Each month we will feature a different woman who has got what it takes to be a Femme Fatale. This month we feature a gorgeous gore girl in a little red dress who goes by the name of Shannon Lark. This chainsaw wielding honey defiantly has some horror history behind her and continues to change the horror industry for women one blood splatter at a time.
Ghoul Girls: Welcome Shannon, Thank you for taking time away from your busy schedule to talk with us. How are you doing today?
Shannon Lark: I’m doing awesome! Thanks for asking!
Ghoul Girls: Your a very busy woman, how do you find time to be a professional scream queen, gore girl, and producer?
Shannon Lark: I have an executive Assistant, horror filmmaker Michelle Fatale. Film work is nothing that someone can do alone, so I get plenty of help from her-tying up the loose ends and helping me organize. She is truly a saint and one of the best rising female horror filmmakers out there.
Basically, I designate every single waking moment to the horror genre. I’m tired allot and excited allot. And sometimes I just have to fall down. A strong support system has been built around me by caring people to make sure I get enough rest.
Ghoul Girls: What is your favorite part about of working in and around the horror industry?
Shannon Lark: The people! Never have I found such an amazing group of good hearted people who are so passionate for what they do. I absolutely love the fact that the horror genre creates so many conventions, festivals, and events for fans to get together. I’m a total nerd and its the great foundation of wonderful people whom I’ve worked with and worked for that make me keep coming back for more.
Ghoul Girls: When you first started in horror did you plan on starting a female horror movement or did it just happen as you went along?
Shannon Lark: In the beginning, I knew the basic facts of what I wanted to change in the genre, but I had no idea on how to execute my ideas. It took plenty of long talks with different women and men over the years and creating films to really finalize my ideas on how to make everything happen.
Ghoul Girls: Speaking of woman in horror, when did you start the Viscera Film Festival and why?
Shannon Lark: VISCERA started in 2007, after I got a few female friends together to make the short film “Go Ask Alice” in 2006. I noticed the severe lack of women directed/produced films in the horror industry (as there is a severe lack of women working together in the film industry all together), so VISCERA became an annual Festival, giving females a chance to have their work seen by many different Festival Directors and Reviewers (you can check out our Sponsor List here).
Photo by Niki Petti
The purpose of VISCERA is to facilitate the advancement of the careers of the chosen filmmakers, and to help beginning female horror filmmakers get their feet wet and decide if its a career choice they want to make.
In doing this, the Chainsaw Mafia (my production company), is working to help women jump into the horror fold, and are waiting to see this trickle out into other genres of film, which in turn will create more jobs for women in all industries.
Men still get paid more than women, and VISCERA aims to change that.
There is also a section for VISCERA WOMEN on thechainsawmafia.com, which highlights a new VISCERA Woman every few weeks: these women have been exemplary in their work in the genre, and each woman has her bio and contact info/website information on the page indefinitely.
For more info on VISCERA and the women who have created it thus far, go here.
Ghoul Girls: Are there that many women in horror that produce and direct their own Indy films?
Shannon Lark: Some women do, but not many women have created feature length horror films. Recently, there has been an uprising of some particular females who have created short horror films and have an incredibly bright future in the genre, if they so choose. But the feature films have been few and far between. Slumber Party Massacre, Titus, American Psycho, and the Office Killer are some fantastic examples of some horror films that have hit it big or resided in cult status that were directed by women.
Ghoul Girls: You also started a sort of Zombie burlesque movement, Living Dead Girls. Is there a large turnout for your shows and how did you manage to wrangle several other girls into the mayhem?
Shannon Lark: The Living Dead Girlz (with a “z” for Zombie) is a zombie dance troupe specializing in commercial jazz, sock hop, cha cha, chairdancing, tango/waltz-you name it. But we do not do burlesque.
For wrangling, it was a process that lasted about a year. I directed a short film called “What Ever Happened to the Zombie Killers?” and hired my best friend, Amber Steele, to create the choreography for the Zombies. One day she turned to me half jokingly and mentioned how neat it would be if we had a zombie dance troupe. My eyes simply glazed over at that point and I poked her in the shoulder for a year until she said she would direct the troupe.
In mid-2005 Amber went on to choose the best dancers she could find and started the LDG. We did our first string of shows around Halloween of 2005 and have been going strong ever since. About 300-500 people (really depends on the venue and the promoter) show up to our shows, and we performed at most of Fangoria Magazines’ Conventions in 2007 and I directed the film, BRAINS, which stars the LDG.
You can check out our bio, pics, press kit, and trailer here.
Ghoul Girls: How does it feel to be Fangoria’s first ever Spooksmodel? What do you have lined up with them in the future?
Shannon Lark: It feels truly amazing. Fangoria Magazine holds women in very high regard and I’m truly pleased that I’m representing a company that holds true to that in the horror industry.
I will be at all the 2009 Fangoria Conventions (so please come say hi!), with my chain saw in tow. I will also be doing a photo shoot with Coffin Case later in the year.
Ghoul Girls: Tell us about yourself, when did horror become your vice?
Shannon Lark: When I was 4 years old. My Mother took me to see a ballet rendition of Romeo and Juliet. When it came time for the lovers to die, gigantic red tapers exploded from a device in their chests, hundreds of feet into the air, as they fell over each other gracefully. It was the most beautiful experience I’ve had (to this day) and my first realization of the act of death and how beautiful it truly can be. From then I was hooked, trying to sneak the latest puppet master sequel in whenever we were at the video store to constantly hounding my friends to do horror marathons with me.
Ghoul Girls: What is the story behind the gorgeous red dress and chainsaw image that you portray so well?
Shannon Lark: Oh wow. Thank you! I designed the dress to go with the chain saw (His name is Mr. Chain Saw), after I had been performing with him for quite a while. I decided to go for an outfit that would symbolize sexiness, but not trashiness in any way. There really should be more imagery of women in the genre who are strong and independent, it really does make a difference how horror (and potentially the entire film industry) will evolve and the way women will be portrayed in the future. A woman posing with a phallic chain saw with a classy dress is one of the strongest images of independence that I could create…for now.
Ghoul Girls: What inspires you to continue down the path of guts and gore?
Shannon Lark: I LOVE IT! There really is nothing better or anything that intrigues me more. From the creation of the intestine to the shooting of the blood, it’s all passion to me. I’ve realized recently that I’m just not normal. Everyone has their addiction. This is mine.
Ghoul Girls: Do you have any long term goals or future plans?
Shannon Lark: Yes! And thank you for asking! I plan to evolve the VISCERA Film Festival to a bloody carpet event wherein the women are given awards, distribution into major video chains, and complete coverage of their work.
I am taking the Living Dead Girlz on tour this year, but I would love to help the troupe evolve even more, creating a European tour, more films, and working with different bands.
My first love is acting, so developing even more as an actress in features and splatter theater is at the top of my list along with directing my first feature film and writing, directing, and producing many more.
Ghoul Girls: What is your favorite thing about the Ghoul Girls?
Shannon Lark: I love how respectful you are to women. This organization takes itself seriously, and doesn’t exploit the models in the least bit. You actually care, and that’s a rare quality to find.
You can find more about Shannon Lark and her projects at the following URLS:
http://www.thechainsawmafia.com/
http://www.thechainsawmafia.com/viscera.html
