WHAT’S LURKING INSIDE FILM
The Vault 4 Top Ten 6 Top Indie and Foreign Finds 8 Women of Horror Series 11 Carrie & Cunningham: Our Siblings In The Fray 12 SALEM Exclusive with Janet Montgomery 18
CULTURE
ART
Conjure 24 The Ritual Has Begun 28 The 31 Days of Halloween 31 Horrorific Street Art 38 The Down and Dirty 44 Forever Fall 47 Ones To Watch 46 Featured Album Releases 47
MUSIC
Exclusive Interview Eyes Set To Kill 48 Terror on Vinyl 50 What Makes It Scary: Music In Film Series 51
Interview: On The Road With Eyes Set To Kill 2 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
CULTURE
EDITOR IN CHIEF Chandra Vitellaro MANAGING EDITOR Phillip Holt CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Witches and Wicked Bodies 52 The Modern Day Witch 53 Slash and Dine 54 Sinister Spirits 56 Bewitching Books 57 Deadly Destinations 58 Spirit Boards and Fire Dust 59
Jason Marsiglia Chelsey Burdon Barbarann Garrard Cendy Pfortmiller Nicole Mikuzis Megan Owens
STYLE & BEAUTY
Natalya Lainhart Following this ‘Season of the Witch’ issue, starting December 2014 Scream Sirens Magazine will be published monthly and available for monthly and yearly subscriptions on iTunes, Google play store and more. Visit our website daily for news, happenings and more www.screamsirens.com Editorial inquires, advertising or submissions screamsirens@gmail.com
Designer Gisele Gianne :Death Divorce and Witches 61 DIY to DIE for 64 Invoking ‘The Craft’ - Style Inspiration 65 The Hit List - Beauty To Hunt Down Down 66 Featured Scream Siren 67 Horrorscopes 68 FALL 2014 3
Classic Bell Book and Candle (1958) Director: Richard Quine Writer: Daniel Taradash Stars: Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart This comedy is worth watching for Kim Novak and Elsa Lanchester’s performance alone. Elsa plays the hilarioiusly waky aunt, adding to the classic novelty and bewitching charm of the entire cast.
Retro The Witches of Eastwick (1987) Director: George Miller Writers: John Updike (novel), Michael Cristofer Stars: Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon The sly sense of humor and lovely trio of actresses (Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer) are wonderful smokescreen for the deliciously dark and sometimes borderline repulsive (cherry pits…that’s all I’ll say) story about three bored, single women seduced by Satan himself (Jack Nicholson at his most wicked) and the chaos that ensues. Smart, ruthlessly funny dialogue and some startling moments of violence, the film remains one of the sneakier horror /comedies of the 80s. ©Warner Bros
4 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
The Vaul t
A Classic, a Retro, and one you might have missed by Jase Marsiglia
One You Might Have Missed Lady Death (2004) Director: Andy Orjuela Writer: Carl Macek, Brian Pulido Stars: Christine M. Auten, Mike Kleinhenz, Andy McAvin Based on the popular Brian Pulido/Steven Hughes comic book of the early 90s, this pale, buxom anti-hero who bargained with demonic forces to avoid being burned at the stake as a witch in medieval Sweden was cast into hell where she led a war against Lucifer’s throne with an army of the undead. Developed by ADV Films, Lady Death was produced as an anime horror/action film, filled with blood, guts, demons, wonderfully macabre backdrops and, of course, our scantily-clad, dominatrix-style “heroine” with the guts to shout at the devil. ©ADV Films
FALL 2014 5
It’s Bitchcraft Baby Top
Witch Films
by Jase Marsiglia
Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (1922) An engrossing and often
© 1922 Svensk Filmindustri
© 1960 Alta Vista Productions
overlooked silent masterpiece from Sweden by Benjamin Christensen takes a detailed and serious look at witchcraft, paganism, witch-hunting and hysteria and tries to find a correlation between the misunderstandings that might have led to the gruesome executions of witches during medieval times. Highly controversial during its release for its frightening depictions (which included nudity, suggested sex and torture, among other things), Haxan won mass appeal for its direct, almost documentary-style approach to its subject matter, and its daring (for its time) portrayals.
Black Sunday (1960) Mario Bava’s eerie classic about a vengeful witch (played by a chillingly bug-eyed Barbara Steele) and her servant coming back from the grave to complete the curse she placed on her family by attempting to possess a descendant 200 years after her execution (also played by Steele). Some of the film’s more shocking acts of violence – including a spiked mask smashed into a witch’s face – only punctuate the rich, gothic atmosphere of dread Bava creates from the onset. Suspiria (1977) An American dance
© 1977 Seda Spettacoli
student enlists in a European ballet academy run by a coven of evil witches. Brutal murders, frightening paranormal occurrences and a horrifying beast lurk around every corner of the school as the young dancers quickly realize they’re all part of a much larger, more sinister scheme. On top of being truly terrifying, Argento’s masterpiece might possibly be the most visually beautiful horror film ever made.
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988) One of the last releases of Roger
© 1988 De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG)
Corman’s waning New World Pictures, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark brought the sexy Goth valley girl from network television’s Movie Macabre to the big screen, in this comedy about Elvira inheriting an old, haunted Massachusetts
6 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
© 1988 NBC Productions / Queen B Productions
mansion and its possessions from her great aunt – who happened to be a witch. When the conservative townspeople get a load of their curvy new resident who plans on screening old B-movie horror films in their theater, they get more than little riled up… and things don’t exactly get better when Elvira mistakes an old book of hexes her aunt left behind as a cookbook, unleashing accidental love potions and casserole creatures. Tongue-in-cheek as only the great Elvira can get away with, the movie is primarily a goofy comedy, but still manages to incorporate some fun make-up effects, evil witch/warlock battles and some impressive titty-tassel twirling that should leave Elvira’s male fan base drooling.
Pumpkinhead (1988) When his son is killed in an accident near his shop by some city kids, a desperate storekeeper turns to a backwoods witch to exact vengeance. She resurrects a ghastly demon known as Pumpkinhead to bump off the kids oneby-one on the storekeeper’s behalf, but all curses come with a deadly price. Based on a poem by Ed Justin, effects wizard Stan Winston directs this frightening tale of monsters, black magic and revenge, all while a truly horrifying creature lurks around the woods, sadistically killing anyone that dares try to stop it. The Pumpkinhead creature itself is a marvel
of practical special effects, as is the eerie witch make-up of Haggis, the backwoods wretch that brings it to life. Powerful performances by the entire cast only enhance an already engaging story.
The Witches (1990) Angelica Huston gives a gleefully wicked performance as the head of an international coven of witches, holding a convention in a high-class hotel to plot the destruction of the world’s children by turning them into mice with hexed chocolate. Based on the book by “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” author Roald Dahl, this Jim Henson-produced fantasy might be geared toward kids, but will likely scare the hell out of them with ghastly witch make-up effects and some truly horrifying puppeteering. A great deal of levity and a sense of adventure keep it from being too grim, but it’s definitely one of the darker films made for younger audiences.
© 1996 Columbia Pictures
The Craft (1996) Released only a few months prior to Wes Craven’s teen slasher blockbuster Scream (which also starred a young Neve Campbell and Skeet Ulrich), Andrew Fleming’s The Craft, at a glance, appears to be just another run-of-themill, teen-angsty, network television-style chiller, but has far more evil and horror up its sleeves than you would assume, as four outcast girls from a Catholic prep high school realize they have the ability to cast spells and curses. Soon the power gets to the heads of three of them, who begin using their darker abilities against people
they despise, leaving it up to one to try and reign in her “friends” using any means necessary. The witchcraft showdown during the film’s finale is a dark delight, and the chilling performance by Fairuza Balk is tough to shake!
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Love the film or hate it, The Blair Witch Project raked in millions with a clever marketing campaign that forced viewers to wonder if the chilling “found footage” of 3 filmmakers who became hopelessly lost (and eventually hunted by an evil entity) in the woods of Maryland to uncover evidence of The Blair Witch was, indeed, real. Polarized audiences either found the film’s lack of visual frights too blasé, or were creeped out beyond reason by its subtlety, but no matter what side of the isle you sat in, the film went on to revitalize the horror genre within the independent markets, and has gone on to remain one of the most iconic and debated films in the “found footage” subgenre.
The Good Sisters (2009) Breanne and Kindra Good (played by cult faves Debbie Rochon and April Monique Burrill) are two quiet, suburban sisters who happen to be descendants of a witch killed during the Salem witch trials. They practice witchcraft in the privacy of their home and keep to themselves, but their peaceful isolation is disrupted by a new neighbor who may or may not be poking around in their business for reasons unknown. Written and directed by April’s husband Jimmyo Burrill (both of whom brought us the hit Chainsaw Sally), the film is an engaging, subtle and sexy paranoia yarn that boasts fantastic performances by the two leads and some truly startling moments of sudden violence.
© 1990 Jim Henson Productions
© (1999)Haxan Films
© 2009 Forbidden Picturesi
The Conjuring (2013) Insidious
director James Wan directs this throwback to haunted house and possession films of the 70s like The Amityville Horror and The Exorcist with his adaptation of a case investigated by demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren, who came to the aid of a family besieged by the evil spirit of a witch who cursed the land their home resides on before committing suicide in the tree out in their backyard. Based on actual events, the film has more scares and chills per square inch than any film of its type in the last decade.
© 2013 New Line Cimena
FALL 2014 7
Top Indie Find - Horror
dare, each team member is forced to reveal their darkest secrets --of which they have many-- and inflict gruelling horrors on themselves and each other for a series of videos set to push the boundaries, all orchestrated by Derik in his bid to gain online fame and notoriety. And therein lies the real intelligence of the film, if you’ve got a strong enough stomach to look past the physical torture and blood soaked gore, Truth or Dare carries an important message about the perils of internet stardom and the lengths that some people are willing to go to achieve it. Afterall, we live in an age where talentless reality tv stars and minor celebrities outweigh true artists and idols in the spotlight and social media can make anybody an overnight sensation. Truth or Dare questions not only the integrity of modern celebrity but the dark side of fandom that it can harbour. Derik; the Dare-Devils biggest fan, has taken stalking to a whole new level, pouring months of preparation into finding out every little detail from their lives and now he’s ready to wield this knowledge as his weapon. Revenge for not answering his emails or paying his adulation any mind. What ensues is a tense evening of killer truth or dare. Fortunately this is not quite your average bunch of friends, and each one of them has a shocking secret or perversion that they dare not reveal. So Derik has his fair share of ammunition, and the stakes are high. Needless to say, things get considerably violent, so fans of torture and gore are likely to find plenty to enjoy here and, despite the film’s low budget, much of its make-up effects are really well done. Truth or Dare has blood by the bucketload, as the pains these friends are forced to subject each other to get increasingly more ghastly and ultimately fatal.
Truth or Dare
Directors: Jessica Cameron Starring: Jessica Cameron Going into Jessica Cameron’s debut film Truth or Dare I had been made well aware of it’s shocking content, extreme gore and taboo subject matter. I also knew it was a low budget labour of love from a passionate film-maker striving to leave her mark on the industry. The premise is at first glance a fairly simple one; a group of dare-devilling YouTubers decide to take their antics to a new level and raise the stakes with a Russian Roulette scenario for their latest video stunt. But when Derik, an obsessed fan, turns up to crash their party, it turns out that a bullet in a gun should be the least of their worries. In a cruel game of truth or
Jessica Cameron, who also takes her place amongst the acting ensemble as Jennifer, co-wrote the film with no intention to direct, but found herself frustrated when others wanted to dilute the violence and shy away from the gore. She decided to take the reins herself, marking her directorial debut and ensuring that Truth or Dare would remain as bold and provocative as she originally intended. A wise move. Truth or Dare won’t be to everyone’s taste, and surely some will take offence to a couple of scenes that are particularly nasty, but it has introduced Cameron as a brave new player on the horror field.
We got all the way down to the tiny little details of the color scheme, the costumes, the flash on the polaroid camera. Making a film takes an insane amount of work and our time was very limited. We actually had access to the morgue for only 13 hours a day for 2 days. We pulled off something incredible with very little resources and it wouldn’t have happened if we weren’t fluidly working together.” By Chelsey Burdon
Streaming Selections
8 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
Top Indie Find - Rockumentary
The Punk Singer
Director: Sini Anderson Starring: Kathleen Hanna, Carrie Brownstein and Kim Gordon The inspiring in your face look at the life of activist, musician, and cultural icon Kathleen Hanna, who formed the punk band Bikini Kill and pioneered the “riot grrrl” movement of the 1990s. It’s 1991 in Olympia, Washington a girls scream out I’m your worst nightmare come to life! I’m not going to shut up!” It’s the voice of Kathleen Hanna, the founder of groundbreaking band Bikini. “Girl Power was first used in the fanzine Riot Grrrl by punk band Bikini Kill in the 1990’s. The riot girl (or riot grrrl) movement was rooted in the punk
© The Gibson Group
and underground rock scenes. This is by far one of the best rock documentaries I have seen. This film fueled me to genuinely question, “where have all femminst rocker girls gone?” You know the ones that have something to say and not something to show. “All Girls To The Front” By Chandra Vitellaro
FALL 2014 9
Top Foreign - Comedy/Horror
WITCHING & BITCHING 2013
(Las brujas de Zugarramurdi) Critics Consensus: Dark, nasty, and delightfully subversive, Witching and Bitching is gross-out genre fun with a heaping helping of warped comedy for good .. A gang of escaping jewellery thieves get trapped by a coven of witches. A cult director, his work is reminiscent in tone and style to that of Guillermo del Toro IFC Midnightbrought this award winning Spanish film to US release June 2014, and now it’s available to stream on Netflix Oct 14th. Director: Álex de la Iglesia Screenplay: Jorge Guerricaechevarría, Álex de la Iglesia Cast: Hugo Silva, Mario Casas, Pepón Nieto, Gabriel Ángel Delgado, Carolina Bang, Terele Pávez, Jaime Ordóñez
Images courtsey of IFC Midnight
10 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
When a bank heist in the city doesn’t all go according to plan, José and Tony find themselves in possession of some hostages and speeding through the mountains of Spain, hoping to quietly slip over the border e beginning of their troubles. When they decide to make a stop in a small tavern in the Falling victim to a mysterious spell, they soon find themselves the honored guests of a dysfunctional family of witches who are preparing for an ancient ritual.
Veronica Lake (1922 – 1973) This beautiful, blonde bombshell known as “The Girl” in Sullivan’s Travels and a number of wonderfully vampy roles in 40s-era film noir pictures, New Yorkborn Veronica Lake (birth name Constance Frances Marie Ockelman), was a shining example of the “femme fatale” in her day, and her performance as Jennifer in 1942’s I Married A Witch – along a lengthy gig as a WWII pin-up girl– resulted in her becoming the earliest model of what we today have long-considered the “sexy witch”.
© 1942 Paramount Pictures
Lara Parker (1938 – Present) With all due respect to the wonderful Elizabeth Montgomery (or the cast of Charmed, for that matter) I can’t think of a more “bewitching” television personality than Angelique Bouchard on ABC’s “Dark Shadows”, the powerful witch who held a dangerous love/hate relationship with Collinwood’s resident vampire, Barnabas Collins (a curse she, herself, bestowed upon him). Her striking beauty and bright, blue eyes could lure any man to his fate. Lara Parker has kept the character alive in a series of “Dark Shadows”-themed novels she’s penned over the last few years..
laraparkersite.blogspot.com
Janet Montgomery (1985 – Present) You didn’t think I was going to let blondes have all the fun, did you? If the dark, twisted stories that inhabit the new WGN series “Salem” are any indication, Janet Montgomery’s sexy witch Mary Sibley is about to be the next big “hex” for television. The jaw-dropping, UKborn native is no stranger to the genre either, having made appearances in The Hills Run Red, Dead Cert and Wrong Turn 3: Left For Dead. Certainly one to keep an eye on. © WGN America
By Jason S. Marsiglia
FALL 2014 11
Carrie & Cunningham: Our Siblings in the Fray By Jason S. Marsiglia
I have a confession to make. When I was in 1st Grade some kid pushed me into a thorn bush during recess. It was the first time I’d ever experienced “bullying”. It wouldn’t be the last. When you’re a scrawny (I really was once!), quiet, shy young kid, you’re sort of a lightening rod for the wrong kind of attention. And while various bullies came and went when I was kid, with varying degrees of intensity, that first encounter has stood with me almost thirty years. I remember no one helping, and then collectively turning to leave when the bell sounded. An odd panic washed over me as the schoolyard slowly emptied, leaving me alone to struggle in a tangle of thorns that seemed almost alive for all the ease they coiled and wrapped around me. Somehow, I managed to emerge from it – criss-crossed with random scratches, sniffling and trying to hold back tears from this seemingly random act of hostility thrown my way – and
12 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
shamble back to class through a field of empty jungle gyms and lazily swaying swings. My Ghostbusters T-shirt plucked with small rips and holes. I seem to remember pulling thorns out from inside of my Chuck Taylor Converse shoes and socks and being bewildered that they somehow got in there in the first place. Funny, the odd details that float back. As I got older, the beatings thankfully subsided, but were replaced by the ridicule of the opposite sex. Being selfconscious is something you have to learn. And hearing day in and day out how unattractive you are, how stupid your clothes look, or how dumb your modestly brushed hair was by girls who – at least until that point – made your heart beat a little faster, often takes a severe toll on your self-respect. Try to change, and you’re made fun of for that too. The one time in my entire life when I asked a girl out, I was promptly laughed at by her surrounding friends. She, being
a sweet girl who always seemed to like my company, merely apologized for their behavior. We actually never spoke again after that. Assumptions could be made. Was I too embarrassed to let her see me? Did she feel such strong pity for me that she couldn’t bring herself to hang around anymore? Who knows? Maybe a bit of both. When one beautiful girl actually genuinely showed interest in me later that year, I went the other way – assuming a joke was lurking around the corner at my expense. More on her later. What do these sad stories of mine have in common? Why do I feel the need to share this part of my life? Simply because my stories are pretty close in theme to millions of others. They share a thread. A thread that passes through the souls of everyone who has ever been in one of these situations growing up, or possibly going through them right now. What neither you, nor your childhood tormentor realized during those days is
that while he or she would go on bullying and think nothing of it, YOU will never, ever forget that moment where you realize that someone out there had it in for you. Unprovoked, unwarranted and unfair. To them, you were someone to “pick on” and nothing else. But to you, they were a confusing and harsh lesson in character. You learned that people can just be creeps for no reason and that you might be their punching bag for however long they decided. And the world seemed immediately darker and less forgiving. And it never changes back. Some people suffered quietly, and unfortunately, were often the ones who either withdrew completely or wound up doing something that would end tragically. They were the “quiet ones” you knew would either one day do something amazing with their lives and show everyone up, or do something terrible and be remembered for that last moment of despair. Sadly, nowadays, going to school dreading a black eye seems almost remedial to what we see all-too-often on the news. However, other kids, like myself, simply got fed up and threw that one punch that always shifted things. I suffered
quietly for several years before learning that most of these socalled “tough guys” never expect the person they’re messing with to suddenly anchor their feet and actually throw the first swing. But more often than not, people would irk me and it would blow over after some harsh words were exchanged, and I’d just go back to doing what I always did when it felt like life was kicking me in the ribs. I watched horror films. Because no matter what you’re going through…someone in a horror film is having a much worse day, and it always seemed to put things in an odd perspective. Yes, it’s all fake, all acting, all scripted – but for some reason, for us kids who might have had it “a little rough” during those awkward years, there was comfort in knowing you weren’t “alone”. And normally in horror films, bullies never, ever got the last laugh. Let’s face it: there’s no better vindication for the downtrodden than seeing some jerk get their just desserts by the film’s final reels. In reality, the bullies were picking their next victims. In horror films, the monster was picking bullies out of its teeth. It was almost
1976 MGM Studios
therapeutic – a world where our day-to-day grinds in the lands of bullying, condescending tones and overbearing dominance to the meek were often greatly exaggerated to give us the benefit of knowing somewhere in “movie land”, someone understood. The horror genre was a veritable wasteland of tortured souls, outcasts and the misunderstood. They knew not only our own pain, but likely, far worse than that. And while bullying was always a common thread in the genre, I think that no one had a more sensitive finger to the pulse than Stephen King. From the quartet of misfits in his tale “The Body” (later filmed as the great Stand By Me) to our evertormented comic book-loving collector Billy in the original two Creepshow films, all the way down to the iconic “Losers Club” in his immortal horror classic “It”, kids were just…easy game, I guess. He knew that kids would likely relate to the grim and rather frank material, sure, but he relied on adult hindsight to really work the nerves. When you’re a kid, living in the thick of it all, you can’t see the forest through the trees. But as an adult who hopefully put it all behind them, it’s a cigarette burn on a wound that might grow smaller over time, but never truly heals. We remember how vulnerable that age was. King was able to tap into that nauseating and all-to-familiar feeling most of us have experienced, and it’s why his writing often strikes a chord deeper than just pure “horror”. He knew how to dig deep and remind you of things you thought were best left forgotten. Two of his most potent examples have been given another due
FALL 2014 13
recently. One celebrated its 30th Anniversary of both the novel and its film adaptation last year. The other was re-adapted for a whole new audience last fall in theaters, while the novel itself celebrates its 40th Anniversary this here in 2014 – and both are still chock full of ugly, bitter truths. I speak, of course, of King’s “Carrie” and “Christine”. I thought it an opportune time to take a fresh look at their similarities, as well as their relevance to us horror fans, who keep coming back to these two troubled youths with each new passing generation. I’m going to focus on the film adaptations of these books for a couple of reasons. For one, our lovely “Bloody Good Reads” Siren Cendy is our resident authority on horror literature and would do a far better job examining the novels than I could. And two, it’s relative to my topic that I speak of the films in particular, because aside from being similar in theme, horror films are a “quick fix” for those of us looking to forget our troubles
for 90-something-odd minutes. When you pick up a book and get lost in its pages, it’s often a lot easier for some people to let their minds stray and veer them back into their woes, whereas a film – what with all its sound, pretty colors and flashing lights – is far easier to “get lost in” when you need a more “immediate” distraction. Stephen King’s “Carrie” is admittedly the more extreme of the two stories. In fact, in its own way, Carrie is an exercise in extremities. For my money, of the two “shower” scenes in Carrie, the opening is far more grueling and gut-wrenching than the “bucket ‘o blood” finale. Imagine already being incessantly bullied by your classmates for being shy, quiet, reserved. Then, the absolute worst thing happens. Carrie has her first period. In public. In the school shower. In front of everyone – the very people who would make fun of her for simply entering a room – she’s experiencing one of the most private and personal experiences a young girl can have, and that’s not even the worst part. Carrie was never told what menstruation was. She thinks she’s hurt. Dying. There’s blood – something has to be wrong! It never even occurs to her that her body is experiencing something perfectly natural for a girl her age. She panics. She cries, pleads for help. And she’s met with a savage, merciless hazing.
1976 MGM Studios
14 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
It’s a difficult scene to read in King’s book, and harder yet to watch it played out in De Palma’s film adaptation. In my opinion,
no matter how brief the scene might be, it’s easily one of the cruelest acts of teen bullying I’ve witnessed in cinema. Who better to help her through this horrible ordeal than her mother, Margaret White? Right? Ugh. More extremes, I’m afraid. Already unfortunate enough to be so relentlessly tormented in school, Carrie’s home life borderlines on dangerous. Her mother, an obsessive Christian who charmingly regards her daughter as a punishment bestowed upon her from God for the sin of “fornication”, hovers over Carrie like a judge atop a bench hovers over a criminal. She knows what Carrie can do (clearly a “gift” from the Devil), and sets to work nearly bludgeoning her daughter with The Good Book when even the slightest hint of independence or social curiosity blooms – typical “teenage” angst that is likened in the White’s home as callus sin. Between the horrendous cruelty she endures at school and the twisted religious logic she’s forced to take from her mother at home, it leaves no one surprised when the poor girl passes out from exhaustion after being locked in the ghastly “shrine” under the stairs to repent for the sin of, essentially, becoming a young woman and nothing more. Meanwhile, in Christine, Arnold Cunningham’s life isn’t nearly as extreme as Carrie White’s, but – in its own sad way – probably more commonplace and relatable. Like Carrie, the school bullies target the young, pimply kid with the Buddy Holly glasses and small stature. His parents regard him as little more than a report card that they can
brag to their friends about one minute, and dismiss from the room when they’ve exhausted his use for bragging rights. While Carrie might have been an exercise in extremes, Arnold in Christine is far more in tune with a larger population of kids. “He” is so common, he’s practically a cliché. An invisible entity in life, noticed for his faults at school, his academics at home and little else. Carrie White might live in a constant, jittery state of fear, but Arnie lives more like wallpaper. He’s there alright…if anyone bothered to look. In Arnie’s defense – quite literally – he does actually have a friend. Unlike Sue Snell, her well-meaning boyfriend Tommy, or the gym teacher Ms. Collins (or Desjardin in the novel and remakes) who take pity on the poor girl after witnessing Carrie at her lowest points, Arnie’s friend Dennis has always been there. An unlikely ally in the battlefield of adolescents, Dennis is a good-looking “jock” who has no issue talking to cute girls, drives an awesome car, is a football hero and thinks nothing of throwing a solid right cross to the jaw of Buddy Repperton for being an all-around asshole to Arnie. Dennis is a damn good guy, and Arnie is well-aware of how lucky he is to have him on his side. But years of ridicule at the hands of Repperton and his cronies – much less the universal indifference from the opposite sex – has left Arnold with a complex most kids are so familiar to it becomes imprinted on the soul. You can only be treated unimportantly for so long by the masses that you eventually feel unimportant, whether you have a good friend or not. And because of this, Arnie always worries that Dennis keeps him around
as a “charity case” and less an actual friend. Never mind how genuine a pal Dennis is, or how much he truly cares for Arnold, the abuse is too deeply rooted for the mistreated boy to believe otherwise. So what good do these two poor souls have in life to look forward to? What could possibly drive Carrie or Arnold to even find a reason to get out of bed in the morning, much less find a shred of self-worth in the outside world? A hobby. Sometimes – most of the time, really – a hobby is all you need to let your shoulders slowly dip back down from their instinctively protective tense. To let your heart rate return to normal, and ease that aching pit of dread in your stomach. Carrie and Arnie, like most of us outcasts, were creative and talented kids, and had their talents been nurtured and encouraged, who knows where that could have led them? What kind of happiness their lives might have held. Carrie harbored a knack for sewing. She designed and created her own Prom dress. She singlehandedly produced something beautiful and flattering out of empty material, and before things turned so sour that fateful prom night, she was easily one of the
most beautiful girls to enter the gym that evening – her date knew it too. She likely could have enjoyed a career as a fashion designer. Arnie was hardly just a bookworm and “Scrabble” pro. He was a skilled mechanic. Unlike the usual grease monkeys who tooled around in garages and played football, his only real handicap was that he was small and unpopular. It didn’t matter that he could run circles around the other gearheads at his school or Darnell’s garage, he was a scrawny little guy with one friend and a busted up Plymouth Fury that was one bad tire shy of the junkyard. Sure, Christine had the supernatural ability to pop out her dents, dissolve her rust and replace her windshield… but as we know, it needed a special kind love from its owner to reveal that secret, and Arnie’s painstaking efforts to bring her back to her original 1958 Detroit beauty was never in vain. Had he been given the chance, Arnie and maybe even Dennis could have easily have founded a thriving restoration service and been happy as clams. Two old buddies who work for themselves. And it’s amid the horrendous moments that we see what
FALL 2014 15
Stephen King was trying to show us all along. Between the burning dresses and tuxes of Ewen High’s infamous Prom Night, to the crushed and mangled bodies beneath Christine’s squealing white wall tires, King was very subtly, very delicately showing us moments of peace that were meant to resonate. You might not have noticed it right away, as Carrie sat behind her sewing machine with the glimmer of a smile. Or when Arnie sat inside Christine and rested his head on the steering wheel as Johnny Ace’s “Pledging My Love” twinkled out of her vintage radio. These were moments of calm and peace for Carrie and Arnie – rare moments, sure – but important ones, nonetheless. How these bullied kids coped with their situations. How they pressed on, no matter how rough every day was. Doing things healthy and grounded. That they were people too, cheesy as that sounds. An important detail often overlooked by those doing the hazing. That the repercussions of their actions toward these individuals have a ripple effect. That, in most cases hopefully, the parents of the children have to see their kid suffering at an awkward age, only knowing from experience that this too will pass. That even once you’ve grown, certain scars still ache, but seem less likely to kill you now than it did then. And ultimately that lashing back out, as Carrie and Arnie eventually do, is pointless. Part of what makes these stories so tragic is that Carrie and Arnie DO revel in a small amount of satisfaction seeing to the torment of their tormentors. But it’s short-lived and leads to their fatal downfalls. It’s why the brilliant, understated performances by Sissy Spacek (Carrie, 1976), Chloe Marie Grace (Carrie, 2013) and Keith Gordon (Christine, 1983)
16 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
are so resonate and so powerful. They’ve read the scripts, they’ve read the books, know the story. They know how this plays out. And there’s a pathos and nuance to their performances that even they might not have been aware they were exuding in the moment. Yes, in Christine, Keith Gordon’s persona of a meek and trampled nerd eventually becomes that of an enraged, 50s greaser, but the slow burn in his eyes is what sells it. There’s a sneer in his lips and a hollow in his voice that shows us, as well as his friends and family that Arnie, as miserable as he might have been, is gone. The damage has been done – by way of Repperton and his gang, or the force within the car, is irrelevant. The differences in the performances by Sissy Spacek and Chloe Grace Moretz in the 37 years between their respective Carrie films are many, but both retain everything necessary to the characters. Spacek’s Carrie seemed almost guarded. She was wide-eyed, frightened, like a constant deer in headlights. You felt horrible for her because she appeared as someone so high-strung (understandably so) that she likely never once had a second’s peace. Was never able to smile a genuine smile, or afraid to laugh an honest laugh. Spacek’s performance was every bit as vulnerable and ill-at-ease as it should have been, and conveyed wonderfully. Chloe Grace Moretz not only had huge shoes to fill, but also was tasked with convincing audiences used to seeing her slice and dice her way through a city’s underbelly of criminals as Hit Girl in the KickAss films, that she could play someone downtrodden, abused and outcast. Contrary to its negative audience reaction upon its release, this new Carrie rises
above its “remake” stigma thanks largely to Moretz’s near-genius performance as Carrie White. who is STILL in the middle of that bracket. Her performance in the latest adaptation of “Carrie” is a carefully haunted and withdrawn one. She sells the pain and awkwardness with as much skill as Spacek, however, it’s that rare instance where she smiles that kills you. Spacek, as brilliant as she was in the role, never seemed comfortable in her own skin – as if the character knew things were going to go to hell at the end of the night. Maybe she did. Grace’s “Carrie” however, seems to genuinely let her guard down. To feel accepted, a whole person. To feel beautiful and one of the crowd. It makes it all the harder to watch these small moments of happiness, as she really sells Carrie’s vulnerability. And when she nervously asks Tommy if she “looks okay” before leaving for the prom, in a tone that shows her concern more for his untarnished popularity than her own ruined reputation, might be the moment that we, more than ever, want to reach through the screen and pull her shy of the gruesome shower she would receive on stage, if only to preserve her innocence. Say what you will about the remake as a film, but Mortiz stands tall alongside Spacek with a harrowing, heartbreaking performance that should have gotten more credit than it did. It takes a hell of a lot of talent to know the beats of a story almost word-for-word, and yet wish it ended differently for this poor character. And the reason the performances are so important to the films and the situations, is because they’re portraying characters in very real torment. Not the paranormal aspects, but the day-to-day mental and physical abuse so many of us
have endured or continue to. It’s a testament to their performances that they can drudge up that vulnerability, and use what is likely culled from bitter personal memories of their own to sell their anguish in such a way that you truly wish their histories, however re-written, could end differently, just once! But it cannot change for neither Carrie nor Arnie. And why not? Because Carrie and Arnold are examples. Their fates our sealed, no matter how many different ways you want to re-adapt, reboot, re-imagine or re-do the story. They HAVE to meet their doom. They HAVE to show us that their penultimate actions will not leave anyone happy. That revenge, murder or suicide is never the answer, and that we should instead revel in those quiet, happy moments we create for ourselves to do something we love. There will always be that little 6-year-old in me, struggling in that thorn bush, wishing that I could will the branches to life and send them twisting and wrapping around those who pushed me into it because I was different. To hear them scream. But…frankly, it’s more fun to write about it. Parle it into a creative outlet and exorcise your demons on paper. Every word of this column has been but a small exorcism of my own, and we as horror fans tend to turn to these films or these books to conduct our own exorcisms. To let the characters in the films or novels shoulder our burden for us for a little while and remind us that, no, we’re not alone. That sewing a dress, working on a car, reading a book, watching a movie, or hell, writing an article for a horror magazine, are ways to remind ourselves that the world
is positively FULL of people who carry the same weight, the same grief, pain and loneliness. People who have found or will find that creative outlet that gives them relief and joy. If you’re reading this magazine, we also clearly share the same interests too, and you should take comfort even in that. Stephen King knew all too well the true grief and biting pain of growing up a little different, and how the effects of those around you can half lasting consequences, if you let them. I used that darkness to write, and now here I am, getting a chance to tell all of you, from an awesome horror magazine, that it gets better when you re-focus. That the guy who was called ugly and weird for most of his school ages eventually got the girl (the beautiful one I mentioned earlier), the cool writing gig and the amazing kids that fill his life with a happiness no jerk with an attitude problem could ever take away. That, if you’re a girl harboring those interests, or styles that keep you from “fitting in” with the so-called “cool kids”, that someone out there finds that alluring, beautiful and would nurture it. That changing to meet
someone else’s expectations is silly and unfair to yourself. That the very pages you’re thumbing through are filled by strong, empowered women who celebrate and encourage everything you’re being looked down on for. And that horror, as a genre that’s weathered its own share of disdain, unfair treatment and condescension is always moving forward, unfettered by haters and always there for those who appreciate it, like you and I always ready to tell us another tale, and give us a new lesson. Carrie White and Arnie Cunningham are as good an example of as any to mirror our insecurities in this genre, and they’re immortalized forever in books and films that are going nowhere any time soon. Each generation will have an opportunity to discover them – and learn their harrowing lesson. Not that things will never get better. But that we create our own peace. That someone out there, is going through something just like you – maybe worse. And that, you’re never – ever – truly alone.
1976 MGM Studios
FALL 2014 17
18 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
itch wars beckon as something wicked has come our way.
The seductively sinister series SALEM has summonded fans who are rithing for season two to begin April 2015. Casting a spell in passion, revenge, and carnal sin; taking place in 17th-century colonial Salem, a time when the supernatural was imbedded in everyday life, and many people believed that Satan walked among them. Mary Sibley (Janet Montgomery) and her heathens alike consort with the unbridled darkness, power, hysteria , and fear that has fallen over Salem.
(c) WGN America (L to R) Tamzin Merchant as "Anne Hale," Seth Gabel as "Cotton Mather," Elise Eberle as "Mercy Lewis," Ashley Madekwe as "Tituba," Janet Montgomery as "Mary Sibley," Iddo Goldber as "Isaac Walton," Shane West as "John Alden," Xander Berkeley as "Magistrate Hale"
FALL 2014 19
JANET MONTGOMERY AS ‘’MARY SIBLEY’’
Tell us a how you involved in Salem? I got sent the script whilst I was in London and called my agent after reading it. Brannon Braga was in London shooting Cosmos and so I sat down with him to talk about it. He didn’t have to convince me - I loved the script. What can our readers anticipate when they take part in watching Salem? Good stories and a very dark ride back to the late 1600s. Tell us a little bit about Salem and how you got involved with the series. What sets Salem apart from many of the other horror and supernatural shows being produced recently? Well for a start the whole show is set in the late 1600s so that immediately changes us from a strict supernatural show to a period piece with supernatural elements.
20 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
How much did you learn about the history of Salem and witches and what surprised you the most? I am still learning and I didn’t have much prep time so I continue to read and do my homework as we shoot. I am lucky though that Adam Simon, the creator and writer is a walking encyclopedia on Salem and this part of history. I generally fire shoot all my questions in his direction. How did you prepare yourself for the role of Mary Sibley? I worked with my acting coach, I watched clips of Margaret Thatcher and other very strong, slightly power mad women! Mary Sibley is very dark and powerful, do you find it challenging to transition between yourself and your character? I worked with my acting coach, I watched clips of Margaret Thatcher and other very strong, slightly power mad women! Sometimes. It is getting easier the longer I play her. Not sure if that is a positive or not?! Might mean I am becoming Mary! What is most exciting aspect of being a part of this series? Getting to play Mary and work with such a supportive and talented group of people. I love the crew and the cast so honestly that makes the work feel like play. Which movie or television witch would you consider your favorite of all time? Sabrina. I was obsessed with this show when I was a child.
Ten All-New Episodes Remain This Season, Sundays at 10:00 p.m. ET /9p.m. CT “Salem’s” debut premiered with more than 3.4 million Total Viewers a “Salem” boldly re-imagines the infamous witch trials in the 17th century Massachusetts town. The storyline follows Captain John Alden (West) returning from war to his hometown of Salem where he finds it in the grip of a witch panic. Crushed that his lost love, Mary Sibley (Montgomery), is now married to his old nemesis, John is unaware she is also secretly the ruling witch of Salem, and her witches are running the witch trials. In Sunday’s fourth episode, “Survivors," an old adversary of Alden's arrives in Salem with secrets that could destroy him. : WGN America
FALL 2014 21
ART
Claire Oring caputures bewitchingly seductive images; elegantly weaving stories, spells, and beautiful deceit. Within this medium lies moments of magical wickedness.
22 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
FALL 2014 23
24 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
Conjure if you will, a moment in time where all worldy and spirtual elements align. Fleeting time is eternal and moments are a sacred space where your power becomes one with your surrounding. ““Into the air, over the valleys, under the stars, above a river, a pond, a road, flew Cecy. Invisible as new spring winds, fresh as the breath of clover rising from twilight fields, she flew.” - Ray Bradbury Since the time of the witch burnings, the grandmothers and the healers and the midwives have been systematically targeted. And burned at the stake for hundreds of years, decimating whole communities. -Alice Walker FALL 2014 25
26 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
The Ritual Has Begun The Autumn Equinox Has Arrived and the Mysterious Chill In The Air Brings a Calling To Her Sisters Photograpy by Maryna Khomenko
FALL 2014 27
28 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
FALL 2014 29
“The mood of my pictures depends on the season and my own state of soul.
In Autumn I become inclined to gothic stories.”
Photographer, 24 year old Maryna Khomenko, was born and now living in Kyiv, Ukraine. She graduated from Kiev National University of Theatre, Film and Television.Her father was a photographer as well, and as a child she his work as being magical and exciting, and now with the help of digital editing (Photoshop) she creates her own magic. The beauty of nature, interpreting mythology, fantasy, and fairytale’s inspries Maryna’s work. “I often come up with such images I havent seen before but it's realy hard to perform this by my self so my friends help me and I want to thank them for their support. It's easy for me to work with my models, we have a lot of fun during a photosession and after it we often become friends and create more interesting images together. "It doesn't matter what you create if you have no fun" and I believe these words to be true.” View more of Maryna’s work https://500px.com/manirka http://manirka.tumblr.com/
30 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
Annabelle
Pale Man / Pan’s Labyrinth
Billy Butcherson - Hocus Pocus
LunarTix The Clown
Charlotte
Since 2012 , Photographer Amanda Chapman has been creating her 31 Days Of Halloween portrait series. It’s becoming an exciting part of the holiday month of October looking forward to her creations each day. Model/ Makeup/Photography all amazingly done by Amanda.Halloween costumes, her Tim
FALL 2014 31
ON EXHIBIT ROMANO ART - FOUR SPELLBINDING SHOWS October 15 - November 30 WILLIAM MORTENSEN: AMERICAN GROTESQUE A survey of the works of "the father of pictorialism" William Mortensen (1897-1965) celebrating the release of "American Grotesque: The Life and Art of William Mortensen", 2014 Feral House.
RIK GARRETT: EARTH MAGIC “With Earth Magic I’ve envisioned a matristic, naturebased world; a female-centric, ritualistic community completely apart from the rest of society. This is a history of witchcraft devoid of witch hunts, a race of women who draw their energy and inspiration from the Earth itself. What if there were a truth to the myths of Amazons and the books like Aradia, Gospel of the Witches? What if the fierce Maenads of Greek mythology still existed today, hidden from view? What if these truths were presented faithfully?” Rik Garrett.
32 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
LU ZHANG: ALL THE LOST SOULS This will be the first ever New York solo exhibition of works by Chinese artist Lu Zhang. Lu's photographic and video per-formance works are based on her nostal-gia and longing for the covert shamanic practices of her homeworld.
‘IN MISSA INTERFECTIONIS’ THE DANCE OF DEATH, HEXES, VOODOO, CURSES AND WITCHCRAFT Featuring the works of: Colin Christian, Judy Chappus, El Gato Chimney, Darcilio Lima, Soey Milk, Dan Barry, Jumaadi, Jel Ena, Caitlin McCormack, Eric Richardson, Matthew Dutton, Pulu Zhao, Miki Saito, Lu Ke, Caitlin Karolczak, Sarah Jacobs, Phillip Grant, Rithika Merchant, Aunia Kahn, Kim Bo Yung, Gromyko Semper, Romney De Hooghe, Tedtoria, Ellen Stagg, Found&Lost, Tine Kindermann, Amber Groome, Charles Dellschau, Jennifer Lin, Erna Kd, Lori Field, Amy Friend, Jana Brike, Damian Michaels, Charles Lindsay, So Youn Lee, Peca, vernacular and spirit photography and others TBA. http://www.romanoart.com/
Aunia Kahn ""Sutured Verb" 2014 included in the exhibition "IN MISSA INTERFECTIONIS"
AUNIA KUHN “Sutured Verb” 2014
FALL 2014 33
ON EXHIBIT
- FOUR WICKED FEMALE ARTISTS CAST A ‘BLACK MOON’
"Black Moon New York" began as a conversati and one curator – marveling at the 20+ year c making and showing work they love, and munity. That feeling of joy, gratitude and ca tion that eventually led to “Black Moon,” a tw Angeles in Fall 2013. The experience was su artists Marion Peck, Camille Rose Garcia, El and gallerist Alix Sloan (Sloan Fine Art) join to New York. Using everyone’s favorite time each artist has created a separate but comp delightfully dark, playful and chilling painti Marion Peck “Two Witches Meeting on the Road” 2014
Camille Rose Garcia 2014
"Kiss the Scoprion Ghost" The child of a Mexican activist filmmaker father and a muralist/ painter mother, Camille Rose Garcia’s layered, broken narratives of wasteland fairy tales are influenced by William Burroughs’ cut-up writings and surrealist film, as well as vintage Disney and Fleischer cartoons, along with her non-traditional upbringing. Her paintings are critical commentaries on the failures of capitalist utopias, blending nostalgic pop culture references with a satirical slant on modern society. Garcia’s work is included in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Resnick Collection and the San Jose Museum of Art, which held a retrospective of her work, entitled “Tragic Kingdom.” Garcia’s recent book, “The Illustrated Alice in Wonderland” (published by
Jessicka Addams 2014
“It’s Okay, It’s All Right, Nothing’s Wrong” In her work, self-taught artist Jessicka Addams explores issues of identity, vulnerability and loss of innocence while maintaining an element of absurdity, thus lightening the heaviness of her melancholy sculptures and paintings. Inspirations include Goth culture, religious iconography, the Easter Bunny, cats, decapitations, sea creatures, and all things John Waters. Her work has been featured in numerous magazines and displayed at galleries throughout the United States, including Red Truck Gallery in New Orleans, LeBasse Projects and Mark Moore Gallery in Los Angeles and LTD Gallery in Seattle. Addams is also a founding member and singer of such seminal indie rock bands “Jack Off Jill” and “Scarling.” She is also the resident curator and researcher at Dark Dark Science, a curatorial project dedicated to promoting emerging talent. 34 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
SLOAN FINE ART GALLERY
between five friends - four fine artists ear s they never could have imagined, , and ng lifelong friendships and com-titude maraderie took root, providing inspirawo-day exhibition that took place in Los as such a pleasure, and enormous success, cia, Elizabeth McGrath and Jessicka Addams ) joined forces again to bring “Black Moon” e time of year – autumn – as the focal point, omplimentary new body of work featuring ings, sculpture and/or works on paper. "
On Exhibit October 24 - November 2 (after view online via gallery's website at bottom of page)
Elizabeth McGrath “The Red Glove” 2014
Elizabeth McGrath has always had an eye for the strange beauty in the grotesqueries of life. This appreciation is nowhere more evident than in her artwork. Inspired by the relationship between the natural world and the detritus of consumer culture, she brings forth a cavalcade of creatures from the darker corners of the streets, the city, and her twisted imagination. Her wildly intricate, at times whimsical, sculptures celebrate the beauty of the natural world while drawing attention to our responsibility - and failure - as humans to preserve it. McGrath’s work has been exhibited worldwide including recent inclusion in the “HEY! Modern Art and Pop Culture” exhibition at the Halle Saint Pierre in Paris, as well as exhibitions in Barcelona, London, Tokyo, and all across the US.
Marion Peck 2014
“Two Witches Meeting on the Road” She grew up in Seattle before heading east to earn a BFA from The Rhode Island School of Design. She went on to study in two different MFA programs (Syracuse University in New York and Temple University in Rome) and has traveled the globe absorbing culture and studying art. She is particularly interested in interpreting dream imagery into her work and in exploring historical and contemporary attitudes towards gender roles, childhood and death. Her delicate, intricate paintings have been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide, including the Laguna Art Museum, the Bristol City Museum and Gallery and two solo exhibiView the full exhibit and learn more about the artists at tions with Sloan Fine Art. SLOAN FINE ART’s sitehttp://www.sloanfineart.com/ FALL 2014 35
Hailing from Bristol, UK , a city known for its street art movement, JPS is quickly niching out our worst fears; creating his horrorifically cunning and witty works of art are quickly becoming a part of the urban landscape. 36 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
FALL 2014 37
SS -Before we get going with the interview...should I refer to you only as JPS in the article, or would you like me to reveal • your true identity? JPS- I prefer JPS these days although occasionally my name has been used so up to you. SS- Tell us a little bit about yourself…what do you like?(besides art, of course) What do you do in your spare time..etc. JPS - What i do is kind of 24 hr because your always thinking about it or answering messages ect but away from that i still enjoy going out with my mates and hanging out in buildings that probably • arent safe at all. SS - Like, abandoned buildings or buildings • where unsafe people hang out?
38 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
JPS - It can be a struggle censoring myself I’ve just chose to produce some of my lighter thoughts still staying true to myself but I did have a backlash over the breivik piece and I couldn’t seem to explain it clear enough. Touchy subject i guess . SS - Sometimes art needs time to settle with people...do you think, in the future, people would understand a little more... not get so riled up about it? JPS - If what he said about history exonerating him in 60 yrs then maybe its possible my art away from the street work has always been quite dark in fairness. • JPS - Abandoned buildings but in some cases it can be both it may be old behaviours connected to when i was heavily into drink and drugs but i find it keeps me grounded SS - Just out of my own morbid curiosity, what is the craziest/scariest thing that ever happened in one of those buildings. JPS - theres been a few incidents over the years , some paranormal (particularly at barrow gurney mental hospital) others where you’ve just bumped into people (junkies etc). The ‘craziest’ list goes on and on i wasted a lot of my life being a menace a lot of abandoned buildings got smashed up in those days . Now i look at them• in a different light. SS - So, why street art? Why wouldn’t you create art you can sell?
SS - No! Don’t censo yourself! JPS -• Unleash the fury lol
SS - Is there are reason you don’t bring all of that • darkness to your street art?
JPS - I think shocking art has its place. JPS - Actually since I’ve started doing that I wouldn’t put pennywise by a school my personal behaviour has worsened, so as some people have proper phobias maybe i’ll have to take my anger back out of clowns but at an abandoned mental in my• work lol hospital • it felt right
SS - Yeah! Seriously!
SS - Yeah, that’s the best part of art...
SS - So, you have a lot of horror themes release! An outlet, you should always stay in your art. Is Horror an interest, or true • to that. something that shocks you? Omg, that pennywise, by the way, would so freak JPS - Thankyou. So many directions i me out if I came across it on the street! It’s want• to move into with it AWESOME! • SS - Do you feel like it is a struggle, being JPS - I wanted to scare people with the true to your art or censoring yourself? When did you start censoring? Oooo, can you give us some hints on the new directions too!
horror stuff but some of them in busy public places could cause accidents .They’re quite intimidating in real life.
JPS - I shouldn’t say it but I hate stencils on canvas. My artworks I have on my own wall I’ve done are different but don’t sell as there very controversial
SS - Wow. I love it! Powerful. How do you choose • your subject matter? JPS -i believe the settings are important. Subject matter is always something that interests or in some cases shocks me.. It can sometimes manifest itself into artwork however the same works can be mis-read and I suffer a backlash so iIcensor myself slightly these days
FALL 2014 39
somewhere you’d want to be painting illegally without a good contact SS - Star Wars! Awesome! I was going to ask about law enforcement...do you have to worry about that much where you are when you are doing street art?
Horror isnt a main theme for me as much. It was because of coming across an abandoned mental hospital. The place felt perfect for that theme since going on holiday to Tunisia and visiting the sahara has inspired a lot of sci-fi thoughts in me SS - Ah, I see. Yeah, it is like your own personal museum. You went to Tunisia and the Sahara? Can you tell us a bit about • those trips! JPS - I had never been on a plane or left
the U.K. until November 2013 (im 36 now). When a wealthy Norwegian street art fan paid for me to paint work around Stavanger I then went on holiday to Tunisia at the beginning of December. I got the buzz for travelling from the Norway trip whilst there i paid to go on an excursion to El Jem Gladiator Arena, the Bergen Cave peoples homes, the Salt Lakes and finally a trip on 4x4s into the Sahara to see one of the original Star Wars sets (tatooine i think). i would love to go out there and do things along Star Wars and Starship Troopers but its not
JPS - However it has inspired me alot and made me want to always put work in the settings i feel right the police operate on complaint obviously you don’t want to get caught whilst painting. I think I’ve evaded justice through luck and being a little bit tactical on what and where i paint illegally. On a plus side a large number of local police are fans of my work ,particularly the use the force piece
SS - Awesome!!!! It sucks someone added the AB...jerks.
JPS - Yeah sometimes they get
attacked, just part of the game. Haters gonna hate. However I’m reasonably lucky alot of my pieces are all fine.
SS - So, this is kind of an abstract
question...do you think street art is the future of art? I’ve been wondering because of the controversy over museums and the elitist nature of them...etc. You create amazing art that can be enjoyed by anyone, anytime.
SS - So, do you think street art is the future of art?
JPS - i’m not sure in all fairness mainly because a lot of ‘street artists’ don’t illegally paint on the • streets
Like the JPS Official Facebook page
40 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
FALL 2014 41
Down and Dirty
42 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
13 with Sara Ray
FALL 2014 43
1. What grosses you out? Arrogant people and stinky feet. People who don’t wash themselves before getting tattooed. Everything else is game, bugs, blood and mud are all fine. 2. What are your favorite scary movies? I really love the old classics Dracula, Nosferatu, The Wolf Man. Beautiful black and white, gorgeous sets and not dependent on gore or overt violence to tell a story, then the 60s/70s occult flicks Burn Witch Burn, Black Sunday, The Devil Rides Out, Devils of Darkness etc, I could watch them all day -The plot is usually a European countryside where evil reigned perfectly fine until tourists ruined everything ;) but Young Frankenstein is probably the all time winner even though i wouldn’t classify it as horror per se... 3. What is one of your favorite songs to scream at the top of your lungs? SO MANY , I have a 100 mile commute each way so I have plenty of time to blow out my vocal chords, depending on traffic and my mood. The favorites via most played on the iPod are Samhain version “Twist of Cain”, Gwar “Whargoul” “Immortal Corruptor” “The Regonator”, Misfits “Devils Whorehouse” “London Dungeon”. Carnivore “Legion Of Doom”. Type O Negative “Cry Wolf” and a live in jersey bootleg, Danzig everything... 4.What is your guilty pleasure? Mesh shirts paired with leather pants,vintage bodybuilder magazines. Most are travel related-coney island dive bars, The coffee at the Neue galerie -I will have 2, The quiet bar across from Pere Lachaise makes a mean pint of German beer and the view can’t be beat.
5. If you could have any superpower what would it be? To be a werewolf, how cheap would vacations be? Park the car next to the national forest on a full moon and eat, drink, and sleep on mother natures tab. 6. If we raided your refrigerator, would we find anything interesting? An insanely old bottle of champagne that will probably never be opened and gross cheese from France that I am terrified to open. 7. What famous dead person would you love to meet and have come back as a zombie? Thomas Jefferson, Joan of Ark, Haakon Sigurdsson and or a Scythian War Chief. I have questions for all of them and want to know what they would think about modern life. I have a strong feeling they wouldn’t be down with what’s going on and daily life. If they just want to eat brains then none of the above. Sara ray art studios Los Angeles CA https://www.etsy.com/shop/SaraRayArt http://www.sararayart.com/
44 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
8. What muscians and bands influence you the most? Life is driven by music, Danzig for certain changed my life. Getting that black cassette at age 13 ,the same year I found Type O negative and GWAR. I have been able to follow my favorite acts around the world seeing Type O at Wacken, Danzig in Nuremberg, Immortal in Norway, lans and I have a clause at every job if Danzig is on tour in any form I am on vacation. 9. What scares you? Fast zombies in movies, they give me horrific nightmares. Dying before the people I hate do, I don’t want to miss that red etter funeral.Driving my motorcycle through Hollywood “tourists lost while on their cell phone” traffic. 10. Are you more Marilyn Monroe or Bettie Page? Either, I like both of those lovely ladies but I don’t see myself as glamorous at all, they were both still following the rules of traditional beauty and did it very well but I’m more a “behind the scenes” personality. Bettie got tied up once in a while but she never pushed the envelope like I feel Vampira did. If I could ever emulate a real game changer it would be Mrs Nurmi who never got the accolades she deserved in life. 11. Who is your favorite artist? Robert Williams, he lit my imagination the day I saw his work, I was maybe 11? I realized painting could be more than just the traditional oil portrait or representational narrative. Sh*t got real. 12. What would we be surprised to find out about you? I had to ask my friends or else its biased, they said “you love Cher “. I have to defend myself, it’s pre 80s Cher.
13.
If we bought you a shot, what’s your poison of choice? Espresso, extra dark, lots of raw sugar.
Robin Moore is the owner and creator at Forever Fall. She is a Halloween enthusiast and self-taught doll artist who loves to make All Hallows Eve happen for people every day of the year. “When I was a kid, I used to draw pictures of pumpkin towns where it was forever fall and the villagers celebrated this big on-going Halloween fest. I like to think that my works are items that could have been purchased at the markets in these make-believe towns.” She really loves that the shop has pushed her to create things that would have not otherwise existed. “It makes me challenge myself to reinvent the notion of what a doll is and what it can be. To make a doll that is more than just a doll.”
“The Sanderson Sisters “
Robin’s inspriation for her wonderfully whimisical creations are inspired by so many things; Halloween, ghost stories, books; but above all, she
is continually inspired by other artists .” I enjoy collecting strange and spooky items made by others which I display all around me in my art room. When I look at these things I think , “Wow. Someone plucked this beautiful idea out of their mind and made it tangible.” This thought deeply inspires me.” Check out her store at www.foreverfall.storeenvy.com and www.zibbet.com/foreverfall and be sure to like her page at www.facebook.com/ForeverFalloween to keep up with all the creeptastically cute creatures she creates. Itps://www.facebook.com/ForeverFalloween • http://foreverfall.storenvy.com ‘Beetlejuice’ Dreams ornament
FALL 2014 45
MUSIC FEATURED NEW RELEASES STEVIE NICKS 24 Karat Gold: Songs From The Vault
UME - One To Watch
FLYING LOTUS Your Dead
DAVID BOWIE Nothing Has Changed Lauren Larson – guitar and vocals Aaron Perez – drums Eric Larson – bass. Austin, TX FOO FIGHTERS Sonic Highways
THE MELVINS Hold It In (Featuring Butthole Surfers guitarist Paul Leary and bassist JD Pinkus
A whirlwind of swelling riffs, laced with strong melodic vocals ; that is Ume (pronounced oohmay), fronted by Lauren Larson , guitar and vocals, Aaron Perez, drums, and Eric Larson, bass. Performing at this years SWSX, they were talked about as being one of the must see bands. Just recently we caught their show The Crocodile in Seattle, we were that much won over by their sublime steady psychadelic rock show. Lauren’s rock goddess like head banging halo owns the stage and beckons back to days of the classic and indie rock women that lends to this band’s surefire hit. Keep an eye out for their upcoming show dates and stay connected Visit the band’s site
PRIMUS Primus & The Chocolate Factory
SHAKEY GRAVES And The War Came
46 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
Listen to their latest release ‘Monuments’
Burn Some Bridges and Raise Some Hell KING TUFF: Black Moon Spell Release Date: September 23, 2014 -Sub Pop Records Formats Available: CD, Digital and Vinyl Tour Dates and more info https://www.facebook.com/kingtuffy/
EX HEX: Rips Release Date: October 7th, 2014 -Merge Records Formats Available: CD, Digital and Vinyl Tour Dates and more info http://www.exhexband.com/
WITCH MOUNTAIN: Mobile of Angels Release Date: September 30, 2014 -Mountastic Records Formats Available: CD, Digital and Vinyl Tour Dates and more info https://www.facebook.com/witchmountain
FALL 2014 47
Revolver’s “Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock” Tour featuring an exhilarating lineup featuring Lacuna Coil, Sick Puppies, Eyes Set to Kill, and Cilver snaked its way to the pacific northwest, making a pit stop at Seattle’s Studio Seven. Yours truly was lucky enough to snag an exclusive interview with the ever so fabulous Phoenix Arizona based Eyes Set to Kill. As exciting as it was attending The Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock tour, getting an opportunity to sit with ESTK after their explosive live performance, was almost equally unforgettable. Sisters Alexia & Anissa Rodriguez and drummer Caleb Clifton humored me as I casually picked their brains during much needed post-show down time. Eyes Set to Kill’s 5th studio album, Masks is available through Century Media Records How did the band form ? How long have you been writing and working together? (Alexia & Anissa) We originally tried to start our own bands, but we found it hard to find other members. We wanted to play heavy music and we would post on bulletin boards, and as soon as guys would find out that they would be playing with girls, they would be like “meh” ,they would lose interest because they automatically assumed we would suck. So thats when we
decided to join forces. We never wanted to be a sister gimmick, thats what we were afraid of.But we think it worked out great. How did you begin your career as an artist? When did you decide that music was your path? (Alexia) I always painted and found ways to ex ress myself in different ways instead of just flat out saying what I wanted to about my feelings’ it was just easier to do it through painting or singing or writing instead of telling people about my problems. How was the writing process for this album? (Anissa )it was fun, being that this time was the first time getting to write everything for guitars..when we had other guitarists it felt like they screwed up the vision a little bit.. What inspires your lyrics? (Alexia ) Life experiences. Anything that I find hard to talk about with people. I like to put it on paper instead or being blatant (to say) exactly how i feel..its like venting, but without people judging you. What can people look for when they come to see you...the set? Lots of energy, something they have not seen before, for sure.
48 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
Century Media Records, how did you get signed? (Caleb ) Century Media had always kept their eye on us, and i feel that they were just always interested in what the band could be...and then it started to seem like they totally did’nt care anymore, until we did a tour in Europe, with Winds of Plague, and Caliban, and it seemed to put everything in motion. How did you come up with the name of your band? (Alexia) It was in a poem I wrote...it just stuck. How was the tour experience for the band? (Caleb) Perfect, its definately been a perfect fit for the songs we’re playing.turnouts have been great and i feel like we’re totally gaining a lot of fans, and in terms of the bands we’re playing with, everyone has their own sound. Cilver has their own sound, we are more on the heavier side...Lacuna Coil is dark, Skinny Puppies more alternative. (Alexia) its cool because all the fans are all into different (subgenres) and they love it. Its a good mix.
http://twitter.com/eyessettokill https://www.facebook.com/eyessettokill
THE MOST MONSTEROUS HALLOWEEN PLAYLIST
80
KILLER PARTY TRACKS
This Is Halloween\ - Marilyn Manson (Nightmare Before Christmas) Marilyn Manson - Cupid Carries a Gun Tool - Swamp Song The Misfits - Halloween Geto Boys - Mind Playing Tricks On Me Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi’s Dead Original GhostBusters Theme Song The Cramps - I Was A Teenage Werewolf AC/DC - Highway To Hell Siouxsie And The Banshees Spellbound Jefferson Airplane -White Rabbit- Donnie Darko - The Killing Moon - Echo & the Bunnymen The Wytches - Gravedweller Nine Inch Nails- Dead Souls The Crow Soundtrack Joy Division - Dead Souls Alien Sex Fiend - Now I’m Feeling Zombified Whirr - Ghost Oingo Boingo - It’s a Dead Man’s Party The Cure - Cold Stevie Wonder - Superstition Slaughter and the dogs - Victims of the vampire Little Red Riding Hood - Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs Animals - House Of The Rising Sun The Doors - People Are Strange A Perfect Circle - Weak and Powerless Whodini - Freaks Come Out At Night The Walking Dead Theme Song Blue Oyster Cult - (Don’t Fear) The Reaper Michael Jackson - Thriller Rocky Horror Picture Show - Time Warp Werewolves Of London- Warren Zevon Rockwell - Somebody’s Watching Me Monster Mash - Gary Ramey Donovan - Season of the Witch Twisted Sister - Burn In Hell Peaches - Operate American Horror Story - Theme Song Bad Things - Jace Everett The Cars- Let’s Go (I Like The Nightlife Baby) Shakey Graves - Dearly Departed Jump In The Line - Beetlejuice Harry Belafonte Alice Cooper - Feed My Frankenstein Type O Negative - Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare -All) In This Moment - Sick Like Me The Black Keys - Howlin’ For You Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up Steve Miller Band - Abracadabra Ministry - Everyday is Halloween Witchy Woman - Eagles Beck - Devils Haircut Jessica Lange - Gods And Monsters (Cover) Robert Johnson - Me and the Devil Blues Tom Vek - Sherman (Animals in the Jungle) Bram Stoker’s Dracula - Movie soundtrack “The Beginning” The White Stripes - Walking with a Ghost Halloween ) - Theme Song Royal Blood - Ten Tonne Skeleton The Cranberries - Zombie White Zombie - I’m your boogieman Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas - Demons Pantera - Cemetary Gates CLICK HERE TO PLAY Jamie T - Zombie Black Sabbath - War Pigs
FALL 2014 49
TRICK ‘R TREAT Waxwork Records have announced pre-orders are open for composer Douglas Pipes’ score. There is even a twisted candy corn colored
V I N Y L
THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN Music on Vinyl limited edition 180 gram audiophile vinyl release of German-American classic composer Franz Waxman’s original score to the
O F
GHOSTBUSTERS 30TH ANNIVERSARY Legacy limited edition Ghostbusters “Glow in the Dark” 10-inch vinyl single.
FRIDAY THE 13TH Waxwork Records 180 gram colored vinyl release of Henry Manfredini’s original score to the 1980 horror film . 50 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
T E R R O R
CREEPSHOW Waxwork Records 180 gram green colored vinyl release of composer John Harrison’s score to George A. Romero’s 1982 horror film
EVIL DEAD Limited Edition EVIL DEAD (2013) Gore Splattered 2-LP Vinyl Soundtrack by Roque Baños
What Makes it Scary? The Six Most Influential Horror Soundtracks of All Time. John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN 6 of 6 in the series Movie soundtracks manipulate audience’s expectations, emotions and even reactions. I remember being a small child, being told it was bed time, then hearing the theme from “Halloween” (1978) being sung, accompanied by slow-determined stomps up the stairs to my bedroom if I refused to actually fall asleep. John Carpenter’s brilliant theme from “Halloween” will forever be stuck in the memory of millions as Michael Myers’ leitmotif. Honestly, what is scarier than a killer that never runs, or hurries at all, but still manages to catch up to you and kill you? In addition to all of this, he never dies! The theme that Carpenter wrote for this character perfectly mirrors every one of these characteristics. There is a constant, freaky, higher pitched driving melody which really captures the relentless nature of the Myers character, but there is also a slow, determined, underlying part that forces the audience to see him walking slowly down a corridor in pursuit of his next victim. There are many discussions that can be had about John Carpenter and his film scores (I mean, who even knew he was actually a serious film composer?!) but in every conversation it is pretty much unanimous in the belief that this is his best musical work. Although it is obvious in the way that the music is used in the movie that he was heavily influenced by “Psycho” and “Jaws,” this score was influential on its own! It was one of the first films that did not just try to manipulate the audience like Goldsmith did in “The Omen” and Herrmann did in “Psycho” but it also displayed a portion of the killer. The relentlessness of his nature and the reflection of the single, psychotic thought that drove him was a part of his theme. Carpenter showed other film composers and directors that this was not just about manipulating the audience through the music, but also displaying the other sides of the characters. This will be the only soundtrack written by John Carpenter that I will ever put on a “best” list, and it is definitely here for a reason. Try making your cell’s ringtone the “Halloween Theme” and see if you don’t get instantly freaked out the first time someone calls. So, what makes it scary? I have put it into three separate categories; 1.) Dissonance, 2.) Unnatural Sounds, and finally 3.) Surprise. Each of these movies utilizes one or more of these sound techniques in order to manipulate what we, as the audience see, experience, and feel during the movie. Most of these films would not be remembered quite the way they are today if it had not been for their fantastically frightening and influential soundtracks. In addition, film soundtracks would sound much different if it weren’t for the discoveries of these amazing composers. I think horror would be nothing if it weren’t for the soundtrack. Why don’t you put in a scary movie and play “non-scary” music in the background and tell me what you think.
©1978 Compass International Pictures
©1978 Compass International Pictures
©1978 Mondo Vinyl
“John Carpenter’s brilliant theme from “Halloween” will forever be stuck in the memory of millions as Michael Myers’ leitmotif.“ Article by Natalya Lainhart
FALL 2014 51
CULTURE Witches And Wicked Bodies
Witches & Wicked Bodies - The British Museum September 2014 – January 2015 This fascinating exhibition co-curated by the artist and writer, Deanna Petherbridge, will investigate the changing depiction in prints and drawings of witches and witchcraft from the Renaissance to the end of the 19th century. Artists of the calibre of Dürer, Goya and Fuseli were drawn to the rich imagery and mythology that had built up around witches from classical times that ranged from hideously terrifying hags to bewitching seductresses intent on enslaving their male victims through their beauty. Visit the official site of The British Museum to view more pieces and learn more about the exhibit.
52 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
The Witches’ Rout (The Carcass) c.1520, Agostino Veneziano (c.1490c.1540), Engraving © The Trustees of the British Museum.
Seeking to find what spirituality meant to her, Photographer Kataryna Majak of Poland interviewed and photographed women ranging in age from 30s to late 80s. Majak says that “They desire to reclaim “matriarchal cults” and female traditions that have long been supressed by Christianity”. Their practices include among midwifery, healing, art, activism, religious initations, spells, as well as herbalism. Her series ‘Women power’ is a photographic project centered around the existing forms of contemporary spirituality. You can find more chof her work at the Porter Contemporary Gallery. “Over 90% of Poland is Catholic. Because of the country’s conservative values, many women pursue witchcraft and other pagan traditions as an outlet for an alternative spirituality.”
FALL 2014 53
by Nicole and Megan
Witch Fingers A classic dessert to serve up while perfecting your witchcraft. Your pact will love the simple cookie taste with the sweet blood stirring up your taste bud Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 2 sticks butter 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp almond extract 2 3/4 cups flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt Red food gel or corn syrup mixed with a drop of red food coloring Directions: Cream sugar, butter, eggs, and extracts. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until well combined. Chill 15 minutes. Roll pieces of dough into finger sized logs. Use a knife to score “knuckles� in the fingers. Press a sliced almond onto each finger for the nail. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet or silpat mat for 20-25 minutes at 325 degrees. When cookies have cooled, lift off almonds and add some red food gel and replace the almonds over the gel.
54 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
www.slashanddine.com
The Coven’s Brew Stew What’s better than a good bowl of stew on a chilly day after a long night of hexing with your coven? Stew made with beer and root vegetables, of course! Directions: Dice onion and saute on medium heat with olive oil in large pot. Add meat and continue cooking until lightly browned. Add tomato sauce and beer and let simmer. Chop carrots and potatoes and add to the pot. Cover completely, lower heat and stir every 15 minutes for 1 1/2 hours. Add salt, pepper and ketchup to taste. Serve with warm bread.
Mulberry Pie
Ingredients: 1 dark stout beer 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 15 oz cans tomato sauce 6 peeled red potatoes, cubed 5 peeled carrots, sliced 1 15 oz can peas
We love this recipe because you can use fresh mulberries from trees. Just be careful to wash them thoroughly and make sure they haven’t had any exposure to your local witches den. And if they have, feel free to serve some pie up to your foe. Dangerously delicious. Directions: Add flour to food processor. Cut shortening into pieces and add to processor. Pulse until mixture resembles course crumbs. Slowly add in water a tablespoon at a time, while pulsing flour, until mixture sticks together. Be careful to not add too much water! Remove from processor and divide in half. Pat each half into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees while dough is chilling. Mix mulberries, sugar, and flour together for filling. Roll out one dough disc and place in pie pan, trimIngredients: ming edges of dough even with outer edge of pie Crust: pan. Add mulberry filling. Dot with butter. Roll out 2 cups flour second dough disc and place over filling. Trim edges, 1 tsp salt leaving a ¾ inch overhang. Fold top edge under bot- 3/4 cup shortening, well tom crust. Press edges together to seal, and crimp chilled edges as desired. Cut slits in top of crust. Bake pie 4-8 tsp ice water for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 30 more minutes. Remove pie from over and let cool before serving.ving.
Filling: 3 cups fresh mulberries 3/4 cup sugar 1/3 cup flour 2 tablespoons butter
FALL 2014 55
SINISTER SPIRITS A WITCHES KISS
1 ounce COVEN Vodka 1 ounce Triple Sec, 1 ouce Blue Curacao Juice of one Lime Pour equal portions into shaker over ice, shake and strain *Optional black sugar coating glass rim
BITCHIN’ WITCHES BREW 1.5 ounces (shot glass pour) COVEN Vodka 4 ounces Cranberry Juice 2 ounces of Ginger Ale 1 drop of black food coloring
For more creatively evil concotions and cocktails follow our ‘Spirits’ board
Hired Guns Creative and Arbutus Distillery joined alliances to create the perfect deadly night shade of liquor. The spirits come calling when the lights go out. The bottle bekons from beyone with the encadnce wicked glow-in-the-dark imprinted label. Call on the rituals and gather the witches to host a few spellbinding spirits under the full moon calling. Product branding and packaging design by Hired Guns Creative. Arbutus Distillery, Vancouver Island’s newest distillery be sure and follow your coven’s calling to further discoveries at www.hiredgunscreative.com www.atillusdistillery.com
56 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
BEWITCHING BOOKS “My name is Elizabeth Anne Hawksmith,and my age is three hundred and eighty-four years.”
The fist in the series about the New Orleans Mayfair Witches. Witchcraft and the occult spanning four centuries.
THE WITCHING HOUR ANNE RICE
THE WITCHS DAUGHTER PAULA BRACKSTON
Can you live 28 years without discovering you’re a witch? The first book of the series.
A MODERN WITCH DEBOARAH GEARY
THE BOOK OF LIFE DEBORAH HARKNESS
PRACTICAL MAGIC ALICE HOFFMAN
With indifferent parents, Iona Sheehan grew up craving devotion and acceptance. From her maternal grandmother, she learned where to find SIX WOMEN OF SALEM MARILYNNE K. ROAC
DARK WITCH NORA ROBERTS
The third and final book in the All Souls Trilogy, following the earlier two books in the series
A modern classic , the book was the basis for the hot movie. For more than two hundred years, the Owens women had been blamed for everything in their small town
These sixteen deft and delightful stories involving witches, stitches, and bitches run the gamut from darkly disturbing to just plain fun. WITCHES STICHES & BITCHES
by Christine Morgan, Gabrielle Harbowy, Bo Balder. An antholo gy series
GOOD OMENS
Six Women of Salem is the first work to use the lives of a select number of representative women as a microcosm to illuminate the larger crisis of the Salem witch trials.
According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world’s only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded.
NEIL GAIMAN & TERRY PRATCHETT
FALL 2014 57
Myrtles Plantation, St. Francisville, LA he best-known ghost story connected to this 1796 plantation involves Chloe, a slave forced to be her owner’s mistress. When he grew tired of her, legend says she baked a poisoned cake that killed his wife and two kids; the other slaves hanged er from a tree, and she’s roamed the property since
TOP 10 MOST HAUNTED PLACES
1
2 4
7
5
6
3
8
9 10 T 1.The Stanley Hotel Estes Park, Colorado Said to have inspired Stephen King to write ‘The Shining’. During King’s stay he spoke of unsual and unexplainable that occured. 2. The Whaley House San Diego, California The Travel Channel has also dubbed it America's most supernatural home .the house
— which in the mid-19th
3. The Queen Mary Long Beach, Calif. A former luxury ocean liner and war ship nicknamed the "Grey Ghost," drowned in the ship's pool. 4. The Winchester House By San Jose, California As one of two homes in California sanctioned by the U.S. Commerce Department as being haunted (the other is the Whaley House, below), the magnificent Winchester House stands alone as perhaps the most bizarre haunted home in the U.S. ted
58 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
5. Jerome, Arizona The former copper-mining town with a paranormal reputation that dates back to the Wild West with ghostly residents abound.mie Dean, 6. Stepp Cemetary Benton, Indiana Aound two dozen or so crumbling grave markers remain in this famously haunted cemetery in Indiana. Legend has that it was founded by a cult buried. Grieving, 7. Moundsville Penitentiary Moundsville, West Virginia Soon after it’s opening in 1899 it’s estimated that one thousand inmates died.as
exceeded 2,400. Today, 8. Bell Witch Cave Adams, Tennessee The site where John Bell and his family were tormented by a ghost now known as the Bell Witch is open to brave souls. echnology
9. Bobby Mackey's Music World Wilder, Kentucky Known as the haunted honky tonk; the building originally built on this site was a slaughter house. It is said that after the slaughter house moved, it was suspected that the basement was used for occult worship; animal and human sacrifices. 10. Myrtles Plantation St. Francisville, LA The plantation is home to haunted soul , Chloe, a slave forced to be her owner’s mistress. When he grew tired of her, legend says she baked a poisoned cake that killed his wife and two kids; the other slaves hanged her from a tree.
A mystic tool of divination, the Planchette is a vessel used to close the communication gap between our realm and the spirit world. • Crafted from Blackened Baltic Birch • Engraved & hand painted
Special edition Glow in the Dark Mini Spirit Board charged with precious phosphorescence. ”Invoke the darkest of magics and call forth untold protection from the power
of the pentacle. We use this board to protect us from unexpected leftover pockets of volatile black magic lurking within the caverns. Conjure the ultimate protective shield to be able to pass through any realm unscathed. “
FALL 2014 59
INTO THE DARKNESS
The Keepers of Curious Design - the duo that is Enchanted Rumors brings you the mysterious collection, Fiendies! Combining our obsession with darkness and a little help from our supernatural time machine, we have unearthed an ancient crystal mine containing many untold mysteries. Explore with us as we continue to reveal new secrets.
CAST A SPELL & IGNITE SOME MAGIC Wield the elemental power of fire with glittering gold Mystikal Fire Dust. Just a pinch is required for an intantanious eruption of glorious golden sparks. A little goes a long way! Visit the official sitre and store here
60 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
STYLE
Following her graduation from the Royal College of Art, Gisele Ganne launched her eponymous jewellery line in 2008. The brand was born out of the desire to provide unique and creative pieces for trendy women. Over the years, Gisele Ganne expanded her label while working for prestigious jewellery brands such as Ste-
Once you divorce, you need to find another perfect husband, HUNTING MAN and THE NEW AMAZON come from this primitive pursuit.
Life is not only full of happy moments there are also the bad ones. I guess my jewellery illustrated those moments: death, separation, divorce. Can you give us a bit of a background on your interest In conclusion, I will quote ALEXANDER MCQUEEN: in jewelry, art, and the macabre? “It is important to look at death because it is a part of life. It is a sad thing, melancholic but romantic at It all started at the Royal College of Art when I watched the same time. the movie “The Rules of Attraction”. There is an amazing scene of suicide in it. A girl is in her bath, she starts to put It is the end of a cycle- everything has to end. The one ring on the side, a second one and another one and cycle of life is positive because it gives room for new finish by a razor blade. It was so beautiful and interesting things”. to see the relation with jewelery and death that I start doing research on funeral and death rituals. I came When did you have your mind set on jewelry as across the Victorian mourning jewelery which I fell in the art medium that you would concentrate on ? love with. From there my first collection was born ‘THE BLACK WIDOW’, where each piece tells a story about Since I was five I claimed to everybody that I would the deceased and their widow. But for me mourning be a designer! I didn’t really know the specification wasn’t just about people who passed away but also dead but I knew that I would do a creative job. I was relationship, friendship, and marriage. Therefore the drawing all the time. natural next step was DIVORCE JEWELERY. FALL 2014 61
I started studying fine art with the aim to become a Walt Disney cartoonist. However during a school exchange in Liverpool, I discovered ceramic and metal work. Back to France, I changed schools and finished my BA and MA in product design. I wasn’t quite ready to work so I end up doing a second MA at the Royal College of Art in jewellery! That wasn’t a straight way but I end up doing what I was really meant to do and I love it! The divorce and mourning jewelry line are your signature lines that brought you exposure and attention of celebs and the fashionable elite. Can you go into what it was like to have someone like Lady Gaga express interest and wear your jewelry? I was so honoured that Lady Gaga wore the Noose necklace and loved it! It is an amazing feeling to see people wearing my jewelery! I put so much of myself in each pieces that it always is rewarding to see people loving them too. Have you always had a love for the macabre? Always... I can’t help it, I am always drawn to it! Your new line was inspired by Anne Rice’s trilogy of books “The Witching Hour” could you go into the process/evolution of what brought about the inspiration and led you to decide this was your next line?
Divorce ring
At the time I was reading Anne Rice’s “the Witching Hour”, I was looking at gothic and church architecture but also tattoo and piercing for my collection.
Milady ring
The Witching Hour collection neclace and earrings
62 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
The more research I was doing, the more relation inspiration”. It is huge and I like to browse it from time with the book I was finding. It is all about that house to time to get some inspiration and it always works! in New Orleans!! Architectural decors were mixed with witchcraft symbols in my moodboard and the What are your most endeared pieces you’ve created and WITCHING HOUR collection was born. could you go into how your work space is setup or what it takes to to create your pieces. “Having previously explored the rituals of m ourning, divorce and the hunt for another, Gisele You don’t ask a mother to choose one of her children! I Ganne’s new collection focuses on witchcraft love all of them, each piece is a little bit of me! I don’t customs. Inspired by Anne Rice’s trilogy of books “The have a most endeared piece even if I have been wearing Witching Hour”, this collection is about Witchcraft the CRUSADE CROSS everyday for months now!! and the aesthetics that lend themselves to the practice People always stop me in the street to compliments it! of it. Directly influenced by the American Victorian and Gothic styles of architecture, the New Orleans’s Everything is handmade in my studio in London. My French Quarters and Louisiana plantation manors, favourite part is to make the first prototype, to see what’s this range draws parallels between architectural in your mind comes to life! I always create what I would elements their human counterparts; church stained see myself wearing. That’s why you see a strong link beglass windows and tattoos, and ancient door tween all my collections. There is an identity to keep and knockers and body piercing. Gisele has created an to follow when creating a brand, it’s easier to maintain it enchanting collection of beautifully designed pieces if you stay true to yourself. that capture the spirit of the subject matter and add If you created a line inspired by a film , what would it a layer of elegant style to the wearer.” be ? What or whom plays a major part in inspiring you ,.. Any movie from Tim Burton! I am a massive fan of his music , artists, society, history ,..etc. work. Last year, my jewellery has been featured in the I get some inspiration from everywhere French movie “Au Bonheur des ogres”, it was great to and everything! Leaving in London, give see my jewellery on the big screen and would love to see me the opportunity to see so many things, more of that, especially a Tim Burton’s movie. exhibitions. just people on the street can get you inspired!! I also have a massive folder in Visit Gisele’s official site to purchase and see more of my computer untitled “ her beautifully macabe pieces FALL 2014 63
To D.I.Y For
VINTAGE POTIONS & SPELLS BOOK Supplies Grab an old book {approx. 5.5″ x 7.5″} Mod Podge black craft paint sandpaper or Dremel tool with sanding attachment First, download and print the Halloween Spell Book print-able images below. *Free Halloween Printable and easy to follow instrucitons via http://www.craftaholicsanonymous.net/free-halloweenspell-book-printable
MYSTIC PERFUMED HAIR Use 1/2 cup witch hazel and add 10 drops of essential oil or blends of choice fill in spray bottle Piping Rock Frankincense 100% Pure Essential Oil on pipingrock.com
FOOL MOON DETOX BATH 2 cups epsom salt 1 cup baking soda Add 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 1 Tablespoon ground ginger. Soak in (balancing the magnesium level and remove toxins from your body. this helps your body become more alkaline. Too much sugar, caffeine, alcohol, or processed foods leave your body acidic 6. Sit in bath for at least 20 mins (NOTE: if you feel lightheaded, get out, slowly.) While you soak we advise to having some cold water on hand
WICKEDLY EASY LIP CRAYONS Per one inch of chosen crayon color melt with 1/2 teaspoon of cocnut oil (for more shine) or 1/4 teasspoon of coconut oil for more of a matte look. Use tin or container (we used an acrylic pill stack container from the dollar store) 64 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
The Raven Princess, Acrylic Clawfoot Tub from vintagetub.com
Style Inspiration - Invoking THE CRAFT
THE CRAFT images courtsey of Columbia Pictures
Pentacle candle holder - magicalmythsandmetaphors.com Magic Spells Handbag - attitudecloth.com Macabre Gadgets unicorn ring with crystal horn. Black boots - sinister shots.com Moss Boho felt hat from swell.com. Cross my heart glasses - zerouv.com. ‘We are the Wierdos Mister’ via spreadshirt.com FALL 2014 65
THE HIT LIST Top Beauty Finds To Hunt Down
3.
2.
1.
6. 8.
4.
5.
7.
10.
9.
6. Cheek stain -Tartecosmetics.com 1. Kiels Deep Pore Cleansing Mask - Kiels.com 2. Divine Illumination - Philosophy.com
7. in 1 Beauty Balm -Maybelline 8. Gimme Brow -Benefit Cosmetics
3. Vitamin E Facial Mist - TheBodyShop.com 4. Argan Oil - Now Organics 5. Lip scrub - Sara Happ.com
9 . Lipstick - Anna Sui.com 10. Electric eye shadow pallete URBAN DECAY via Sephora.com
66 SCREAMSIRENS.COM
Featured SCREAM SIREN
With modeling, acting, and her one woman cake operation, Cake Rhapsody,
Barbarann Garrard
Photo by Mandie Hicks Photo above by Mandie Hicks
is our kind of woman, amazing!
“I hear that all the time, people asking me how I do it all , and to that I say, better full than empty”. Did we mention she is mother of four. Describing her childhood, she recalls always being an artist and always being the awkward kid; a natural redhead with a freckled face, plain and a bit of an ugly duckling. In class staring out the window or doodling on her desk,she lived very much inside of her head. As an only child, she spent a lot of time entertaining herself. Listening to her mom’s old record collection, and watching Movie Macabre and old horror movies were a few of her favorite things. “When I grew up, I wanted to be equal parts Elvira, and Marilyn Monroe...and above all, I wanted to be extraordinary”. She outgrew her awkward ugly duckling stage, (never imagining that she would be a model one day), but never outgrew her love of all things obscure, and grotesque.Her love of the horror genre sometimes even translates through her sugar and cake art. It was 4 years ago that one a whim, she picked up some cake supplies and “simply decided to give it a go..F"uck it why not”,with no culinary training, or art school everything is trial and error. "
And with that 'go get it' attitude, her cakes earned her a spot on season two of Food Network’s Halloween Wars, where, out of 5 teams, her team came in a close second. Of course the gory and spooky cakes are her absolute favorite. In addition to cake and horror,and music, Barbarann loves the Pinup lifestyle, and this year her first time competing in the 2014 Kustom Kulture pinup pageant, she ws awarded first runner up! So what’s next for Barbarann? “I can’t do any one thing all the time, I get bored so easily, I’m going see where all this modeling, and acting, and cake stuff takes me as long as I’m making art and expressing myself creatively,I’ll be happy maybe someday I’ll go to mortuary science school, be an Barbarann pictured above with her deadly embalmer...do reconstructive arts and cadaver makeup that’s something I’ve delicious zombie head cake creation . thought about doing one day. It’s still something artistic; there are so many ways to apply artistry in this world, so who knows.”
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cake-Rhapsody/218725601486576 FALL 2014 67
HORRORSCOPES THE Witch’s Guide To The Heavens Above and The Hell Below. By Astrological Psychonaut: Phyllis Killer
Aries-March 21 - April 19 Star of love, burn so bright, Aid me in my spell tonight ,Unite my true love to me
Libra-September 23 - October 22 Candle of power, Candle of light create my desire here on this night. Power stream from this candle’s fire, bring to me my hearts desire.
Taurus-April 20 - May 20 Remove the chains of time and space and make my Spirit soar, Let these mortal arms embrace the life that haunts before.
Scorpio-October 23 - November 21 Mother Moon come to me, I call and ask this of thee, help me feel your strength again, and find the Goddess that resides within.
Gemini-May 21 - June 20 The winds of change I feel tonight, the waters are calm and the sky is bright, Luck be mine, come into me, My desires are true, so mote it be.
Sagittarius-November 22 - December 21 Ancient Moons lend your power, bring me Peace this very hour, I call upon your strength and might, Bless your child this secret night.
Cancer-June 21 - July 22 Smoke of air and fire and Earth, Cleanse and bless this home and hearth, Drive away all harm and fear, Only good may enter hear.
Capricorn-December 22 - January 19 As within so without, My harmony exists throughout, I am one with both these worlds, within the two, My Spirit Twirls.
Leo-July 23 - August 22 Moon of finest silver wane, Take with you bad luck and bane, As you fade into the night, Bring new hope back into sight.
Aquarius-January 20 - February 18 Negative energy may not stay, I release and send it on its way, Negative energy I banish thee, and is my word so mote it be.
Virgo-August 23 - September 22 I lift this cup to my lips, I drink it slow with tiny sips, Rose, tea caraway, and fennel cause love to stay.
Pisces-February 19 - March 20 Sweep, sweep, sweep the ground, all negativity shall be bound, I banish all that is profane, Only positive shall remain.
68 SCREAMSIRENS.COM