San Francisco - 2/17/15 - The month of February is Women in Horror Month (#WiHM or #WiHM666). After a weekend that saw back-to-back horror hallmarks in Friday the 13th and Valentine’s Day, we thought we’d get the stars of Other Halves to share their perspectives on what Women in Horror means to them.
Whom is your favorite "woman in horror" and why?
Mercedes Manning: I have two favorite women in horror: Naomi Watts as Rachel Keller in “The Ring” and Sigourney Weaver as Ripley in “Alien". I love their bravery, vulnerability, intelligence, and ruthlessness in the face of terror.
Megan Hui: My favorite woman in horror is Jamie Lee Curtis. I thought she was AWESOME in Halloween.
Lianna Liew: Laura Harris as Marybeth in The Faculty. The Faculty is one of my favourite horror films and Laura Harris does such a marvellous job in her role as the villain and demonstrates a wonderful shift from innocent to evil.
What was different for you acting in Other Halves, a horror film, versus other roles you've performed?
Mercedes Manning: Nothing prepares you for the cleanup process. I was cleaning blood out from under my nails for days.
Melanie Friedrich: I don't think there's much of a difference in terms of preparation. No matter which project or genre, you have to build a unique character every time. I enjoy working on horror films because the special effects are always super fun to do!
Megan Hui: For me, acting in Other Halves was different than other roles I've done, because we were doing 12 hour night shoots almost the entire time. But I guess that’s horror movies for you! That was an incredible challenge for me but also a huge learning experience.
Lianna Liew: Nothing's terribly different with the way I approached and prepared the character. It was certainly messier than other roles I've played, dealing with blood. Having to get bloody and then get clean again, and having 2 costumes, one clean and one bloodied.
Why do you think women in horror specifically deserve to be recognized?
Mercedes Manning: I think audiences are tired of the hot-and-helpless-victim trope. Women are just as powerful, complex and terrifying as men; it’s exciting to see them being portrayed on television shows like "American Horror Story" and movies like "Gone Girl" as individuals capable of gruesome, manipulative, self serving deeds with emotional and intellectual nuance. They aren’t monsters. They’re people.
Melanie Friedrich: I believe that women of any genre deserve lots of recognition. There are many more female actors out there but a lot more male parts. So every female lead deserves recognition and appreciation. In horror films specifically, it's always nice to see a woman being the evil center, such as in Other Halves.
Megan Hui: We're the ones who have to do all the screaming haha!
Lianna Liew: I think sometimes in horror movies, an actor's hard work is in danger of going unrecognised after all the tricky lighting and clever editing. Playing Elle, I've found that she has a lot of subtleties; in fact all the characters in Other Halves are quite complex. Recognition should be given to the true commitment and hard work of any actor, man or woman, who gives life and detail to a horror character.
What is unique about the female characters in Other Halves?
Mercedes Manning: The women of Other Halves further exemplify bucking the trend. They’re smart, funny, compassionate, and also selfish, calculating, and cruel. They are their own agents, rather than passive victims, who actively participate in the horror at hand.
Melanie Friedrich: They're so three dimensional and relatable. None are pure good or evil which makes them really human. We've all got good and bad sides and sometimes make terrible decisions - it's part of life. The whole script tells a story of what one step in the wrong direction can do through these female characters.
Megan Hui: I think the female cast of Other Halves is unique because we are from all over the world (Germany, U.K., America, and Canada). There are so many different accents in this film!
Lianna Liew: Each character is very different in Other Halves which makes for an interesting dynamic and allows an audience to easily relate. Also, the great thing about Other Halves is many of the characters have another side to them when they're on codebrain [the term used for the effect the Other Halves app has on its users]. It's unique for us to see so much depth to a personality and discover their inner most secrets.
Other Halves stars Mercedes Manning (Strictly Sexual, Zipper) and Lauren Lakis (Hybrids, Gun Woman) as programmers who develop a revolutionary new dating app called Other Halves. On the night before the app is set to launch, they discover it causes strange side effects: users lose all self-control, becoming amoral, lascivious, violent... evil. They consider shutting the app down, but...
EVIL IS PROFITABLE.
Other Halves, from One Oh One Radio Pictures, is the feature film debut for director and co-writer Matthew T. Price, and co-writer Kelly Morr. The film is produced by Curt Chatham, and also stars Lianna Liew (Truth Or Dare), Megan Hui (The Before Time), Melanie Friedrich (Positive: Some Doors Should Remain Closed), Sam Schweikert (Hart of Dixie), and Carson Nicely (The Conan O'Brien Show).
You can follow the production on their website, www.OtherHalv.es. You can also follow the film on Facebook, Twitter (@OtherHalvesFilm), Instagram (@OtherHalvesFilm), and YouTube (youtube.com/c/otherhalves).
The Other Halves teaser trailers are on YouTube now!
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