{"id":43336,"date":"2024-03-29T12:01:15","date_gmt":"2024-03-29T16:01:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=43336"},"modified":"2024-03-29T13:21:18","modified_gmt":"2024-03-29T17:21:18","slug":"chelseastardust-wihm2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2024\/03\/29\/chelseastardust-wihm2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Writer-Director Chelsea Stardust Interview [Women in Horror Month 2024]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Writer-director Chelsea Stardust:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

To start, please introduce yourself:<\/span><\/b>
\nI\u2019m Chelsea Stardust and I\u2019m a writer and director. I primarily work in the horror genre, though I love all genres of cinema. After film school in the Midwest, I immediately moved to Los Angeles to pursue my movie-making dreams, only to spend my first 10 years as an assistant. I did, however, keep directing short films on the side and I directed my first feature film in 2018. It was a dark science fiction thriller titled ALL THAT WE DESTROY, which is now on Hulu and is part of the Blumhouse <\/span>Into The Dark <\/span><\/i>series. I shot my second movie 8 months after my first, a wild comedy horror film titled SATANIC PANIC, which is currently on Tubi, but can also be found on VOD, blu-ray, and VHS. I\u2019m so proud of both of those films and they showcase my ability to make tonally different films, and I think it’s important to show diversity as a director.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is horror to you, what makes a work of art one in the horror genre?<\/span><\/b>
\nI have a board definition of the horror genre. I tend to use it as a catch-all for a lot of films–anything that elicits that emotional response of terror, fear, suspense, uneasiness. It could have lots of gore or none at all. Ultimately, it\u2019s a mood. Additionally, I think people are still nervous to call something a horror film, because of the history the genre has had. But I want to reclaim that term. Personally, I think horror films have more to say than any other genre, and it can be overt or subtle and still be successful. I want to s<\/span>how all audiences how important the genre is. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What made you want to work in horror?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>
\n<\/span>I\u2019ve loved the horror genre my whole life, since I saw Halloween-themed cartoons as a kid. Being scared is universal so it\u2019s something we can all relate to. I also think it\u2019s a more creative genre to express deep emotions and also work out personal issues. I think exorcising the demons makes you a better creator in the long run. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Where do you get your inspiration?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/span>My friends are a big inspiration to me, they keep me going especially during tough times. I\u2019m inspired by all cinema of course, and I\u2019m a big music fan. I also love fine art and am always visiting museums and seeing art shows. Nature is also a big inspiration\u2014hiking and camping and connecting with the Earth. In the woods or the desert, I love it all. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>What would you like your legacy to be in the genre (or elsewhere)?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>
\n<\/span>My second film, Satanic Panic, did a massive festival run and I was able to attend some of the fests. My major takeaway was how many women, of all ages, came up to me and told me how much they loved my movie and that it inspired them to want to be in the industry. I was so touched by how many people connected with my film and the fact that it inspired them to want to tell their stories was mind-blowing. I was so honored to hear that. To me that is leaving a legacy. Inspiring the next generation or any generation to carry the mantel of filmmaking\/storytelling. It doesn\u2019t get better than that. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Women in Horror Month to you and why is it still important this many years later?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>
\n<\/span>I have to be honest and say I dream of a day when we are all just “directors” and not \u201cwomen directors\u201d\u2014however we just aren\u2019t there yet. We are still struggling to get hired and have our voices heard. This is why Women in Horror month is important because it reminds everyone that we exist and we matter and we have stories to tell. And that we celebrate each other and support each other as well, all year round.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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?<\/span><\/b>
\nThis is a great question and there are so many wonderful women that I\u2019m so lucky to know and have in my circle and they all inspire me on a daily basis. Brea Grant, Natasha Kermani, Zoe Cooper, Fayna Sanchez, Axelle Carolyn, Rebekah McKendry, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Ama Lea, Mali Elfman, Roxanne Benjamin, Maggie Levin, Clarke Wolfe, Shannon Brown, Sarah Nicklin, Alison Star Locke, Melissa LaMartina, and Salina Kyle, to name a few. Look them up and check out their work! <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What are you currently working on that you can tell us about?
\n<\/span><\/b>I\u2019m working on a few things at the moment, but unfortunately, I have to give the cliche Hollywood answer that I can\u2019t talk about them at the moment! However, you can follow along with my creative musing on Instagram @ChelseaStardust\u00a0\u2014also that will have any updates regarding what I\u2019m working on etc when I can finally talk about it!!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank\u00a0you so much!!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lead photo credit: Mark Evans<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Writer-director Chelsea Stardust:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1284,8,2673],"tags":[477,1550],"class_list":["post-43336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-festivalsevents","category-interviews","category-wihm","tag-horror","tag-women-in-horror"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43336"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43336\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43376,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43336\/revisions\/43376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}