6 “as screwed up as it might turn out to be by the end of the movie, a lot of [horror] films are about...men’s uncer- tainty regarding the nature of femininity.” photo by Jorg Buttgereit. rough sex in Necromantik 2 photo by Jorg Buttgereit Necromantik’s corpse of love “influx * Magazine » October 1999. 1 Spreading Cannibal Culture Keir-La’s interest widened -nay, crevassed- into a pas- sion as she grew older, and she now writes the aforementioned Cannibal Culture. "There was this big chunk of my life that I didn't get to share with other kids, and it gets to the point now where I'm writing a magazine, trying to bring these types of films to people who don't like horror. I'd like them to be able to see that there is something you can read into these films. They can be really dis- turbing, really disgusting, but they can be critically viewed. Part of trying to get other people to watch these movies is like me being a kid, and I can't share these things with other kids, and so now I'm at the age where, okay, I can share them with people but nobody likes them anyway." Cannibal Culture, as she puts it, is dedicated to exploring "deviant cinema". This refers, primarily, to horror, although there are occasional jaunts into eurotrash, and sometimes there will even be articles on the likes of Passolini and Bergman. "You tell a Scandinavian Studies teacher that you consider Bergman a horror director and he'd probably slap you in the face. But look at The Hour Of The Wolf or From The Life Of The Marionettes. These are horror films no matter how you look at them. No one wants to give the genre credit for producing good movies." With articles such as "The Possessed Individual: Voyeurism And The Disembodiment Of Death" and "He Was Diseased, But He Was My Son: Useful Deformities In Medieval Art And Contemporary Horror", she doesn't just write flippant movie reviews. She writes essays, she delves into films that no one has previ- ously considered as worthy or meaningful material. Mermaid In A Manhole, for instance. "To most people, there's a mer- maid and all this puss is squirting out of her for an hour and a half. Now, I'm not just a sadist. A big part of my argument was based on Susan Sontag's essay, “TllIness As Metaphor”. She talks about the two things most associated with tuberculosis in the nineteenth century, which were repression and this idea that people became more interesting as they became sick, that they were closer to this higher purpose. So, in the twentieth cen- tury this has been transferred, all the repression aspects of tuberculosis have been put on to cancer and all of the lofty ideals of t.b. have been put on to mad- ness and insanity." In Mermaid In A Manhole a painter comes across an ill mermaid in a sewer and takes her home. He puts her in his bathtub and attempts to heal her, but it doesn't work. She tells him, though, not to worry. All he needs to do is paint her. As the movie progresses her condition worsens, and she offers her own body (blood and puss, seven different colours of puss, if I'm not mistaken) to the painting. The painter becomes increasingly insane (understand- ably). In the end, we are made aware that the mermaid was, in fact, his wife who had been stricken with cancer. Gross, yes, but interesting, n'est-ce pas? "It's partially for the genre itself," Kier-La adds, "so that the genre can get the respect it deserves. You know, it's a small magazine, it's got a super-small distribution (less than 1000), but a iot of people in the horror community around the world, if they get their hands on it they seem to like it. People who have maga- zines that I really respect [like the States’ European Trash Cinema and Britain's Flesh and Blood] have gotten a hold of mine and have written me, telling me how much they love it. Makes me feel like I'm not just talking out of my ass, you know?" Defending The Slaughter Of Women (in film) At this point our conversation lists. "One thing that people constant- ly complain about the horror genre is that it's misogynistic. I think it's crap. I don't think a lot of horror films are misogynistic, or as misogynistic as people think...One of the problems is, okay, women complaining about how horror is dominated by ideolog- ically male value systems, that fulfill male fantasies and desires, men as sadists, that men get sadistic pleasure in watching the women get tortured and everything else, which I think is crap." I've always wondered just what fantasies were being fulfilled when I watch Jamie Lee Curtis get chased around by a William Shatner mask. L Kier-La, who's getting a little worked up at the moment, continues. "My first suggestion is, if you think this is true...make your own fucking horror movie. Women are not being kept out of the horror genre as directors or producers or writers or anything. There's no glass ceiling there. It's women choosing to alienate themselves from the genre for reasons that they have created. So, yeah, you're not going to get a sincerely feminist horror film. "Even the directors who do direct feminist horror, like Ridley Scott or James Cameron or Steve Miner, David Cronenberg, they get attacked for appropriating the voice of wom- anhood. Well, what the fuck do they want? Those bitches!” (I can see myself getting flayed once I hand in this article.) "I think a lot of women are complaining about some- thing without looking at what's really there. They're just sort of regurgitating the complaints of the generation before them. And one of the things I also think is that most horror films are about women. I'm not just saying they're important because they play the necessary role of the victim, I'm saying, as screwed up as it might turn out to be by the end of the movie, a lot of films are about...men's uncertainty regarding the nature of femininity. Not even man, woman, but masculinity and femininity as abstract con- cepts. That's why you'll get something like Alien where everything looks like a womb or an egg. You'll have movies that are obsessed with the processes of childbirth and menstruation. You'll have all these weird female characters like the wicked mother or the female vampire seductress. "Or even in the slasher films you'll have the final girl, the girl that always survives at the end. Even after all the guys are killed there's always a girl that's left. A lot of times you'll have these totally inadequate male protagonists, especially in European horror films, who need women to bail them out of everything. "I think that even when women are being massacred in films that they are being held in a kind of reverence. If you're a man and you get killed [on celluloid] it's like, chop in the head, that's it, you're out of the picture. But a woman getting killed takes a really long time. She puts up more of a fight, she dies slower. The fact that they're such a threat to the killer. They have more power. I see this as pointing out the significance of women. "Because they're mostly directed by men, a lot of horror films are about men coming to terms with how they feel about women, about femininity. versus masculinity, about passivity versus domination. All of these things are played out in horror films, and it's not always the women who are on the bottom, you know, it just depends what kind of ideology what film wants to expound." Genre considered, this actually starts to make a sort of sick sense. The Cinemuerte Film Festival Urged on by the distressing -some would say pleasant- lack of horror films in theatrical release in Vancouver and by local dissent, Kier-La contacted Alex Mackenzie, owner of the Blinding Light Cinema (downtown at 36 Powell), to see if he’d be interested in showing some features of a more gruesome interest. When offered the chance to rent the theatre herself, she took it. "I just got a student loan right around that time, so I was like, fuck, okay. So I just gave him a thousand dollars for the deposit on the the- atre, and then I came home with my little receipt, and I was like, fuck, what am I thinking? I just wasted a thousand dollars! I’m never going to be able to put on a god damn film festival!" She originally planned to show public domain videos, videos that have no North American distributor. "Well, it’s not completely public domain," she admits. "It’s a gray area. Like, there are still copyrights on them, but if a movie has no distribu- tion in a certain country nobody is going to go that extra step to prosecute because its not worth it, you know? That’s how bootleg- gers can get away with it. There’s no one domestically who can sue them. In a lot of cases, the directors, it’s almost better for them, because then they might get picked up by a distributor if enough demand is created. The movie gets a reputation, and then the dis- tributor will pick it up and pay more money for it than if no one had ever heard of it. : "So all I was going to do was show public domain videos, not get permission from anybody to show anything, because legally I didn’t really have to, and just hope that my friends came to the show." Friends of hers suggested that were she to commit to the festival in a legitimate and less shady manner she could advertise it more expansively, get sponsors, and perhaps have some of the directors attend. "It turns out that nobody wanted to sponsor us,. so we didn’t get any money to bring in directors or anything. But what we did get by going the route of getting permission for a lot of the films, we got a rapport with the directors. They were really happy about the festival, and so now people have heard about it in Europe and other countries even though it’s just a small thing. And now [when directors] go to another festival, they can say, ‘Oh yes, my film played recently at Cinemuerte in Vancouver.’ And that helps, because the more of a reputation the festival gets then the more possible it is for directors to come. "Ultimately, the real focus of this festival is for the fans. For fans here who are culturally deprived by the theatres in town that discriminate against horror films. You’ve got these culture- starved horror fans that have no where to turn and are living in their basements, ordering all these weird movies from Japan, but they’ve got no one else to talk to." oropna Hn aero oF & ep, re 0 influx* Magazine » October 1999 .as screwed up as it might turn out to be by the end of the movie, a lot of [horror] films are about...men’s uncer- tainty regarding the nature of femininity’ ‘rough sex in Necromantik 2 Necromantik’s corpse of love Spreading Cannibal Culeure Keie-Lasimerest widened -nay, creased ino a pas sion a she grew older, and she now writes the aforementioned Cannibal Cute. "There was his big chunk of my ie that Tide’ fet 10 share with other Kids, and t gets fo the point now where Tm tering a magazine, tying to Bring these types of lens to people Who dont like horror. Tike dhem tobe ale tose that theres omething you can read into these ms. ‘They can be realy dis- turbing, ell disgusting, but they canbe ciclly viewed. Part of trying to get other people to watch these movies i ike me being a dy and I can't share these things with other kids, and so now Ti a the age where, olay, I can share dhem with people but nobody kes them anys” Cannibal Cur, a she puts itis dedicated t0 exploring “deviant cinema. This refers, primarily to horror although there ae occasional jaunts ino eurotrash, and sometimes there will even be articles on the likes of Pasolini and Bergman. "You tell a ‘Scandinavian Studies teacher tht you consider Bergman a horror iector and he'd probably slap you in the face. But look st The “Hur Of The loc From The Life Of The Marines. "These ate hhoreor films no mater how you look at them. No one wants sive the genre credit for producing good movies” ‘With articles such as "The Possesed Individual Voyeurism AndThe Discmbodiment Of Death” and "He Was Diseased, But He ‘Was My Son: Useful Deformiies In “Medieval Ar And Contemporary Horror she docs just write Mippant movie reviews. She writes essays she ‘elves into lms that no one has previ ously considered at worthy or meaning tatetial Mermaid In Manhole for instance. To most people, there's a mer maid and allthis pus i squirting out of Ihe for an hour and a hale. Now im not justa sadist. A big part of my argument twat based on Susan Sontag’ essay “less As Metaphor". She talks about ‘the two things most astocited with tuberculosis in the nineteenth century, which were rpeesion and this dea that people became more interesting a they became sick that they were lotr to thie higher purpose. Soin the wentethcen- try this has been transferred, all the repression aspect of tuberculosis have ben put on fo cancer and all ofthe lofty ‘eal of Ub have been put on to mad ‘ess and insanity” 1 Mermaid In A Mantole a painter comes across an ill mermaid ina sewer and takes her hhome. He pusher inhi bathtub and tte to eal he, butt doesn't work. She tells him, though, not to worry. Alle needs to {015 paint her. As the move progeses her condition worsens, and she offers her own body (blood and pus, seven diferent Colours of puss, fm not mistaken) tothe painting. The psinter ‘becomes increasingly insane (understand- abl). In the end, we are made aware that ‘the mermaid as, infact, his wife who had ‘ben sricken with cancer. Gross em but interesting, nese pat? forthe genre ive” Kit-La ads," thatthe gente fan get the respect it deserves. You kno i a small magazine it’ got a super-small sistibution (es than 1000), but a fot of People inthe horror community around ‘he wold if hey got thei hands on they seem to ike it. Pople who have mag Zines tha I ally respect [ke the States European Tash Cinema and Britains lsh ‘and Bioad) have goten a hold of mine and have wetter me, teling me how much ‘hey loves. Makes me fee ike Tm not Just alling ou of my ass, ou know?” Defending The Slaughter Of Women (Gn lm) Ath pont our coment ts ‘One thing that people constant- ly complain about the horror gente i that its misogynistic. Tthink its crap. Tdoa't think ot ofhoror films are misogynistic, tras misogynistic as people think -One of the problems is, okay, women complaining about how horrors dominated by ieolog- ically male value systems; that full male fantasies and desires, ‘men as sadist, that men got sadistic pleasure in watching the ‘women get tortured and everything es, which I think rap.” Te always wondered june what fantasies wee being fulfilled when I watch Jamie Lee Curtis get chased around by aWiliam Shatner atk ‘Kir-La, whois getting litle worked p atthe moment, continue. "My fist suggestion i you think this steak Your own fucking horror movie. Women are not being kept out of the horror genre as directors or producers or writes or anything, “There's no las ceiling there. Its women choosing to alienate themsclies from the genre for reasons that they have created, SO, Yea youre not going to get a sincerely feminist hore i, “Even the dizectors who do direct feminist horror like Ridley Scot or James Cameron or Steve Miner, David Cronenberg, they get attacked for appropriating the voice of wom- anhood. Well, what the fuck do they want? ‘Those bitches!” (ean Sce myself geting ayed once I hand in thi article) "Tithink a lor of women are complaining about some- thing without looking at whats really there. Theyre just sor of ‘egurgitating the complaints ofthe generation before them. And ‘one ofthe tings Tals think that most hoeror films are about ‘women. Tim not jst saying they'e important because they play the necessary role of the victim, Fm saying, s screwed up a i might tom out 0 be bythe end ofthe movie alot of films are bout.men's uncertain regarding the nature of femininity. Not ‘ven mu, woman, but masculinity and femininity as abstract con- ‘xpts. Thats why soul get something lke Allen where everything Tooks like a womb gran egg. Youll have movies that are obsessed withthe processes of childbirth and menstruation. Youll have all ‘hese weird female characters like the wicked mother or the female sampire seductress. “Or even in the slasher films youl have the final gi the ie thar always survives a the end. Even afterall he guy are Fale theres away gt thats left A lot of times youl have these totaly inadequate male protagonist, especially in European horror fms, who need womn t Ball them out of everything. Think that even when women are being massacred ia fis tht they are being held in a Kind of reverence. Ifyoue a man and you get killed [on celluloid] it's hike, chop in the head, ha’ it youre out ofthe picture. Buta woman geting billed takes ‘rally longtime. She puts up more ofa fight se dies slower. The fact that they'e sucha threat tothe killer. "They have more power. Isc this a pointing out the significance of women, Because theyre mostly dzected by men, a lot of horor Sms are about en coming t terms with hw they fel about ‘women, about femininity versus masculinity, about passhiy versus domination. All ofthese things ae played cut in hoor ls nd ice not always the women who are on the bottom, you know, it just depends what kind of ideology what lm wants to expound.” ‘Genre considered, this actually starts to make a sort of “The Cinemuerte Film Festival Urged on by the dstresing some would say pleasant lack of horror fim jn theatrical release in Vancouver and by local disent, Kier-La contacted Alex Mackenzie, owner ofthe Binding Light Cinema (downtown at 36 Powell) to see if he'd be interested fn showing some features ofa more gracsome interest. When ‘offered the chance to ent the theatre herself she took it. just, gota student fan right around that time, so wa ke, fuck, okay. So just gave him a thousand dollars for the deposit on the the- sre, and then Tame home with my lite recip, and Task, ack what am Thinking? Tjust wasted thousand dollars! I'm ever going tobe able to put on a god damn fim festival” ‘he originally planned to show public domain videos, videos that have no North American diteibutor. "Well isnot completly public domain,” she admits. “Isa gray area. Like, {here are sll copyrights on them, but if a movie hs no distribu ‘om ina certain country nobody going to go that extra step to DrorecuteBeease ts not worth it you know? That's how booleg- ier can got away with ‘There's no one domestically who can sue them. Ina lot of cases, the directors, it almost better for them, because then they might gst picked up by a ditibutor if enough demand is created, The movie gts reputation, and then the di tebutor wil pick cup and pay more money for than if no one had ever heard of "So all Twas going to do was show public domain ‘videos, not get permission from anybody to show anything, Because Tegal ide’ rally have to and just hope that my fends came Friends of hers suggested that were she to commit tothe festival ina legitimate and less shady manner she could advertise more expansively, get sponsors, and perhaps have some of the ‘iretor attend, "It turns out that nobody wanted to sponsor Ws, so we didn't get any money to Bring in disctors or anything. But ‘what we did get by going the route of geting permission for lot ‘ofthe ims, we gota rapport with the directors, They were realy happy about the festival, and s0 now people have heard about tin rope and other countries eventhough its justa small thing. ‘And now {when director) go to another festival they can say, “O8 ‘es my film played recennly at Cinemuerte in Vancouver” And that ihelp, because the more of reputation the festival gets then the more possible is for directors to come. “Ultimately, the real focus ofthis etval for the fans For fans here who ae culturally deprived by the theatres in town, that discriminate agains horor films. You've got these culture farved horror fans that have nowhere to turn and ae living in {heir basement, ordering all these weird movies fom Japan, but they've got no one ee to talk to."