Writer, producer, actress Sadie Katz:
To start, please introduce yourself:
Hi Emilie Women in Horror Month! Yay thank you for including me. Kudos for keeping WIH alive.
I’m Sadie Katz. I’m lucky enough to have starred in over a dozen films with a lot in the horror genre including the often times loved/hated but always discussed Wrong Turn franchise.
What is horror to you, what makes a work of art one in the horror genre?
The horror genre is a fun one because most of the time even at its scariest, it’s still a fantasy. In a time when people forget that movies are supposed to be fun and entertaining, I think the horror genre hasn’t forgotten!
What made you want to work in horror?
The coolest thing as an actress/producer is the fans of the horror genre are actually the biggest supporters of indie film! Everyone wants to say the Sundance audience are champions of indie film- but most of those films have a budget of millions. Genre films hold their own on streamers (TUBI, AMAZON, NETFLIX, ETC) next to multimillion dollar films! That’s such a big freaking deal! And it’s the horror fans who make that possible. That’s loving film. I don’t think it’s talked about enough…horror fans really understand all stages of filmmaking. Thank you to those fans who made it possible for me to actually carry a feature length movie…over and over.
Where do you get your inspiration?
There’s a lot of indie actresses’ hustle and talent that inspire me… Augie Duke is a force of nature the way she approaches a character, Sarah French, Jessica Morris, Devanny Pinn, Jamie Bernadette, Felissa Rose, Christine Elise, Eva Hamilton… I’m missing a lot of wonderful actresses, but this is a long, hard game and it’s hard to stay in it- these ladies just keep working and booking.
What would you like your legacy to be in the genre (or elsewhere)?
Gosh, that’s a big question. Boy, I know this sounds goofy but I’d love for people to be like…she was really nice. HA.
What is Women in Horror Month to you and why is it still important this many years later?
There’s all this talk of eliminating women in horror…it really pisses me off! Last year we had the lowest percentage of female lead films in the last twenty years- but here’s the horror genre raising their hands like, hey?!… we love women, women in horror aren’t just big titted (or small) victims but they’re also the heroes, the final girls. Why isn’t that something worth celebrating? I’m going to tiptoe this but when you start getting into the political argument of women etc and then decide to throw it out- you’re taking from women. Do we need to be inclusive- fine. However, by celebration Women in Horror there’s a chance to talk about women in film and that’s f#cking something. Women have stories to tell and there’s an audience there.
Who are some of the Women in Horror who you look up to and who do you want to bring attention to in your field or others?
Eva Hamilton deserves some attention. She’s beautiful but she’s also fun to watch. Denise Milfort has some projects coming out that I think are going to make her presence known in the horror world. Rachele Brooke Smith who’s done a lot of indie action film is ready to hit the horror genre, trust.
Also, a shoutout to Felissa Rose, Devanny Pinn and Bruna Rubio for supporting other women in the genre.
What are you currently working on that you can tell us about?
I just wrapped How to Kill Your Family on Christmas a snarky, funny ode to the Xmas Horror comedy. I’m about to go into production on Jason Horton’s A Hard Place. I’m waiting for the release dates on a few projects but 12 to Midnight is going to be a fun werewolf noir releasing soon.
Please say hi to me on instagram.com/sadiekatz
Photos courtesy of Garo Setian (Automation first image, Space Wars third & fourth images)