Women in Horror Month Interview with Actress/Filmmaker Rakefet Abergel

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,” and more. One of those women, who was kind enough to answer our questions, was actress, writer, producer, and director Rakefet Abergel. Lets see what she said about being a “Woman in Horror”…

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

-Rakefet: I never really considered myself a horror fan until recently. I’m a scaredy cat and even though I had seen a few I generally avoided horror films. I never really thought Jax in Love (my first film) was a horror film, but the horror community convinced me I was wrong and embraced it! So after traveling with it to numerous horror fests around the country and watching more horror than I had ever seen in my life, I gained a new appreciation for the genre. I just had to learn to be a little more brave! Now I consider myself a full fledged horror fan and I’m excited to be a part of such a great community.

-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?

-Rakefet: Well, like I said above, it kind of worked the other way. LOL . I made what I like to affectionately call an “accidental horror” movie, and that led me to being exposed to such great films, that I had no choice but to become a fan.

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

-Rakefet: I think that is one of the coolest part of being a female filmmaker who makes horror films. What other genre dedicates a whole month to us? It’s amazing to have so much exposure for myself and other female filmmakers, in a genre that used to be dominated by men.

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

-Rakefet: Probably every single one I’ve met. LOL. Jennifer Kent, for breaking out early and setting a nice pace for us. Aislinn Clarke for her vision and dedication to the arts and I’m in awe of all her recent success with The Devil’s Doorway. It’s inspiring. But even the ones who haven’t “made it” yet, the ones who are still struggling like me, they are my role models because they get up every day and create art that will elevate horror to a new level.

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

-Rakefet: Since I’m a new fan, I’m not sure if I can answer this with any certainty. But with Women in Horror month and all the great publicity, I’m sure we are in for something good.

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

-Rakefet: I think horror is about to get really, really good. Women have a different way of looking at things and it will be nice to have a broader perspective and gaze in the genre.

-PH: If you could serve a role in horror that you’ve never done, what would it be?

-Rakefet: I’m not the type exactly, but I would love to play the Final Girl in a good old fashioned slasher sometime. 🙂

-PH: Who is your favorite final girl, and favorite female villain?

-Rakefet: Favorite female villain is definitely Kathy Bates’ character in Misery. Jax was based largely on her in many ways. Final girl would maybe have to be Sydney in Scream. That was the first horror movie I wasn’t actually scared to watch.

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

-Rakefet: Jax in Love was my first short film and it played at over 50 festivals and won over 25 awards including 10 Best Actress awards for me, which was super exciting and cool. We have distribution on a new Women in Horror DVD Anthology by Meridian Releasing and on ShortsTV, as well as part of an anthology on the World of Death channel. You can see more at www.JaxinLove.com

My next project is a short horror film called BOO. It’s being co produced by my company, Cyclamen Films (which also did Jax), in association with VKTRY Creative, a company founded by a diverse female team.

The screenplay for BOO, written by me, was an official selection this year at multiple film festivals including Upstate NY Horror Film Festival, Georgia Shorts Film Festival, Horror Films In Hotlanta, Bloodstained Indie Film Festival, and Vancouver Bad Ass Film Festival.

2018 Boo Screenplay Nominations: Nightmares Film Festival Short Screenplay Finalist, Oregon Scream Week Best Horror Short Screenplay Nominee, Independent Horror Movie Awards Best Short Script Nominee, and Diabolical Horror Film Festival Best Short Script Nominee.

2018 Boo Screenplay Awards: Boobs and Blood Film Festival for Best Vampire Short Screenplay, Women in Horror Film Festival for Honorable Mention Best Short Screenplay, Queen Palm International Film Festival Gold Award for Best Dialogue and Antic Horror International Short Film Screenplay Contest for 2nd Runner Up Best Short Screenplay.

Our cast is pretty incredible and includes Josh Kelly (UnREAL), Parisa Fitz-Henley (Midnight, Texas), Laura Wiggins (Shameless), Michael Villar (Skin – 2019 Oscar nominated short film), and ME! I will also be directing. And our executive producer is Shawn Christian of Days of Our Lives fame!

We are currently crowdfunding and still need pledges! If you’re strapped for cash, even just going to our link and clicking FOLLOW and entering your email is free and helps us a lot!
For more info on the project and/or to make a pledge or follow our campaign click here: www.seedandspark.com/fund/booshortfilm

Here is a link to our teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpiJ7C71ngk

And

Crowdfunding Pitch Video: https://vimeo.com/310988411

Both also available at the Seed and Spark page by clicking the Media tab.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/booshortfilm
https://www.facebook.com/cyclamenfilms
https://www.facebook.com/rakefetabergel

https://www.Instagram.com/cyclamenfilms
https://www.Instagram.com/kef827

www.twitter.com/rakefet27
www.twitter.com/jaxinlovemovie

IMDB.me/rakefetabergel

We would like to thank Rakefet Abergel for taking the time to answer our questions, but more importantly for her contribution to horror!

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