February is "Women in Horror Month"- a month in which to celebrate the impact that women have had on the genre and the industry- from writing, to acting, to directing and producing.
Jessica Cameron has experienced the industry in all those capacity- making her a perfect choice for me to ask some "Grave Questions" of in order to raise awareness of the great women in Horror.
Please not that this article SHOULD'VE been posted in February, but due to technical difficulties, we're putting it up now. Thank you.
TCoT: Which female horror stars helped to inspire you to not only enjoy the genre- but to get involved in bringing scary movies to the world?
Jessica: I literally said to my "Truth or Dare" producer, "If the Soska sisters can make "Dead Hooker in a Trunk" with nothing, then I can make "Truth or Dare". So needless to say that those girls have been a huge inspiration in everything I do behind the camera.
Jamie Lee Curtis is also a huge inspiration to me- her ability to work in a variety of genres is impressive and to me, she is the original scream queen.
There are also a bunch of wonderful women writers as of late whose written work has impressed me, including but not limited to Tiffany Villalpando, Heather Buckley, and April Snellings. There are many more too!
TCoT: How did you first get involved in the horror industry- and how you compare the genre's atmosphere today compared to then?
Jessica: I just wanted to act, and I was living in Ohio at the time. I just submitted for any characters that I thought sounded cool, and many of them turned out to be genre films. Genre films are a big thing in the mid west. You can film them on a reasonable and attainable budget without a name star. So it kinda just worked out that way. I am thankful that it did though since horror is my favorite genre to watch and the greatest challenge to act in, and I love a challenge!
TCoT: Do you think that the horror genere's been ahead of, or lagging behind the others (drama, action, comedy) in terms of depicting strong, independent, capable female characters in general, and female leads in specific?
Jessica: I think it's been behind the others genres until these last few years. There's been a drastic increase in female and young film makers in the horror genre in the last few years, and as such we are getting new/original/strong and well written female characters. The horror fans are also demanding it which is great. :)
Jessica: Horror films absolutely reflect the social atmosphere of the times. In fact that was a huge impact on me when I wrote "Truth or Dare" with Jon Scott Higgins. We were so moved by what was going on in today's world with instant celebrities, view counts, YouTube stars and this idealistic concept of fame, we incorporated it into the film.
TCoT: Where do you see female characters and female actors heading in terms of the horror genre?
Jessica: The characters are being written stronger with more character arcs, thanfully! The horror genre fans are wanting to see strong women in front of the camera. I think the era of the pretty girl running helplessly through the woods is over. We want to see more. More intelligence, more fight, more depth. MORE!
As far as female actors, with the decreasing cost of technology, you are seeing more and more people trying to be a full time actor and I personally notice more women then men. Only time will tell if this is a good thing or a bad thing...
TCoT: As a Scream Queen yourself, how would you describe what it means to be one? What sort of responsibilities, duties, benefits, and drawbacks are there to being one?
Jessica: For me, the term "Scream Queen" is used to describe an actress who specializes in the art of horror (and yes, I consider it an art form). I personally believe that it should only be bestowed upon actress by the fans and press, and not by actors themselves.
I think the responsibility is to represent horror to the best of the actor's ability, to pay attention when selecting roles and films in the genre.
The biggest benefits to me are the fans- they are hands down the best out of any genre.
I think some of my colleagues would argue that as a Scream Queen, you can get typecast, and that can be a draw back. However, I have not found that to be the case with my career. I still can work in other genres when I choose.
Jessica: I think we are able to push down the doors a LITTLE bit more easily in the horror genre because the men know they have to have women involved in the process somewhere. :) Women are such a crucial part of any horror film in front of the camera, it's only natural that we would have such a great influence behind the camera too.
Also in the past few years, the fans have really started to demand it- which is great!
TCoT: If you had the chance to work any three female horror icons in a film project, which threw would you choose, what sort of character would each play, and why?
Jessica: Mary Harron to direct. I loved "American Psycho" more than words can ever say. Jamie Lee Curtis to star- she could play a crazed mom who eats men or something equally fun. And Sherri Moon could play my older sister.
Now that would be a dream!
TCoT: In the 2004 remake of Rutger Hauer's classic "The Hitcher", they switched the protagonist from the male character to the female one. If you were to do a remake of a classic horror movie, and swap the genders of the main lead from male to female which one would you do? And what classic would you remake the gender of the main character from female to male?
Jessica: "The Shining". Now, I am not saying I would remake this film, BUT I would be interested to see it with the roles reversed. I think it would give a different level of intensity and fear- with the right case, the fear level could be maintained and I would argue even intensified. I would also make their child a daughter to incorporate the strong father/daughter bond.
TCoT: Finally, what sort of advice would you offer to women interested in starting a career in movies- either in front of the camera, or behind it?
Jessica: I actually get asked this a lot, and I always first explain that to pursue a career in the entertainment industry (either behind or in front of a camera) it will be the most difficult career path that they could choose to take. You will work harder than you ever thought possible, work longer hours than you ever imagined and for less money than you would ever want to (even free when you first start out), and that is regardless of your sex. If you can not imagine being happy doing anything else with your life, then and only then is a career in the entertainment industry something you should pursue.
Now, as women, we get the added bonus for working for less money than our male counterparts, being treated (often thought not always) as less than our male counterparts and just in general having to spend more time and sweat proving that we are not whatever stereotype that person/company has decided we are. It's a constant fight- we fight to make sure that our cast is right, we fight to make sure that the script is right, we fight to get the budget we need, we fight to tell the story how we envision, we FIGHT. Yes, it's a necessary fight, but it's a fight none the less. That said, you must expect the fight, and learn to thrive while fighting. That's the secret. I give bonus points to those fighting in stillettos. :)
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