Canadian Content: Kweeny’s Take On the Soska Sisters

I may be living in the States now with Lord Bearington, but I am still a Canadian girl at heart. I go out of my way to support Canadian cinema as best I can from my kingdom here in Oregon, and I am happy to say there has been a lot of good Canadian cinema being made. And the best part? A lot of it lately is being made by Canadian women!

Recently I stumbled upon two very delightfully twisted ladies who've made quite the splash into the big blood pool that is Horror cinema. These Vancouver natives are none other than the Twisted Twins, Jen and Sylvia Soska. I have recently watched both Dead Hooker In a Trunk and American Mary, the two full length films they have credited to their names. I am fascinated by them. They are really sweet to their fans, have delightfully dark senses of humor, work as a team (something not all directors can pull off) and no matter what project they are on you can tell they have a deep love for film making and the horror genre. I enjoy how genuine they are, how they fight for independent cinema, and that they have a hell of a good time doing it all. I wasn't going to get into them when I saw all the hype around them, but let's just say I've been converted. I see why now people are so excited about them. 

So, what did I think of their films? Let’s start with Dead Hooker In A Trunk…

I picked this up to watch with a friend after her finals were over, because she desperately needed a cheesy horror film to relax to. I do what I can for my friends.

This film stars the sisters as the leading ladies, and you can see their personalities shine through. The film is centered around four friends who end up in a heap of trouble when they find a dead hooker in the trunk of the car. The twins themselves have a terrible back-story in this about their mother being murdered by their abusive father, and one of the little girl's kills him after she picks up the gun he did it with.

This is what causes the twins a deep rift. One is more nerdy and quiet, and the other is loud and violent. They don't quite see eye to eye, which becomes even harder to do for the nerdy twin when her eye is ripped out.

The gang has to face off against a bunch of obstacles, such as police officers who try to sleep with the angry twin, a really creepy motel manager, a gang of chainsaw-wielding punks who break into the house of their one friend, kill her boyfriend and chop off her arm. Then there is the serial killer chasing them down. All in a days work you might say.

The girls themselves have acting chops, and it shows in the film. They really bring out the characters they've created. While you can tell this is the girls first attempt at a full length movie, and it's very low-budget, I think that's part of it's charm. It's got twisted humor, awesome gory effects, interesting characters and wacky adventure. It's really worth giving a look if you like silly indie flicks. It's very Troma-esque and I like it for that.

Of course it's not my favorite of the Twins work though. Not after American Mary came out...

This movie really showcases the Twins skills. It's got amazing practical effects, buckets of gore, Katherine Isabelle (who I adore as Ginger in Ginger Snaps) body modification and more. 

The story is of Mary Mason, a struggling med student who through desperation and lack of funds, gets dragged into the world of underground body modifications. Her story is rather compelling, and Katherine Isabelle's performance as Mary is amazing! She's not a nice person, and yet despite that, I couldn't help but feel for her and love her. She does terrible things in revenge, and while every woman who's been raped can feel for her situation and her methods, I couldn't help but be heartbroken as I watched her descent into madness. Mary does what she has to in order to survive, and if you've ever been backed into a corner like that, you can relate.You can probably also relate to making bad choices due to your mental state of being pushed.

I also applaud the girls for showing the dark side of body mods while still being respectful of the people who get them done. I never once felt like the body mod issue was being used as a gimmick to make the blood flow. And I adored the cameo of the Twins themselves, being cute little freaky ladies who wanna get some interesting work done by Mary. 

From the direction, the camera work, the special effects, story and characters, I love pretty much everything about this movie. It was so interesting and unique compared to a lot of remakes happening right now in the genre, and I have to say it is one of my favorite films this year. 

Out of the two movies, definitely get your hands on American Mary. It's out on DVD and Blue-Ray right now and it's a must see. And if you are a fan of the Twisted Twins and curious how they cut their movie-making chops, watch Dead Hooker In A Trunk. It's fun and great to entertain your friends with. Find about more about the Twins and there work at http://www.twistedtwinsproductions.net.