Women in Horror Calendar

30/9/2013

Today I am very honoured to have Melanie Light, the brains behind the fabulous Women In Horror Calendar, over for not just one guest post but two. The project brings together some of the brightest stars of modern horror for a fabulous charity project.

The profit made from selling the calendar will be split between two charities. Rape Crisis England and Wales provides support for women and girls who have been raped, as well as tackling the trafficking of women. The Sophie Lancaster Foundation has particular resonance with Melanie, having been bullied herself at school for being 'goth'. Following the horrific murder of Sophie Lancaster in 2007, her family wanted to ensure a lasting legacy, and so the Foundation was established. Its motto, Stamp Out Prejudice, Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere, reflects the charity’s aim to challenge the prejudice and intolerance towards people from alternative subcultures both culturally and in legislation.

Please, please show support to this project by sharing these posts around, and please consider purchasing a copy. You can find a purchase link at the bottom of the guest post.

Women in Horror Calendar

The idea and concept for the calendar was something that just popped in my head one day. It was born out of frustrations I had with some other 'Women in Horror' collections that just centred around film makers and then grasped at straws with talent within the circle. Horror isn't just about films its a form of lifestyle. From what we wear, listen to, read, watch and take apart of. The calendar was an idea to show off talents, using my Art Directors background to create something visually creative with then links to everyones works.

Ufumoa Urie the creator of The Little Apple dolls is an old friend I met at a Horror convention years ago. Her creepy but cute dolls were a cult hit and she's recently back with a vengeance with new dolls, something like this is a great way to get her work out there to a larger audience, she's so super talented and I want the world to know about it. She was one of the first thoughts for the calendar as was Emily Booth, she presents the Horror Channel, knows her horror films and has been in various B-movie horror films, she's been a pioneer for years bringing horror films to our TV's.

Wanting a diversity in creative arts for the calendar was a challenge. As well as the creative side I needed to include women that where giving something back to the horror society. For example : Nia Edwards- Behi a Co- Director of the Abertoir Horror film festival in Wales.

I spent a few months researching trailing the internet for all different types of women with a creative form of art in the macabre . It was quite hard and fun looking into it. I emailed the poetry society and various other groups in arts. The Last Tuesday Society lead me to Tessa Farmer and I was overwhelmed by her reaction to wanting to be apart of the calendar and loved her art work too!

Frankie Lynn owns and runs her own Emporium of horror treats and customises shoes with a brilliant horror twist. She is sings in band and runs her own performance and dance school. She also makes the cutest skull sugar cubes in witchy jars.

I saw Marisa Carnesky perform her Jewess Tattooess piece at my old University in Brighton over 10 years ago and her work influenced my own macabre background so much. I went on her Ghost Train when it was in Shorditch and never forgot how great a live action performance piece it was. I'm a huge fan of her work and to have her involved was such an honour for me.

Barbie Wilde I found through following her on twitter. She's renowed as the female Cenobite from Hellraiser 2 but also writes. Her book 'The Venus Complex' is super twisted and sexy in a derranged serial killer way. Barbie has been a great support with the calendar.

The full house of the Calendar is: Marisa Carnesky- Artist performer and creator of the Ghost Train now permanently in Blackpool.Tessa Farmer- Fine Artist. Pollyanna McIntosh- Actress. Emily Booth- Horror Channel Presenter and Actress. Barbie Wilde-Writer and Actress. Grog -Singer and Bassist from Die so Fluid, Frankie Lynn-Performer, shoe maker, Emporium owner. Ufuoma Urie Artist and Doll maker. Nia Edwards Behi- Horror Film Festival organizer. Prano-Bailey Bond- Director.Not So Lovely Girls-Film Makers and myself Melanie Light- Art Director and Film Maker.

It was important to have a mixture of established and not so establish creatives in the calendar so to give a platform of enlightenment to the buyers. It's certainly been a challenge. I should also add how fantastic our photographer is Tina Korhonen who added the perfect rock and roll aspect to the shoot and also introduced me to the Murder Mile Studio in East London.

I've had some great support for the calendar, the reactions from the women when I first asked them was just what I wanted as I was a little nervous at first. Finding a way to created and give something back in an artistic form for charity has been really important for me. It's has been achieved!

When I first created the twitter and Facebook page I had someone go hard at me saying how disgusted they where that I was shooting a calendar and then being hypocritical with my intentions of giving profits to Rape Crisis. It blew my mind and then the support I had from people on the Facebook page supporting the calendar was over whelming. I was insulted that a person could think such a thing and not see how tasteful the calendar is as its very artistic and fun. Not sleazy in anyway. I'd love to post that person a calendar.

I'm thinking of doing one with Men in Horror next year, that will be a challenge as there are so many guys out there involved in the macabre in many different ways. Which is precisely my point of finding those horror women in the UK, we need more, where are you?