless?

‘Worst ways to die’, hands down. It’s something we all worry about - how we’ll die - and he comes up with ingenious, torturous deaths that you will never, never get out of your head.


What inspires you?

The characters. I love it when I have a good idea of how the story will go, and then the characters take shape and change it. Something spooky happens in that I’m no longer the creator, but the recorder of what happens. I know it’s right when what I think doesn’t get in the way, and it just develops, like a photographic print in a chemical bath (yes, back when there was no such thing as digital cameras and dinosaurs roamed the earth).


What do you think the differences between American horror and British horror are?

What we’re afraid of plays a part in the kind of horror we’re drawn to. When I think about British horror, I think about societal collapse or the loss of order, like 28 Days Later, and with American horror we seem fascinated by the bogeyman, probably because we feel vulnerable to random acts of violence.

One of the things I love about British horror is the way it can blend suspense, horror, and comedy. It’s really hard to walk that line, adding a joke into a horrific situation, because it naturally releases tension. When I was writing POE, that was something I struggled with. I watched Shaun of the Dead and Being Human to see how they got away with it.


Do you see differences between the male and female writer’s perspective on the world?

If the writer is really good, it’s something you shouldn’t notice. I’ve read great work by male writers who really capture the experience of being a woman, and vice versa. To be a writer you need a high sense of empathy - the ability to feel another’s emotions. And you have to ruthlessly let a character be their flawed selves.

I had a few readers of POE complain the main character, Dimitri, was a bit misogynistic, (which he is), and then by extension think that I was misogynistic because I ‘wrote’ him that way. Others were surprised to find out I’m a woman because he was so ‘realistic.’ But human experience is human experience - we’re more the same than we are different.


What are your favorite horror books?

That would be a mighty long list, so I’m going to just point to a few of my new favorites. A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay, The Troop by Nick Cutter, John Langan’s The Fisherman, The Devil Crept In by Ania Ahlborn and Harrowgate by Kate Maruyama. All guaranteed to keep you up a bit later at night.


What are some of your favorite horror movies?

The Grudge scared the bejeezus out of me and Stephen Spielberg’s War of the Worlds always leaves a disturbing taste in my mouth for days afterward. But my favorite popcorn/grab your partner’s hand/horror movie of all time is The Thing. I’d hate to see it remade with CGI.


What do you consider your greatest accomplishment as an artist?

Just getting published. It is a long, rocky, treacherous road and I’m so grateful to have been given the opportunity to reach so many readers.      

Do you have any advice for new writers?

Focus on writing the best book you can. Then toss it if you have to, and write a better one. There’s no shortcut, there’s no magic, it’s just a lot of sitting at your computer, typing, and your best move is to write a great book. Yes, social media is important, but if you have to choose between spending a half hour on social media or a half hour on writing, go for writing. It will open doors.

For some practical advice, when you’re writing a query letter to an agent or a book proposal, make sure it’s perfect. I mean perfect. If you write a good book, but toss off a query letter or synopsis that’s less than exciting or has a typo, you’re doing all that hard work a big disservice. Every writer hates writing a synopsis, but make sure yours is polished and interesting. Show it to friends and ask for an honest opinion.


What do you think of the rise in self-publishing?

It can be a great opportunity for people who enjoy the business side of things - I know writers who have been extremely successful with that model. On the down side, there’s so much out there for free it makes it harder than ever to get your book noticed.


What are your current projects?

Coming out next is The Nightmarchers, a twisty, Lovecraftian-style horror story set on a remote island, and then I’m working on a three-book proposal that my agent will shop around.


For our readers we'd love a paragraph about yourself & your work. 

Fenn began her horror career in the 7th grade when she entertained her friends at a sleepover by telling them the mysterious clanking noise (created by the baseboard heater) was in fact the ghost of a woman who had once lived in the farmhouse, forced to cannibalize her ten children during a particularly bad winter.

It was the last slumber party she was allowed to have.

Her most recent novel, Dead Souls, was called ‘wickedly entertaining’ by The New York Times, and Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review, writing that it was “one of the scariest and best to come down the pike in ages....The narrative twists and turns are reminiscent of Dean Koontz or Stephen King at their finest. This story is horribly, horrifyingly awesome.”

In 2013, her debut novel POE won the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award for Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror and became a #1 bestseller in both Fantasy and Horror on Amazon.

The author grew up in New England, graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in English, and lives in Seattle with her family.

Links:
https://www.jlincolnfenn.com
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7129846.J_Lincoln_Fenn
https://twitter.com/jlincolnfenn

You can buy Dead Souls from the Amazon links below.
Dead Souls - Amazon UK
Dead Souls - Amazon USA

Film News (UK): Horror Channel unleashes eight premieres for June

Horror Channel has eight prime-time weekend film premieres in June including the UK premieres of RETREAT, Carl Tibbets’ ‘ménage a trois of terror’ starring Thandie Newton, Cillian Murphy and Jamie Bell and R.D. Braunstein’s smartly gripping I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE 3: VENGEANCE IS MINE – widely seen as the best of the series. There are also network premieres for Jennifer Lynch’s uncompromising and dark chiller CHAINED, William Malone’s gruesome cyber thriller FEARDOTCOM, starring Stephen Dorff and Natascha McElhone and Michael Reeves’s highly acclaimed WITCHFINDER GENERAL, starring Vincent Price.

In a deadly virus catching month, other highlights are first channel showings for John Pogue’s [REC] inspired scareline QUARANTINE 2 TERMINAL, Breck Eisner’s critically-acclaimed remake of George Romero's 1973 movie, THE CRAZIES and James Cameron’s directorial debut PIRANHA 2: THE SPAWNING starring Lance Henriksen and plenty of flying killer fish.

Full details of premieres in transmission order:

Fri 2 June @ 21:00 – QUARANTINE 2: TERMINAL (2011) *Network Premiere
A bizarre disease, unleashed in a run-down Los Angeles tenement killing everyone, has somehow mutated and got out. Now, aboard Flight 318, the first symptoms begin to show. As the infection begins to takes root, all on board begin to transform into terrifying, bloodthirsty killers. Forced to land at an isolated terminal, and surrounded by armed government agents, the crew and passengers grow increasingly desperate. The only question now is how far they will go to survive..

Sat 3 June @ 22:50 – WITCHFINDER GENERAL (1968) *Network Premiere
Set during the English Civil War, Matthew Hopkins (Vincent Price), a lawyer and self-appointed 'Witchfinder General', tours the Eastern counties instigating witch-hunts and extracting 'confessions' under torture. When a young woman, Sara (Hilary Dwyer), is raped by Hopkins and her priest father murdered, Sara’s lover, Richard Marshall (Ian Ogilvy), a soldier in Cromwell's army, vows revenge. The last and best film of director Michael Reeves's tragically brief career, Witchfinder General has received broad critical admiration

Fri 9 June @ 22:45 – I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE 3: VENGEANCE IS MINE (2015) *UK TV Premiere
After her harrowing experiences in 2010, Jennifer Hills (Sarah Butler) has taken the name Angela and is now working in an anonymous office job. Attending a rape support group to find closure, she meets feisty Marla Finch (Jennifer Landon) and they become firm friends. Then Marla suggests that Angela join her in taking revenge by proxy on the abusers they hear about in their secret sessions…

Sat 10 June @ 22:55 – FEARDOTCOM (2002) *Network Premiere
When four bodies are discovered among the industrial decay and urban grime of New York City, brash young detective Mike Reilly (Stephen Dorff) teams with ambitious Department of Health researcher Terry Huston (Natascha McElhone) to uncover the cause behind their violent and inexplicable deaths. The only common factor shared by the victims? Each died exactly 48 hours after logging on to feardot.com. Also stars Stephen Rea and Udo Kier.

Fri 16 June @ 21:00 – THE CRAZIES (2010) *Network Premiere
Anarchy reigns when an unknown toxin turns the peaceful citizens of Ogden Marsh into bloodthirsty lunatics. In an effort to contain the spread of the infection, authorities blockade the town and use deadly force to keep anyone from getting in or out. Now trapped among killers, Sheriff Dutten (Timothy Olyphant), his wife (Radha Mitchell) and two companions must band together to find a way out before madness and death overtakes them all.

Sat 17 June @ 22:55 – CHAINED (2012) *Network Premiere
A trip to the movies becomes a nightmare for Sarah (Julia Ormond) and her young son Tim (Eamon Farren) when they are kidnapped by Bob (Vincent D’Onofrio), a deranged taxi driver, and taken to his remote home. There the nine-year-old sees his mother murdered - but it isn’t the last slaughter he witnesses for Bob enslaves Tim, chains him up and forces him to bury his victims’ bodies. As years go by, Tim is allowed some freedom only if he turns killer himself. Now the reluctant protégé must make a choice between following in Bob's bloody footsteps or breaking free.

Fri 23 June @ 23:00 – PIRANHA 2: THE SPAWNING (1981) *Network Premiere
James Cameron’s directorial debut centres on a mysterious batch of eggs that have been left unrecovered from a sunken naval wreckage off a popular Caribbean island resort. When a series of bizarre deaths occur, scuba diving instructor (Tricia O’Neil), her biochemist boyfriend (Steve Marachuk) and her police chief ex-husband Lance Henriksen) try to find the link between the mutant strain of piranha fish terrorising everyone and their lair at the bottom of the sea...

Sat 24 June @ 23:00 – RETREAT (2011) *UK TV Premiere
Taking an isolated break on an uninhabited island, Martin (Cillian Murphy) and Kate (Thandie Newton) are about to find that their island retreat is about to become a prison of unimaginable terror. When a blood-soaked stranger (Jamie Bell) stumbles through their door claiming an apocalyptic virus is sweeping across Europe, their lives are turned upside down as they face what could be the end of everything they know. Using all means necessary, they must fight to escape the approaching threat. But escape is only the beginning of their terrifying fight for survival...

TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138 | Freeview 70
www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel | facebook.com/horrorchannel

Interview With Graham Masterton By David Kempf

Graham Masterton is a  majorly accomplished British horror author. Originally editor of Mayfair and the British edition of Penthouse, Graham Masterton's first novel The Manitou was released in 1976. This novel was adapted in 1978 for the film The Manitou. Further works garnered critical acclaim, including a Special Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America for Charnel House and a Silver Medal by the West Coast Review of Books for Mirror. He is also the only non-French winner of the prestigious Prix Julia Verlanger for his novel Family Portrait, an imaginative reworking of the Oscar Wilde novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Masterton was also the editor of Scare Care, a horror anthology published for the benefit of abused children in Europe and the USA.

Masterton's novels often contain visceral sex and horror. In addition to his novels, Masterton has written a number of sex instruction books, including How To Drive Your Man Wild In Bed and Wild Sex for New Lovers. Masterton also spells Djinn different than I do in my books. Djinn as opposed to Jinn. One of us wrong. It was very generous of Graham to take the time to be interviewed by Masters of Horror U.K. today.


When did you first become interested in writing?

At about the age of 7 when my parents took me to see the movie of Jules Verne’s “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea” with James Mason and Kirk Douglas. I was so impressed by the submarine’s adventures and the battle with the giant squid that I rushed home afterwards and wrote my own novel about fighting giant squids. My hero was a harpoonist called Hans Lee. When I had finished the book I stuck a cardboard cover on it and drew a picture on the cover and sold the book to my best friend for a penny. After that I never stopped writing stories…and even wrote and illustrated my own comic, Flash! with a space pilot called Don Kenyon who bore a distinct resemblance to Dan Dare in the Eagle comic.


How did you get involved in fantasy/horror?

I started reading Edgar Allan Poe stories when I was 10 or 11 and loved The Pit and The Pendulum and other gruesome tales. That was when I started writing short horror stories for my friends and reading them at break time in school. One of my friends got in touch with me years later and said that I had given him nightmares for years with a story about a man whose head is cut off but continues to sing “Tiptoe Through The Tulips” out of his severed neck.


Do you think vampires are werewolves are overrated in horror fiction?

Very much so. I admit to have written two vampirish novels, Manitou Blood in which vampires are employed by Native American demons to strike at the white man in modern-day New York, and Descendant, which is about a vampire hunter in the closing days of World War Two. The vampires in Descendant, however, are the Romanian strigoi which have been recruited by the Nazis, and they don’t do anything as ridiculous as bite people in the neck to drink their blood. I wanted to write a vampire novel that was as close to the original mythology as possible. I didn’t want them swooping around in long black cloaks or turning into bats. But my general feeling is that horror writers should look for different and unusual threats…there are so many scary demons in the mythologies of various countries that you would never have time to write about them all.


How do you spell Djinn? (I think I made my own spelling for my book). 

It’s Djinn, all right.

Why do you think horror and fantasy books remain so popular?

The horror/fantasy market has had its ups and downs, but one of the main reasons is that readers can immerse themselves in really scary stories while at the same time knowing that in reality they are quite safe. The real world is frightening enough, and sometimes it’s reassuring to get yourself involved in a fictitious world in which you know that good will eventually triumph and in which you won’t be bombed or starved or fall victim to some ghastly sickness.


What inspires you?

Life. People. I was a newspaper reporter from the ages of 17 to 21 and I learned then to talk to people about what made them happy and what made them sad, and to ask penetrating questions that most people wouldn’t dare to ask. There are stories everywhere.
You only have to look for them, and there they are.


The idea of the wish gone wrong makes for great dark fiction. Did W.W. Jacob’s The Monkey’s Paw inspire you?

I did read The Monkey’s Paw and thought it was a great idea. Life for most people turns out to be a wish gone wrong, so there’s plenty of inspiration everywhere.


What do you think the differences between American horror and British horror are?

You have me stuck there because although I write horror fiction I never read it. I am critical enough of my own writing without picking up a horror novel by somebody else. I have never read a novel by Stephen King, for example, or even by my late friend Jim Herbert. The last novel I started to read was The Process, the story of a journey across the Sahara, which was given to me in 1970 by Brion Gysin who was a friend of William Burroughs. I have got to page 37.


What are some of your favorite horror movies?

I enjoyed both the Japanese and American remake of The Ring.

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment as an artist?

I think I have managed to develop my writing to the point where readers feel very involved with my characters and backgrounds, which is what I have been working hard to do for years.


Do you have any advice for new writers?

Keep at it. I have helped a young woman Dawn Harris to write her first novel Diviner and she slogged away at it without losing heart despite my very sharp criticisms. It ended up brilliantly. Don’t be disappointed by rejection and don’t be put off by bad reviews. Keep believing in yourself. Don’t try and copy anybody else…always try to be original and surprising. And put moisturiser around your eyes because you’re going to be peering at a computer screen for many years to come.


What do you think of the rise in self-publishing?

I believe that new writers need professional editing and promotion. Sometimes a self-published book can turn out to fantastic, but mostly they need a great deal of editorial attention.


What are your current projects?

I am finishing a second crime thriller set in the 18th century featuring Beatrice Scarlet, the daughter of a London apothecary, who is something of a Georgian CSI. I will also be writing a 9th novel featuring Detective Superintendent Katie Maguire, and a new horror novel which is almost finished but must remain a secret for the moment!


Please in your own words, write a paragraph about yourself & your work. 

The best thing that ever happened to me was being expelled from school and starting work as a trainee journalist at the age of 17. By the time I was 21 I had four years’ experience as a news reporter and feature writer and so I was able to land a job as deputy editor of Mayfair the new men’s magazine. I worked there for four years before having a bit of a barney with my boss and leaving to become deputy editor and eventually executive editor of Penthouse magazine. This gave me the opportunity to talk intimately to many different girls and what I gleaned from them I was able to use as the basis for a series of best-selling how-to books about sex, such as How To Drive Your Man Wild In Bed (which is still in print).

After the sex-book market began to wane, I submitted a horror novel that I had written for my own amusement to my publishers – The Manitou. That became an instant best-seller and was filmed with Tony Curtis in the lead role. I continued to write horror novels but also branched out to write historical sagas, political thrillers and disaster novels. My late wife Wiescka and I lived in Cork in Ireland for several years, and my experience of life in Ireland led me to write a series of crime novels featuring Detective Superintendent Katie Maguire. The murders in this series are sufficiently grisly for me not to have lost my horror readers (although, as I say, I am working a new straight-out horror novel) but obviously the crime audience is very much bigger. Thanks to Wiescka I became very successful in Poland and in January I launched the Graham Masterton “Written In Prison” Award which is a nationwide contest for inmates of Poland’s prisons to write a short story. It has been a great success and recently I visited HM Prison Holme House in Yorkshire to talk to the inmates about launching a similar contest in the UK. You can read more about me and see a full bibliography at www.grahammasterton.co.uk

Competition: Win Frankenstein: Complete Legacy Collection [Blu-ray]

Frankenstein: Complete Legacy Collection is out on DVD & Blu-ray™ on 8th May and to celebrate we have a great competition for you a Bluray set to give away.

Synopsis:
Universal Pictures’ classic monsters are unleashed onto Blu-ray™ on 8th May in four bonus-packed box sets; The Mummy Legacy Collection, The Frankenstein Legacy Collection, The Dracula Legacy Collection and The Wolf Man Legacy Collection.

Combined the four box sets contain 27 classic monster movies, 22 of which have never been released on Blu-ray before.

The Mummy, Frankenstein, Dracula and The Wolf Man are some of the silver screen’s most unforgettable characters. Collectively these four classic monsters have inspired generations of filmmakers for years and paved the way for a rich and varied genre.

Old fans and new can now own the complete Legacy Collections, digitally restored to look and sound more terrifying than ever!

Check out the release on Amazon by clicking the link below: (Opens in a new window)
Frankenstein: Complete Legacy Collection (BD) [Blu-ray] [2017]

Competition Closed
To enter Email us on competition@mastersofhorror.co.uk with your answer, along with your name and address.



The Mummy Legacy Collection, The Frankenstein Legacy Collection, The Dracula Legacy Collection and The Wolf Man Legacy Collection releases on Blu-ray™ on 8th May in four bonus-packed box sets

Terms and conditions
1. Closing date 15-05-17
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.

Competition: Win "XX" on DVD - Released May 8th

XX is out on DVD on 8th May and to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 3 copies of the DVD to give away.

Synopsis:
XX is a new horror anthology featuring four murderous tales of supernatural frights, thrills, profound anxiety, and Gothic decay.

Written and directed by four fiercely talented women the film stars female leads and is framed around innovative animator Sofia Carrillo.

Vigorously challenging the status quo within the industry, this collection of tightly coiled short films by some of horror’s most influential women offers a refreshing jolt to the senses.


Check out the release on Amazon by clicking the link below: (Opens in a new window)
XX [DVD] [2017]

To enter all you have to do is answer this easy question...

On what day is "XX" released on DVD in the UK?

To enter Email us on competition@mastersofhorror.co.uk with your answer, along with your name and address.



Terms and conditions
1. Closing date 15-05-17
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.

Film News (UK): SEED OF CHUCKY, THE DIVIDE & DAYBREAKERS amongst Horror Channel premieres for May

Horror Channel has eight prime-time weekend film premieres this May including the network premieres for Don Mancini’s killer-dolls spin-off SEED OF CHUCKY, starring Brad Dourif, Jennifer Tilly & Billy Boyd, Xavier Gen’s unsettling post-apocalyptic horror THE DIVIDE and the epic vampire-battling DAYBREAKERS, starring Eithan Hawke and Willem Dafoe.

There are also UK premieres of José Manuel Cravioto’s pulse-pounding thriller BOUND TO VENGEANCE and Mary Lambert’s evil-spirited gripper URBAN LEGENDS: BLOODY MARY.  Other highlights are first channel showings for Stephen Kay’s monster in the closet chiller BOOGEYMAN, Jamie Blanks’ teen slasher URBAN LEGEND and Ryuhei Kitamura’s mystery-man rampaging NO ONE LIVES.

Full details of premieres in transmission order:

Fri 5 May @ 21:00 – BOOGEYMAN (2005) *Network Premiere

Tim (Barry Watson) is haunted by traumatic memories from his past, linked to the death of his father. Desperate to resolve his issues, he returns to the house where he grew up. But while Tim wants to convince himself the ghostly memories he carries are just a figment of his imagination, he is plagued by a crippling fear that can only be resolved by facing up to the ‘Boogeyman’.  Also features Lucy Lawless.

Sat 6 May @ 22:50 – DAYBREAKERS (2009) *Network Premiere

In the year 2019, a plague has transformed almost every human into a vampire. Faced with a dwindling blood supply, the fractured dominant race plots their survival. Meanwhile, a researcher works with a covert band of the undead on a way to save humankind. This classy chiller is packed with many disparate genre influences, not to mention a fine performance from Ethan Hawke and a truly fun turn by Willem Defoe as a futuristic Van Helsing with a Big Secret.

Fri 12 May @ 21:00 – URBAN LEGEND (1998) *Network Premiere

Students at New England's Pendleton College have their own urban legend -- 30 years ago, a demented professor killed six students and then committed suicide in Stanley Hall. But when a real series of strange deaths begins occurring on campus, assertive student Natalie (Alicia Witt) suspects they're murders based on urban legends and soon realises she's the next number in the killer's body count. A starry cast includes Robert Englund, Jared Leto, Tara Reid, Joshua Jackson and Brad Dourif.

Sat 13 May @ 21:00 – BOUND TO VENGEANCE (2015) *UK TV Premiere

A young woman, Eve (Tina Ivlev), is held captive in the basement of a sexual predator (Richard Tyson). Against the odds, she fights back, and manages to escape her malicious abductor. However, after discovering she may not be the only victim, Eve unravels a darker truth and decides to turn the tables on her captor. A subversive revenge tale with an unusual twist.

Fri 19 May @ 21:00 – URBAN LEGENDS: BLOODY MARY (2005) *UK TV Premiere

A homecoming-night dare turns into a runaway nightmare for a trio of high-school friends who unleash an evil spirit in this terrifying entry in the Urban Legends series from Pet Sematary director Mary Lambert. Abducted by a group of high-school jocks, the trio, although rescued, witness their tormentors falling prey to a deadly but unseen menace. Could it be their imagination or could the spirit of Bloody Mary truly have returned from the grave to seek vengeance? This is the third and final instalment in the Urban Legend series

Sat 20 May @ 22:55 – NO ONE LIVES (2012) *Network Premiere

Fourteen students are murdered and the crime scene offers no clues as to the whereabouts of the one person who could be the only survivor. Months later a gang of robbers screw up their latest heist and mug a couple in a car instead. What they realise too late is that the driver is the killer responsible for the student massacre. Then it’s Psycho vs. Psychos in a taut, tension-laden cat-and-mouse chiller that sees both sides trying to outdo the other.

Fri 26 May @ 21:00 – SEED OF CHUCKY (2004) *Network Premiere

Billy Boyd voices Glen, the orphan doll offspring of the irrepressible devilish-doll-come-to-life Chucky (again voiced by Brad Dourif) and his equally twisted bride Tiffany (voiced by Jennifer Tilly). Glen heads for Hollywood, where he brings his bloodthirsty parents back from the dead. Much to his horror they go on a spree of murderous mayhem. Cult film director John Waters makes an appearance, as does hip-hop artist Redman. This is the fifth in the popular series of Chucky (Child's Play) horror comedies and is directed by franchise creator and writer of all five films, Don Mancini.

Sat 27 May @ 22:45 – THE DIVIDE (2011) *Network Premiere

From Xavier Gens, director of Frontier(s), this post-apocalyptic shocker explores the nightmare unravelling of humanity under the most extreme circumstances imaginable when New York City is decimated in a nuclear holocaust. As the survivors sit in the makeshift fallout shelter the ‘divide’ begins. With no one knowing the evil each person in the group is capable of, trust issues arise, paranoia emerges, factions form and values are debased in a brutal and visceral vision of a broken future. Stars Rosanna Arquette, Milo Ventimiglia, Michael Biehn and Lauren German.

Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138 / Freeview 70

www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel | facebook.com/horrorchannel

Horror Films Rediscovered on the BFI Player

In 2010 the BFI published their Most Wanted list, a tantalising countdown of 75 British films classified as ‘missing, believed lost’. Of all these forgotten gems (which ranged from silent Hitchcock to '60s pop), nothing excited horror fans more than the inclusion of José Ramón Larraz’s 1974 little-seen cult classic, Symptoms.

Symptoms is available on BFI Player, here
Selected for the 1974 Cannes Film Festival before promptly falling into cinematic obscurity, this claustrophobic Repulsion-esque chiller, which tells the uncanny tale of a young woman’s descent into madness at a remote English country mansion, was long confined to the blurry terrains of VHS bootlegs and online rips.

Now lovingly restored and looking better than ever, Larraz’s infamous curio is available for all to enjoy on BFI player. And so, to celebrate the long-awaited arrival of a neglected genre classic, here are 5 more horror gems waiting to be discovered on BFI’s online platform.

Let the nightmares begin...

The Night Has Eyes (dir Leslie Arliss, 1942)
One of only a handful of British horror films produced during WWII, this delicious slice of gothic melodrama (think Jane Eyre meets The Old Dark House) stars James Mason as Stephen, a reclusive composer living in an isolated mansion on the perennially misty Yorkshire Moors. When two lost women stumble on his property, Stephen offers shelter and a place to stay.

But as romance blossoms between the taciturn recluse and one of his new guests, so too does the macabre truth of Stephen’s dark past. Also released under the more salacious titles Terror House and Moonlight Madness, this atmospheric chiller was given the BBFC’s dreaded H-for-Horror rating when it was released in 1942, possibly thanks to its surprisingly nasty conclusion.

As ever, Mason makes for a broodingly effective leading man, while special mention should also go to Tucker McGuire for her scene-stealing role as man-hungry schoolteacher Doris. But the real stars are the Moors themselves – evocatively captured by Gunther Krampf (famed cinematographer whose work included Pandora’s Box and The Hands of Orlac) – which reek of dread and dark foreboding.

Fiend Without a Face (dir Arthur Crabtree, 1958)
Something of a cause célèbre when it was first unleashed in 1958, Arthur Crabtree’s low-budget monster mash was deemed so outrageous, and so morally reprehensible, that it actually sparked debate in Parliament, where questions were raised as to how a work of such supposed depravity had passed through the censors in all its gory glory. Years later, and of course the shock value has diminished.

But while the film may not still possess the power to appal with quite the same ferocity, it remains one of the most wonderfully twisted little sci-fi shockers of the period. The plot (typical of the atomic obsessed sci-fi pics of the time) concerns an army of nuclear-powered flying brains (complete with spinal cords) who attack a US military base.

Naysayers might dismiss this off-kilter British production as little more than a mindless (!) special-effects showcase – but when the climactic scenes are so unhinged and the stop-motion effects so glorious – who cares? If it all sounds frankly preposterous, that’s because it is. And wonderfully so.

The Night of the Hunted (dir Jean Rollin, 1980)
Of the 50-odd films directed by Euro-sleaze connoisseur Jean Rollin over the course of his illustrious career, The Night Of The Hunted might stand as his most idiosyncratic, and, in many ways, most beautiful effort. A far cry from the saucy vampire pics he is perhaps best known for, this anomalous head-scratcher blends erotic horror with austere science-fiction (not unlike the early works of David Cronenberg) to tell the story of a young amnesiac woman being held in a strange asylum seemingly against her will.

As perversities and murders begin to mount around her, she must make sense of why she is there and how she can escape.

As with most of Rollin’s films, the end result is by no means perfect - the leisurely pacing can be testing at times (the lengthy sex scenes in particular feeling unnecessarily drawn out) - but for those of a more patient disposition and an keen eye for the perverse, this clinical shocker is quite unlike anything else, replete with scenes of abject terror which will not be quickly forgotten.

Heartless (dir Philip Ridley, 2009)
The long-awaited third feature from Philip Ridley (following his extraordinary sun-drenched slice of American gothic The Reflecting Skin, and the lesser-known, but equally fascinating backwoods allegory The Passion Of Darkly Noon) saw the London-born filmmaker return to his home turf with a Faustian morality tale set in the East End.

Jim Strurgess plays Jamie, a socially awkward teenage outcast born with a large heart-shaped birthmark on his face, who discovers a gang of demons are plaguing the streets of his hometown. As one would expect from one of horror cinema’s true visual poets, Heartless is a feast for the eyes, steeped in fertile symbolism and menacing atmospherics.

But perhaps most memorably, it is a richly empathetic piece of work, which succeeds as much as an unconventional character study as it does an unnerving and eccentric horror film.


The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears (dir Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani, 2013)
An audacious exercise pure, unadulterated style, this modern day giallo from the gloriously twisted minds of directing duo Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani (Amer) is one of the most visually imaginative horror films of recent years. Following the unexplained disappearance of his wife, a man is thrown into a web of mystery and intrigue as he attempts to uncover her whereabouts.

Traversing the labyrinthine halls of his ornamental apartment building, he encounters its various inhabitants, whose tales of sensuality and sadism play out before him. In this dreamlike (or should that be nightmarish?) world, traditional narrative gives way to a more sensory, instinctive approach to storytelling, resulting in an experience which can be as perplexing as it is hypnotic.

For those with a taste for something different, this truly singular work delivers devious surprises with every blood-splattered frame. Watch it loud. On the biggest screen you can.

http://player.bfi.org.uk


You can also buy these films from Amazon

Interview with Ray Porter by David Kempf

Ray Porter is from New York and worked for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for twenty years. He has appeared in the movies Almost Famous and Argo. His televison appearances have included It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Sons of Anarachy. Ray's remarkable voice talent can be heard in several audiobooks including Jonathan Maberry's bestselling Joe Ledger series. One listen to his remarkable voice on the Richard Matheson Hell House audiobook and you will be hooked until the end. It was very generous of him to take the time to talk to Masters of Horror U.K. today.

When did you first become interested in acting?

Well, it was kind of the family business. I’m third generation as far as I know, there may be a few show business ancestors who wouldn’t admit it. But I wasn’t going to be an actor. I had been raised around theatre and I knew I wanted to do something that was “serious and responsible”. That lasted right up until I saw a production Of “Heartbreak House” by Shaw. I cannot really say why, but I left the theatre that night knowing that I wanted to be an actor. And that put paid to “serious and responsible”.


How did you get involved in fantasy/horror?

I’ve always enjoyed horror and some fantasy. I have always been a voracious reader and my taste is pretty eclectic. Good writing is good writing. End of. It doesn’t matter the genre, if it is well written then it is worth reading. I find turning your nose down at something because it isn’t something you are familiar with a little silly. I read all sorts of things. So when I started narrating audiobooks, I didn’t expect that I would get more books in one genre than another. But, happily, I’ve had the privilege of narrating some great horror and fantasy books that people seem to like. I’m glad about that and I find it fun to read too.


Do you think audiobooks deserve more respect as an art form?

I’m about to say something that some people may disagree with. It’s okay if you do. I feel about audiobooks very much the way I feel about being an actor. I tend to avoid calling what I do an art form. I believe the author or playwright has created a work of art and if I execute my craft well, then the audience or listener will create a work of art all their own inside themselves. It’s a little like if the postman came round and instead of delivering your mail, opened it in front of you and then decided what bits of your mail are important and then told you what to do with it. I really just want to deliver the letter the author has written to you as cleanly as I can. I am extremely grateful that people have liked my narrations, it would be laughable to say I don’t care what people think. But my goal is to help you enjoy the book you paid for. I think audiobooks are respected. It is an industry that has exploded in the last few years.

How would you classify the genre of audio books you are mostly associated with performing?

I’ve become fond of saying that if it has quantum physics or the word f**k in it, then it’s one I’ve narrated. I even had a physics book that had that word in it! That was a good day. I’ve gotten to do a lot of different things, for which I am very grateful. But quite a few of my books have science or monsters or guns in them. I hope I can classify them as “Fun”.


Why do you think horror and fantasy books remain so popular?

When you read the news or watch the headlines don’t you sometimes wanna be somewhere else? I know I do.


What inspires you?

So many things. Music is and has been a very large part of my life and I draw a lot of inspiration from that. Again, eclectic as hell. You would find my iTunes collection pretty confusing.

I’ve just returned from living in England for a year and a half. Inspiration? Just look out the window. Go down the pub. Walk in the woods, walk around London. I’m going to try very hard to go back as soon as I’m able. There’s lots of inspiration for me there. Also, McVitie’s digestives with the milk chocolate on the top…. And Cornish pasties…. …….I digress.

The work of others inspires me. Musicians, actors, photographers, dancers, authors, other narrators. I listen to people a lot. I’m the guy eavesdropping at the next table in the restaurant, you might end up in an audiobook.


Tell us about your work on the audiobook version of the classic novel Hell House.

Such fun to do. It was really my first horror book. I had only done about ten books at that point. I really tried to just tell the story and stay out of the author’s way. When you have a book that is considered a classic, of course people have expectations about it. Maybe they’ve read it and might not like a certain choice I make with a passage in the book. I have to balance that with the person who has never even heard of the book and are encountering it for the first time. I recorded that at Blackstone Audio’s studios in Ashland, Oregon. They are great people and I’m so glad I started my narrating career with them.


Tell us how you became involved in Jonathan Maberry’s Joe Ledger series.

Grover Gardener assigned me the first book. I was available and honestly, it was my good luck that I was given the book. After it came out Jonathan Maberry wrote to thank me. It was the first time an author had ever contacted me, I was pretty excited. Right from the start, I read Joe Ledger and realized we were a good fit. I really do talk like him. Which has gotten me in trouble sometimes. Jonathan has since become a good friend.


What do you think the differences between American horror and British horror are?

Actually its very clear: In a British horror story if the character drives a car, that character drives on the left side of the road. In American horror, they drive on the right (unless under duress).

I don’t know that I can define a difference between horror in America and Britain. I’ve read some seriously frightening things from authors of both nationalities. Obviously, there will be some colloquial differences but, again, good writing is good writing. I’d love to narrate more books by British authors but I don’t have the right accent.


What is your favorite audiobook from another performer?

Oh man, thats impossible to choose. Grover Gardener, Simon Vance, Bronson Pinchot, Scott Brick, Erin Bennet, Xe Sands, many many other narrators. I listen to these people (many of whom are friends) and I wonder how it is I get to narrate books too. They are so good.


How much live theater have you done?

Lots. And I have the scars to prove it. 18 years at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, lots of other theaters around the country. Years and years.


Who are your favorite actors?

Gary Oldman, David Strathairn, Derek Jacoby, Anthony Hopkins, Ciaran Hinds, Bronson Pinchot, Derrick Weedon, Jonathan Hogan, Jerry Reed, Sarah Lancashire, Helen Mirren, and probably a whole crowd of actors I am forgetting right now


What are your favorite horror books

That’s a big damn stack of books. I love “The Stand” and loads of Stephen King’s books. I’d love to narrate one of his. But there’s quite a few horror writers that I think are geniuses. Jonathan Mayberry, Neil Gaiman, H.P. Lovecraft, Peter Straub, Richard Matheson, etc.


What are some of your favorite horror movies?

Yikes. Another list. Alien, The Shining, 28 Days Later, The Exorcist, The Ring, The Conjuring, Ghost Story, Nosferatu, The Cell. Those are the ones that spring to mind right now.


What do you consider your greatest accomplishment as an artist?

There’s a few things that come to mind. It’s nice to be nominated for things and sometimes even to win them but that’s not really what I think of when I think of as an accomplishment. I was playing Rosencrantz in “R+G are Dead” in San Francisco years ago. One afternoon I was crossing the street and a taxi drove by. As it passed, the driver leaned out and banged on his door and yelled “Hey Rosencrantz, you were great!”. That is about the coolest thing ever. Other than moments like that, just being able to keep working is accomplishment enough.


Do you have any advice for new actors?

If you want to be special, recognize that you aren’t special just because you are an actor. Read everything you can get your hands on. Recognize that the people working backstage are the ones who are really working and stay respectful and humble. Recognize that people come to see you perform not because they want to admire how skilled you are but because they want to be told a story and to feel something. The best drama or comedy is really ultimately just about humans being. Figure out how to best do that without getting in the way.


Is there a rise in self-published authors getting their novels turned into audiobooks?

I think so. Audiobooks have become such a major part of book sales in recent years that of course authors are looking at that option to get their books out there.


What are your current projects?

I’m working on a very cool couple of books for Podium Publishing, and I think I’ve got a project for Blackstone coming up that excites me but I don’t want to give anything away right now.


Please in your own words, write a paragraph about yourself & your work.

Oh man, uhhhh…. okay.

I grew up in a small town in Indiana and came to the West Coast for College. I have a degree in acting from CalArts. I worked for 18 seasons at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon. Also I’ve worked in other theaters. I’ve been in a lot of TV shows and films. I have a son who is 9 years old and is utterly amazing. Plus, he’s an athlete and I’ve no idea where that came from. So, I went from being a theatre actor to being a hockey dad in just a few short years. I love reading. I am endlessly grateful that I get to narrate audiobooks. If I wasn’t recording them, I’d probably have a few more books on my nightstand than I do right now. I like to work under the hood of my 1969 Mustang Mach1. If I ever get to where I can tune a carburetor as confidently as I approach text, I feel I will have accomplished something. I play guitar. Im an astronomy geek and a total fanboy of anything to do with NASA. I moved to England a year and a half ago and fell completely in love with that country. I’ve since returned to the states and I am going to try very hard to be able to move back there. Just writing about it makes me want to head down to my local for a pint. I keep looking out the window here in L.A. and expecting to see Hertfordshire out there.

I am grateful and humbled by the positive responses I’ve gotten from my narration and I will endeavor to keep earning them.

Also, I’ve learned that if you let an actor talk about himself, he will take up more than one paragraph.


Huge thanks to Ray for joining us today, here are some links if you would like to find out more and follow him on social media.

Twitter @ray__porter
Facebook Facebook.com/NarratorRayPorter/

Interview with The Soska Sisters

On the eve of Horror Channel’s UK premiere broadcast of SEE NO EVIL 2 on April 7, the Twisted Twins, Jan and Sylvia Soska, exclusively reveal their TV ambitions, the latest on their RABID remake and being huge WWE fans.

It’s been while since we last chatted and apart from See No Evil 2 what have you both been up to?

S: It has been a while, but it's really cool that we get to chat again. We hosted a reality horror gameshow from Matador, GSN and Blumhouse called Hellevator that was like ‘Saw the gameshow’. We had a blast making it. I really can't even believe that was a job a person could have. We're still trying to get it over to the UK - I think the audience over there will really enjoy it. We have had a lot of fun working in television, it's something we're interested in pursuing more of not only in front of the camera, but behind the scenes as well.

J: Oh, it's been ages! We've been up to nothing but trouble. We made an action movie with the WWE and Lionsgate called Vendetta where we made everybody's favorite Superman Dean Cain break bad fighting the Big Show in jail. It was basically a Punisher goes to jail movie for us. We got to achieve a big bucket list dream and start writing for Marvel comics! We did a ‘Night Nurse’ and a ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ story so far and are stoked to do more with them. And we're re-making Canadian Horror King David Cronenberg's Rabid. We keep busy.


Did the incredible, international success of Dead Hooker in a Trunk surprise you?

S: We were working very hard towards getting that kind of reaction, but considering how many films and filmmakers come out now, it's always such an unpredictable journey. I remember we would carry screeners in our purse with these little booklets, just in case we met anyone who we could get the film in front of, but it really paid off. I'll always be particularly grateful to the people who saw that first film and decided to support two very different filmmakers.

J: In a way, when I really think about it, yeah. It's a weird "WTF is even happening" film and it's really "us". The humor, the insane plot, the passion, the violence, and that take no prisoners attitude. I was both surprised and delighted to learn there are so many fellow weirdos like us out there. I love all our fans, but the people who have been in our corner since Dead Hooker In A Trunk have a very special place in my heart.

How did your family react to how it took off?

S: My parents couldn't have been more proud. My dad appears as the Rabbi in the flashback, we shot at our church, we had a lot of support from our church on that one, ha ha. We're very lucky in the way that our parents have always been incredibly supportive of what we wanted to do. My mom tells me it wouldn't have made a difference because once we got an idea in our head, even as little kids, we had to make it happen.

J: My folks are the best. They've always been so supportive of our paths wanting to be artists. They're both artists themselves so they never told us to settle on "normal jobs". I think they couldn't believe how big it got. When people starting yelling, "Dead Hooker In A Trunk!!!!" at us in the street it was like, "wow, what is even happening to our lives??" They're very proud. They always get to see the early cuts and my mum will let me know when the gory bits really sell. I have no idea what's too much anymore. I don't know if I ever did, ha ha


When American Mary showed at FrightFest a few years back it gained huge critical acclaim, what are your most vivid memories of this time?

S: I remember lying awake in my hotel room with Jen at the Soho and being extremely nervous and excited. The next day our film was going to play in front of a huge crowd and we were going to be wearing these fantastic outfits made out of surgical plastic created by Enigma Arcana that we were going to wear for it. I kept thinking about what a surreal situation that was and it's kind of a vulnerable story, so I was feeling that. But I couldn't have dreamed up a better audience. I remember Mike Hewitt from Universal made sure we got a bunch of people from the European body modification community in the front rows of the theatre, so seeing their faces and getting the reactions from the crowd was a beautiful experience. I'll always be in love with the UK because of truly wonderfully they have treated us throughout the years.

J: I remember Dead Hooker fans waiting outside our hotel for autographs and photos. It was so cool, but I'm very Canadian so I was all like, "how long have you been out here? Oh no, I would've come out sooner! I didn't know!" I have never received a warmer welcome anywhere in the world. The UK fans know their horror and they got American Mary at a level I didn't expect anyone to. It meant the world to us. And FrightFest is the best. The gents there were so good to us. I'm dying to return.

Let’s chat about See No Evil 2.  How were you selected to direct and how much say did you have on the incredible cast?

S: We got the script knowing it was time sensitive and were really excited about the opportunity, but we didn't think we'd be hired. After American Mary and Dead Hooker in a Trunk, I think people kept trying to put us in this box of this is what the twins make, but we have very diverse interests and like tackling different sub genres. I hear a lot of nightmare stories about people working with a studio for the first time, but we were extremely lucky. Michael Luisi, the head of WWE Studios, hired us to bring a female perspective to the film. We got to pick our team and modify things creatively as we went along to make the sequel really special. We're fans of the material, so we kept thinking what would be like to bring, knowing we were reintroducing this character from an original that was from so many years ago.

J: We always go to bat for our actors. We love this cast. We got Glenn "Kane" Jacobs as part of it and being huge Kane and Undertaker fans it was really the opportunity of a lifetime. I had wanted to work with Danielle Harris for ages. She's an icon. True Horror Queen. And we had to bring Katie Isabelle with us. We wanted to give her something really fun to do. We sat in on every audition and met our boys. Kaj-Erik Eriksen is just the best. I met him and felt like I knew him for years. I knew Greyston Holt, a fellow Hungarian, for a while and had been wanting to get him in something of ours. We were fans of Chelan Simmons from the Final Destination series and Tucker and Dale Vs Evil. Lee was another gift from the auditions. And Michael Eklund? He's the Canadian Daniel Day Lewis. We love him. We were looking for something together for a while and this was perfect.

Were you big WWE fans before this movie? 

S: Yes. A lot of people don't know that we are huge WWE fans. One of the only dreams that my Dad didn't support was me becoming a professional wrestler and getting tattoos. I guess through working with the WWE and making American Mary, I got to experience those avenues as closely as I could. We're still such WWE fans. I think the popularity of professional wrestling is like nothing else. You have these super hero soap operas and these brilliant coordinated fights where heroes & villains fight each week and they have such positive messages about overcoming obstacles or never giving up. Then, you see them on their off time and they are visiting the troops overseas or going to a children's hospital to brighten someone's day. I still dream of maybe getting an opportunity to write an episode of RAW or maybe get in the ring. With Glenn 'Kane' Jacobs and Paul 'Big Show' Wight as back up, though. Those lady Superstars are tough, I'd love to train to get in the ring with them. Maybe take on the Bellas?

J: Only the biggest. I lose my shit at the live events. I love it so much. Getting to work with and meet so many of the WWE Superstars has only increased my love for the whole organization and what those performers put themselves through. Real life super heroes, all of them! I remember an acting teacher made fun of me for loving WWE and said it was a waste of my time. Guess he can "suck it" (Degeneration X) now.


Did you change any of the script and if so (without giving too much away) was it much and why did you change it?

S: We had a completely collaborative team and that was a very supportive environment to make the film. I don't want to give too much away, but we switched up the gender roles in this film big time. It's very subtle, so a lot of people didn't really notice it until the end. I sometimes think, oh I wish I had done this or did that, but the scene in the morgue with Katharine Isabelle and Lee Majdoub with Kane on the slab was very much us. That character went from being a dude to being Tamara and ended with such a sexy moment. We like playing with people's expectations and the team was totally down for it too.

J: Ugh, I can't say much without giving it away but we wanted to give the film that classic 80s slasher feel to it. AND we played with typical gender roles. Nuff said! Can't say more without ruining everything!


How tough was the shoot, what did you learn from it and if you could go back and do it again what would you change?

S: The worst planned moment was that the big final fight was on the last day and then Jen, Glenn, and I had two hours sleep before we had to get on a plane to fly to New York for New York Comic Con. I was ecstatic to go and it was our first time in New York which was amazing, but the three of us were so dead after shooting non-stop for weeks, then going back into it, but these are the kind of hours you have in the WWE. You don't really think about all that traveling that they do until you see it first-hand. But then again, sleep is something you can do when you're dead.

J: Any 15 day shoot is ambitious. You have got to pick your battles. You have to lose some battles to win the war. If I could change anything it would be that promo NYCC trip that made our first time in NY feel like an acid trip.

What’s Kane like in real life?

S: He's the best. He's not Kane. I mean, if anyone is Kane, it's Glenn and he's such a phenomenal performer that that character is a real guy to people. He was a real guy to me too, until I got to meet the man behind the Devil's Favourite Demon. He's very intelligent, he's ridiculously funny - I think it's a shame that we don't get to see more of that comedic genius on the show, he's very down to earth, and he's one of the kindest souls I have had the pleasure of meeting. You see him doing different charity events constantly, he's always giving back to his fellow man, and he's always visiting people in the hospital. It's funny that everyone knows him as this monster on TV, but in real life he's much closer to an angel. I don't want to ruin his street cred, but Glenn is literally the best.

J: He's the coolest. He is SUCH a nice guy. He didn't set anything on fire or murder anyone that wasn't meant to be murdered. Glenn is very down to Earth and terribly brilliant.


SNE2 is one of those rare things, a sequel that’s stronger than the original, would you agree?

S: That's what we set out to do. I think one of the most important aspects of a slasher is that you care for the cast so there's a sense of wins and losses in this horrific situation you've placed these people in. We wanted it to be visually beautiful, we wanted to revamp Jacob Goodnight so that he would be more fear-inducing, and we wanted to have a lot of fun killing whoever it is we end up killing in the film. I'm hoping with the set up in See No Evil 2, they'll let us have another round with a third instalment.

J: That's what I think, but I've heard people say the opposite. You can't make everyone happy, I suppose. And those people are idiots. No accounting for taste! I wanted to create this extension of Jacob Goodnight's world that made the audience actually feel something. I feel that's the main difference between a horror film and, say, an action film. If you care when someone dies you're probably watching a horror film and if you don't care someone did something wrong. We wanted to redesign the Jacob Goodnight character. The fans wanted a mask and we were totally into delivering. What's a horror icon without a cosplayable costume, right?


Are you pleased SNE2 is getting its UK TV premiere on Horror Channel?

S: Nothing makes me happier! They were the first ones to put us on TV and now look what's happened. Technically, this is all their fault.

J: I am deliriously excited. I LOVE the UK Horror Channel!! They've have been so deliciously delightful to us. They cared about us before anyone got aboard the band wagon! We Soskas don't forget stuff like that!


If SNE3 ever came about would you be up for it?

S: We have been talking to the team for years about making a third one. We nicknamed it 3 No Evil and we have a killer idea set up for it. The team is interested in coming back, maybe this UK TV premiere will be what gets them to say, why not, how bad could it be?

J: 3 No Evil? I've actually been dying to do a sequel to our sequel. It would be so fun to reunite with Glenn and company. We have some big plans for him in the future...


How much in the last 10 years has the movie industry changed for women? Are you now rightfully treated as equals?

S: There's definitely more of a spotlight on the inequality in hiring female directors which has opened up this dialogue that has been going strong for years. You look at filmmakers like Ana Lily Amirpour with A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, Julia Ducournau with Raw, Agnieszka Smoczyńska with The Lure, and so many others - and you see these unique perspective films and you see that audiences are hungry for that. There's this misconception about who the film-going audiences are and what they will pay to see in the theatres, but then you see someone try something different like Jennifer Kent did with The Babadook and its insanely successful. Yet instead of looking for more new ideas to give audiences more of a variety, they try to recreate the last success and there's no art in that. Creating true equality is an ongoing process, but I truly don't mind. There are no other sister directing teams that we are following in the footsteps of, every step is new ground that hopefully makes the path less unruly for those who come next.

J: We're getting there but we've still got a ways to go. Female filmmakers are making a lot more noise about diverse representation and the fans are echoing that call. Ladies still have to fight hard for those opportunities and get overlooked for their male counter parts. If another male director with less experience than me gets another superhero franchise I might lose my shit. With all the attention on female filmmakers right now, particularly in the horror genre, I think we're gonna see more of a shift in hiring (and paying equal wages). But ask me next time we chat, we'll see how far we came.


So, what are you working on at the moment?

S: We are very honored to have been the team chosen to take on the remake of Cronenberg's Rabid. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of remakes but that's if they don't have anything new to bring to the story. We have a unique perspective just because of who we are to tell the story from Rose's eyes as well as make a commentary on the increasingly rabid world that we live in. Also, we've been dying to get back into body horror. Ten years into David's filmmaking career, he remade The Fly and it brought him to this new level. This is ten years into our career and this will be our first film that gets a wide theatrical release, so it feels like a good pairing. We just have to make sure we don't let down our country, our fanbase, and our hero. No pressure.

J: Rabid! And sadly a bunch of stuff I can't talk too much about. I will say that one of our original scripts has now gone into production and I'm really beside myself about it. It's a dream I'd forgotten I'd even had. We wrote this particular script at the same time as American Mary and it's maybe my favorite thing we've ever written. It's a "fuck yeah" film so get stoked for that. We have quite a few films in production and Kill-Crazy Nymphos Attack!, our (very) graphic novel that we're doing with Daniel Way with artwork by Rob Dumo. It's coming this summer, so grab that if you want to be horribly offended.

See No Evil 2 is broadcast on Horror Channel, 10.50pm, Fri April 7

WIN A KILLER BUNDLE OF REALM OF THE DAMNED GOODIES TO CELEBRATE THE ANIMATED COMIC'S RELEASE

Realm Of The Damned - Tenebris Deos is out on DVD & Bluray on the 7th of April and to celebrate we have a great competition for you and merch bundles including the film, t-shirt, mug and original graphic novel up for grabs!

Synopsis:
The monsters have won. Our world now belongs to them. Realm of the Damned: Tenebris Deos is a new UK animated motion comic of pure Black Metal horror that unleashes the classic gothic monsters on a modern rampage of redemption and damnation. Raw, fast-paced and bristling with atmosphere, this is a bloody and blasphemous epic that leaves no church unburned.

Marking the first in an upcoming four-part series, Realm of the Dead - Tenebris Deosis an animated motion comic adventure starring David Vincent (Morbid Angel), Dani Filth (Cradle of Filth) and Jill Janus (Huntress)

Realm of the Dead - Tenebris Deos is available on Blu-ray & DVD from 7th April, 2017

Check out the release on Amazon by clicking the link below: (Opens in a new window)
Realm Of The Damned - Tenebris Deos [Blu-ray]

Competition Closed

Terms and conditions
1. Closing date 16-04-17
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.