Currently celebrating its 25th anniversary year, full-service character effects company MASTERSFX, and its founder Todd Masters, have announced their collaboration with Twisted Twins Productions to create the character designs and produce the prosthetic and makeup special effects for the original indie horror film “American Mary.” Masters made the announcement along with Jen and Sylvia Soska, partners, Twisted Twins Productions of Vancouver, CN. nnThe deal comes on the heels of the just-released DVD of “Dead Hooker in a Trunk,” the debut film from Twisted Twins Productions. The DVD release is from IFC Films and MPI Media. Fangoria Magazine has called that film, “One hell of a hoot.” nnSaid Mr. Masters, “I first met the Soska Sisters online, when they started gauging my possible interest in the follow-up to their debut project ‘Dead Hooker in a Trunk’. After watching THAT film, I realized I’d never seen a film like it before, nor had I ever done special FX like those presented there before. So I quickly decided that I wanted MASTERSFX to play a ‘horrific’ role in their new project ‘American Mary’ – it was something we simply HAD to do!” nnJen and Sylvia Soska add, “We fell in love with horror films by learning about the ‘monster-makers’ behind the scenes—the artists who create the scares. Working with Todd and MASTERSFX on ‘American Mary’ is an experience that takes our love of prosthetic effects to a whole new level. People who love horror films are sure to really dig the creations that Todd and his team will be presenting within this new flick!”nnThe second original feature film from Twisted Twins Productions, “American Mary” is the story of a medical student, Mary, who becomes increasingly broke and disenchanted with medical school, and with the established doctors there she once idolized. The allure of easy money sends a desperate Mary to perform as an unqualified “surgeon,” working her way through a messy world of “underground surgeries” which leave more marks on HER than on her freakish clientele.nn
nWatch the teaser trailer online here.nnAbout “DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK”nProduced in 2010, “Dead Hooker In A Trunk” was the debut film from identical twins Jen and Sylvia Soska, who wrote, directed, and produced it, as well as serving as the stars and stuntwomen. Taking a lesson from Rodriguez’s book “Rebel Without A Crew,” the film so followed the spirit of El Mariachi that the twins’ story reached the original El Mariachi, Carlos Gallardo, who not only gave the ladies advice, but also appeared in the film in the appropriate role as “God.” nn”Dead Hooker In a Trunk” has been embraced by horror fans, film festivals, reviewers, and film makers on a global scale, becoming an underground sensation in the process. The film, which has been called "a hidden gem in indie film making and a cult classic in waiting,” has won multiple awards, toured the world (shown at numerous film festivals,) and been reviewed by the biggest horror media, including Gorezone, Fangoria, Twitch Film Basterds, Bloody Disgusting, and Ax Wound, just to name a few. nnRenowned horror film director Eli Roth (“Hostel,” “Inglorious Bastards”) has praised the Twisted Twins, saying, “You should check out the Soska sisters, who made a film called ‘Dead Hooker In a Trunk.’ They made it low budget and it’s fucking awesome. It’s really violent and the stunts are superb. They are two Canadian twin sisters who made a feature that they wrote, produced, directed, and starred in. And it’s fantastic.” n nAbout TWISTED TWINS PRODUCTIONSnTwisted Twins Productions was founded by identical Canadian twin sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska. Their specialty is to bring audiences edgy dialogue, gore-geous effects, beautiful cinematography, and memorable characters, all within the setting of truly “twisted” storytelling. Prior to launching their own company, the Soska Sisters worked in production on numerous feature films, music videos, short films, commercials, and everything in between. To view their site and collective works, please see: www.twistedtwinsproductions.netnnAbout MASTERSFX nCurrently celebrating its 25th anniversary year, MASTERSFX, founded in l987 by Emmy Award® winner Todd Masters, is a full-service Character Effects company headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, with an additional studio in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The company has designed, created and produced prosthetics, animatronics, and character effects for many hundreds of motion pictures, television programs, and commercials. nnMASTERSFX has recently provided creature and prosthetic FX for such high profile feature films and television series as “Underworld Awakening,” “True Blood,” “Falling Skies,” “Super,” “Slither,” “The Haunting in Georgia,” “Big Love” and “Fringe.” Historically, the company has contributed FX to such other hits as “Stargate SG1,” “The Horse Whisperer,” “Star Trek: First Contact,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” both “Addams Family” films, “Six Feet Under,” “Tales from the Crypt,” and many more. n nMASTERSFX is the winner of numerous entertainment industry awards, including an Emmy®, a Saturn and a Gemini. Todd Masters and MASTERSFX are also the founders of the annual “Aliens to Zombies” Convention, held in Hollywood each October. nnMASTERSFX’s Los Angeles office can be contacted by phone at 818/834-3000. The web is www.mastersfx.com and Facebook. Contact:Press Contact for MASTERSFX: Dan Harary The Asbury PR Agency, Beverly Hills 310/859-1831 Contact Dan via email
“Ǝvolution” Comes Full Circle At The Chelsea Film Festival
The Chelsea Film Festival, running from October 16th through October 20th, 2024, at Regal Cinemas here in Union Square, is set to host the East Coast premiere of Ǝvolution, a thought-provoking experimental micro-short film that proves big ideas can come in small packages and in perfect circles.
In just 1 minute 16 seconds, this cinematic gem by Award-Winning Director Romina Schwedler, with original music by Argentine Composer Ignacio Montoya Carlotto, explores a cycle as old as time: life leads to progress, progress leads to destruction, and destruction, well, leads back to life. But is this vicious circle unbreakable? Ǝvolution suggests the answer is yes, unless we decide to open our eyes.
Inspired by the overwhelming number of recent events that threaten human existence, Ǝvolution, possibly the shortest film in this 12th edition of the festival, plays out entirely through the symbolism of circles, cleverly illustrating —in the blink of an eye— the repeating patterns of history, and confronting viewers with the uncomfortable truth that our so-called “progress” may, in fact, be guiding us to our own ruin.Premiering at the Regal 14 Union Square, New York City, on October 18, 2024, at 11 a.m., Romina Schwedler's micro-short, featuring Leah Young with cinematography by Alan J. Carmona, will be sure to spark conversations longer than the film itself! Forcing viewers to reconsider the true meaning of evolution, not just as a biological process, but as a reflection of our collective journey as humans.
With a string of festival appearances across the globe, including CineGlobe at CERN (Switzerland/France), Oscar®... Read More