Film Director Chandra Gerson

Chandra Gerson started out in show biz doing extra work in front of the camera, which led to her taking acting classes at the famed Lee Strasberg acting school. However, Chandra soon found that her true passion in films, was working behind the camera. She subsequently founded her own production company, Kitnkat Productions, in 2009, and has since produced some award-willing shorts, as well as one feature length film, a 2015 psychological drama entitled Book of Choices, which will be shown at the Delhi Women's International Film Festival in India this October. She also produced a fun documentary on the 40th anniversary of Knott's Scary Farm, the horror attraction of the famous Knott's Berry Farm, where Chandra has been regular visitor for years.

Last month, Chandra attended the annual Marché du Film ("Film Market") in Cannes, where three of her short films were shown: Burning Distortion (2012), a story about a man's dark side coming to light, Salvation of One (2014), about a young man who gets out of the mob and wants to right his wrongs, and A Gracious War (2014), about a police detective who finds out he has much more in common with a suspect he's interrogating, than he thought. Hear more about her aforementioned works, as well as more about Chandra herself, in her recent interview with Idol Features. Above photo by Carrie Cavalier.

June 10, 2016 interview with Chandra Gerson

Destinie Orndoff

Co-founder of indie film production company, Deranged Minds Entertainment, Destinie Orndoff has been an avid horror fan since she was six and saw A Nightmare on Elm Street. Rather than the film giving her nightmares, as it would most kids that age, it gave her dreams of someday making and acting in her own horror films. She and her partner launched Deranged Minds just last year and they are currently in production with their first film, a slasher entitled Red Eye.

Set in the backwoods of Black Creek, West Virginia, Red Eye is the tale of four friends who set out to document a local legend for a horror film festival. In Desitnie's own words:

We have unique and relatable characters to genre fans and many, quotes and classic moments that horror fans will eat up." We, being fans of the genre ourself took it upon ourselves to do something for the genre that has made such an amazing impact on our life. We are genuine horror fans making horror to give back, its our dream and passion. We feel it is very important to include the fact that this film will NOT be a "found-footage" film. What it IS, is a pulsating slay-fest that unfolds this sadistic story, drop by drop, including many, many twists. Get ready for a place where your passion bleeds through.

Another thing that particularly makes this film look very promising is that two of the names that have already signed on to appear in it, are quite big names in indie horror: Jessica Cameron and Heather Dorff. Listen to Destinie's exclusive interview with me, as we also delve a bit into what gave her her passion for horror and who her inspirations in the horror industry have been. If you're in the horror industry and have not yet heard of Destinie; remember you heard of her here first.

February 29, 2016 interview with Destinie Orndoff

Debra Lamb - Ruby Dreams

This 1994 music video featuring Scream Queen Debra Lamb, is a rare gem that recently surfaced on Youtube. It was produced and directed by then-USC film school student Susan Lambert. The song the video is set to is "Ruby, " performed by Marti Jones off of her Used Guitars album. It was written by Janis Ian and Kye Fleming and originally released on Janis' Revenge album. As for the story behind this video, just read on.

2015 Christmas Compilation

As has now become an annual tradition at Idol Features, here are some ladies who we've interviewed and featured throughout the last couple of years and were gracious enough to send us photos of themselves dressed in the spirit of the occasion. Above is horror hostess Lilith Death (played by the lovely Jessica Felice, who will be seen further on in this article) in a still from the Tales of Horror Christmas Eve Special. Catch it Thursday, December 24th at 8:00 PM Eastern on Tales of Horror TV, exclusively at Vimeo on Demand. Merry Christmas!

Andreea Boyer

Born in Romania near the Bran Castle (more popularly known as Dracula's Castle), Andreea Boyer has had the desire to write and act from an early age. She had three books of her poetry collections published when she was only 15 and she wrote, directed, and co-starred in her short Jamira, and full-length film Mondo Americana, a year later. Currently, Andreea has just finished writing a screenplay for a full length film. She tells me it's an action film and she just sent off her work to an agency in Los Angeles, where she plans to make a return trip in late October. She also has a featured role alongside Tristan Risk (American Mary's "Beatress") in Ulli Lommel's upcoming Boogeyman: Reincarnation.

I found Andreea very charming, with a good sense of humor, and expressive eyes (she tells me change color with her emotions) that convey fervor reminiscent of Hollywood's silent screen stars. One of her favorite topics to talk about is food, which she will at length, especially the dishes she's tried from the countries she's visited. She raved about the simple fish and vegetable meals she had during her stay with the natives of Brazil's Bahia region and also told of an unpleasant experience she had with some bad carpaccio while in Paris earlier this year. Also very health conscious when it comes to food, Andreea says she feels guilty about eating meat ("It makes me feel like a lion when I do," she says), but vegetarianism just isn't for her.

Andreea also tells me she loves to travel and it gives her inspiration for her writings. She was in Paris until the middle of this May and, as of this writing, is back home in Munich. Her travel plans include another trip to the US next year, with Atlanta and San Francisco on her list of cities to visit. The above photo of Andreea on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard last June, is courtesy of Andreea herself.

Bianca Allaine as "Zombinatrix"

October 2018 Author’s Addendum: To date, Zombinatrix is still in the production stages and has had casting changes. The 7-27-15 promo video featured in this piece, with Bianca announcing the ladies who were anticipated to join the cast of Zombinatrix, has long been removed from Biance’s Youtube channel. 

 

With all the zombie/living dead comedy-horrors being released by major studios and independent filmmakers, using "zombie" and "dead" word plays in their titles, these days, it isn't too often I'll hear one that really stops me in my tracks. One that recently did was Bee-Stung Productions' upcoming Zombinatrix with Bianca Allaine as the title character; "Mistress Tawny." It was the title that first grabbed me, but it was the tagline; "She's into whips and brains!" that just wouldn't let go.

Mary-Madison Baldo

Filmmaker and actress Mary-Madison Baldo (who'll ask you to call her Madison, not Mary) has all the makings to realize her dream of hearing her name announced at the Oscars someday. Besides her talents, the not-quite-21-year old filmmaker has the drive, focus, and positive attitude needed to succeed in her field. Of course, her looks don't hurt either, and have landed her some modeling jobs, most notably for Northern California-based Soul Clothing & Co.

A native New-Yorker who now lives and goes to school in the San Francisco Bay Area by way of Los Angeles, Madison and her partner started their own production company last year, entitled Bardo-Bretow Pictures. She's currently in production with two of her own; The Glittering Girl and Snake Eyes, both of which she'll also be working on in front of the camera, as well as behind.

A recently completed solo project of Madison's, which the above photo is from, is her submission for Team Oscar 2015, an annual competition for young filmmakers, put on by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. If hers is one of the six winning videos selected, you'll see her on stage as an Oscar Bearer on award night. What follows is my recent interview with the very charming lady, in which she reveals, besides her passion for filmmaking, she also dreams of being a roller derby queen and has some very good taste in music.

2014 Christmas Compilation

With Christmas around the corner, here are a selection of some of the lovely and talented ladies whose interviews and featured articles have graced the pages of this site, decked out in the spirit of the season. Starting it off is actress and talk show hostess Michelle Tomlinson who could have, but did not bake that pie herself. A big thanks to all the ladies here, especially to the ones who took the time and effort to take a photo exclusively for this feature. Happy Holidays!

Natalie DeGennaro

When Natalie DeGennaro made her first film, she was a student, but you can't say she was a student filmmaker, since that refers to a film school student. Natalie was an elementary school student, who, at the age of 12, had realized her life's ambition was to produce and direct films. Since then, she's continued to follow that path, focusing on films with heavier subject matter that are a far cry from the "chick flick" box that some may assume she'd be within, after learning she's a filmmaker.

Currently a sociology major at the State University of New York at Purchase, Natalie, now just shy of her 22nd birthday, tells me; "since I became a sociology major, I have made it a point to incorporate my sociological knowledge into my films." In fact, she plans on exemplifying that in her senior film project, entitled My Life and the Kinsey Scale, that she's currently busy researching and writing the screenplay for.

A native New Yorker and obvious Yankees fan, Natalie says she would never want to leave the Big Apple to live anywhere else. The accompanying photos here, all courtesy of Natalie herself, definitely seem to confirm that.

What would have been Megan Sacco's interview

Megan Sacco is the founder and CEO of Lady Haunter Management, which is an independent film company that works to support local charities in the Boston area. Hers would have made for an interesting interview, if it would have happened. It didn't but, since I'm not going to let my good questions go unseen (even though they may go unanswered), here they are. Of course, at left would have been a photo of Megan and credit for that photo would have been written here.

The Ladies of Sorority Slumber Party Slaughter

With a tagline that reads; "Even a pillow fight in your nightie can go too far," Twitchy Dolphin Flix's upcoming comedy-horror Sorority Slumber Party Slaughter is bound to be an attention-getter, just judging from its cast, alone. Directed by Terissa Kelton (the hardest-working lady at Twitchy Dolphin) in her directorial debut, the film is slated to go into production next month. The recently-announced cast features (from left to right in the above photo) Margaret Ann Garza (interviewed here in September 2012), Katie Miles, Vicky Illk (yes, unlike the spelling of her name on the poster, she spells it with a "y"), Madison Weber, Brittany Flurry, and Andrea Dettling. Six versions of the film's poster have already been released, featuring each one of the six ladies. See them, as well as info on the film's lovely and talented director, after the break.

Jessica Cameron at Film4 FrightFest

Above is the always gracious Jessica Cameron giving an interview at this year's Film4 FrightFest in London, where the UK premiere of her film Truth or Dare was shown. The focus of the interview is on the film, which has earned overall positive reviews from fans and horror pundits alike, but Jessica delves into other topics, as well. After giving an award-winning scream, she talks about the challenges she faced going from in front of the camera to behind it, and comments about today's social media "celebs." At about the eight-minute mark, she gives her views on why there are so few female directors in the film industry, and not just in the horror genre.

Welcome to My Darkside - Women in Horror Documentary

Slated for release in November, Last Doorway Productions' documentary Welcome to My Darkside, features interviews and commentary from 35 talented ladies who've made names for themselves in the horror genre. Their characters have been on the giving, as well as the receiving ends of murder weapons of choice, and they have worked on both sides of the camera.

Horror Hotel with Lamia, "Queen of the Dark"

October 2018 Author's Addendum: The video of the Horror Hotel episode that was featured in this article has been removed from Youtube. Inquiries regarding this episode's availability should be sent to horrorhotelfest@gmail.com.

 

 

Above is the full and most recent episode of Horror Hotel, shown on the Reel TV Network and hosted by Lamia (pronounced "Lay-me-uh"), portrayed by Kristina Michelle, the hard-working lady behind the Reel TV Network. As she introduces the 1959 Vincent Price classic The House on Haunted Hill, one can tell "The Queen of the Dark" is a very knowledgeable horror film historian who gives the facts and stats on the movies she hosts, as well as what was going on, horror-wise, during its era. Exuding a more subtle sexuality and without the campiness of Elvira, who's known for delivering double entendre-laced monologs while spilling out of a sleek form-hugging dress, Lamia does some segments of the show with her "co-host" Lilith Alexandria (Kristina's real-life pet python, that we first see at 25:16). During the closing segment, rather than wishing viewers "unpleasant dreams," Lamia signs off with "stay bloody" and an evil, fang-baring hiss. 

Twisted Twins Coming to Texas Frightmare Weekend

Jen and Sylvia Soska, the eerily sexy sisters behind Twisted Twins Productions, shot this promo video last December, but the event they're plugging here is happening in Dallas this weekend (May 2nd through 4th), as this goes to press. Coincidentally, the day this goes to press is also the ladies' birthday.

Mo Whelan

Maureen "Mo" Whelan is an actress, model, animator, graphic artist, writer, and (as she puts it), "duct tape film producer." She tells me she primarily considers herself a creative producer, and one who isn't afraid to handle legal matters that come with the territory. One of her latest projects, a horror she co-wrote entitled No Service, she'll be producing and directing with Miss Misery Reyna Young, and will feature Felissa Rose of Sleepaway Camp fame. Among her animation credits is 1999's South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut, where she spent hours animating Terence and Phillip's heads.

Before the glitz and glamor of show biz called, Mo managed a large auto parts franchise store, so she's a lady who knows her way around under the hood of a car. Also a lady with a big heart, Mo actively supports many charitable causes and is often seen at their events and fundraisers around the Los Angeles area. I was recently fortunate enough to get Mo to take some time out to answer some of the questions I had for her, which included her artwork (she also paints), her views on the future of the visual effects industry, and her thoughts on Eric Cartman. Above photo of Mo at last year's A Nightmare to Remember International Film Festival, courtesy of Oscar Benjamin.

Melantha Blackthorne

Actress, model, producer, director, screenwriter, and stuntwoman are all titles that can precede the lovely Melantha Blackthorne's name. Her early dance and later music training, eventually gave way to a love for acting and a fascination of monsters and horror films. After creating her own alter ego, Countess Bathoria, Melantha started her own productions company that has produced three feature films and is currently working on number four, a women-in-prison exploitation genre gem, Death House Dolls.

Described by some prolific horror journalists as "the Elvira of the 21st century," "a rare commodity in the world of exploitation cinema," and the "Vampirella, Betty Page, and the Whore of Babylon all rolled into two weapons of mass destruction," (my personal favorite), Melantha is one of the few ladies in modern indie horror who has truly earned the title of "Scream Queen."

In addition to her film work and modeling, Melantha is an avid animal rights activist. Describing herself as "a rebel with a cause" when it comes to animal rights, she spends a lot of time volunteering at local animal shelters and is very passionate about spreading awareness about animal cruelty. Above photo of Melantha and her cat, Osiris, courtesy of Melantha, herself.

Traycee King

Producer, director, actress, model, and Air Force veteran, Traycee King was featured here nearly a year ago when her How to Survive a Horror Film series grabbed me. After looking over her resume, I knew she was a lady I had to ask for an interview. While doing my research, I learned there are a lot facets to Traycee and it wasn't easy narrowing down the questions for my usual-length feature here. She has several award-winning projects to her credit (most notably her web series 8.13), all produced by her own company, Kitty Quilt Productions, she dabbles in archeology, astronomy, and giving people positive reinforcement. Also, her work with the Young Storytellers Foundation, where acting mentors volunteer their time to work with underprivileged kids, was definitely on the list of things to learn more about.

Besides all that good stuff, Traycee also occasionally enjoys making a real piece of crap film. So bad, in fact, that she had one of her gems featured at last year's International Shit Movie Film Festival. (I didn't make that up. Google it later.) The above, and exclusive photo is courtesy of Traycee, herself.

Tiffany Apan

A multifaceted lady, Pennsylvania native Tiffany Apan began her affair with music and theater at an early age and has since built up quite an impressive resume. To drop a couple of names; her first dance teacher was Gene Kelly's niece and she worked with jazz great Billy Harper in a production of Marta Effinger's Whispers Want to Holler, where she played a freestyle jazz singer.

Also a prolific fiction writer, Tiffany's Bloodlines series is another one of her works currently in progress. Originally intended to be "light and relatively happy with just a touch of paranormal mystery," she said she didn't like how the story was turning out and so she stopped to take a second look at it. After some refocusing, she then began uncovering things and just let the story flow naturally as it took a different direction. Not originally intended to be a series, the story expanded, and now it will be a four, or possibly five, book series.

It took a while, but I was finally able to get Tiffany to take time out to answer some questions for me. I had planned on doing an interview with her shortly after catching a very favorable review of her film, Driving Nowhere, (currently in post-production) and writing this this brief feature on it, but her schedule these days includes several irons in the fire, so I was lucky to get this in time for the Halloween season. In fact, as this goes to press, she's appearing this weekend at Horror Realm Con as one of the featured guests.

The Ladies of American Mary

Above is the trailer for Twisted Twins Productions' 2012 thriller, American Mary, which became available on DVD this month. The twins behind TTP are the eerily provocative Jen and Sylvia Soska, who also brought us 2009's Dead Hooker in a Trunk.

American Mary stars Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, Freddy vs. Jason) as a medical student who applies for work as a dancer at a strip club, named the Bourbon a Go Go, to help make ends meet. When a "medical emergency" occurs during Mary's interview, the club owner, knowing that Mary's a med student, offers her five grand on the spot to save the victim's life. Mary does, but sure doesn't seem to appreciate the chance for the hands-on experience because she goes home, gets sick, and tries to shower the ordeal away.