Extreme Body Modification Takes Center Stage in Soska Sisters' Follow-Up American Mary
June 14th, 2012
As for the name, American Mary? "I wanted to pick the most powerful female name I could think of," Sylvia said. "I was thinking Mary Mother of God, Mary Magdalene (because there's a little bit of that in there)…and Mary Harron, who's one of my favorite directors. She directed American Psycho. She first taught me about making more controversial pieces, and I always wanted to make something that pissed people off. And considering that people have gotten ill during test screenings and people have run out during certain scenes of the movie, I think we did it."
The Soskas drew inspiration from many foreign works, noting that there has been a bit of a lull in American horror, especially theatrical releases. Jen said, "I think something fucked up happened in North America where we now think 'horror' means 'slasher' and if we couldn't come up with a slasher, we just did fucking remakes again. So the most interesting things are coming from other parts of the world right now."
Fans of the Soskas' previous film, Dead Hooker in a Trunk, will certainly be wondering what similarities their second effort has to their original offering. One thing you can count on is the twisted Soska humor returning in full bloom. "You're gonna know who the sick fucks in the audience are," Jen said. "There are moments that are very laugh out loud, but there are moments where you have to be one of the dark creatures to be laughing."
"I'm so passionate about this movie," Sylvia said. "I get so fucking focused on what this needs to look like and what the characters need to do, I don't see anything else. I love stories about outcasts and people who people don't usually understand. Jen and I were horribly teased growing up. We were teased, we were spat on, they called us witches, they beat us up and threw us in lockers."
"We were not popular at all," Jen remarked.
"They called us 'The Fitzgerald Sisters' so we watched Ginger Snaps," Sylvia said, "and that was the first time we saw Katie."
Katie, of course, is Katharine Isabelle, who plays the lead role of Mary Mason. Sylvia met Katharine several years ago on the set of Josie and the Pussycats and vowed to one day work with the actress. I was watching her career and loved Ginger Snaps," Sylvia said, "but she just kept getting these roles and you see her with Pacino in Insomnia and see her with Halle Berry. She can pull her fucking weight."
"She's a very talented actress, but for whatever reason, because Ginger Snaps was such a pivotal film for her career and for horror as well, everyone got so caught up in casting her as the angsty teenager, chain-smoking and swearing all the time, but she's a woman," Jen said. "She's grown the fuck up. She needed something that was a mature role. She's great in everything she does, but I've always wanted to see her in something grown-up and mature and complex and dark, and Mary is definitely that part."
You can also count on seeing a Soska cameo, but it may be the last one for a while. "I'd say it's a cameo, but it's a very pivotal role," Jen said. "It's a 'look at me' cameo. You're going to be waiting for it and it's going to be hinted at before you see it, but there's a pretty good payoff. If you're going to step back from acting, you might as well do it with a bang."
And, of course, the million dollar question is where and when will we be able to see American Mary? The Twisted Twins were tight-lipped about the distribution information, but those tight lips were smiling. "There are a lot of interested parties in American Mary," Jen said, "and there's one large interested party that's already claimed some of her. And there's lots to claim."
And although they are completed immersed in the world of Mary right now, the Soskas do have a couple of irons in the fire for the future, including word that they will be hosting several episodes of the rumored Chainsaw Sally Show: Season 3. "It's so cool to see indies like this," Sylvia said. "Those guys (JimmyO and April Burril and the Forbidden Pictures team) work so fucking hard. It's all about social media and promoting. It's about getting word out there."
And as she often does, Jen finished her sister's thought. "There's a fucking billion of us indie filmmakers so you need to be out there. You need to see people doing the same thing as you and you need to collaborate…and they're fucking masters of that.
We will keep you updated on any and all American Mary news. The Soska sisters are set to explode, and American Mary is the match to light the fuse. For now dig on the newest poster for the film, which has the first image of Katharine Isabelle as Mary. Enjoy! More news as we get it.
Be sure to hit up the American Mary Facebook page and the official Twisted Twins Productions website, where you'll find more links to the talented duo's Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Vimeo pages.
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Have some elective surgery in the comments section below!
Fucking Brilliant! I mean, I already loved the Soska twins after seeing 'Dead Hooker' (How can you not? They're darkly addictive women!) but what they have in mind with American Mary is just...WoW! I simply can't wait! Sounds like it's gonna be like all my favorite, deeper-probing, aspects of Nip/Tuck...with perhaps an even darker humor. YES!
Submitted by Hakk Wylde on Thu, 06/14/2012 - 10:54pm.