Jennifer's Bodies 2017 Official Selection - Gigi Saul Guerrero's Madre De Dios, Starring Tristan Risk!

For many years, Gigi Saul Guerrero has been a personal favourite of mine.  She is one bad ass chick and one hell of a filmmaker to boot!  

This year I shall be showing her Tristan Risk starring short Madre De Dios.  

My mate Finnie summed this up perfectly....."Like the Exorcist on crack!"  I have to agree with him.  Haha.  If you have seen any of Gigi's prior work, you will have a pretty good idea of just how accurate he is going to be!  Haha. 

Tristan Risk is obviously one of our ultimate darlings in horror, and Gigi, along with her Luchagore team have most definitely joined the party.  There is so much talent here.  Like, every time I watch From Dusk Till Dawn, I keep thinking, we need Gigi directing dammit!!  From Dusk Till Dawn is easily one of my favourite shows.....Gigi is THAT awesome!!  Check out my interview with the lovely lady from 2014 to get a better idea, and to also kinda geek over how far she has come in such a short period of time.  Gigi = LOVE!! <3 

To keep up to date with her work, please check out Luchagore Productions on Facebook and be sure to follow Gigi on Twitter as well.  

Jennifer's Bodies 2017 - Women in Horror Panel Lineup.

Jessica Bowman - Director of Rabbits Take Revenge 

Jessica, Jessica, Jessica.  My love.  My darling.  My wife!  Haha.  Jess and I have worked together on a number of projects with boys, but it is Jess's directorial debut I am MOST excited for!  Rabbits Take (mother fucking) Revenge!!!!!  Jess has worked with me on horror, dystopian future and fantasy films.  Her total bunny rights flick though that she is soon to be shooting....it melts my little heart!  She is an awesome, awesome chickaroo and I am glad that people are digging her script so far.  :)

Rabbits Take Revenge is a film after my own heart, I am a total animal rights activist, anti-vivisection and pro-women in film.  It makes me so happy that special effects/makeup artist Samantha Jack, who is working on the film, has transferred to a cruelty-free makeup as well after realising how many big brands that are makeup staples, are also cruel and evil.  Sam has even turned down work due to people demanding animal-tested makeup.  Yup....that's how rad these girls are!!  Rabbits Take Revenge is a total girl-powered animal rights film and I am behind it 110%.  Jess is also seriously one of the closest people you can ever find to being soooooo like me!!!  Haha.  She ooozes Women in Horror and will make a great panelist!

Jessica will also be introducing Hayley McInline's Bridal Fever trailer, which she worked on.  Unfortunately, Hayley is heavily preggers and in total agony so will probably not be able to make it.  We can still hope though. :)  Be well Hayley! <3 

(Pictured above - Jess and I covered in our screen husband, Craig McGinlay's FAKE blood, haha!!)

Julie Robinson - Director of Were

I am so excited to be giving fellow Scot, Julie Robinson's Were, its world premiere at Jennifer's Bodies this year.  This busy mother of two has been a Lighting Console Operator and Vision Engineer at BBC Scotland since 2000 and runs her production company, Jumbled Up Productions, in her spare time.  With the BBC she has worked on everything from Mrs Brown's Boys to T in the Park, Harry Potter at the Castle, BAFTA Scotland awards to loads of other stuff including entertainment shows to sports.  

Were is Julie's first horror and third project with her company.  What I love most about Julie through her own personal stuff such as documentary Socks and Shoes Off, is that she is teaching young girls (and boys....all the way through to grannies!!) to be bad asses and learning how to protect themselves.  Were is most definitely a reflection on this.  I guess the old adage "don't judge a book by its cover" is oh so apt here!

Julie will be on the Women in Horror Month panel and will also have cast and crew in attendance.  :)

Jo Osborne - Director of Requital

Jo, like Julie, is another awesome chick I have only met recently.  And through none other than Woman in Horror Month founder Hannah Neurotica, who had Jo over for the US premiere of Requital at her Ax Wound Festival.

Not only is Jo a filmmaker, but she also runs the Love Hurts Film Festival in Glasgow as well, which actually had its latest event last night, February 14th.  I can't wait to get Jo's input on being a woman in film, my beloved Hannah, and the joys of running a film festival as well.

Jo will be there to introduce Requital, as well as feature on the Women in Horror panel. :)

Ben Thompson - Director of Nutcracker

I first discovered Ben Thompson last year when he had submitted his film Nutcracker for funding from Film Industry Scotland.  His script was incredible and a total reflection on so many important topics at the forefront of modern western society today.  It is a darkly delicious take on a whole culture...a culture that needs to change!  Nutcracker is definitely a film most perfectly suited to Women in Horror Month, it is directed by a guy, but with a total feminist story, strong female lead and a lot of awesome chicks behind the scene....Ben is totally the kind of male director we love!

Ben is going to be joining us on the Women in Horror Month panel and also giving us a first look at the wicked trailer for Nutcracker as well.  Ben is also a film technician at Screen Academy Scotland.

Jennifer's Bodies Official Selection 2017 - Jill Sixx Gevargizian's The Stylist, Starring Najarra Townsend!

Call Girl's Jill Sixx Gevargizian is back with her latest film, The Stylist.  

Starring Najarra Townsend and Jennifer Plas, The Stylist is a gore~geous film with an incredibly haunting performance from Najarra Townsend.  

"Claire is a lonely hairstylist with an unnerving desire to escape her disappointing reality.  When her final client of the evening arrives with the request to look perfect, Claire has plans of her own."  

You can check out the trailer below, and be sure to LIKE the Facebook page for more updates as well as check out Jill's Official Website where you can watch Call Girl and check out Jill's contribution to Jen and Sylvia Soska's Massive Blood Drive PSA's as well.  I am sure you will all agree that Jill is a hell of a talent that should be on everyone's radar! :)  You can also find both Jill and Najarra on Twitter alongside the Official Twitter for The Stylist as well.  

Today is Jill's birthday as well, so please do join me in wishing this total bad ass chick a very Happy Birthday! 

Jennifer's Bodies 2017 - Official Short Film Selection!

Below is the list of short films that shall be screening at Jennifer's Bodies in on the 19th of February 2017 at Blackfriars in Glasgow in association with Popcorn Horror.  

Jo Osborne - Requital

Katie Bonham - Mindless

Jill Sixx Gevargizian - The Stylist

Gigi Saul Guerrero - Madre De Dios

Julie Robinson - Were

Karen Lam - Chiral

Izzy Lee - Innsmouth

Aviv Rubinstien - With Whip 

Venita Ozols-Graham - Used Body Parts

On top of these films, due to knowing I have a large audience that won't have seen a whole load of films, I am going to be doing "Blasts from the Past" section, where I screen a few films that I have previously shown over the years, but that I love so much, and that I think fit in so perfectly in today's climate, that I believe them to be truly important pieces of work!  Anyone who has watched these films before, I am sure will be psyched to get the chance to check them out again.  

I am still confirming the feature, but I am going for something really awesome and will let you know as soon as possible.  

Keep your eyes peeled for the list of films getting a sneak peek at the festival, some of these are exclusive sneak peeks as well, with some of the filmmakers in attendance to introduce them! :) xo

Jennifer's Bodies Official Selection 2017 - World Premiere of Julie Robinson's Were!

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. :) 

Jennifer's Bodies Official Selection 2017 - Karen Lam's Chiral!

I am so happy to announce that Jennifer's Bodies favourite crazy cat lady and knitting obsessive, Karen Lam, is back!  Yay!  Over the years I have screened two of the Lam'ster's features, Evangeline and Stained, as well as shorts Doll Parts, The Meeting, Stalled and The Stolen.

Karen creates such visually stunning films with a very twisted and macabre heart making this Canadian most definitely a woman after my own heart, haha.

This year I shall be screening her short film Chiral, which sees an art dealer confronting a would-be thief, only to come face to face with a horrifying experience.  

(Nelson Leis) 

Starring Nelson Leis (who has worked on two of my favourite ever shows, Bates Motel and The Killing, as well as Arrow, The Flash, Supernatural, The 4400 and a whole heap of cool stuff, including Lam's Evangeline!!), Vanessa Walsh (Supernatural, Olympus, Almost Human) and Ingrid Nilson (the voice of Raspberry Torte in the Strawberry Shortcake animated series, voice of Maud Pie in My Little Pony....like basically doing cartoons that were two of my favourites as a kid - how totally cool is that!?  She was also in Supernatural as well.   Ingrid is also a professional dancer, burlesque performer, song writer, theatre creator....an all round talented chickaroo!)

(Karen Lam and Vanessa Walsh)

(Ingrid Nilson)

Alongside Lam, Leis and Walsh, the film was also produced by Karen Wong.  Creepily enough (you wouldn't expect anything less from me, haha!!), I have just discovered that one of the films I was talking about yesterday in work, was actually the first film she worked on.  The utterly gore~geous Kissed!  Yes, I was talking about necrophilia to my customers at work, haha.  Wong has also worked on a bunch of Little Miss Lam's films, including producing the incredible Evangeline.

Ooh, Karen is also currently working as a staff writer on Neil Labute's Syfy series Van Helsing which I totally need to check out!  

You can check out the Official Facebook Page for Chiral here.  

Twisted Twins Productions Jen and Sylvia Soska's Massive Blood Drive PSA 2017!

Ever since Women in Horror Month's inception, Jen and Sylvia Soska have done an annual Massive Blood Drive PSA....each year getting more batshit than the rest!  People are always in need of blood....and not just vampires!  It is in you to give and by doing so, you could save a life!  So get on down to your local blood drive and donate today if you can.  Please be sure to get pics and #InYouToGive with them as well! :) 

This year we have another awesome lineup of directors and people involved that I'm sure you'll all agree, it's a blast!  

This year our collective includes a killer combination of top talent including WiH Massive Blood Drive veterans and fresh bloods: Aleah Anseth (Being Little Miss Risk), Tamae Garateguy (All Night Long, She Wolf), Maude Michaud (60 Seconds 2 Die, Dys-), Jill Gevargizian (The Stylist), Damon Rickard (Dissociative, Rats), Patricia Chica (Ceramic Tango, Montreal Girls), Hannah Forman (WiH Month Founder and Creator), Nicholas Burman-Vince (Hellraiser), Russ Foxx, Brent Ray Fraser, and Aramis Sartorio (The Gruesome Death of Tommy Pistol). 

So yay...without further adieu, I present to you Jen and Sylvia Soska's 2017 Massive Blood Drive PSA!