Throughout the month of February, FEARnet will be profiling Women Who Make You Scream in celebration of Women in Horror Month. Read our first interview with writer and WiHM founder Hannah Neurotica here and read our interview with Jovanka Vuckovic below.

The women who grace our list are multi-talented pioneers in all things morbid and Jovanka Vuckovic is no exception. In fact, Vuckovic is a Renaissance woman -- horror’s very own DieVinci.  Former Editor-in Chief of Rue Morgue, writer, mother, and visual effects artist, Vuckovic is about to add a new book Zombies! An Illustrated History of the Undead along with her first short film The Captured Bird to her resume.  How does one person do so much? Vuckovic said that she wasn’t qualified for any of her many careers when she first started in the business and her key to success is a willingness to jump in feet first and work her ass off.“You have to just imagine yourself in that new role and go for it. In his book Rebel Without a Crew Robert Rodriguez says, ‘So you want to be a filmmaker? First step to being a filmmaker is stop saying you want to be a filmmaker ... you are a filmmaker. Go make yourself a business card.’ I can relate to this line of reasoning. It has worked for me in the past,” Vuckovic said.

Her much-buzzed about and latest creation The Captured Bird is a short that’s filled with practical and visual effects. Inspired by a childhood nightmare, H.P. Lovecraft and The Shadow People, the first images from the film conjure up both the wonder and terror of the supernatural. She is both writer and director on the film and has enlisted friend Guillermo del Toro as Executive Producer.

“I had met Guillermo years ago and he always said that when I was ready to make the move into filmmaking and I needed any help, all I had to do was ask. So I did, and he said yes.”

Her desire to use practical effects and find the funding on her own has turned out to be a bit of a challenge and is holding up production. “Basically it’s the monster suit that’s holding us back. If it were not for my commitment to make the monster a practical effect – a puppet with a guy inside – we could have shot the film by now. But I want to make every effort to do it right and for me, practical effects are the only way to a realistic looking monster,” she said.

Vuckovic is chronicling every aspect of the process on her website and asking her friends in the industry for advice along the way. It’s an interesting concept and one that clearly reflects her commitment to celebrating the genre and building community that she helped create at Rue Morgue.Considering the enormous, blood-covered trail Vuckovic has left in her wake throughout her career, we thought she might have some pretty gruesome professional stories to share. Maybe someone hacked an arm off by mistake? Surprisingly, her most gore-filled moment had nothing to do with disembowelment. Well, maybe a little disembowelment, but it’s not what you’re thinking. Fifteen-year-old boys might want to skip this part lest you be scarred for life.

“As far as my greatest and goriest moment – definitely the birth of my baby Violet, which happened on my living room floor,” she said. “It was the most excruciating and transforming experience of my life. Nothing will ever top it.”

Read on to find out more about this icon’s take on the genre and why horror films don’t need boobs and blood.

FEARnet: Most horror fans have their thing - Giallo, Hack n' Slash, Satan, Evil Babies, Scarotica. What's yours?

Jovanka Vuckovic: I can’t say I have a favorite subgenre, though I do prefer werewolves to vampires and ghost films to slasher films. Does that count?

Whether it’s because of the blood or the boobs, there’s a popular notion that horror movies belong to men. But you and I know more than a few women who embrace them wholeheartedly. What do you think it is about horror that specifically appeals to women?

Historically women have discouraged from certain occupations and even hobbies. Becoming a doctor or a filmmaker, riding motorcycles, watching horror films, collecting comic books, hanging out at strip clubs – these were once the domain of men. Not so, anymore. Take a look at any horror convention and you’ll see that half of the attendees are women. Times have changed and women have the freedom to enjoy the pleasures of the horror film. Let’s face it, it’s fun to be scared, regardless of gender. Enjoying conceptualized violence is cathartic, whether you have a penis or a vagina. It just took the world a little while to acknowledge this fact.

Do you feel like it’s necessary to balance the "gore" and the "whore" in your work? If so, how do you go about doing that?

I’d like to attempt to make more thoughtful, artistic horror films and I don’t feel that boobs and blood are necessary components. Some of my favorite films don’t rely on exploiting naked women or employing excessive and pointless gore: The Thing, The Hour of the Wolf, The Changeling, Night of the Hunter, Session 9, The Innocents, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Let’s Scare Jessica to Death, Calvaire, Onibaba, Dead & Buried, Day of the Dead, The Masque of the Red Death, The Devil’s Backbone, Deathdream … all beautifully crafted tales that may or may not have some violence and or brief nudity – but it’s tastefully done. Horror films will never get any respect until we start treating them with respect.

Historically, women have carved out a space for themselves in the genre through playing the victim.  Have you seen a change in that over the last few years and how do you view your place in the annals of horror?

They have indeed been regular victims but they’ve also been regular victors. Plenty of feminists will tell you the “Final Girl” represents a resourceful, powerful woman in the horror film. While this isn’t always the case, it’s certainly true of many genre films. We are seeing more female killers, but in the independent arena. Mainstream horror villains are still predominantly male, though. The list of women warriors in mythology and folklore, however, is tremendous.

As for my place in the annals of horror, I guess that remains to be seen. I’d like to think I’ve contributed to the analysis and celebration of horror through my work at the magazine. I’ve also authored a film history book – actually it’s more of a history of a movement, a phenomenon. And if all goes well, I’ll also be contributing creatively to the genre as a writer and filmmaker. But I don’t anticipate making any decidedly “feminist” horror films. I just want to tell good stories.

How would you define a "decidedly feminist horror film?"  

I think people often expect women to tell stories that are uniquely female, stories that invert gender roles, stories that explore gender inequality, or at the very least, stories that are told from a woman's perspective. If it happens, it happens, but it's not specifically my aim. There is one particular short story that could be described as a feminist body horror piece that I would love to adapt into a feature, but I didn't write it. A man did, actually.

If you could cast a spell and change one thing about the genre right now, what would it be?

I’d be perfectly happy if Hollywood stopped remaking good films and spent more money promoting new ideas.

Who do you see as the up-and-coming woman to watch in horror?

Anyone who is trying to make movies in this male-dominated world is someone to watch. It’s not easy and I respect everyone who’s doing more for horror than just taking her clothes off.  

Laurie Strode, Ellen Ripley, Jennifer Hills, Jennifer Corvino, or Rhoda Penmark?

Ellen Ripley all the way. Entertainment Weekly referred to her character as “one of the first female movie characters who isn’t defined by the men around her, or by her relationship to them.” This is likely because the character was originally written to be a man. She’s treated like one of the guys because she WAS one of the guys initially. Had she been a female from the start, I’m sure the film would have turned out different. Regardless of gender, Ellen Ripley turned out to be one of the greatest heroes in the history of American cinema.

What's the all-time greatest Final Girl moment?

"Get away from her, you bitch!” – Ellen Ripley.

Be part of Jovanka’s filmmaking process – click here to visit her website for The Captured Bird.