American Mary is the story of a medical student named Mary who is growing increasingly broke and disenchanted with medical school and the established doctors she once idolized. The allure of easy money sends a desperate Mary through the messy world of underground surgeries which leaves more marks on her than the so-called freakish clientele. Appearances are everything.
Canadian readers we’ve landed (4) PAIRS of tickets to the one-night May 30 Sinister Cinema screening event where you and a guest will enjoy the Soska Sisters’ American Mary!
To get your tickets, all you have to do is send an E-mail to [email protected] and include YOUR FULL NAME, the THEATER YOU WANT TICKETS TO (listed below), and name two other Raven Banner titles to show your loyalty (find ‘em here).
Starring Katharine Isabelle, Antonio Cupo, David Lovgren, Twan Holliday, “American Mary is the story of a medical student named Mary who is growing increasingly broke and disenchanted with medical school and the established doctors she once idolized. The allure of easy money sends a desperate Mary through the messy world of underground surgeries which leaves more marks on her than the so-called freakish clientele. Appearances are everything.” READ MORE
Directed by “Twisted Twins” Jen & Sylvia Soska, Xlerator Media’s American Mary (read our review) hits VOD today iTunes Link Here and will be in theaters on May 31st.
Starring Katharine Isabelle (Freddy vs. Jason, Ginger Snaps), Antonio Cupo (“Bomb Girls”), and Tristan Risk, “American Mary is the story of a medical student named Mary who is growing increasingly broke and disenchanted with medical school and the established doctors she once idolized. The allure of easy money sends a desperate Mary through the messy world of underground surgeries which leaves more marks on her than the so-called freakish clientele. Appearances are everything.”
I recently hopped on the phone with Isabelle and we talked about the challenges of portraying such a complex character as well as what it was like to be exposed to all of the freaky procedure in the film. We also talk about her appearance in the now landmark werewolf film Ginger Snaps and how its’ legacy has affected her.
Check it out below! READ MORE
In this exclusive clip from “Twisted Twins” Jen & Sylvia Soska’s American Mary (read our review), which will open in limited theaters May 31 from XLrator Media, Mary (played by Katharine Isabelle) talks about letting your freak flag fly as she photographs people with physical deformaties, such as a girl with heart-shaped nipples, a dude with horns, and more.
Starring Isabelle (Freddy vs. Jason, Ginger Snaps), Antonio Cupo (“Bomb Girls”), and Tristan Risk, “American Mary is the story of a medical student named Mary who is growing increasingly broke and disenchanted with medical school and the established doctors she once idolized. The allure of easy money sends a desperate Mary through the messy world of underground surgeries which leaves more marks on her than the so-called freakish clientele. Appearances are everything.”
Clip below! READ MORE
Jen and Sylvia Soska are the Canadian ladies behind Twisted Twins Productions. After the release of their first grindhouse-inspired feature, Dead Hooker in a Trunk, the twins went on to release American Mary, a critical darling of the indie horror scene last year. On top of their filmmaking careers, the Soska’s are dedicated advocates for the Canadian horror industry and they made an appearance at Rue Morgue’s “Festival Of Fear” over the weekend as part of the Vancouver Fan Expo.
Jen and Sylvia sat down to chat about their upcoming monster movie, their love for comic books, Sinister Cinema, and plenty more. READ MORE
Directed by “Twisted Twins” Jen & Sylvia Soska, Xlerator Media recently announced yesterday that American Mary (read our review) will open in limited theaters May 31. Already on home video in the UK, we now have the US secondary market dates for you. The film will be available on VOD on May 16th, 2013 (that’s two weeks before the theatrical release) and on DVD June 18th, 2013. No word yet on if there’s a Blu to be released concurrently with the DVD.
Starring Katharine Isabelle (Freddy vs. Jason, Ginger Snaps), Antonio Cupo (“Bomb Girls”), and Tristan Risk, “American Mary is the story of a medical student named Mary who is growing increasingly broke and disenchanted with medical school and the established doctors she once idolized. The allure of easy money sends a desperate Mary through the messy world of underground surgeries which leaves more marks on her than the so-called freakish clientele. Appearances are everything.”
Check out the theatrical art and trailer below. We’ll update you with special features and US box art as they come in! READ MORE
Directed by “Twisted Twins” Jen & Sylvia Soska, Xlerator Media recently announced that American Mary (read our review) will open in limited theaters May 31.
Starring Katharine Isabelle (Freddy vs. Jason, Ginger Snaps), Antonio Cupo (“Bomb Girls”), and Tristan Risk, “American Mary is the story of a medical student named Mary who is growing increasingly broke and disenchanted with medical school and the established doctors she once idolized. The allure of easy money sends a desperate Mary through the messy world of underground surgeries which leaves more marks on her than the so-called freakish clientele. Appearances are everything.”
Check out the theatrical art and trailer below. Dates and extras forthcoming. READ MORE
Directed by “Twisted Twins” Jen & Sylvia Soska, Xlerator Media announced that American Mary (read our review) will open in limited theaters May 31.
Starring Katharine Isabelle (Freddy vs. Jason, Ginger Snaps), Antonio Cupo (“Bomb Girls”), and Tristan Risk, “American Mary is the story of a medical student named Mary who is growing increasingly broke and disenchanted with medical school and the established doctors she once idolized. The allure of easy money sends a desperate Mary through the messy world of underground surgeries which leaves more marks on her than the so-called freakish clientele. Appearances are everything.”
Check out the official art below. Dates and extras forthcoming. READ MORE
On DVD and Blu-ray January 21 in the UK, the Soska sisters Jen and Sylvia introduce an second clip from American Mary. The clip features the twins, starring in the film, being connected by psycho surgeon Mary.
“American Mary is the story of a medical student named Mary (played by Ginger Snaps star Katharine Isabelle) who is growing increasingly broke and disenchanted with medical school and the established doctors she once idolized. The allure of easy money sends a desperate Mary through the messy world of underground surgeries which leaves more marks on her than the so-called freakish clientele.”
Antonio Cupo, David Lovgren and Twan Holliday also star in the film to be released in 2013 by XLrator Media. READ MORE
On DVD and Blu-ray January 21 in the UK, the Soska sisters Jen and Sylvia introduce an exclusive clip from American Mary for Total Film. It’s unfortunately a super lame piece of footage, considering how much goodies actually are contained within the film. In the below footage, Mary receives a strange call from the above pictured clientele.
“American Mary is the story of a medical student named Mary (played by Ginger Snaps star Katharine Isabelle) who is growing increasingly broke and disenchanted with medical school and the established doctors she once idolized. The allure of easy money sends a desperate Mary through the messy world of underground surgeries which leaves more marks on her than the so-called freakish clientele.”
Antonio Cupo, David Lovgren and Twan Holliday also star in the film to be released in 2013 by XLrator Media. READ MORE
I’m old and have two young daughters. Before kids, I used to go to the movies at least two times a week. Now, I almost never head out to the theater to catch a first-run movie. I do, however, get to attend a couple of film festivals each year.
As a result, I get to see a lot of movies that many of you won’t see for a long time. Just think of these reviews as a primer for shit you should most definitely check out whenever you can.
Some of these films have since had theatrical runs; a few with limited runs, and some are available on DVD or Netflix. Most of these though have not seen the darkness of a theater outside of their film festival runs.
Do yourself a favor and track them down. You’ll be glad you did. READ MORE
As you can imagine, I watch a lot of horror movies, and having to choose my favorite films of the year was a righteous challenge. It’s a rare occurrence to sit through a movie and feel completely fulfilled. But it’s the great films that make my job so worthwhile. Taking the time to reflect on my favorite films of 2012 allowed me to appreciate just how wonderful horror can be. It made me proud to be a part of this community.
My list is a true melting pot, gathering studio films and indie films alike in order to showcase that good horror comes in all shapes and sizes. In fact, my top film of the year is probably the one with the lowest budget.
I had a tough time ranking my top five picks; I switched the order countless times before I finally conceded. It came down to a simple question, “Which movie stuck in my mind throughout the year above all others?” READ MORE
Fans of David Cronenberg will want to check out the new body mod horror film American Mary, which is still awaiting a U.S. release. While we wait, the UK will open in key cities on January 11, 2013, and on DVD and Blu-ray on January 21.
We already provided you with the official trailer which features Freddy vs Jason and Ginger Snap star Katharine Isabelle as the title character. Now, we’ve scored the UK quad and a handful of new images!
“American Mary is the story of a medical student named Mary who is growing increasingly broke and disenchanted with medical school and the established doctors she once idolized. The allure of easy money sends a desperate Mary through the messy world of underground surgeries which leaves more marks on her than the so-called freakish clientele.” Antonio Cupo, David Lovgren and Twan Holliday also star in Jen and Sylvia Soska’s indie horror. READ MORE
Fans of David Cronenberg will want to check out the new body mod horror film American Mary, which is still awaiting a U.S. release. While we wait, the UK will open in key cities on January 11, 2013. It hits DVD and Blu-ray on January 21.
Empire Magazine has your first look at the trailer which features Freddy vs Jason and Ginger Snap star Katharine Isabelle as the title character. Antonio Cupo, David Lovgren and Twan Holliday also star in Jen and Sylvia Soska’s indie horror.
“American Mary is the story of a medical student named Mary who is growing increasingly broke and disenchanted with medical school and the established doctors she once idolized. The allure of easy money sends a desperate Mary through the messy world of underground surgeries which leaves more marks on her than the so-called freakish clientele.” READ MORE
XLrator Media has acquired all U.S. rights to the horror sensation, American Mary, written and directed by Jen and Sylvia Soska (Dead Hooker in a Trunk).
The female-centric surgical horror-thriller will be released on XLrator Media’s newly announced Screamfest label in Fall 2013.
“American Mary follows the story of medical student Mary Mason (played by Katharine Isabelle of the Ginger Snaps franchise) as she grows increasingly broke and disenchanted with medical school and the surgeons she once admired. The allure of easy money and notoriety send Mary into the shady world of underground surgery and body modification.”
The film co-stars Antonio Cupo (“Bomb Girls”), Tristan Risk, David Lovgren and Paula Lindberg. American Mary was produced by IndustryWorks Pictures, Evan Tylor and John Curtis.
If you call yourself a horror fan and you haven’t yet caught wind of the incomparable Jen and Sylvia Soska and their fetishistic feminist horror hit American Mary then, quite frankly- you’re doing something wrong.
The twins, who are experts at self promotion, have been shamelessly generating all kinds of internet hype about their second feature, in which Katherine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps) shines as a broke medical student whose lust for revenge sets her on a dark and dangerous road into illegal underground surgery. Jen and Sylvia Soska have been showing up like tornadoes at festival after festival since the films debut at UK’s Frightfest and they’ve been sure to leave their mark on every one of them. Critics, bloggers, geeks and fangirls have all become equally enamoured by the twosome and their haunting yet beautiful tale of revenge. And now the Soska Sisters have a new trick up their sleeve.
Frightfest Presents will be distributing the film to major cities across the UK in a one of a kind tour that will have the directors AND the star in attendance at every venue for a post-show Q&A. Already set for a UK DVD/Blu-ray release from Universal in late January and courted by the likes of Anchor Bay and Monster Pictures for distribution in Canada and Australia (respectively), American Mary will be the first film to be taken on by Frightfest’s new distribution arm and boy are they doing it in style! American Mary has become one of the most talked about horror hits of 2012 and is widely being heralded as the year’s most original and impressive piece of work. With the opportunity to meet the irrepressible Twisted Twins and Katherine Isabelle herself, this tour should be an unmissable event for UK genre fans up and down the country.
Full details of the tour, which kicks off in London on January the 11th can be found here and readers elsewhere should keep their ears to the ground for other festival screenings before international DVD release dates are announced.
The ever-so-popular American Mary has a new international one-sheet that displays horror starlet Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, Freddy vs Jason) as the title character in Jen and Sylvia Soska’s body modification horror recently acquired by Anchor Bay.
“‘American Mary’ is the story of a medical student named Mary who is growing increasingly broke and disenchanted with medical school and the established doctors she once idolized. The allure of easy money sends a desperate Mary through the messy world of underground surgeries which leaves more marks on her than the so-called freakish clientele.”
Lonmonster was a pretty huge fan out of the Toronto After Dark Festival this past October. READ MORE
Jen and Sylvia Soska, aka The Soska Twins, became an immediate horror name when their micro indie Dead Hooker in a Trunk took the festival scene by storm. Now, the duo are back with American Mary, a body modification horror that stars Ginger Snaps and Freddy vs Jason fav. Katharine Isabelle.
Lonmonster caught the film at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, where he not only interviewed the twins, but also chimed in with a review:
“The Soska Twins have come a long way since Dead Hooker, and American Mary is huge leap forward in their career as filmmakers. Paying tribute to body horror and rape and revenge cinema, the Soska Twins have created a film that’s bound to make audiences feel for their devil of a protagonist. Despite its flaws, this is a film that shines a light on Canadian cinema, offering hope that there is still originality to be found in horror.”
Click here for the entire review and watch for U.S. distro news soon.
The rape and revenge subgenre has always been controversial for displaying acts of sexualized violence on screen. However, the subgenre, when done well, works to open up discussion of rape culture, and to reverse the gaze from survivor to rapist. American Mary offers a daring new take on rape and revenge and body horror cinema that does not limit its scope to sex and murder. Writers and directors, Jen and Sylvia Soska examine the life of a girl who has worked toward something all her life, only to have her dreams shattered one after the other. Mary uses the wrongs that have be brought upon her to fuel her own twisted American dream. American Mary is a bold, refreshing, and emotive horror flick that showcases the potential of the Soska Twins.
While their first feature, Dead Hooker in a Trunk, was all kinds of fun, American Mary is a vast improvement that switches from kitsch to clever, forcing the audience to actually feel. Katherine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps) plays Mary, an intelligent, funny, awkward, sexy, and scary medical student struggling to make ends meet. Isabelle’s performance is instantly captivating as the perfect girl next door. But when she’s offered a healthy sum of $5000 to sew up a back-alley crime victim, a little part of her deteriorates, and it all slides downhill from there.
Word gets out that Mary is in the game of performing underground operations, and a Betty Boop imitator hires her to de-sexualize her Barbie Doll friend. The much-needed emotional attachment to the lead is tough to find in modern horror, but Mary is the ideal girl next door who you can’t help but love despite her moral ambiguity. Mary realizes her potential as a surgeon, and though her ethics are compromised, she makes the money she needs to get through med school by performing seedy plastic surgeries.
All is coming up bloody roses until Mary becomes the victim of a particularly nasty sexual assault. It is not a particularly violent rape, but the Soska Twins show the despair in Mary’s eyes, adding to the emotional weight of the scene. After this heinous act, Mary is gone. All the events lead up to her metamorphosis, where she transforms from hero to monster. The film brilliantly combines the idea of the final girl with the killer, making for one fierce female anti-hero. She may be the girl of your dreams, but cross her, and she’ll surgically remove your arms and sew your eyelids shut.
Rather than forcing gore in the face of the audience, the Soska Twins utilizes the bloodshed to challenge the audience’s views on transformative surgery. The film fits within the strange Canadian medical body horror category with films like Dead Ringers and the recent Antiviral. However, American Mary differentiates itself by exploring body modification as a form of artistic expression.
American Mary is far from a perfect film. The male lead is weak and his on-screen chemistry with Katherine Isabelle is off, in large due to some awkward dialog. The latter half of the film is weaker than the build up, as it’s a bit difficult to believe Mary could undergo such a big transformation in so little time. There’s one particular scene of Mary threatening a stripper in the bathroom stall of her favorite seedy hangout, which is simply out of character. The film loses some steam as it heads into the final act, but luckily, the climax ascends and Isabelle’s performance carries the film through the rough patches.
The Soska Twins have come a long way since Dead Hooker, and American Mary is huge leap forward in their career as filmmakers. Paying tribute to body horror and rape and revenge cinema, the Soska Twins have created a film that’s bound to make audiences feel for their devil of a protagonist. Despite its flaws, this is a film that shines a light on Canadian cinema, offering hope that there is still originality to be found in horror.
It’s the opening night of Toronto After Dark Film Festival and I’m standing in the pass-holder line, which stretches down the street and all the way around the block. It’s pouring rain. Two young women in white mini-dresses and scissors in their pockets are running around, sans umbrella, hugging fans in line and thanking them for coming out for the Canadian premiere of their second feature film, American Mary (review).
The Canadian sibling duo, Sylvia and Jen, better known as the Soska Twins, write, direct, and act in American Mary, the follow up to their grindhouse flick, Dead Hooker in a Trunk. After the packed screening I made my way across the street with the twins to the Toronto After Dark pub party, sitting down in a moody, red-velvet booth to chat about all things American Mary. READ MORE
Not to be confused with this film of the same name, Truth or Die director Robert Heath is also heading into the Safari. Penned by Jason Arnopp, “Two young couples head off on a safari into the wilds of southern Africa but their dream trip turns into a nightmare as nature bites back.” Shooting begins in 2013. Pre-sales begin at AFM. Promo art inside.
While we patiently await a deal here in the States, you can read about Anchor Bay Entertainment Canada’s acquisition of writers/directors Jen and Sylvia Soska’s American Mary by clicking here. The Canadian indie portrays a disenchanted medical student (Katherine Isabelle) who enters a world of underground surgery that leaves more scars on herself than on her freak clientele.
“The Real Exorcist” will premiere on Lifetime on Wednesday, October 31st at 11pm ET/PT. “The unscripted series follows Reverend Bob Larson as he attempts to “cure” the possessed. With over 10,000 exorcisms under his belt, Larson and his team – including his wife,Laura – confront demons while victims, often restrained; speak in tongues, bite, scratch and scream. In the Halloween night episode, it is a matter of life or death as Reverend Larson tries to help a suicidal young woman in Savannah, GA, who believes she has demons that want her dead. Later, an exorcism with a man in Oregon doesn’t quite end the way he or Reverend Larson had planned.” READ MORE
Jen and Sylvia Soska, otherwise known as the Twisted Twins, first came to our attention back in 2009 with the outrageous onslaught of insanity that was Dead Hooker In A Trunk; their micro-budget debut that quickly became a cult hit the world over.
But Dead Hooker was done with no money when the movie world wasn’t ready to believe that two feisty females from Vancouver had what it takes to leave a mark on the horror genre. Oh how wrong they were. The Soska’s came back this year with American Mary, premiering at London’s Frightfest to an enthralled audience and receiving nothing but shimmering reviews across the board. Their Frightfest success was to be the first in a string of festival experiences which has seen fans, critics and academics alike heap praise upon the twisted twosome.
Earlier on in the year we told you how Universal Studios secured the international distribution rights to American Mary; no minor accomplishment for two indie film-makers on their sophomore effort. Well, it seems the whole world is finally sitting up to take notice of the Soskas as the newly christened Queens of horror announced last night at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival that Anchor Bay will be distributing the film throughout Canada.
You can’t help but wonder if this is but another small step towards world domination from the Soska sisters who have taken the horror community by storm. American Mary is one of the most boldly original genre films of the year and will no doubt go on to great success after the festival circuit. READ MORE
Toronto After Dark Film Festival is thrilled to officially unveil its final wave of eleven exciting film announcements for 2012!
Included in the lineup are some of the most eagerly anticipated new genre films from the international film festival circuit.
In total 20 new horror, sci-fi, action and cult feature films and 29 short films will screen either their Canadian or Toronto Theatrical Premieres exclusively at the festival’s 7th Annual Edition this October 18-26, 2012 at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. READ MORE
The 8th annual Fantastic Fest has begun its 8-day reign of chaos in Austin, Texas. The sci/fi, fantasy, martial arts, Asian fantastic, and horror film festival offers up a little something for all genre lovers.
It is my duty to bring you the most horror and/or horror-related film reviews possible. With less than 20 films considered to be true horror, I will occasionally spotlight other non-horror films that will, hopefully, appeal to our readers here at Bloody Disgusting.
Be sure to be on the lookout in Austin, Texas from October 25-27, 2013, for my very own Housecore Horror Film Festival. I will be joined by my partner and former Pantera lead singer and heavy metal legend Philip H. Anselmo. We will be bringing 100% horror and heavy metal to the Lone Star state! READ MORE
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[Remember This?] ‘Freddy Vs. Jason’ And Being Careful What You Wish For