Women in Horror Month Interview with Filmmaker/Actress/Model Emma Dark

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 filmmaker/actress/model Emma Dark. Lets see what she said about being a “Woman in Horror”…

-PH: When did you first become a horror fan?

-Emma: Ever since I can remember… way back to my earliest years! I’ve always been fascinated by horror – films, books etc.

I remember seeing Albert Pyun’s “The Sword and the Sorcerer” at a very young age in the 1980’s when it had its UK video release. And although it’s a fantasy film it does have some very strong horror elements. I would say that was my first proper glimpse of horror cinema as such.

-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?

-Emma: I’d been modelling for alternative clothing brands for a number of years, which then lead to me getting involved front of camera in a handful of music videos, the most notable being B.E.F. / Kim Wilde’s “Every Time I See You I Go Wild” (2013). That was my first taste of actively being involved in a public project that was more horror driven. It inspired me to create my own content, mainly interview pieces for friends running genre news sites. One of the pieces I became involved in was interviewing filmmakers at a genre festival. I realised quite quickly that the people I’d interviewed were very much like me in terms of experience and had leapt headlong into creative filmmaking with fantastic results. As nice as it is to have lovely photos and footage of yourself front of camera I really wasn’t putting my full creative skill set to use, and that’s when I made the decision to create my first self Produced/Directed film “Seize the Night” (2015). The rest feels like history, I’ve done so much already in such a brief time span.

-PH: What does having a “Women in Horror” month mean to you?

-Emma: Although I think female filmmakers are well supported within the truly independent horror scene right now (and generally I’m one of those lucky enough to have a reasonable amount of exposure) not everyone is afforded that opportunity. As well as shining a spotlight on new and upcoming talent it helps give women more of a voice, both to talk about the great things they’ve been doing and to highlight where support or change is required. Everyone has different experiences, both good and bad, and this is a time to reflect upon those and strive for advancement where needed.

-PH: Is there a woman in horror who you consider a role model?

-Emma: Not a single woman in particular, I would say I see positivity in a number of female characters I see being created on screen, and I see that same positivity in my social media news feed every day from fellow female filmmakers, actors/artistes and their supporters. And that is both inspiring and encouraging.

-PH: How do you think the role of women in horror has changed over the years?

-Emma: It’s changed considerably, and thankfully for the better! The way women are portrayed on screen has developed over the years, and we are now seeing a greater number of strong female lead characters, particularly in the horror and sci-fi genres. This is a change I feel is still not reflected across other more mainstream genres though. In terms of women behind the camera, movements like ‘Women in Horror Month’ have definitely helped shine a spotlight on more individuals.

PH: What do you think the future holds for women in horror?

-Emma: It’s hard to say. As women I think we are facing a new challenge with certain political personalities having come into power in recent times who clearly don’t have an altogether positive view of women and see empowered women as a threat. This does have a knock on effect across every single industry. However, I do feel the independent horror scene is incredibly encouraging towards women in film. What I’d like to see is more of this talent scouted by Hollywood, the UK film industry etc. and women moving on from driving their own projects to actually being hired for studio projects.

-PH: Being that this is PromoteHorror.com, please feel free to plug your current/next horror project.

-Emma: My new film “Salient Minus Ten” is currently on it’s festival run. You can find out more about the film via the synopsis below, and catch up with all the latest news on its social media page – www.facebook.com/SalientMinusTen, www.twitter.com/SalientMinusTen.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/231845267

Synopsis:

SALIENT MINUS TEN is the new Sci-Fi/Horror short film from award-winning filmmaker Emma Dark, and is a cerebral foray into the darker, more disturbing, side of Science Fiction.

“Adam Harper is an average man. And on an average day he suddenly finds himself catapulted into the strangest, reality changing game… A game of time and chance, where the stakes are a matter of life and death.”

Emma Dark Bio:

Emma Dark is an award-winning filmmaker, actress and model, specialising in the Horror, Sci-Fi and Fantasy genres.

Her first self produced and directed short film “Seize the Night” (2015) won her the Rising Star award at Northern Ireland’s Yellow Fever Independent Film Festival. The film garnered favourable reviews from a multitude of respected genre websites including Dread Central, Starburst and UK Horror Scene, as well as a news article on the official AMC’s Horror Channel website. As the film gained momentum “Seize the Night” and Emma Dark featured in comprehensive national print articles, including a front page mention in leading UK horror magazine ‘Scream’.

2017 saw Emma complete her second short film – Sci-Fi/Horror “Salient Minus Ten”, which features Star Wars actor Alan Austen in the lead role, with cinematography from internationally renowned DoP Philip Bloom.

She is currently a contributing writer for ‘Digital FilmMaker Magazine’ and an honorary patron of the arts at The Misty Moon Film Society. Emma regularly appears as a Film and TV guest at genre conventions around the UK.

Emma’s full biography is available at emmadark.com/about

Thank you very much for the interview.

And we would like to thank Emma Dark for taking the time to answer our questions, but more importantly for her contribution to horror!

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