Superfan!

Adrian Brown, from California, sent me this picture. I'm soooo pleased!!!

"MALEFICARUM in Indian Country, Southern California. Thanks for a 'killer' film, Amy!"

Death, Maleficarum, Reviews, Olalla

As some of you may already know from my posts on Facebook, my father passed away not long ago. Although I was supposed to be prepared for it, I wasn't. So, I took an emergency trip up to the great white North, saw friends and family, and slogged through a bunch of bureaucratic paperwork. Why does death involve so much paperwork? Incredible.

Robert Louis Stevenson, my new BF

I'm back in the South now, where the water goes down the drain the other way, and am getting back to the project at hand, my next movie, Olalla, in the midst of mourning. My next movie involves death. And a strange family.

I was perusing the interwebs and found that someone had written a review about Maleficarum recently on horrornews.net. You can read it right here!

I also received some spectacular reviews of Le Marquis de la Croix and Barbazul from the Beverly Hills Outlook, which will be published this year. Here are a couple of excerpts below:

Le Marquis> "This intense and focused Bolivian production, handsomely mounted by Amy Hesketh and Jac Avila with just the right visual accents and splashes of color for Decadent Cinema, is a master class in film direction, courtesy of Hesketh herself."

Wow, "masterclass in film direction", thanks!

Barbazul> "This Latinization of Bluebeard is the most successful adaptation of that fairy tale to the cinema to date, as, in it, cineaste Amy Hesketh subtly expands her thematics from her already established central concern of Control (of one being over another) to Complicity."

Again, seriously, thanks!

A bit of Inspiration

Olalla also includes themes of Control and Complicity. I do seem to like those themes, don't I? I'm also including Incest, Genetics, Vampirism, the Victorian, and the Gothic. Just to round things out.

More Inspiration

Maleficarum in the Top 40

Well, while I was busy stacking firewood up in Maine and avoiding porcupine attack, it seems that Maleficarum was listed in the Top 40 Movies of 2012 on the Obscure Video and DVD blog!

We're number 12, very nice if I do say so myself!

Here's what it says:

12. Maleficarum (Pachamama Films) The most talked about movie on my blog and certainly the most bizarre. This stars the lovely Amy Hesketh as a young woman tortured, along with her friend after they are accused of being witches. Amy is the modern Jess Franco!! Not to be missed.

Indeed!

You can read the original post right here.

Maleficarum - Dean Andersson's View

As requested, here's horror writer *Dean Andersson's take on Maleficarum! (Contains Spoilers!)

 "Amy—I downloaded Maleficarum and just finished watching it. That fan I talked to at the convention—he did not praise the film enough. It was so much more than even I had expected. I’m not a filmmaker, so I’m not sure just how Jac pulled it off, but one thing I do know is that you and Mila totally sold it. Incredible. Look, I’m sitting here with tears drying on my face. That is impossible. I’ve watched so many films. They almost never strike that deeply. You two and Jac’s direction made the women’s plight so horribly believable, so real, and yet heroic. 

Several scenes are going to keep replaying in my head. The moment when Mila’s character was looking up at you, and she almost said okay to the confession, then turned and spit at the Inquisitor instead, I felt like cheering, even though I, and she, knew it was going to mean even more horror. And the scene where your character was over the fire while Mila’s character kept begging, “Enough!” with her face twisted by anguish for you, but the men, like statues, ignoring her, painted a perfect picture of impersonal authority that unfortunately doesn’t stop in our world with the historical Inquisition. And the scene where they allow her to sit and you crawl to her and she strokes your hair, there was such love in that scene, how could it help but tear at a viewer?

 And then your agonizing crawl to her after your rape, you made each movement seem so hard, so painful, but your wounded character was so heroically determined, I felt like shouting “Somebody HELP her, damnit!” I guess you could say that by then I felt very “involved.” And your character’s prolonged burning—have you seen Oliver Reed’s death by burning scene in Ken Russell’s THE DEVILS? I always loved Reed’s work, but I swear you could have taught him some new tricks. Really. I kept hoping someone would rescue you in time. But it went on and on as the flames slowly grew—then the surprise ending, very satisfying, and even though your character was scarred and crippled, the two women survived! And triumphed. Excellent.  

You mentioned that the director’s cut had uninterrupted torture scenes, but I think having the torture scenes interrupted by the “reality show” testimonies and flashbacks kept the viewer from becoming numb to the brutality of what was happening. Still, yes, I’d like to see Jac’s director’s cut sometime to compare them.  

But if he feels as I do about the insanity of the Inquisition, and I’d guess from the film he just might, you can tell him that in my opinion he drove that message clear through the wall and out the other side. Obviously, everything about the film (even that incredible choice for music during the tortures…sweet piano chords? Brilliant contrast! And their repetition became a little like Chinese water torture to the ears) left me very impressed! Thanks so much!"

When you get this kind of feedback for a movie it's fabulous. I am so very pleased that this movie affected Dean in this way. Films should be like mirrors to our souls, so each person will see and feel something which is deep inside of them. They will react and respond, and I love every minute of that. Each time someone sees something unique in a movie in which I have participated, I feel that the great cultural dialogue becomes more and bigger than all of us.

*Dean Andersson, also known as C. Dean Andersson, is a prolific horror writer of such novels as I Am Dracula, and Torture Tomb. You can find out more about him and his books RIGHT HERE! And here on Amazon.com.

Maleficarum and the Magic of the Internet

It's amazing, the chain of events that lead more people to discover a film even a year after its release. I was very pleased when Dean Andersson, horror writer, contacted me on Facebook. Here are his own words about why:

"I do occasional writer-guest appearances at Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror conventions... On a panel discussion about horror films, an audience member asked if any of the panelists had seen MALEFICARUM. Sadly, forgive us, none of us so-called “experts” had. So, he gave an enthusiastic description. I knew, from other conventions, that this particular horror film fan had a low B.S. quotient, so I paid attention and took his MALEFICARUM enthusiasm seriously. I mean, he likes my horror, Dracula, and Norse woman warrior Heroic Fantasy novels, so he obviously has good taste, right? Right.

I ran into him again later at a convention party, and we discussed MALEFICARUM. It was soon evident the film had gotten through his horror-jaded, been there, seen that, thick outer crust, dragged him inside, and turned him inside-out, in a good way. He said he had not been expecting much. He figured it would be just another boring SAW or HOSTEL clone. But he claimed the quality of the acting, writing, cinematography, direction, the works, in MALEFICARUM had combined to make him care about the 'victims' and 'feel the horror from their viewpoint.' That aspect, plus the unflinching theme of religion-sponsored violence and explicit depictions of torture and its effects, especially against strong women, had reminded him of my 1987 novel, TORTURE TOMB, although TT is not historical—well, it wasn’t when it was written, anyway—and of the way it had affected at least one reader (and the way I suspect MALEFICARUM is affecting some viewers). 

Anyway, after the convention I looked up MALEFICARUM on the Internet. The first thing that struck me was the riveting poster, no news to you, the lighting, the potent textural contrast of unyielding stone versus human flesh, that whole aura of “Inquisition Mystique,” but it is the way the strong image all leads to the focus of the two manacled hands touching—defiant love in the midst of hopeless horror—that signals the film is very special, or at least so it seems to me.
I watched the MALEFICARUM trailers (no, I have not yet seen the whole film) and saw immediately the fan at the con had not been exaggerating. Then I watched most of your video interviews and became even more impressed with the dedication to authenticity and theme. I also found the interview Mike Haberfelner conducted with you in 2010. After which I discovered you on facebook, you quickly confirmed the friend request, and I decided to share my MALEFICARUN experience from that convention with you.  

It’s been 25 years since TT was published. It was popular with a number of readers but generally condemned for various reasons, some obvious, some not, by members of the “respectable” horror community. But with my editor’s support, bless him (he died a few years ago), those two books did what I had intended, said what I wanted said, and I moved on with other books. Then, in 1999 I attended a World Horror con in Atlanta and discovered to my surprise that TT and RPM had become sought after “cult classics.” But from the enthusiasm of that hard to please horror film fan with whom I talked at the convention, I think, perhaps, where the term cult classic is concerned, and I doubt this comes as a surprise to you, MALEFICARUM already, deservedly, is."

It's always the goal of an artist to put one's work out there and connect with like-minded individuals as a result. Sometimes it happens through osmosis, and other times by mere chance. But it's so great when it happens, so Jac and I have to thank this Horror Fan, wherever you are, for the introduction!

I must mention that I read Dean's book I Am Dracula when I was a kid and it was a prize in my collection* of vampire novels. I can't wait to read more of his books and rediscover those I already read.

*now lost to the sands of time... another story for another day...

Great review of Maleficarum

Another great review came in from an interesting blog, which you can check out RIGHT HERE!

You can download the movie here or get the DVD here!

MALEFICARUM 2011

I get a bucket of water in my face.

Well, this is highly unusual for my blog to feature a film like this. Why do I say that? Well this film is very hard to catagorize. It is not a "torture porn" film like the recent crap being made, nor does it fit into any other genre of films I usually review.
I guess I would put it in the group of films like Inquisition, El Inquisador and Bloody Judge, but it isn't a witch hunting film either. It is a story that is at once horrific and will make you sit up and take notice.

It was not pleasant.

It involves two young women who are brought to the Inquisiton by the church, who really only wants the money and possessions of one of the women. They are accused of every stupid and silly things that people say about them and they are stripped and tortured in many various and painful ways by the church.
Both are whipped, burned, stretched on the rack and many other atrocities. This is not a pleasant film and the ending with burning at the stake for one of the women is not at all easy to watch.
Both women are beautiful and they are naked thru 99% of the film. The torture isn't presented in an exploitative way, but in a way that makes you understand the horrors of the acts against these women.
Lovely Amy Hesketh is Mariana de castro and Mila Joya is Francisca de la Cruz, the two women who are brought before the inquisition. Both women do a fine job and Amy REALLY suffers for her art here folks.

In fact, I liked it about as much as a kitten likes a bath.

Director Jac Avila knows how to make a damn good story and not make it too exploitative.
If you get the chance, you will want to see this film, but please know it has ample violence and both women are nude throughtout the entire film, except the very beginning and the end.

Highly Recommended!!

I answer some questions from fans

It took me long enough, but I finally got around to answering the questions my kind fans sent me about Maleficarum. Here they are below in five clips. Enjoy!

The movie Maleficarum is available on DVD Here and Download Here!

Interview 5 for Maleficarum

That's me, in split screen.

Here's another interview we did yesterday for Cadena A, here in Bolivia, about the movie Maleficarum. Hooray!

You can download Maleficarum or buy the DVD at these links:

DVD

DOWNLOAD

Maleficarum Goes to the Movies

What am I looking at?

Today is the opening of our movie Maleficarum! In 3 cities and 4 movie houses! We're all very excited to see how the public reacts to the movie, but based on the reaction we had from the many who attended at the premiere, it'll be interesting. Speaking of the premiere...

What do you do when everyone has to walk to the premiere of a movie? Monday, May 7th, 2012, Jac, Beto and I sat in the Multicine on the avenida arce waiting to see if anyone else would arrive for the premiere of Maleficarum. We decided that if only a few showed up, we would simply go home and have a beer.

This is the guy who tortures me the entire movie...

But as it edged closer to 8 o'clock, more and more people began to trickle into the theater. We greeted actors and friends, and when it was suggested that we all take some pictures in front of the banner, as the flashes started popping in a frenzy, we realized that there was a crowd.

We posed for many photos, press, social pages, people with cell phone cameras, professional cameras. It was great, we all felt very proud of ourselves and everyone who participated in the movie.

One of the spectators asked if the movie was filmed in 35mm, the photography was that good. Another said that their video games are so violent that violent movies no longer affect them but they liked Maleficarum. And another said that Maleficarum surpasses The Passion of the Christ and Saw for its violence, that it's veeeeery strong. For each person who had a hand in making this project happen, it's your movie, own it and be proud!

Downloads and DVDs of the director's cut of Maleficarum can be had here:

DOWNLOADS

DVDs

A large portion of the cast of Maleficarum!

Another Interview About Maleficarum & A Transportation Strike

Me, smiling.

Today I awoke to the sound of... nothing. No cars, not one vehicle in the street. A 48 hour transportation strike has been declared. Fortunately for us, that didn't put much of a damper on the turnout for tonight's premiere of Maleficarum! (I'll be blogging about that tomorrow)

So going back to this morning, Jac, Mila, Eric and I had an interview programmed for 11AM this morning in Fides, Bolivian TV. Eric made a big effort and walked down from his house in El Alto (loooong walk, folks), Mila walked from her neighborhood (not as long, but still), and Jac and I power-walked like maniacs as well. We all arrived to the TV station on time, hooray!

This is the interview below, enjoy!

My birthday and a second TV interview for Maleficarum

How nice of them to phonetically spell my name for the viewers!

Right on time, a birthday card arrived at my door from my mom! Inside it played James Brown's "Do What You Wanna Do". So great! My parents have always been supportive of what I wanted to do in my life even if they thought it was risky and crazy. If my dad didn't have advanced dementia, I'm sure he would have called me like he always did on my birthday. I'm so grateful to my parents for bringing me into this world and teaching me valuable life lessons (mom), and how to fix a car (dad), among many other things.

So, for my birthday I thought I would post the second interview, from last night. This one went a little better... since I was actually awake! While I still haven't managed to master the Spanish language, I communicate pretty well. 

First TV interview about Maleficarum

We've started the media tour for the premiere of Maleficarum in cinemas here in Bolivia, which means lots of TV interviews. I've translated part of the first here so you can laugh openly at me. It's ok, go ahead.

Please keep in mind that I normally don't get up before 9AM unless we're shooting a movie (I sleep a lot, ok?), so rising at 6AM was really early for me.

Also, I put on the clothes I was wearing the day before, like, picked them up off the floor and put them on. More thought should go into these things. I look like I'm from the far North (which I am...), or very cold. Very, very cold.

Hemos empezado el tour de medios aqui en Bolivia para el estreno de Maleficarum, muchas entrevistas pues. Yo puesto uno aqui para que puedan reirse un poco de mi.

Normalmente, me levanto a las 9 de la mañana, excepto cuando estamos rodando una película (me gusta dormir, ok?) entonces levantarme a las 6 es un poco tempranito.

Tambien me he puesto la ropa del dia antes que estaba en el piso. Parece que soy del Norte (si lo soy, pero...), o que tengo mucho frio. Mucho frio.

TV announcer: You're the producer and actress of the film, yes?

Me: Yes.

TV announcer: So, what's your role in the movie?


Me: I'm Mariana and I'm tortured by the Inquisition.

Jac: (Lots of talk about the movie Maleficarum, which I really should have participated in, but was basically a zombie instead.)

Maleficarum Interview, Clip 8

In the eighth clip, I talk about the roasting scene in Maleficarum...  

Maleficarum is available for DOWNLOAD and ON DVD!

Maleficarum Interview, Clip 7

In this clip, I talk about the wooden horse, otherwise known as the Spanish Horse torture in the movie Maleficarum.

Maleficarum is available for download here and on DVD here!

Maleficarum Interview, clip 6

In the sixth part, I continue talking about the torture in Maleficarum...

The movie Maleficarum is available for download and on DVD!

Maleficarum Interview, clip 5

In this segment, I talk about the torture in the movie Maleficarum.

Maleficarum is available for download here and on DVD here !

And has been listed on IMDB here!

Maleficarum Interview, clip 4

Here is the fourth clip of an interview with me about the movie Maleficarum, in which I talk about how it was to play Mariana de Castro.

Maleficarum is now available for DOWNLOAD and on DVD.

The art of suffering, or suffering for one's art.

Mariana looks up at her lover in torment.

I was looking at a series of vidcaps from the movie Maleficarum today and it hit me how much I suffer in that film. Yeah, yeah, it's not like I didn't realize it before, but I really cry a lot in that movie. And it made me think about suffering as an actor and the suffering of artists in general and whether we really have to suffer for our art or if it makes us suffer inherently.

Those are real tears people.

In my case, it is my choice, not only do I write and direct films with a dark slant to them, but I act in them as well. This means that I have to delve deep into my inner darkness rather frequently.

Some may ask why I would want to do that at all, ever. People don't want to feel bad? Right? We want to feel happy, like, all the time, and I'm no different. Feeling bad is not the goal of most, at least consciously.

But suffering in art is so different from suffering in real life.

When we were shooting Le Marquis de la Croix, I found out that my father had been diagnosed with fronto-temporal dementia, that he was having hallucinations about a man upstairs in his house, whom he claimed was trying to kill him, he couldn't articulate very well, and he could no longer do various things for himself.  It was difficult maintaining my concentration during the remainder of the production, I felt like I was holding myself together with my own arms. When we wrapped on Le Marquis de la Croix, I went to Maine and spent 6 weeks assessing the situation, putting my dad in assisted living, dealing with his estate and living the horror that is having a parent with such a disease.

That looks like some dirt there too.

Before all that happened, I played the part of Jane in my second movie, Barbazul, who does not exactly have a happy ending. And I played Mariana de Castro in Maleficarum, who has it decidedly hard.

This is a sad scene.

Francisca doesn't seem to be waking up.

Suffering for a part in a movie is something that requires an actor to reach deep inside themselves and pull out the most horrifying moment they ever experienced.

For Mariana in Maleficarum, I had to summon up those moments, it was difficult, I had to think about the moments in my life when I've suffered, the moments when I've felt real fear (there were some moments in the shooting when I was actually afraid, like the roasting scene). In the end, I went deep into fear itself, the one that lives in our primitive brain, for my motivation.

For Jane in Barbazul, I had to imagine what it would be like to be murdered by a serial killer. When I was directing the other actresses, I actually cried silently while we were shooting one of the scenes. If you don't believe me, you can ask Miguel, the cinematographer, he saw me.

A day of shooting scenes like that left me with the impression that the world was falling apart at the seams. When you go so far into an emotion, it stays with you, it's like a thin invisible cloth that covers you, enveloping you in sadness. Hot showers and chocolate were mandatory after those days.

And now, now that I've experienced real suffering, and I'm on the verge of playing another very tragic role, I feel... not reluctant, but like I have more to work with.

Acting is about transmuting feelings into a performance. So, now that I have the opportunity again, I'm glad to be able to do that. Who, in the passage of normal, everyday life has the chance to transmute, or transform their feelings into something else? As strange as it may seem in the context of having to suffer, I feel lucky to be able to do that.

Mariana questions all this.

Realization,  hopelessness.

For me, it's like a kind of art therapy. I'm not sure how I would deal with those feelings otherwise.

In transforming suffering into art, I free myself from suffering, I can look at my performance from a place of strength. I feel proud of what I have done, and when it touches others, I feel even more proud to have given a strong performance.

I'm always writing about transformation, it seems, but as an actor, a writer, a director, I transform myself or others into something else on a constant basis. I think this is one of the more important roles of artists in society; we can speak for the soul.

Mariana is pretty convinced this is her fault.

At this point, you might be nodding your head, or thinking I'm a nut, but either way, art has made its way into most peoples' lives in one way or another. Art can also help us escape, like in a potboiler novel. Or it can entertain, or make us think, or feel something, or come to a greater understanding of beauty, or darkness. Art can help us find beauty or humor in that very darkness.

So, am I looking forward to suffering next year? Sure am. Pain has a place in the life of an artist as does its opposite happiness, because we can give it back in a different form, give it over to others. Artists should be givers, even if what we give is not pleasant to look at, it has a purpose.

Maleficarum Interview clip 3

Locations, locations, locations... Another exciting installment of me as a talking head. This time I talk about the locations in the movie Maleficarum.

Maleficarum is now available for download HERE and on DVD HERE! 

Maleficarum Interview clip 2

Here's the second part of an interview avec moi about Maleficarum. I talk about the props and torture instruments in this one...

Click here to buy the download of Maleficarum! To buy the DVD, click here!