Bestial Mouths’ Lynette Cerezo Picks 5 Fantastic Feminist Horror Films and Premieres New Song Witch-Dance
Jonathan Barkan
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We’re incredibly excited to bring you a double-feature today from avant-garde industrial Goth group Bestial Mouths and its frontwoman Lynette Cerezo! Not only has Cerezo put together a list of five stellar examples of feminist horror films, but we’ve got a first listen of “Witch-Dance,” which comes from tomorrow’s (STILL) Heartless!
If you’ve been looking for something that is haunting and unsettling, then look no further. You’ll hear inspirations from Diamanda Galas and Siouxsie Sioux in the track below, which I don’t recommend listening to with the lights off!
Cerezo tells us: “Witch-Dance” was inspired by V, who is 7 years old; I received a video of her singing “Are we dead or are we doomed” on her toy synth. I could not erase her voice or words from my mind on our last European tour; I knew this meant it had to become a new song (we all would sing it out loud even in the van). My aim was to make it a very emotionally intense song, that would really capture people’s attention. It is almost an a cappella song, highlighting my varying vocal delivery, meant to capture all the different mind frames/moods a person can go through. The message is loud and clear: It is time for all of us to wake up (become undead) and participate in society and the world’s future, but let’s just hope we are not too late to make a difference (“doomed” and “we are ruins”). Let’s hope we all hear V’s message that it is a time of awakening, calling all of us to action, as she fears for her world’s future.
(STILL) Heartless takes tracks from Bestial Mouths’ 2016 album Heartless and sees them remixed by artists such as Die Krupps, The Horrorist, Ludovico Technique, and more. You can pre-order it using the iTunes, Amazon, and Bandcamp links below.
Now, here are Lynette’s picks:
1. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
A mysterious female vampire stalks her Iranian town, killing pimps and drug dealers and exposing a patriarchal society’s secrets. Finally, a strong female character (who needs no one else) that is not overly sexualized or overly hysterical (she remains always so cool, calm, and collected) and preying on those who oppress and hurt woman. It’s even more female empowering considering it’s a Persian-American film. Amazingly shot in black and white, the shadowy nature adds to this secretive and dark feature. To me, it’s the perfect modern day vampire horror film.
2. Let the Right One In (2008)
Another female vampire film, but this time Swedish and the girl is only 12. She befriends a lonely bullied boy and gives him the strength to fight back against his classmates and stand up for himself. It is beautifully romantic and touching as their friendship and love unfolds in the frozen nights, forming a true blood bond, but also full of intriguing disappearances and murders. Not only does a girl teach a boy courage, but it also deals with a woman forever trapped in a young, adolescent body.
Editor’s Note: As pointed out by Rik in the comments Eli is actually a boy in both the book and the film Let The Right One In. The character’s original name is Elias, the book goes over more of the backstory as to why Elias winds up living as a girl vampire. Abby however in the American remake of the film Let Me In is a girl and the back story of the character is changed.
3. Alien (1979)
Forever my role model, Ripley is the epitome of feminist power (smart and resilient). Not only was she a female in a male-dominated field, space travel and science, but she will fight to survive under all conditions and is simply badass. Part sci-fi, part action, but definitely horror as the alien will make you jump in fear.
4. [Rec] (2007)
Rec is a Spanish zombie horror movie whose title is short for “record” as it appears on a video camera. Filmed as a found footage movie, it is about a female television reporter who finds herself locked in a apartment building due to some sort of terrifying “outbreak.” From the moment the movie begins, you never get a breath or moment to relax – her hyper personality, the speed at which the virus spreads, and the “shaky camera” technique increase your heart rate. At first she may seem the stereotype, but once pushed and after realizing the government has abandoned them, she proves the strongest. She even survives to find the source: a young infected girl locked away to starve to death… So, even a female head zombie!
5. Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
Directed by Jim Jarmusch, this vampire film could easily be seen as superficial, maybe because it’s full of music, art, books, poetry, and the wealthy privileged elite. However, unlike most horror films, the lead female vampire (Eve) is completely equal with her male vampire partner (Adam), even living in separate locations with their own lives. The movie is truly about the tender union between the two. Eve remains grounded in life, able to go with the flux of generations and times, as she helps Adam adapt and recover from his depression. It’s kind of like a grown-up vampire movie commenting on humans (called “zombies”) ruining society.
Find Bestial Mouths online:
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Upcoming tour dates:
Fri. Mar. 17 – ONCE Lounge – Somerville, MA (Boston)
Sun. Mar. 19 – Bowery Electric – New York, NY
Mon. Mar. 20 – The Barbary – Philadelphia, PA
Tue. Mar. 21 – Fallout – Richmond, VA
Wed. Mar. 22 – The End – Nashville, TN
Fri. Mar. 24 – Howlers – Pittsburgh, PA
Sat. Mar. 25 – The Mockbee – Cincinnati, OH
Wed. Mar. 29 – Crack Fox – St. Louis, MO
Thur. Mar. 30 – Prohibition Hall – Kansas City, MO
Sat. Apr. 1 – Elysium – Austin, TX
Wed. Apr. 5 – Bar 407 – Albuquerque, NM
Thur. Apr. 6 – Valley Bar – Phoenix, AZ
Fri. Apr. 7 – Complex – Los Angeles, CA
Sun. Apr. 9 – Elbo Room – San Francisco, CA
Tue. Apr. 11 – The Eclypse – Boise, ID
Thur. Apr. 13 – Lovecraft Bar – Portland, OR
Fri. Apr. 14 – Mechanismus at Highline – Seattle, WA
Sat. Apr. 15 – Verboden 2017 Festival at Astoria Hastings – Vancouver, BC
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