Throughout the month of February, FEARnet has been profiling Women Who Make You Scream in celebration of Women in Horror Month. Read our first interview with writer and WiHM founder Hannah Neurotica, our second interview with Jovanka Vuckovic, and read our interview with filmmakers  Jen and Sylvia Soska below.

Like Roger Corman, Monte Hellman and Herschell Gordon Lewis before them, Jen and Sylvia Soska know the key to making an exploitation masterpiece lies in the perfect mix of cars, girls and copious amounts of gore.

So they rounded up a muscle car, some friends, a serial killer, and a mysterious cowboy pimp and slowly hacked them apart with various implements. Oh, and they did it in heels.

In 2008 the sisters started Twisted Twin Productions after their first film Dead Hooker in a Trunk caught the attention of fans and filmmakers alike.

“We were attending a film school that cut the budget to our final project, so as a 'fuck you', we decided to make our own project - a fake trailer (a la Grindhouse) for a film called Dead Hooker In a Trunk - and present it to the school,” Sylvia explained. “When it played, half the audience walked out and the other half was cheering so loud you could barely hear our offensive dialogue. From there, we teamed with some of Vancouver's best talents, as we wrote, directed, produced, starred in, etc. the feature length.”

One of those filmmakers who was wowed by the Soska’s homage to the grindhouse genre introduced them to a mutual friend, Hannah Neurotica, the founder of Women in Horror Recognition Month. That’s right kids. It’s one big, bloody family. And they say there’s no community anymore.

“Hannah and us have a very special relationship. We were introduced by mutual friend, feminist, and film maker, Eli Roth - he thought we'd get along and it's seriously like we were separated at birth,” Sylvia said. “It was our first interview and a great friendship came from it.”

The Soska’s have been collaborating with Neurotica since that time and as part of Women in Horror Month, they revealed the identity of the actress that will be taking the title role in their second feature – American Mary -  which the sisters think is going to have a huge impact on the genre and contain some truly disturbing imagery. (For those of you who haven’t seen the news, here’s a hint: Ginger Snaps.)

“It really is going to be rad,” Sylvia said. “We have the master of prosthetics, Mark Shostrom, heading the team from Hello Boss FX. The script is extremely prosthetic heavy as a main story element and it's a lot of stuff that is unique to this story. Some very fucked up shit. Luckily, Mark is one of the industry's best in tackling the 'very fucked up shit' as a specialty.”

I pressed the Soskas for some more information on just what “very fucked up shit” they would be introducing in American Mary, and Jen teased a bit of the gore.

“One effect has already been dubbed ‘too extreme’ to put on a Fangoria cover,” she said. “There will be a lot of ‘horror firsts’ in this film and unconventional effects, moments, scares, and situations. I wish I could reveal more, but we want to truly blow our audiences away with what we have in store for them. So many people supported us with Dead Hooker in a Trunk. This film is a thank you to them.”

After reading that, you must be the tiniest bit curious to find out what these real-life Twins of Evil  would change about the genre and who they consider heroines of horror. So read on...

FEARnet: Most horror fans have their thing – Giallo, Hack n’ Slash, Satan, Evil Babies, Scarotica … What’s yours?

Sylvia: Arthouse meets Grindhouse. There is a lot of harsh content in our work but it is handled in interesting ways. A woman will get killed with a shovel, then everyone will get stoned and have a little heart-to-heart before getting all awkward. American Mary has some very extreme prosthetics in it that are going to be difficult to look at; at the same time, it's going to be so visually beautifully presented that it will be gorgeous to look at. There will be humor in situations that wouldn't conventionally have it.

Jen: Definitely Arthouse meets Grindhouse. We began our love of horror reading Stephen King novels at an early age. His style always paired the horrific with humor so I grew up believing that horror benefits from moments of levity. I love to incorporate an unexpected laugh into a horror film. I love that uncomfortable kind of nervous laughter. Like, "Oh, shit. That's terrible. I really shouldn't be laughing."

Whether it’s because of the blood or the boobs, there is 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?

Sylvia:  My tasteless answer is we have to deal with blood and gore a lot more regularly than men, but I'm a lady and shall mention no such thing. Maybe it's something as Biblical as Adam and Eve. I don't think I know a woman who doesn't have that bad girl streak. A lot of women are fascinated with the macabre. The blood thing is probably the nail on the head, though.

Jen: There's a certain thrill about it. Horror is exciting. It draws a lot of people in. Horror has been the genre to have some of the strongest roles ever written for women. It's empowering. It's also a beautiful form of expression. Horror has few limitations as far as creativity is concerned.

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?

Sylvia: It depends on the piece. Irreversible needed way more sexuality than violence, but that was the best head smash I have ever seen done in a film. I think as long as either is there with a purpose, it's warranted. There's a difference between going topless in a movie like Boogie Nights and being a pair of tits (never came with a top - not sure why) attached to an actress whose face is never in focus. You need to know that difference when handling both.

Jen: Sex and violence sells. That's indisputable, and both play important roles in horror. It all depends on how both are used. Being afraid has a lot in common with being aroused. Adrenaline is pumped into the blood stream, breathing becomes more rapid, and pupils dilate. I think that's why both go hand in hand. We try to use nudity and sexuality for more than just shock value or as the cheapest kind of special effect. We use both our "gore" and "whore" to improve the overall tone of chosen scenes.

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?

Sylvia:  I think there was a voice out there from the beginning but that was at the turn of the 18th century, and that voice belonged to a secretary named Alice Guy who revolutionized early cinema as the first narrative director when she was given the Gaumont-designed camera which its creator dubbed useless. She thought it would be interesting to use the device for creative filmmaking and ended up working on over seven hundred films, having one of the largest studios in history, and used her work to promote her highly feminist views. But there is scarce information because it just wasn't a time where a female director's accomplishments would be celebrated and some of her work was even accredited to her co-workers just because they were men.

Women weren't encouraged to have careers and be businesswomen, we were supposed to stay home and make dinner back then. There's nothing wrong with raising a family, but that doesn't mean that's the only option for you. Alice Guy had always promoted women as capable of so much and I think she would be happy to see how things have changed today. It's not perfect, but it's a lot better. Women were primarily seen as victims in front of the camera but there have been male and female feminist filmmakers that have also been creating strong and captivating films that depict women in a strong light.

But, it is horror, and sometimes a lady must die. It's a device to get the audience in a comfortable place, people generally tend to feel more sympathy for women in danger than men. If done right, it can make for some incredible sequences.

Jen: We're seeing a lot more women not only taking on powerful roles in films themselves, but behind the scenes as well. Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar win was a great step forward. Living in the digital age, filmmaking can be done with a much smaller budget and literally anyone can make a film these days. Just look at YouTube. It's a very exciting time, especially seeing more and more women directing, producing, and writing. We've got a long way to go, but things are getting better.

We hope that our story inspires others and not just women, everyone. I hope that our work proves that women can produce work that is every bit as fucked up as that made by men. More so, I hope we're seen as good filmmakers rather than labeling us "good for female filmmakers".

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

Sylvia: No more remakes or re-imaginings. Just original ideas.

Jen: Blood is supposed to be dark red.

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

Sylvia: She isn't up and coming, but she certainly doesn't get the attention she deserves - Mary Harron is returning with her new film, The Moth Diaries. She is the fantastic Canadian director behind I Shot Andy Warhol, American Psycho, and The Notorious Betty Page.

In the up and coming, is another not really up and coming, another rad Canadian director who you probably know better from her work as the award winning, former Editor-in-Chief for Rue Morgue - Jovanka Vuckovic. Her debut film, The Captured Bird, looks like it will be epic. The woman knows her shit, I can't wait to see the film.

Jen: These two ladies are definitely not new by any means to film or horror, but I heard that two very talented ladies, Shannon Lark and Maude Michaud are going to be collaborating. I'm very excited to see what they're doing. Both are amazing film makers and very strong female voices in horror.

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

Sylvia: Laurie Strode. She is like horror icon royalty to me.

Jen: Ripley. Hands down. I've idolized her since I first saw her as a little girl.

Speaking as a fan, what horror film is a must-see?

Sylvia: Martyrs is hardcore but totally epic. Audition is my favorite Miike film - total insanity. Suicide Club - it's a gory treat. American Psycho is a personal favorite. Antichrist has one of the scariest female antagonists I have ever seen in a film.

Jen: Definitely American Psycho. Let the Right One In, Inside, The Exorcist, [REC], probably everything by Miike. If I could only say one, American Psycho is my favorite.  

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

Sylvia: This isn't a traditional Final Girl moment as it renders more on the sci-fi, but my favorite moment is in Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King when the big ass battle is going on and the Witch-King is killing everyone and Eowyn charges over there and starts kicking ass. Then he mocks her that no man can harm him, blah, blah, blah and she whips off her helmet and says: 'I am no man.' and chops off his fucking head. Represent. 

Jen: It may be a far cry from classic final girls, but Beth from Hostel 2 was awesome. No, not because she cut someone's dick off. My favorite part was when she financially strong armed her way out. When they ask her if she would ask her parents for their money and she responds tells them she could buy and sell everyone in the room. I loved that.

Check out the Soska’s twisted website to get updates on American Mary and their other projects.