Women in HorrorNia Edwards-Behi discusses Women in Horror Recognition Month

Late in 2009 a month was claimed

to be Women in Horror Recognition

Month. What started as a simple call

to unite horror fans in the

celebration and promotion of

female artists in the industry

became a movement: fans engaging

in online discussion, running

festivals, running blood drives.

Why was such a month even

needed? Women have always been

important to horror, from Mary

Shelley to Fay Wray to Mary Lambert.

Despite this, horror is still popularly

seen as a boys’ club. It was the indie

scene that got behind WIHRM; the

fans, the bloggers, the filmmakers in

it for the love of a genre. Meanwhile,

the horror news giants, online and in

print, continue to plaster their pages

with women as decoration, and label

any model who takes her clothes off

in a film the latest ‘Scream Queen’.

Well, Scream Queen used to mean

something. "is year, Abertoir opens

with an unforgettable showcase of a

proper Scream Queen. Ingrid Pitt,

talented and gorgeous, established

herself in horror and is, to this day,

proud of the fact. From !e Vampire

Lovers to !e Wicker Man to today’s

opening film Countess Dracula, Pitt

embodies what is lacking from

today’s popular horror but found in

abundance in the independent

scene: an authentic, proud female

horror star.

Tomorrow’s first film, Dead Hooker in

a Trunk, was a stand-out discovery

of WIHRM, and is reviewed in

tomorrow’s daily. You can read a

quickfire Q&A with its stars Jen and

Sylvia Soska in the main Abertoir

brochure. For more on WIHRM, see

www.womeninhorrormonth.com

DAY 1 DYDD

ABERTOIR

Review: We Are What We AreBy Rebekah Smith

I’ve been watching a fair few Mexican films over the past few months and have discovered some real gems - if you’ve not caught Depositarios around the festival circuit yet, then don’t miss out on this fantastic sci-fi thriller. We Are What We Are is no exception - a truly remarkable piece of film making - not just as part of Mexican cinema but as part of filmmaking more generally. Part of its beauty is director Jorge Michael Grau’s strikingly realistic depiction of a family in crisis. "e film takes the most effective narrative approach by focusing upon the characters as by working in this way, you find yourself sympathising and ultimately caring for these people in spite of their horrific traits. "is is a very well written and superbly crafted film which is in fact one

of the Abertoir team’s favourite films of the year so far.

Review: Countess DraculaBy Nia Edwards-Behi

Undoubtedly a film designed to showcase its star, Ingrid Pitt, Countess Dracula is a wonderfully lurid version of the oft-adapted legend of Elisabeth Bathory, the noblewoman who killed young virgins for their youth-preserving blood. A Hammer Horror classic, Countess Dracula is an exercise in horrific charisma and star power.

Daily TweetsA selection of the weeks’ Tweets

AxelleCarolyn@stonecypher @AbertoirFest Have to say, the programme is pretty awesome. I'm tempted...

ShockHorrormagIf you are a Horror fan you need to add @AbertoirFest and get your ass to their Film Festival in Wales! Shock Horror will be there too,woop!

bestforfilm#novemberfilmevents We're diggin on the Abertoir Horror Festival in Wales - @Abertoirfest

Hellbound_HeartFinal #FF mention to my favourite UK #horror festival - I can't wait - @AbertoirFest!

stonecypherHappy #Abertoir2010 day, everyone! :D

AberystwythArtsAbertoir Horror Festival begins today! See you all at 5pm for Countess Dracula! @AbertoirFest #Abertoir2010

AbertoirFestToday's the day - #Abertoir2010 kicks off at 5pm! Safe journeying to all travelling to deepest, darkest Aberystwyth today - see you later

HayleyR1989Excited :D Abertoir 2010 starts tonight!!!!!

emobadgerCant wait to see Rare Exports, Mutant Girls Squad & "e Damned not to mention the shorts & the rest of the fest! #Abertoir2010

horrorextremeLooking forward to "Dream Home", "Mutant Girls Squad" and seeing "Dead Hooker in a Trunk" again at #Abertoir2010

Tag your tweets#Abertoir2010

Daily PicksBy Rebekah Smith

First and foremost, don’t

miss our opening film

Countess Dracula. Not only is

there an introduction by Dr.

Kate Egan (aka the Ingrid Pitt

expert since she is currently

writing a book on the star)

but we are screening an

original 1971 print of this

fantastic horror classic.

Towards the end of the

evening we showcase two

films from outside Europe. At

9.45pm we have the Chinese

film Dream Home - a rather

unique film which depicts the

frustrations of a prospective

home-buyer who will do

anything to reduce the price

of an apartment that she has

her eyes on – and I mean

anything. !is film has been

playing the festival circuit a

lot recently (similar to Amer

showing later in the festival)

and it’s not hard to see why

since it’s a very well made,

must-see film.

!en finally, to close the

evening, at midnight we have

Mutant Girls Squad and what

a riot this is. I’m a massive fan

of mad J-horror as the gore

sequences are always

incredibly funny. !is feature

is from the twisted minds

behind the superior Vampire

Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl and

Machine Girl so expect more

of the fabulous same. !is

one features a girl who can

grow a chainsaw from her

body – see what I mean?

Marvellous stuff.

IMDB Trivia: Countess Dracula

Countess Dracula was based

on Hungarian Countess

Erzsebet (our modern day

"Elizabeth") Bathory who lived

from 1560 to 1614. Countess

Bathory was allegedly

responsible for the deaths of

approximately 600 virgin girls,

all of which involved torture

and gruesome methods of

killing. Her atrocities are

mostly speculation. She is

credited for influencing our

modern day concept of

Dracula as an entity

dependent on human blood

for youth and vitality

Ingrid Pitt’s voice was dubbed.

Supposedly, she was so

furious at director Peter Sasdy

that she vowed never to speak

to him again.

Today’s Schedule

Countess Dracula 5.00pmWITH TALK BY KATE EGAN

"e ageing Countess discovers by accident that the blood of young virgins has an unnatural restorative effect on her celebrated beauty. Years later, she becomes engaged to a handsome young Hussar and is forced to repeat vile atrocities with ever-increasing regularity to hold off old age.

We Are What We Are 7.15pmPLUS SHORT FILM INTERCAMBIO

Already being heralded as the new Let the Right One In, this Mexican film is a powerful and compelling look at cannibals in a modern-day society.

Dream Home 9.45pmSPONSORED BY THE LAMPETER CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE

Probably the first horror film about the sub-prime mortgage crisis, this enjoyably violent film tells of a frustrated prospective home-buyer who will do anything to reduce the price of a Hong Kong apartment she has her eyes on…

Mutant Girls Squad 12.00am

"e ultimate in Japanese splatter, teaming up three of the country’s leading gore experts: Noboru Iguchi (Robo-Geisha, !e Machine Girl), Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police, Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl) and Tak Sakaguchi (Death Trance, Versus, Samurai Zombie).

For more details, buy your Festival Programme at the festival reception.

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