As you may know, February is “Women in Horror” month. To celebrate, PromoteHorror.com asked women from different professions if they would like to answer some questions about being a “Woman in Horror.” One of the women, who was kind enough to answer our questions, was writer/director/producer Rebekah Fieschi. Lets see what she said about being a “Woman in Horror”…. Lets see what she said about being a “Woman in Horror”…
-PH: When did you first become a horror fan?
-Rebekah: I suppose I’m not your typical horror fan as I have never been into gore or hardcore violence. Creatures and monsters are really what got me into horror as I’ve always been fascinated with fantasy and fantastic stories, along with psychological turmoils or things relating to them. I’m a sucker for ghosts, mad scientists, werewolves, vampires, etc. I grew up watching shows like Are You Afraid of the Dark? and always had nightmares and trouble falling asleep because of it, but couldn’t resist watching anyways. This evolved into watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a pre-teen, The Sixth Sense, Sleepy Hollow etc.
-PH: Was there a specific moment when you realized that you wanted to go from being a fan of horror to a woman who contributes to the genre, or did it just kind of happen naturally?
-Rebekah: I knew from age 10 or 11 that I wanted to be a film director but I didn’t know I wanted to make genre films, that just came out naturally when I started writing.
-PH: What does having a “Women in Horror” month mean to you?
-Rebekah: Having a “Women in Horror” month puts a spotlight on under represented voices and celebrates them, that alone is amazing but, what I truly love is the sense of community that comes from it, it brings women together instead of putting them up against one another which is a rare thing in our society.
-PH: Is there a woman in horror who you consider a role model?
-Rebekah: I always look up to Izzy Lee for her bold outspokenness and her inclusiveness. She is one the first filmmakers to have welcomed me in the community with opened arms and included me in various groups and discussions. She’s the kind of person we need out there.
-PH: What do you think the future holds for women in horror?
-Rebekah: Very exciting things I hope! I think that with time and persistance, more women will be hired on feature projects, the stereotypes will change, etc. What I really think and hope is that we will discover a whole new world of stories, new voices, new views of the world and expend our consciousness of what it means to be human (since as of now, we mainly get the male experience).
-PH: Being that this is PromoteHorror.com, please feel free to plug your current/next horror project.
-Rebekah: Mauvaises Têtes will be released on VOD this Valentine’s Day. My new short film Sylphvania Grove is not horror but fantasy, it will be released in festivals this summer. It’s about a girl who, in order to overcome her fears and find her true identity, has to confront their fantastic representation. My first feature will be a psychological horror film entitled Beast, it is currently in development.
You can watch some of my shorts at horromance.com and follow me on all social media @horromance.
We would like to thank Rebekah Fieschi for taking the time to answer our questions, but more importantly for her contribution to horror!