Interview: Twisted Twin Productions

One of the problems of life that continually vex me is what the hell to do with all the dead hookers. It’s almost a weekly distraction for me and it gets in the way of all the grave robbing. Not even quantum mechanics has come up with a theory to solve such an issue because the equation.

Never seems to equal a dead hooker! I know, maybe that dude in the wheelchair with the robot voice and hot nurse can solve it someday. What was his name? Steven Tyler I think? Anyway, perhaps Jennifer and Sylvia Soska, better known as the Twisted Twins, have come up with a solution to this quandary. Let’s just put the dead hooker in a trunk. Sometimes you cannot see the dead hookers for the trees, geez.

is a new independent film out of Canada, the land of socialized medicine and bacon that is really ham. I think that makes them Communists but I may be wrong, I never passed social studies. It is the debut feature film written, directed, produced by and staring the two sexy twin sisters Jennifer and Sylvia Soska better known by their birth names of the “twisted twins” and I do not think that has anything to do with them being deformed Siamese or anything. Last time I looked I did not see them suffering from some kind of Craniopagus Parasiticus. I could be wrong though because I have not yet been foraging through their panty drawers. I said…yet, let’s move on.

Dead Hooker In a Trunk is the tale of four friends who unexpectedly have their daily dysfunctional routine interrupted by the discovery of a dead hooker within the trunk of their Firebird. They are driving around enjoying the company of each other’s personal differences until one of them utters a line that sets up the entire film, “what’s that smell?” It’s not something I say when I get into my car that’s for sure, but then again I usually know where the scent originates from because I put her in there the previous night…I mean put “it” there, never mind continue reading. The friends are shocked to find that their new car smell comes from a dead hooker in the trunk and that’s always the problem with those green tree air fresheners, they just never last long enough. Kind of like the freshness of dead hooker…

The film now chronicles the strange, dangerous, and often humorous journey of the friends as they argue about what to do with the dead body. Among the general psychological chaos, they run into Asian drug dealers with chainsaws, encounters with police that end in some light bondage, and of course how can you have a dead hooker in a trunk without some necrophilia? The gang needs to rent a room for the night to assess the situation but have no cash. What’s a person to do when you are low on cash right? How about trade a dead hooker for a motel room? Now that’s a deal! If Canadian currency involves necrophilia and dead hookers, I will be converting my dollars if not immigrating there all together.

Of course while all of this is going on, the gang is being pursued by a black hooded serial killer and a mysterious cowboy pimp who come to find out, wants his dead whore back. Within the film we get some nice torture scenes, learn the lesson to look both ways when crossing the street or a bus will take your arm off, and that duct tape and fish wire are not sufficient to put it back on. We also are entertained to the fact that you can loose an eye when someone whacks your head like a softball. Again, duct tape is not the best means of addressing a medical issue but I could be wrong. I am only a doctor of love not medicine, plus I use duct tape for other things. Another important lesson the film teaches is to make sure that your dead hooker is actually dead. If she is not, that is easily rectified with the back of a shovel. Besides teaching us various lessons, the film holds a theological message. If your preacher was born with a forked penis he probably is a misogynist with a pew full of psychotic tendencies.

The character development within the film is well written and represents some interesting polarities of human nature. The characters include “Badass”, portrayed by Sylvia Soska who represents the wild side of the feminine psyche. She is the rebel and free spirit embracing pure passion and the emotional experience. Her twin “geek” sister, played by her real life twin sister Jennifer Soska symbolizes the polar opposite. Geek is dressed conservatively, restrained emotionally, and logical. On the surface she is the solar to her sisters lunar. The characters of “Goody Two Shoes” and “Junkie” also represent a duality of human character. Goody Two Shoes played by C.J Wallis, is the perfect sexually repressed bible thumping male persona. He wants to do the right thing while fighting to control his own more inner human desires. The character of “Junkie” as played by Rikki Gagne, embraces like Badass, all of the more sensual and controversial elements of the human condition. She is wild, violent, and on drugs. When thrust into a stressful situation, the four characters play off of each other with a perfect and humorous realism. Perhaps on a psychological level the film chronicles the conquering of personal demons, integrating differing social dynamics into a solitary unit to establish survival. Maybe it’s just about three live hot chicks, one dead hot chick, and a nerd who is not a hot chick, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Those damn meddling kids!

Dead Hooker In a Trunk is an entertaining film and for an independent feature very professional on all levels. The acting is good, the storyline cogent and funny, and the special effects shown in realistic and believable degrees. But most importantly let’s not forget the fact that there is a hot dead hooker in a trunk…

And now my dear readers, since you have been enlightened unto Dead Hooker In a Trunk I know your deviant little psyches are interested in learning more about not just the film, but the two twinned twisted sisters behind the project. So continue sitting at your computer and read my exclusive interview with the Twisted Twins Jennifer and Sylvia Soska. Prepare to become enlightened on just what to do with a dead hooker in a trunk because I do not think it is covered by roadside services…

Necromagickal: Tell us about Twisted Twins Productions?

Jennifer: Twisted Twins is our production company. We started it in October of 2006 with the commencement of our debut feature, Dead Hooker In A Trunk. We got incorporated in 2007.

Necromagickal: What was the inspiration for Dead Hooker in a Trunk?

Sylvia: We had a final project for film school where we got to make short films. They had us break into groups and work within them. They ended up saying they didn’t have the budget for our group. We thought, “f*ck that” and decided to do it anyways, relying on our own assets to get the film made. However, there was a list of things that we were forbidden from putting in our films which included, but was not limited to, nudity, necrophilia, foul language, vomiting, religious themes, excessive blood and violence, etc, etc. We were sure to include as many of those as possible.

Jennifer: We decided to make it a trailer style short film like the ones running with Rodriguez’s and Tarantino’s Grindhouse. We had hope that if there was a Grindhouse sequel we would be able to submit our short/trailer. We wanted a really good title, something that people would remember, whether they loved it or hated it. We came up with “Dead Hooker In A Trunk” before we had anything else. While we made the short, we kept joking that we’d do this or that in the feature.

Sylvia: When we finished the film and screened it at the school, half the audience was cheering and laughing so loud that you couldn’t hear anything and the other half was angrily exiting, disgusted and put completely off. It was amazing to have so much love and hate in one room. After that, we had talked about it so much that we decided to write the feature. I believe we had it done in record time. Tag team writing.

Necromagickal: Did you both find it difficult having so many responsibilities in the film?

Sylvia: Yes, but I’m a bit of a control freak so it was nice to be involved in so many positions of making the film. For example, it was really cool to find the horse that Badass was going to be dragged from.

Jennifer: It was certainly a challenge, but we both love making movies and wanted to be involved in every aspect of the film. We knew in the future we wouldn’t be able to or have to take so much on ourselves, so if we were going to do it, this was the time to do it. We wanted to show how much we could do with a small group of people, a modest budget, and a hell of a lot of drive and ambition.

Necromagickal: What was the most exciting part of making the film?

Jennifer: Seeing the characters we wrote come to life was incredible. Especially the first time we were all together. And any of the blood and gore days. It was like, “we get to kill ____ today! Yay!”. Seeing it all come together was amazing. It was wonderful when we got to sit down and watch it all the way through for the first time.

Sylvia: It was really fun to do all the violent, actiony bits. I remember getting ready for a scene where a bunch of the characters get killed and we’re all just standing there, excited to kill or be killed. Blood canons ready to go. Seeing how it all came together to make different sequences was really rad.

Necromagickal: What was the most difficult aspect of making the film?

Jennifer: There were tons of challenges. Working on such a limited budget, you’re really at the mercy of people that have agreed to help you. Sometimes they don’t come through. We truly perfected the art of problem solving and coming up with creative solutions to obstacles at very short notice.

Sylvia: Yeah, we had some ridiculous problems but an almost magical way of not every getting too badly f*cked. Like when we had two guys in cop uniforms, a truck full of goats, and a camera going in and out of our rented hotel room- no one cared one bit. We forget to warn the neighbors that we’re filming something and it might get loud- we scream bloody murder and the police were never called. Good times.

Necromagickal: How far off are your characters in the film from your everyday personalities? What did you both do to get into those mindsets?

Jennifer: I was very much like Geek when I was little. I’ve toughened up over the years so I had to repress that part of me that always wants to talk back or face conflict head on. Geek is very logical and thoughtful and certainly doesn’t handle herself like Badass can. I just had to get back in touch with my inner Geek, which wasn’t too tough. My everyday self would be a blend of the two characters. I’m still very much a geek, adoring video games and comics, but I also have an extensive weapons collection that I’ve trained with. I think every girl should be able to defend themselves. I also rarely shy away from conflict. I like to face things head on.

Sylvia: Badass is a lot like the kind of woman I’d like to be, maybe a little less homicidal. It’s a very attractive thought to be able to kick ass in any situation. I’ve done some kick boxing and such, but could never knockout a bear (a scene actually cut due to lack of bear). I am far friendlier than Miss. Badass as well, but probably swear just a little more than she does.

It’s hard not to feel badass in a pushup bra, low cut tank, tight jeans, and the p*rno/prison inspired make-up of Badass. I remember feeling really cool during those long oners when Badass goes off to do something insane. It would be rad to be so cool.

Necromagickal: Twins have been said to share certain psychic abilities and connections to one another. Do you find yourselves influencing or possessing the other to do strange or disturbing things?

Sylvia: I can sometimes make her get me fast food when I’m hungry. Ha ha. Actually, we’re kind of like an old married couple, always finishing each other’s sentences and knowing each other’s thoughts.

Jennifer: Not so much in the was of possession, but we can do some of the classic twin tricks. We don’t have our own language, but we can communicate without speaking. Just through the slightest of gestures and looks. Also, I can feel how my twin’s feeling. If she’s having a bad day and we’re apart, I can feel it in my gut. If she starts laughing and can’t stop, I start laughing. If she’s stressed, I feel stressed.

Necromagickal: Is it true that twins double your pleasure? Have you two ever done the switcheroo with your dates?

Jennifer: Ha ha, I had to break up with this one guy for her once. It was pretty rough cuz he wanted a second chance or to still be friends and when I said “no”, he started to cry. Sylv’s such a heart breaker. Besides that, we’re not really into the same guys, which is probably a really good thing.

Sylvia: Ha ha. I remember that! It was so evil. But if he didn’t know the difference, then we probably weren’t meant to be. Dude, if you’re reading this– sorry, man.

Necromagickal: What are both of your aspirations in regard to film or the creative genres?

Jennifer: There aren’t really many female filmmakers that are in the same league as the big boys. I want to change that. Little girls are always told to be actresses or singers in the entertainment industry. It’s very rare for them to be encouraged to be directors or filmmakers or producers. I’d love to see that change, too. I want people, girls and boys, to look at what we do and be inspired to go after what they want. There’s a lot of pressure out there to just give up and get a “normal job”, but f*ck that. People shouldn’t settle. They’ll always regret it.

I’d love to see Soska Sisters films for the rest of our lives. We both have endless ideas and love writing so I think we’ve got a pretty bright future ahead of us. I’d really love to do work on a video game. Maybe do an original script for a survivor horror type game. Or maybe a Dead Hooker In A Trunk game.

Necromagickal: Tell us about any other projects you are working on?

Sylvia: We have our first Blood Shots fast film competition this year– they tell you the criteria and then you have two days to shoot and cut it. So, we are thinking of some ideas for that. Also, we have our new film American Mary coming up hopefully in the next little while. It’s more of a traditional horror movie than Dead Hooker in a Trunk, although it shares that same kind of strangeness.

Necromagickal: What kind of training or education did either of you have in terms of writing and filmmaking?

Sylvia: When I was twelve years old, I wrote a movie and sent it to Sylvester Stallone. I never heard back from him. Maybe he never got it, maybe he didn’t like it, and maybe he loved it so much that he couldn’t speak. We’ve never had any kind of classical training, except maybe a literature class in high school. I remember always reading a lot, even when we were little. We would get in sh*t in fifth grade because our teacher didn’t approve of the content and language in the Stephen King books we were reading. As for filmmaking, we would get a rough picture of how things were done from being on sets, but we learned a lot from actually making a movie and the lovely guidance from “Rebel Without a Crew” by Mr. Robert Rodriguez. We nicknamed it ‘the Bible’ on the set.

Jennifer: Everything I ever learned worth knowing about filmmaking was on set. Film school can get you good contacts. Sometimes. However, nothing compares to actually getting out there, trying stuff, and seeing what works and doesn’t first hand. The film school we went to sucked and left us on our own with little assistance or guidance which worked well for us. It was kind of like “sink or swim”. Sadly, we were among very few swimmers. We’ve always enjoyed writing and never really taken any courses for that. Practice makes perfect.

Necromagickal: Who do you both give credit as your inspiration for your pursuits?

Jennifer: Many of the “greats” who started by making a independent film despite overwhelming obstacles. Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and Eli Roth. We were very inspired by “El Mariachi”, particularly Rodriguez’s book, “Rebel Without A Crew”.

Sylvia: Jen took my answer.

Necromagickal: What are your thoughts on the role of women in the horror genre these days?

Jennifer: Some of the strongest female characters are written in horror films. I think there is a misconception out there that horror is degrading to women. I think that’s very close-minded and ignorant. I don’t see how when a woman is killed, it’s degrading, but when a man is killed, it’s cool. I’ve never seen a horror movie with a guy and had him say afterwards, “Yeah, it was a good movie, but it really upset me Freddie killed Johnny Depp in bed. It was really sexualized and inappropriate. I hate movies that degrade men like that.” I think women are really stepping out in horror, possibly even more than in so-called mainstream films. The horror community has overwhelming support for its women. It’s very inspiring.

Sylvia: I don’t think enough people give horror a chance. My twin and I were lucky to have very cool parents that let us watch horror movies. I’m not saying that you’re parents aren’t cool if you weren’t allowed…*cough* Anyways, I just saw horror movies as just movies and they tended to be the movies where the girls were the coolest. They were strong and they could run really fast and look totally hot no matter what they went through. I think the horror genre has always embraced ladies and portrayed them most radly (except maybe all those blondes, but who the f*ck goes to investigate a noise?).

Necromagickal: Is it true that Canadians like it better on top?

Jennifer: Yes. Yes, we do.

Sylvia: It’s the best part of the igloo.

Necromagickal: What can you tell us about the other actors in the film?

Jennifer: Oh, many things, ha ha. We had some truly amazing cast. We were very lucky to have them. It was incredible to get Carlos Gallardo in the film, as we really wanted to include a tribute to El Mariachi. He is a great guy and we are very grateful to him for both being in the film and supporting us. We even drove down to LA to film him.

CJ Wallis, our beloved Goody Two Shoes, was a real Godsend. We lost our original Goody, who was a girl and had caused us to have to rewrite the entire script in a day, and asked CJ, who we had only recently met, to fill in. Not only is he an unbelievably gifted actor, always stealing every scene he’s in, but a fellow filmmaker, writer, editor, and composer. He also did much of the camera work, all of the editing, and wrote original score for the film. He was a tremendous asset and just brilliant to have around. He was always making me laugh in our scenes.

Rikki Gagne, who plays Junkie, is a talented stunt performer as well as an actor.

Sylvia: She is wonderful. I remember scene fifteen- the parking lot scene- was her first day and she gets out of the car and the three of us were just stoked by how great she was. Her pug, Farley, is also a great little guy. He played Billy in the film.

One of my favorite people to work with was John Tench who played the Cowboy Pimp. He was such a gentleman every single day he was there. During one of the stunts, which he volunteered to do himself, he got dropped kicked in the gut. But the kicker hit low. He was just classy in every situation and a truly awesome Cowboy Pimp.

Necromagickal: So you both agree that power tools, duct tape, and medical instruments are excellent sex toys and the perfect foreplay?

Sylvia: In our hands, yes. Absolutely.

Jennifer: In Canada, duct tape can fix anything. Anything.

Necromagickal: What would you do if you actually found a dead hooker in your trunk?

Jennifer: Oh, I’d dump it for sure. It’s a beautiful coming together exercise between friends.

Sylvia: I’d film it and use it as ‘really awesome looking prosthetics’.

Necromagickal: What sites would you like to promote or mention?

Jennifer: Our twistedtwinsproductions.net, where I encourage people to go to contact us, read our blog which we’re always updating, check out our online store and get official Dead Hooker shirts and such as well as our upcoming “Dead Hooker In A Trunk” diary where we wrote everyday during the making of the film, see exclusive photos and updates, and ALL upcoming projects, interviews, reviews, we have some amazing friends who have endlessly supported us.

Sylvia: I would like to shamelessly promote a couple of friends of Dead Hooker in a Trunk- http://www.fortyfps.com that is Goody Two-Shoes, CJ Wallis’ site. He was a huge part of Hooker and his work is wonderful and often linked with us- http://www.myspace.com/fakesharkrealzombie which is the myspace page for the band Fake Shark- Real Zombie! which is featured throughout the film, and http://www.axwoundzine.com/ which is the site for Ax Wound Magazine which is an amazing horror zine run by the intelligent and entertaining, Hannah Neurotica, her personal site is http://www.hannahneurotica.com/.

Necromagickal: How goes the search for distribution? Will the film be screening at any festivals or conventions?

Jennifer: It’s going pretty good. We can’t go into any details, but there are some big boys that we have looking at the film and at American Mary.

Sylvia: We have our Dead Hooker sent to a few festivals right now, so we should have more news on that shortly.

Necromagickal: If you could craft your own deaths, how would you want to die?

Jennifer: I’d like to be killed by Patrick Bateman. It whatever way he pleases. I’d like to go out fighting, but when my end came, I’d like it to be a beautiful mess. Deep red blood on a white surface. That would be sexy…

Sylvia: I want to die with Jen in her crafted Patrick Bateman death. I would like a movie death, lying on my back, covered in blood, body mostly intact, looking peaceful up at the ceiling, eyes still eerily open.

Necromagickal: What five films do you want to be burned or buried with?

Jennifer: Other than Dead Hooker? Let’s see… Man Bites Dog, Twins, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Suicide Club, and Inglorious Bastards. But I’ll have to wait a couple months for Bastards to be out on DVD…

Sylvia: Definitely Suicide Club and Man Bites Dog. American Psycho, The Classic, and Police Academy 4- they really stepped up their sh*t in that one.

Necromagickal: What’s in the future for the Twisted Twins?

Jennifer: Distribution. Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha…. *ahem*. Seriously though, tons of projects are under way, at different stages of completion. We have some truly disturbing sh*t in the works as well as genres and films that people may be surprised to see from us.

Sylvia: American Mary should be the next one, but we have a bunch of things we’ve been working on. We have something we’ve been planning in making since we were teenagers. But that one is a ways away. You can always see what we’re up to on our blog, http://twistedtwinsproductions.blogspot.com/

Necromagickal: Any last words for our readers?

Jennifer: Yes. If you like us, please do mention us and Dead Hooker to your friends. We’re always looking to build our army. Oh, and if you hate us, tell your friends. We do love to get people talking. We’d love to get feedback.

Sylvia: You dudes are cool. Thank you for reading this and checking us out. Oh. Always, report dead hookers that you find in trunks. Or have a fabulous adventure deciding alternatives for the body, your choice.

For more information on the film Dead Hooker In a Trunk check out these sites. And if you want to see a real dead hooker in a trunk…well stop by my place, but please…call first.

http://deadhookerinatrunk.com/

http://www.myspace.com/deadhookerinatrunk

http://twistedtwinsproductions.net/

Interview: Twisted Twin Productions