BRATTLEBORO — “Horror and pornography are often lumped together as the two genres that are the most degrading to women,” says Hannah Neurotica, filmmaker, writer, and mixed media artist based in Vermont. “I don't think that is true, at least for horror.
“I am convinced that horror can explore issues in women's life better than practically any other genre, for through the lens of horror, voices can be heard that you don't often get anywhere else. Whether on the screen, behind the scenes, or contributing in their other various artistic ways, women love and appreciate the horror genre.”
Neurotica ought to know. She is the founder of Women in Horror Month, Ax Wound Zine, Ax Wound Film Festival, and Horror At The Hooker.
In January, Neurotica began to host the monthly Horror at the Hooker film series on the last Tuesday of each month at the Hooker-Dunham Theater and Gallery in Brattleboro.
“I show a feature, along with shorts by and about women in horror,” she says. “Often these films are straight from the film festival circuit and [this] is the only way for people in Vermont to see them.”
“Hannah has put together quite an impressive monthly series of horror films,” says Hooker-Dunham manager Jon Mack. “She's a very motivated and dedicated person who's trying very hard to get this going. She started with a well-attended 'festival' in which she showed about eight films and had several of the directors (all women) do a panel discussion that was fascinating. She's been showing films the last Tuesday of each month for the past four months.”
A filmmaker herself specializing in horror, Neurotica has directed five shorts, and is writing a feature film which she plans to make later this year. Her last short, which was shown in over 30 film festivals, will be online shortly.
“The horror industry is known to have the fewest women working behind the scenes,” she says. “My goal has always been to focus on the work of women so we can show that not only do we enjoy the genre but we are great at creating fear.
“Women know fear. We live with it every day. And we have a lot of demons to exorcise as a result of the deep sexism which surrounds us. So, I will always be most interested in works by women and/or works that showcase women in strong roles where they are more than titillation and screams.”
Neurotica says she has always been a “huge” horror fan.
“My dad got me into loving horror, and he has since died but my affection for horror is tied up with fondness for him” she says. “Only after I went to college and become interested in feminist studies did I realize that I perhaps shouldn't so much like horror films, which are considered to be notoriously misogynistic. Nonetheless, I still felt the attraction, which remained a struggle for me.”
Then Neurotica came across “Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film,” by Carol J. Clover, an academic book published by Princeton University Press in 1992.
“It was an amazing read,” Neurotica says. “Clover claims that contrary to the general impression out there, horror is actually one of the most feminist of genres. Clover writes about what she calls the survivor girl. And, in fact, in most horror films it is a woman who at the end survives. It is the woman who defeats the bad guy. Here was a writer who spoke to someone like me that considered herself a feminist but was still attracted to exploitation.”
But finding female aficionados like herself wasn't so easy.
“I tried searching on Google and found nothing,” she says. “I went to horror message boards and the only response I got was from fan boys who said horrible things like 'Get your feminism out of horror.'”
Desperate to find others like herself, Neurotica began to publish a zine about women and horror, Ax Wound.
“My title was a self-conscious play on a traditionally derogatory word in horror about women,” she says.
As she strived to claim a space for women in the world of horror through her zine, Neurotica slowly began to develop a community.
“My zine Ax Wound was only able to reach a large audience because Newsweek found it somehow and wanted a quote on feminism and horror,” she says. “The fact that I was the person Newsweek contacted goes to show how far they had to dig in order to find someone to comment on the subject back in 2007.
“Then, a year or so later, Ax Wound ended up in the hands of Quentin Tarantino and Eli Roth, who read it while shooting 'Inglourious Basterds' in Germany. That really helped me get the word out big time and changed everything.”
Still, Neurotica felt more needed to be done.
“In 2010, I launched Women in Horror Month, a grassroots initiative, which encourages supporters to learn about and showcase the underrepresented work of women in the horror industries,” Neurotica says. “My idea went viral and now Women in Horror Month is an international movement and recognized every February.”
Last October, Neurotica took all her years of work and put together a festival of films by and about women in horror. Ax Wound Film Festival featured a diverse selection of 35 short horror films directed by women around the globe.
“I read an interview in The Commons with Jon Mack, who runs the Hooker-Dunham,” she says. “I thought he made the theater seem such a cool place that I wanted to have my festival there. The Ax Wound Film Festival was a huge success and was completely sold out.”
Riding enthusiasm for the film festival, Neurotica developed the monthly film series, Horror at the Hooker.
“Horror is not a genre for everyone, but horror films have a special ability to unsettle and unnerve, to force one out of one's comfort zone, that gives them great appeal to those who can handle the sight of blood and the paroxysms of death,” Mack said. “Horror films give the audience something to be scared about that really can't hurt them - something that's up there on the screen and not in reality.
“Hannah aims to bring audiences to see horror films made by independent filmmakers, primarily women. These filmmakers are doing some innovative work, compared to the mass-produced commercial film industry, with minimal budgets - yet their work is professional and effective.”
“Although I tend to choose work by women or feature a strong woman character, Horror at the Hooker is no feminist showcase,” Neurotica explains. “Everyone should come to the screenings because Horror at the Hooker is great entertainment, as well as being therapeutic. Horror is a wonderful genre to work out anger. Furthermore, it allows us to explore social issues better than any other genre. For instance, zombies become a metaphor for how we all walk through life unaware.
“The thing I love most about horror is the potential to explore really serious social and political issues in a way that manifests in monstrosity. Horror films are most often a reflection of current social and cultural anxieties. After 9/11, we saw news story after news story about torture. It is no wonder that films like 'Hostel' and 'Saw' would end up being highly successful box office hits.
“Although the genre may be discredited as trashy entertainment, if you pay attention you have one of the most honest film genres with the biggest potential to explore the shadow side of our culture and ourselves.”
The next offering at Horror at the Hooker is on June 28: a Billy “Bloody Bill” Pons showcase, including his feature film “Circus of the Dead,” along with his shorts, “Doll Boy” and “The Stork.”
“Circus of the Dead has not even been released yet,” Neurotica says. “I am only able to screen the feature because the film's producer is the same as for my films. There has been a lot of buzz about 'Circus' in the horror community, and the evening promises to be an exciting event.”