{"id":6372,"date":"2022-02-18T21:05:42","date_gmt":"2022-02-18T21:05:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/womenmag.net\/news\/being-a-woman-is-full-of-horror-female-directors-discuss-their-craft\/"},"modified":"2022-02-18T21:05:56","modified_gmt":"2022-02-18T21:05:56","slug":"being-a-woman-is-full-of-horror-female-directors-discuss-their-craft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/womenmag.net\/news\/being-a-woman-is-full-of-horror-female-directors-discuss-their-craft\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Being a Woman is Full of Horror\u2019: Female Directors Discuss Their Craft"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">LONDON \u2014 When Ruth Paxton was 14, her father sneaked her into a movie theater in Scotland to see an anniversary rerelease of \u201cThe Exorcist,\u201d the classic 1973 film about a possessed girl.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">\u201cHe was really excited about us watching it,\u201d Paxton said recently, pointing out that the film had once been banned from home video release in Britain. \u201cBut when we came out, I was, like, \u2018That was rubbish!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">It probably didn\u2019t feature enough blood for her taste, she added, laughing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Paxton, 38 years old, is now trying to shock audiences with her story of possession. Her debut feature, \u201cA Banquet,\u201d about a girl who refuses to eat, comes to U.S. theaters and on-demand services on Friday. Writing in The New York Times, Lena Wilson praised the film\u2019s \u201cslow-burn magic\u201d and made it a Critic\u2019s Pick.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">\u201cA Banquet\u201d is the latest in a string of acclaimed recent horror movies from Britain and Ireland made by first-time female directors. It follows Rose Glass\u2019s 2021 film \u201cSaint Maud\u201d and Romola Garai\u2019s \u201cAmulet,\u201d from 2020, as well as Prano Bailey-Bond\u2019s \u201cCensor,\u201d the tale of a strict film classification official who ends up in an on-set blood bath.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">More are on the way, including Kate Dolan\u2019s \u201cYou Are Not My Mother,\u201d out March 25, about a young girl in Ireland whose mother starts acting strangely, and Charlotte Colbert\u2019s \u201cShe Will,\u201d in which a woman travels to Scotland to recover from a double mastectomy and ends up channeling the spirits of local witches.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Alan Jones, a co-founder of FrightFest, the Britain\u2019s most prominent horror movie festival, said that female directors have been working in the genre since its inception, but in the last five years, their numbers in Britain and Ireland have swelled. They were bringing \u201ca female perspective to the clich\u00e9s of old,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">He stated that horror was more open than other genres to debut female directors. \u201cYou don\u2019t need stars, or even that much money,\u201d Jones said. \u201cYou just need a really good idea.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Last week, four of those debut filmmakers, all aged in their 30s \u2014 Paxton, Bailey-Bond, Dolan and Colbert \u2014 gathered on a video call to discuss what attracted them to the genre, what they bring to it as women and how horror films can bring about social change.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">These are edited extracts of their conversation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">This isn\u2019t the first wave of female horror directors. You think there is another wave of female horror directors in Britain and Ireland.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">PRANO BAILEYBOND<\/strong> It\u2019s not just women who are making a lot of horror here: We\u2019ve got Rob Savage and Remi Weekes and Mark Jenkin. The industry is now open to all women who have wanted to make horror films for years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">KATE DOLAN<\/strong>Nearly all of the female directors I admired growing up, such as Kathryn Bigelow, Claire Denis and Mary Harron made horror movies. It\u2019s not necessarily that women are just now being drawn to horror; they\u2019re just getting a chance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">In the 1980s, Britain had a list of horror films \u2014 <\/strong><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">the so-called \u201cvideo nasties\u201d<\/strong><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\"> \u2014 that were effectively banned for home viewing, as shown in \u201cCensor.\u201d Some horror fans talk about working their way through that list as a way into the genre. Which was your route?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">DOLAN <\/strong>When I was growing up, I watched loads of horror and I think it was really exciting for me then, because it\u2019s a genre where there\u2019s female protagonists who survive and win \u2014 \u201cthe final girl.\u201d As a teenage girl that was really empowering.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">BAILEY-BOND <\/strong>Similar to you, I was also attracted to the extreme elements of films. I think at first it was partly the physical thrill \u2014 the knowledge that when you finish watching, you then have to go upstairs to bed, and you think something\u2019s going to grab your ankles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">I didn&#8217;t know horror directors existed until I saw my show reel. I remember getting off that call going, \u201cAm I?\u201d But if people want to pigeonhole you, sometimes that can be useful, because there\u2019s a lot of filmmakers out there, so how do you make yourself stand out?<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">CHARLOTTE COLBERT <\/strong>I love how there\u2019s a great artistic freedom in horror that\u2019s perhaps not available in other genres. Obviously, in a drama, you can\u2019t have a worm growing out of someone\u2019s nostril, or something else so bold or artistic. But horror has really incredible freedom in terms of visuals and characters, and what\u2019s acceptable and believable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">PAXTON <\/strong>Growing up, I was a huge fan of horror films, but it was mostly because they contained a lot of soft porn, and I wanted to see sex!<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">But I think I\u2019ve always liked to look in the dark corners of things, and that\u2019s in part because of my own experience. The scariest experiences I\u2019ve ever had have been in my own head.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Even though the boom in Britain affects all genders equally, what do you think women are doing to bring about horror?<\/strong><\/p>\n<section role=\"complementary\" class=\"css-14gh6yt\" aria-label=\"Five Movies to Watch This Winter\">\n<h2 class=\"css-ba3d02\">Five Movies to See This Winter<\/h2>\n<hr\/>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">PAXTON<\/strong> With \u201cA Banquet,\u201d my route into it was my experiences of disordered eating, and then the ripple effect of that on the family around me, and particularly the dynamic with my mum, who wanted me to eat when I wouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">I really don\u2019t know what I bring, except my own interests. I\u2019ve been freakishly death aware since I was a kid \u2014 I wrote a last will and testament when I was eight years old \u2014 but I don\u2019t know if that has anything to do with my sex.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">DOLAN<\/strong>Only you can bring your own experiences to the creations you make. It makes sense to bring your horror experiences to horror as a woman.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">My next project is hopefully about the bodily autonomy of women in Ireland, as we\u2019ve had a terrible fight for reproductive rights here. I would like to make films about my experiences, and my struggles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Is horror better for exploring these issues than other genres?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">COLBERT<\/strong> Personally, I think it\u2019s an amazing and creative way to address social issues. And what\u2019s also cool is that generally teenage boys are the biggest audience, so it\u2019s a fantastic way to convey feminist imagery to people who aren\u2019t necessarily interested. It could have a lasting impact on the next generation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">DOLAN<\/strong> It\u2019s interesting you say that, as there\u2019s a great book called \u201cMen, Women and Chainsaws\u201d by a scholar, Carol J. Clover, and she has a section where she talks about slasher movies and how they turn the male audience into \u201cthe final girl,\u201d essentially. The audience must see her fear of being chased down by the killer. This makes them more relatable to the female character.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">We\u2019re also seeing a wave of acclaimed horror movies worldwide, including <\/strong><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Jordan Peele\u2019s films<\/strong><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\"> from the United States; the French director Julia Ducournau won the top prize at last year\u2019s Cannes Film Festival with \u201c<\/strong><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Titane<\/strong><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">.\u201d Does anything make British and Irish horror different?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">BAILEY-BOND<\/strong> Britain\u2019s really good at folk horror \u2014 \u201cThe Wicker Man,\u201d of course. I don\u2019t necessarily think that\u2019s where we need to stay, but there seems to be something in our culture and our history that serves that subgenre. It almost feels like it belongs to this land.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">The Gothic haunted houses story is similar. We\u2019re very good at that, and if you think of Britain and its architecture, a big spooky house with a maid really fits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">COLBERT<\/strong>Yes, the landscapes here, especially in Scotland&#8217;s mist, feel so anchored by mythology and stories. Sometimes I feel that you could film any landscape in England and the creatures from the past will pop up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">BAILEY-BOND<\/strong> That makes me think of the trope in American horror of films like \u201cPoltergeist\u201d exploring legacies with Native American burial sites. It\u2019s that same relationship to your past and either the fears of that land, or the guilt of that land, and how the land holds memory. You can tap into all that with horror.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/02\/18\/movies\/female-horror.html\">NY Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LONDON \u2014 When Ruth Paxton was 14, her father sneaked her into a movie theater in Scotland to see an anniversary rerelease of \u201cThe Exorcist,\u201d the classic 1973 film about a possessed girl. \u201cHe was really excited about us watching it,\u201d Paxton said recently, pointing out that the film had once been banned from home [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/womenmag.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6372"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/womenmag.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/womenmag.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womenmag.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womenmag.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6372"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/womenmag.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6372\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6373,"href":"https:\/\/womenmag.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6372\/revisions\/6373"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womenmag.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/womenmag.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womenmag.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womenmag.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}