Please introduce yourself.
I’m Ashlea Wessel, I’m a writer and director with a love of aesthetically driven horror and a soft spot for stories rife with social commentary. You can watch two of my previous shorts INK and TiCK on ALTER now, and my most recent short, Weirdo is making the festival rounds as we speak.
Tag Archives: Filmmaking
Interview with Director Jenna Payne [Women in Horror Month 2021]
Photo Credit: Patrick Patton
Please introduce yourself.
I never outgrew my goth stage and have a deep preoccupation with crime and especially murder. My favorite bedtime stories as a toddler were Alfred Noyes’ “The Highwayman,” which – SPOILER – ends in a murder suicide, and “The Little Match Girl.” I read a lot of Michael Crichton in elementary school and loved his movies, especially COMA (but later in life). I came to filmmaking after school, studying journalism in college and even interning for major press organizations in Russia and Belgium. The media industry was imploding, though, as I graduated, so I worked a lot of odd jobs before stumbling into screenwriting and eventually directing in my mid-20s. I like to tackle social issues with my projects but drench them in buckets of blood. I find it very therapeutic.
Anouk Whissell, Director of “Summer of 84” [Women in Horror Month 2021]
Please introduce yourself.
First, thank you for the invitation! My name is Anouk Whissell, I’m a writer-director based in Montreal, Canada. I graduated in Traditional Animation, worked in animation studios for 10 years while making short films within the RKSS Films Director Triforce with François Simard and Yoann-Karl Whissell. Together, we’ve made our feature debut TURBO KID, which premiered at Sundance in 2015, where we returned a few years later with our follow-up film SUMMER OF ’84. As a director, I thrive on passion, my love for genre and character-driven stories.
Interview with Writer, Director & Horror Hostess Jennifer Nangle [Women in Horror Month 2021]
Please introduce yourself.
I was born on a snowy night (no, really… I was!) and grew up in a small town north of Boston called Danvers which was a part of the Salem Witch Trials. I also grew up in a haunted house where two full body apparitions have been seen! I went to college at Niagara University where I studied and earned my BFA in theatre. The goal was to move to NYC and aim for a career in musical theatre, though, by my Junior year, I fell out of love with musical theatre and was really drawn to realism plays. The truth of acting and story telling. I decided to change paths and go after a career in television. I moved to Los Angeles after I had saved up some money, studied the Meisner technique for two years, and then couldn’t find an agent or a job. I turned to self-producing which has been what I’ve been doing ever since!
Interview with Director Honey Lauren [Women in Horror Month 2021]
Please introduce yourself.
Hi, thank you so much for having me!! My name is Honey Lauren, I am an actress, writer and director and I love horror! I love all genres really. I’ve been in probably over a hundred films and television programs, (not all horror), but one of my very first roles was in Francis Ford Coppola’s DRACULA.
Interview with Denise Gossett, Founder of Shriekfest [Women in Horror Month 2021]
Please introduce yourself.
Thank you so much for including me! I’m Denise Gossett, Actress and Festival Founder/Director of Shriekfest Film Festival! We are currently in our 21st year!
What is it that attracts you the horror genre for your chosen field of creative work?
I love horror films! I love creatures, I love to be scared, although it’s really hard to scare me now after 21 years of watching films.
Interview with Owner of Horrorgasm LLC, Jennifer Cooksey [Women in Horror Month 2021]
Please introduce yourself.
My name is Jenn Cooksey, I also go by J.C. for comic and writing projects. I am a writer, visual artist, and one of the owners of Horrorgasm LLC, San Diego’s home for horror themed art and entertainment. I am a lifelong horror fanatic, who enjoys consuming and creating horror content with a side of humor.