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.” Two of the women, who were kind enough to answer our questions, were Rare Deviant Productions’ filmmakers Jasmine Martinez and Vicky Bagley. Lets see what they said about being a “Woman in Horror”…
-PH: When did you first become a horror fan?
-Jasmine: Since birth. I’m born on Halloween so it kind of comes with the territory. On a more serious note I think it was when I got traumatized by The Exorcist at the age of 9. That fear and adrenaline made me want to dig deeper.
-Vicky: I have this vivid memory of when I was about 5 or 6 years old, I was visiting my biological father in San Diego and the first Nightmare on Elm Street was on TV. I believe that was the first contact I had with horror, and I didn’t think much of it until bedtime came around. The dark terrified me as a child, it still does at times, I grew up in the 90ies and watched all of the teen slashers, such as Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, Neve Campbell was my Scream Queen and from there I went on to Asian horror, Evil Dead Trap and the Guinea Pig franchise were among the first ones I watched at 12, and they slightly traumatized me. The adrenaline rush you got when you watched a horror movie as a child, that indescribable feeling and rush, is fascinating and I love it so much and I wish I could keep that feeling bottled up in a jar somewhere.
-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?
-Jasmine: I’ve always wanted to try making movies or acting but I never really got into it until I met Sarah who wanted to make more horror films and get her ideas out there. That’s when I was pulled along on the project Sargad. Making movies is tough and a lot of work, but it’s also super fun and when a project is finished you feel kind of empty and yearning for more.
-Vicky: The transition from fan to contributor just kind of happened. I’ve worked as an extra in music videos and commercials for a couple of years now and I’ve always been a writer at heart and about 4 years ago I became interested in FX makeup. Since then I’ve found an amazing group of likeminded people who I enjoy creating, contributing and collaborating with. Thankfully they’re all huge fans of the genre. I feel incredibly lucky. I’ve also started the production company Rare Deviant Productions, with Jasmine.
-PH: What does having a “Women in Horror” month mean to you?
-Jasmine: Women in Horror month is a month to bring forth female filmmakers to make it known to the world that’s it’s not only men who make horror films. There are a lot of freaky horrific women out there who want to put their creative and disturbing mind on film. I also want to believe that it’s a month that won’t be needed in the future. I know that both friends of mine and I don’t want to be known as a female filmmaker but a filmmaker. No one goes around saying male filmmaker. Filmmaking is in no way tied to gender.
-Vicky: I love the fact that women get this month where they get to shine and be recognized in the genre, whatever their field of work is. We as women need to always lift each other up. It’s still shocking to me how little recognition females get within the film industry and it saddens me that as a female you automatically do not get the same opportunities. But times are changing and hopefully they’re changing for the better. We’ve just gotta keep on pushing and show ‘em what we’ve got and prove that we’re just as capable, if not even more so. This is why a month of recognizing is important, a short period of the year, where we bring forth our crazy talents and share a little extra of our passion with the world, where we can meet new amazing people.
-PH: Is there a woman in horror who you consider a role model?
-Jasmine: Many. Gigi Saul Guerrero, Patricia Chica, Jessica Messenger, Emma Dark, Kate Shenton, Lin Shaye, Karyn Kusama to name a few. And I also of course consider both Sarah Giercksky and Vicky Bagley who’ve I’ve worked with a lot, huge role models. They’ve taught me a lot and also pushed me to do more and I am eternally grateful for it. They are amazing women and you should keep an eye out on their future projects.
-Vicky: There are many, but Jen and Sylvia Soska will forever be two of my favorites in the genre. I admire their work and their persistence, and their “if at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again” – mentality. Their kindness, positivity and encouragement to always follow your stupid fucking dreams, is absolutely heartwarming. Then there’s Gigi Saul Guerrero. Where do I even begin to explain Gigi, she is not only a role model and huge inspiration, she’s a very good friend of mine and I cherish that friendship to no end. Her mind always works at full speed and her creativeness never cease to amaze me, her work along with Luchagore is absolutely brilliant and breathtaking.
-PH: How do you think the role of women in horror has changed over the years?
-Jasmine: We’ve become more heard. It’s finally a time where everyone dares to say what they think and I hope that people are listening. Of course we’ve come a long way from before, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to stop trying just because we’re closing in. The fight won’t be over until it’s true equality in the world, and that doesn’t mean just in gender but race as well.
-Vicky: I believe that we as women are able to form such a strong bond and connection, when it comes to looking out for one another and when women support and protect other women, magical things happen. It’s incredibly beautiful to see the support and friendships that have flourished from tragedies. We grow as people, we live and we learn and we help develop the genre. As the world changes, we continue to evolve along with it.
-PH: What do you think the future holds for women in horror?
-Jasmine: Fantastic things. Women tend to think differently and we have another perspective than most men. I think that even for men that this perspective is interesting and refreshing. Like I said earlier I just hope that we can be seen as equals to male directors. I want someday for female director to sound as weird as male director.
-Vicky: Whether a woman is in front of the camera or behind, it should not make a difference. We as humans, yearn respect and approval from those around us. I’m a strong believer of karma. If you do good to others, good will come to you. Our attitudes will determine where we go in life. In the end, it all comes down to being a decent fucking person, be kind to others, it goes a long way. Wonderful things are bound to happen when you spread kindness wherever you go. Women have so much to contribute to the world of horror, we’ve lived through horror, so do not try to silence us, because we’re here to tell you all about it.
-PH: Being that this is PromoteHorror.com, please feel free to plug your current/next horror project.
-Jasmine: Inner Turmoil for WiHM9 that I produced and was the first Assistant Director for: https://youtu.be/O3yJ7zIm7z0
Upcoming Post apocalyptic Short from Rare Deviant Productions is on the way! Check out updates on https://www.facebook.com/raredeviant/
Bitches of Horror: http://youtube.com/bitchesofhorror
The 13th Floor http://ttf13.com
Choke on it: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/choke-on-it/id1329072433?mt=2
Sargad: I was the first assistant director and make up assistant: https://www.facebook.com/Sargad/
-Vicky: I wrote and directed the short ‘Inner Turmoil’ for the Soska’s Massive Blood Drive, WiHm9, check it out: https://youtu.be/O3yJ7zIm7z0
Rare Deviant Productions are currently working on a couple of things, you can find out more about us and keep up to date with our shenanigans at: https://www.facebook.com/raredeviant/
We would like to thank Jasmine and Vicky for taking the time to answer our questions, but more importantly for her contribution to horror!
