Due to personal reasons, for the time being, I shall be celebrating Women in Horror Month online, discussing the work of the incredible women I have encountered over the years and looking to what the future looks like for women working in horror. Jennifer xo
Find me on social media @jennifersbodies on Twitter and Instagram.
"Jennifer’s Bodies is a roving annual festival of female-helmed horror movies and part of Women In Horror Recognition Month, an international assortment of affiliated events organised partly to highlight just how much women can and do contribute to the genre outwith the typically accepted factors of tits, ass and mezzosoprano screaming." Starburst Magazine
Where it Dwells is the final graduation project of Screen Academy Scotland student Kayleigh Boyd, starring Saskia Ashdown and produced by Sunrise Ishimwe. Having seen a rough cut of the film, I think we have something really special here that would go down a treat with film festival viewers, that would also really gives audiences a great insight into what this young Scot is capable of.
Putting a twist on the classic home invasion story, Where it Dwells is a short film that pays homage to films like Hush, The Shining and Memento. There is a beautiful subtlety to it. One that makes for a short film that is genuinely eerie and quietly disturbing....which makes it all the more effective and most certainly gives it the potential to be fleshed out into a full feature.
Saskia Ashdown gives a beautiful and very understated performance. When paired with Boyd's tight script and excellent direction, complimented by cinematographer Stuart's wonderful attention to visual detail, everything jells together perfectly.
I'm always particularly happy to see Scottish chicks making horror films (these are my people after all!) as it still is very much a massive sausage fest in this country, that I really hope that folks will get behind Kayleigh and see just what she has to offer.
Kayleigh and her cast and crew are currently raising funds to help complete post-production on the film and to use anything left over to go towards film festival submission charges and are looking for backers. If this is something you would be interested in getting behind, you can check out their IndieGoGo campaign here.
I am super happy to announce that I shall be showing the World Premiere of fellow Scot, Julie Robinson's deliciously awesome Were at Jennifer's Bodies this year. Were most definitely made me smile, a lot. It's actually a pretty cool reflection of the culture going on in the Western World today but with a perfectly horror~ific twist! :)
(Girls in the woods, takes me back to being a teenager....mwahahahaha! That makes me giggle because me hanging out in graveyards with my friend started some interesting "cult" rumours, hahahaha.)
"Were is a short film that sees three girls camping in the woods approached by a sinister stranger."
Everyone knows how much of a patriotic Scot I am, haha, so it fills me with immense pride to be showing this alongside Jo Osborne's Requital, as well as promoting other Scottish women in horror. Due to this being the actual premiere of the film as well, all cast and crew will be in attendance which is super cool!
"Julie is a busy Mother of two, who has worked as a Lighting Console Operator and Vision Engineer at BBC Scotland since September 2000.
In her limited spare time, Julie runs Jumbled Up Productions, through which she enjoys working on various film projects. The first was Accidents Happen, a short black comedy written, produced and scored by Julie, with the rest of the roles being filled by her friends and work colleagues. Julie followed this up by writing, producing and directing Socks & Shoes Off: Tora Black Belt Academy, an hour-long documentary about the people involved in a local karate club. Jumbled Up's third project, Were - a short horror film again written, produced and directed by Julie, is currently in post-production.
(Julie on set, hard at work!)
Some of her vision and lighting work at the BBC include:
Mrs Brown’s Boys, The Life Of Riley, The Weakest Link, The Kids Are Alright, Frank Skinner's Opinionated, Ask Rhod Gilbert, National Lottery Jetset, This Is Your Life, Question Time, Top Of The Pops Saturday, Copycats, Children In Need, Hogmany Live, The Mod, Celtic Connections, BAFTA Scotland Awards, Robert Burns' World Tour Of Scotland, The Saturday Show, Live & Kicking, Get 100, Nina & The Neurons, Newsnight Review, The Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Proms In The Park, T In The Park, Live 8, Harry Potter At The Castle, Grandstand, various coverage of The Edinburgh Festival, and many live sporting events including Football, Rugby, Golf, Badminton, Athletics, Snooker, Indoor Bowls, Mountain Biking and the Great Caledonian Run."
(Were cast and crew on set!)
You can find out more info by visiting the Official Facebook Page as well as the Jumbled Up Productions website too, and be sure to look out for an interview with Julie (alongside a host of directors of films screening this year!) in the upcoming Women in Horror Month edition of Popcorn Horror Magazine. :)
Check out my the wicked new poster from Cara Clark of Popcorn Horror for Jennifer's Bodies 2017.
You can now buy tickets online at YAPSODY otherwise it will be £5 on the door. Tickets are £4 but there is a 75p booking fee added on top for purchasing through Yapsody, that way the full £4 goes to charity. If you would rather just buy on the door, if you message me on jennifersbodies@gmail.com and I can keep tickets back for you that way as well. :) All money from ticket sales will be donated to Unite to Care. :)
Check out the Facebook Page for more details, and also be sure to go drop the Popcorn Horror Facebook a LIKE as well as checking out their website too. xo
It is with immense fucking pleasure that I bring to you the first short selection of Jennifer's Bodies 2016 - Gina Lee Ronhovde's gore~geously filmed headfuck that is Boudoir.
Starring previous Jennifer's Bodies featured chickaroo Deneen Melody, as well as Dominique Swain; the award-winning Boudoir is most certainly a film that everyone needs to see!
At its core, this twisted little gem is pure psychological horror at its best. This is a girl after my own heart when it comes to inspiration. This is basically like if Chris Carter and David Lynch went all Junior on our asses and had a baby!! Haha. Even just watching the trailer I was thinking "FUCK...I NEED to screen this at Jennifer's Bodies!!".
This film is stunning both on this inside....and out. Throughout the film I kept thinking about how beautifully it was shot...and then it ended and I saw that Frozen's director of photography Will Barrett was the cinematographer. It all just made perfect sense after that. That boy is so fucking talented and has such a beautiful eye for detail.
Boudoir on the inside could be interpreted in so many ways, but without wanting to give spoilers away, I guess the best way to describe it is as a film of self-acceptance. For better or worse. :)
It is with immense pleasure that I introduce my new Jennifer's Bodies Assistant Festival Director, the insanely talented and just downright fucking awesome....Hayley Tinline!! :)
Despite having only being friends for over two years...Hayley and myself have worked on numeous film projects together and I truly count her to be one of my bestest friends!! Hayley and I are the perfect match and work together really well, so this is really exciting for me. :)
Hayley is a wicked makeup/SFX artist and has this wonderful habit of making me look gore~geous...which is always a good thing! ;)
We have got lots of exciting things coming up to go alongside Jennifer's Bodies, including photoshoots of Hayley doing her thing to me to promote both the festival and her work...AND.....we are partnering up to work on our own films as well which is super fucking exciting!
We will be looking for websites and magazines to help us promote the festival and our work, so if you're up for interviewing two Scottish chicks with demented minds, then drop us a line at jennifersbodies@gmail.com, check out the Facebook page for Jennifer's Bodies as well as Twitter. :)
Fuck me.....year number 7! Where has the time gone!?!! I am really excited to announce that for this year's Jennifer's Bodies I have hooked up with my makeup/sfx bestie in crime, Hayley Tinline. Hayley and I have worked on a number of films and projects together and so it makes perfect sense to partner up. We have some truly wicked things coming your way for this year's Women in Horror Month and Jennifer's Bodies which shall be hosted at the Flying Duck in Glasgow. The Flying Duck is absolutely the perfect place for this as it is a Vegan place with a totally alternative rad crowd....and my cousin Chris works there! :) "Opening in 2008, The Flying Duck has hosted a variety of club nights and we’ve had a fair go at trying pretty much every other kind of event – graffiti jams, life drawing, film screenings, queer nights and some really curious gigs and performance events. Over the years, we’ve developed quite the reputation."
Sooooo....to submit your films..... Your feature film/short MUST be either directed, produced or written by a woman.
All submissions must obviously be horror (doh!), be it psychological, zombie, ghost, revenge, slasher...as long as it is horror~ific...and if you're not sure, by all means, please do get in touch! I also love haunting sad films that ooze melancholy and many of these can still be deemed horror of sorts. It's all subjective to our own personal ideas I guess. :)
For submissions of shorts and features, if you could email me links to a private Vimeo/YouTube account with the password for me to view. If I then accept your submission for this year's festival, I will require a copy to be posted out on DVD/Blu-ray AND a high-quality downloadable copy (I am covering all my bases this year, haha!!).
Once you have been accepted into Jennifer's Bodies 2016, when posting out your DVD, if you could also include any campaign materials in hard copies, such as postcards etc. for your film. This way I can display them at the event and it makes it easier for people to remember the names of all the things they've seen.
Also if you have any other promotional items such as t-shirts, patches...whatever other rad things that you'd like to send. :) I will be doing a giveaway and raffle at the event, with all funds raised to be donated to Beagle rights charity Unite to Care. Also my boobs like to put your tees on them too. They likes the coverage, moooahahahaha. So T-SHIRTS for Morleysaurus BOOB coverage = GOOD!!
There is no charge for submissions.
I will consider a feature/short that is not directed by a woman IF it is both written and produced by a woman and has a strong female lead performance.
Every year I screen a film directed by a MAN that has basically taken on board all of the principles of Women in Horror Month. Such as Jose Pedro Lopes, and Jeremiah Kipp; both previously screened at Jennifer's Bodies, due to their strong female empowered films. If you are a woman and you feel that you know a guy who embodies everything that we stand for, get them to drop me a line. :)
All submissions are due by January 24th 2016. (The day that MIGHT actually kill me, haha!!)
Email for submissions and more information - jennifersbodies@gmail.com Details to include -
Name
Website/Facebook Page/Twitter/Tumblr/Instagram/Pinterest etc.
A Small Bio About Yourself
Short Description of Submission
Links to YouTube/Vimeo (other private video site) with password
It is with the greatest of nerdy pleasures that I can announce that not only shall I be screening Jill Sixx Gevargizian's Call Girl, starring Tristan Risk. Little Miss Risk herself shall also be in attendance! WHEEEEEEEE!!! :)
Tristan Risk first came to my attention when Jen and Sylvia Soska emailed me to say that they had re-cast the role of Beatress in American Mary. Like those two freakshows, I instantly fell in love with this twisted, intelligent, sugar and spice, and all things nice....and SALTY...(if one is to quote Jennifer Check from Jennifer's Body!)...chickaroo!! As did Mommy Agnes Soska (pictured below with the trio of terror,mwahahahaha!!)....who is like mine and Tristan's surrogate mommy!! :) We looooooooove her!!! <3
Originally the girls had went to meet up with Tristan as she was part of Vancouver's Sweet Soul Burlesque troop, and they wanted her to do the choreography on American Mary. Tristan was more than just some chick who could shake her booty though....she WAS Beatress!! This sweet, sexy, smart, totally mental person....both inside and out. She was perfect!
Everything about this girl oozes quirk! She is quintessentially my ideal woman! She is fearless in a way that one can only admire, and it was quite clear from a very young age, that this girl was never going to be one to conform! And whilst some may judge her for taking her clothes off (you know there are gonna be prudish assholes out there who will be doing this!!)....the way she does it....it is the ultimate expression of feminism and liberation. She doesn't do this for the sexual gratification of men. She does this to feel free...and because it feels so natural to her. And because she has god damned fun doing it!! :)
She is smart as hell and a total lover of sharks...so my sister Kimberley will instantly love her...as she does Tristan's American Mary co-star, Katherine Isabelle.
We live in a world where people are so often afraid to express themselves. We live in a world where slut shaming is the norm. Men can sleep around with as many women as they want and get high fived....yet if a girl even THINKS about embracing her sexuality, she's a whore!! WhatEVER!!
Tristan is the kind of girl that makes you want to skip through the forest throwing your clothes off whilst giggling and playing hide and seek. She's like a drug...if only we could be snorting her, we'd be the happiest freakshow of love, freedom, madcap hilarity and genuine compassion on the face of the planet!! :)
Such a wonderful personality deserves to have parts written, just for her. And that is what my fellow Scot, Andy Stewart has done with his latest film Redacted. He has written the part with Tristan in mind. And trust me....this is SO Risky!! ;)
We're currently in the process of raising fundage for the film just now, so if you've got some pennies to spare, or you'd like to help out in any way...check out the campaign on IndieGoGo. There are some shit hot perks depending on how much funds you can donate. Like, if you can afford it, there are some seriously awesome, one of a kind perks too. Check it out!! :)
To keep up to date with all things Risky, then be sure to LIKE her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter too. :)
#JennifersBodies
#WiHM666
Oooh....lastly....this is my PERSONAL song for Risky to strip to for me!! :)
Also, I think that Thrasher by my friend Gavin Bain, aka Brain McLoud is a pretty decent 'WELCOME TO SCOTLAND YO' kinda track! Especially if Andy and crew get Risky on the Bucky!! Baaahahahahahaha. That is Buckfast Tonic Wine
So, after a successful 2 day event in Edinburgh in February 2014, Jennifer's Bodies is back for 2015, this time to be hosted in Glasgow. Submissions are now open and here are the lines to guide you.
I have already pre-selected a number of films personally, so if you know yourself to be one of my personally selected films, you don't need to submit again. If you're not sure, just gimme a holler!!
Soooooo......much like every year.....
Your feature film/short MUST be either directed, produced or written by a woman.
All submissions must obviously be horror (doh!), be it psychological, zombie, ghost, revenge, slasher...as long as it is horror~ific...and if you're not sure, by all means, please do get in touch! I also love haunting sad films that ooze melancholy and many of these can still be deemed horror of sorts. It's all subjective to our own personal ideas I guess. :)
For submissions of shorts, if you could email me links to a private Vimeo/YouTube account with the password for me to view. If I then accept your submission for this years festival, I will require a copy to be posted out on DVD/Blu-ray and/or a high quality downloadable copy.
When emailing me, if you could include a basic synopsis of your movie, along with any campaign materials such as film stills, posters and trailer etc.
Once you have been accepted into Jennifer's Bodies 2014, when posting out your DVD, if you could also include any campaign materials in hard copies, such as postcards etc. for your film. This way I can display them at the event and it makes it easier for people to remember the names of all the things they've seen.
Also if you have any other promotional items such as t-shirts, patches and what not that you'd like to send, I will be doing a giveaway and raffle at the event, with all funds raised to be donated to Beagle rights charity Unite to Care. Also my boobs like to put your tees on them too. They likes the coverage, moooahahahaha. So T-SHIRTS for Morleysaurus BOOB coverage = GOOD!!
There is no charge for submissions however if you would like to make a donation towards helping put the festival together, then that is most appreciated. If you would like to help out with some of the costs, including that of advertising and making up a programme, then please let me know. I do everything for Jennifer's Bodies myself and the costs do build up, so any help I can get is fab!! :)
I will consider a feature/short that is not directed by a woman IF it is both written and produced by a woman and has a strong female lead performance.
Every year I screen a film directed by a MAN that has basically taken on board all of the principles of Women in Horror Month. Such as Jose Pedro Lopes, and Jeremiah Kipp; both previously screened at Jennifer's Bodies, due to their strong female empowered films. If you are a woman and you feel that you know a guy who embodies everything that we stand for, get them to drop me a line. :)
All submissions are due by January 27th 2014.
Email for submissions and more information - jennifersbodies@gmail.com
Details to include -
Name
Website/Facebook Page/Twitter/Tumblr/Instagram/Pinterest etc.
Jennifer's Bodies is all about sharing the work of amazing women working in the horror genre. It's also about the chance to have a wee bit of fun and a giggle. With this in mind, I would like to invite you all to join in a wee short film competition. This could be the first thing you've ever tried, or you could be an experienced filmmaker. The whole point this competition is to have a bit of fun, all whilst embracing the Women in Horror Recognition Month manifesto.
As the point of Women in Horror Recognition Month is to get EVERYONE on board with supporting women working in the genre, I am opening this competition to both males AND females to enter. My only stipulation, is that the short embraces the concept of a strong female character and somewhere within the short, you must feature the following things -
A pair of scissors
A Beagle, bunny or dinosaur
A red flower
The line - "Turn around so I can't see your face."
Now these items could be be a picture on the wall, or someone walking their bunny in the background (heehee!!). Use your imagination, and remember, this is just a bit of fun. :)
Myself and a few selected judges (tbc.) will select the best four shorts and these will be screened at Jennifer's Bodies on either the 21st or 22nd February (I'll decide what date closer to the day), and on the Jennifer's Bodies Official Website. A list of all shorts entered will also be posted on the site with links to Vimeo videos.
Final date for submissions will be the 7th February and shorts should be no longer than 5 minutes. As the date is two weeks before the event, if you could either send me the finished product via private Dropbox or Vimeo, where I can view and download it....just because there probably won't be time to actually post the DVD/Blu-ray out. I'm saying Vimeo just because the quality is a lot better than YouTube. :)
If all entries could be sent to jennifersbodies@gmail.com with a short synopsis. And if you want to go all out and make up a wee poster, then knock yourself out!! And remember, this is for boys and grrrrllll's! So yay, get your creativity on and have some fun! :)
Your feature film/short MUST be either directed, produced or written by a woman.
All submissions must obviously be horror (doh!), be it psychological, zombie, ghost, revenge, slasher...as long as it is horror~ific...and if you're not sure, by all means, please do get in touch! I also love haunting sad films that ooze melancholy and many of these can still be deemed horror of sorts. It's all subjective to our own personal ideas I guess. :)
I will consider a feature/short that is not directed by a woman IF it is both written and produced by a woman and has a strong female lead performance.
For submissions of shorts, if you could email me links to a private Vimeo/YouTube account with the password for me to view. If I then accept your submission for this years festival, I will require a copy to be posted out on DVD/Blu-ray.
When emailing me, if you could include a basic synopsis of your movie, along with any campaign materials such as film stills, posters and trailer etc., that would be fab!!
Once you have been accepted into Jennifer's Bodies 2014, when posting out your DVD, if you could also include any campaign materials in hard copies, such as postcards etc. for your film. This way I can display them at the event and it makes it easier for people to remember the names of all the things they've seen. And besides, who doesn't love postcards!?! ;)
Also if you have any other promotional items such as t-shirts, patches and what not that you'd like to send, I will be doing a giveaway and raffle at the event. Also my boobs like to put your tees on them too. They likes the coverage, moooahahahaha.
There is no charge for submissions however if you would like to make a donation towards helping put the festival together, then that is most appreciated. Even if everyone puts in £5....it all builds up. The main cost is that of advertising and making up a programme. I do everything for Jennifer's Bodies myself and the costs do build up, so any help I can get is fab!! :)
All submissions are due by January 29th 2014.
Email for submissions and more information - jennifersbodies@gmail.com
Details to include -
Name
Website/Facebook Page/Twitter/Tumblr/Instagram/Pinterest etc.
