Article by: Dave O Butnu
Canadian sisters, Jen and Sylvia Soksa are making waves in the world of indie horror. With their debut, Dead Hooker In A Trunk, only just reaching its release on DVD in the UK, they are already working on their next project, American Mary. Luckily, the Soska Sisters were able to take some time out of production to talk to subtitledonline.com…
Your first film, Dead Hooker In A Trunk, has just come out on DVD after a pretty successful run on the horror festival circuit. I understand that you’ve been working on it for over 3 years now, so how does it feel to let it loose on the world after all the hard work?
Sylvia: It feels so wonderful that it doesn't seem like reality. Working on this film, we had to face a lot of challenges and use our resources to work around those. We're so used that process that to have it finally out and world distribution just around the corner is a hugely humbling honour. I'm very grateful to the horror community that has really gotten behind the film and made it get to this point. It's a testament to the power of the people and I'm so happy they dug the flick.
Jen: Everything with our Dead Hooker In A Trunk has been surreal. It's an incredible feeling to be a filmmaker with a released film. When you start out, you're just so damn excited to be making a film. There is so much more that goes into filmmaking than just the making of the film in the first place. Not enough people talk about what a struggle it is to get your film out there after it is completed. The festival circuit goes a long way in getting your film seen. It's the people and their response to the film that is the most vital. I can't even begin to say how grateful we are to have been embraced by the horror community.
The film has a very ‘exploitation’ style title, and when watching Dead Hooker… I know that you’re both fans of Grindhouse, but I couldn’t help thinking of Troma as well. Did you consciously draw on these sorts of influences?
Sylvia: There is such a huge misconception that only certain people with a certain amount of money can make movies in a very certain way. That's bulls**t. People with very modest budgets have been making cool flicks since film first began. Troma and the old Grindhouse films of yesterday aren't great because they are flashy, expensive, studio opuses - they were great because of the heart that is put into the work. You can't buy that.
We have loved horror films since childhood - we started at the ripe old age of 9, although the fascination was always there - and we were getting frustrated with what we were seeing in the theatres. I remember talking to Jen and saying that Grindhouse was the first time in a long time that I was excited to go to the movies. We wanted to make something that we would like to see in a theatre and that was the idea that fuelled Dead Hooker In A Trunk.
Jen: The whole Grindhouse style lends itself to indie filmmaking. Having said that, doing a film in the Grindhouse style doesn't mean you can cut corners and get away with making a crappy movie. On the contrary, a Grindhouse film, because they can be done so effectively with a modest budget, are very carefully critiqued. Make sure you have intentional camera work, sharp editing and good actors. Bad acting will instantly ruin your film even if everything else is flawless. It's a big part of why most people are reluctant to even watch an independent film with ‘no name’ actors. As sh***y as it is, people want to see name actors in your films for that very reason. Any indie filmmaker trying to get their film out there can tell you one of the first things anyone asks about your film, especially festivals, reviewers, and distributors, is "who's in it?"
But I digress... We did want to make our film Grindhouse style. We wanted Dead Hooker In A Trunk to be larger than life and that's another thing that the Grindhouse style is really great for. DHIAT is our own take on Grindhouse. We had talked a bit during the making of the film about doing the degraded film with lines running through it, but it took more away from the film than anything else.
Towards the end of Dead Hooker… one of you says something like, “I can’t believe that there were no bad consequences for all of this!” Was it quite liberating to make a movie without teaching everyone a lesson in morals?
Sylvia: You can have morals in a film without preaching at people. I hate watching a film and then having the filmmaker's opinion forced down my throat. Film - like all art - should be open to interpretation. There are tender moments in DHIAT but the overall feeling is fun and loose. No character is just good or just bad. There are too many films where the protagonist has to be this sinless perfect person and that is just not how people work. I really enjoyed the twenty-something b**tard characters that led the adventure. It really did feel liberating to write flawed people who, despite those flaws, had very endearing qualities.
We wanted to have the cast go through all sorts of over the top insanity and, in the end, the only real change in circumstance is the growth in the relationships between the group in seeking peace for the hooker - a stranger in an occupation that is often looked at as less than human. They try to do right by her and that's sweet in a very demented way.
Jen: One of the things said about the film that I am most proud of is "you find yourself falling for these lovable characters despite them never really doing anything lovable." I agree fully with what Sylvie said. I hate those intentional sweet moments that are shoved down our throats more often than not accompanied by some sentimental music. It's insulting to an audience much like a laugh track. We are free to feel however we like about whatever we like. It's degrading to tell your audience "this is the sad part" or "you're supposed to laugh here.”
When we set out to make Dead Hooker In A Trunk we more than anything wanted to make a film that is pure enjoyment for our audiences. Don't you hate that feeling when you leave a theatre and you feel so humiliated for having paid and gone out to see yet another steaming pile of crap that you hope no-one sees you there? I know I do. There may be fewer people going to the theatres these days, but who can really blame them? We wanted to make a film that would get people excited to see it. It started with the title and built from there. It was very liberating to make a film however we liked with whatever story we wanted and with whoever we pleased. We wanted to make a WTF film, and I would humbly say that we have done exactly that.
If people watching your films choose to walk out, do you look at it as more of a triumph or does it hurt your feelings? I love Dead Hooker…, but it must go without saying that some people wouldn’t have the patience for such a relentless movie.
Sylvia: I saw Bob Saget doing stand up in town a few weeks back and people walked out over some jokes that seemed tame to me. But I'm a terrible judge of what people will find offensive. At first, it bothered me when I heard of people walking out, but it's their choice to do so and you can't push your interests on people. That said, we thought the title of the film was ample warning for what they were walking into.
What I do like is the few times I've been in a darkened theatre, watching a horror, and seeing people get so scared from something in the film that they run out screaming. Fear is very interesting to me. I understand what can make something scary, but often I don't find those feelings in myself when watching films. My mother explained horror to me very straight forward when we were young: everything you see on the screen is created by talented artists with the intention of scaring you. So, what can be threatening about that?
One day, I want to create that. That moment that is so horrific in a film that an audience member, despite knowing better, runs screaming out of the theatre because of something we created. I just think that means your work truly touched someone. Not everyone has to run out, screaming, but it would be nice.
Jen: I guess it would depend on why they were walking out of our film. Everyone deserves a bathroom break. Seriously, though, I am surprised when someone is offended by the film. It is just as comedic as it is horrific and, before you even realise it, it gets actually quite touching and sweet. One of the many things that our title does is give our audiences a taste of what they're in for. If you don't giggle like a school girl at a Bieber concert when you first hear it, chances are it's not your cup of tea. I don't expect everyone to love our film. There is no-one film universally loved by everyone. Even films considered classics or one of the greats aren’t loved by everyone. If you start making your work for everyone, you're going to end up with something no-one will enjoy.
There are a lot of contrasts between the characters in Dead Hooker…, most notably the two ‘goodies’ and two ‘baddies’ in the main group of four. Is this theme of duality something that lies closer to your hearts, being twins? Do you get a lot of people assuming that you’re exactly the same as each other?
Sylvia: Relationships between people and the internal conflict of good and evil within individuals fascinate me. We started with two 'goodies' and two 'baddies', but, as the story progresses, you see that these stereotypes have different dimensions. We wanted to play around with that and have contrasting character aspects. Badass was rivalled by her twin Geek. Both are hot-headed and stubborn, but in different ways. Junkie was rivalled by Goody Two-Shoes, as both had this innocent outlook on the world but from two polar opposites of the spectrum. I see people putting a significant amount of faith in stereotypes - that probably came from being born as a twin which comes with preconceived notions of this and that - and I wanted to play with those thoughts and put them on their head a bit.
Jen: We've heard every twin joke, comment, and question you could ever imagine. More often than not, "Which one's the evil twin?" Probably both of us. Being Catholic, we've always had this fascination with good and evil. We divided our four heroes into very definitive stereotypes, but wanted to break those stereotypes, or at very least throw them into question, by the end of the film. Goody in particular has a very distinctive character arc. You can see his breaks in his armour, so to speak, throughout the film, and he more than proves his incredible strength by the end of the whole bloody affair.
We realised that we'd be expected to do a good job of it, seeing as we are real life sisters and that has to come into play on camera. We work very well together. We are two very different people, but we think the same and understand one another. Duality is fascinating to us.
Have there been any issues with censors around the world, now that the movie is being released? Did Dead Hooker… get banned or cut anywhere?
Sylvia: We got extremely lucky with this film in the respect that we maintained creative control over the entire project without having to fight for our content. I'm actually surprised it didn't get more backlash. The only banning happened over the title without the film being watched, so I think people don't have a problem with the content. It got an 18+ rating, but it has extreme language, violence and full frontal male nudity, so that was expected.
Jen: The film is available in its entirety and I am so happy about it. I absolutely detest censorship. I feel that not only is it bulls**t to tell someone what they can or cannot watch and remove the opportunity for them to even decide for themselves, but it breeds ignorance. Just because you don't see something doesn't mean it doesn't exist. How are we ever supposed to deal with real horror in our lives? If someone is attacked and raped, they can't just cut to the next day. They have to be there. Art imitates life. When violence and horror disappear from reality, then it would be appropriate to remove those aspects from film.
If anyone under 18 is reading this, I'm sorry we couldn't lower our rating so you could grab a copy of DHIAT or see it. I hope you still find a way and I hope it inspires you to go out and make your own films. I sincerely mean that. DOB
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