Jill Sixx Gevargizian is a new talent in Indie Horror, and she’s just getting started. Going from running Slaughter Movie House , an Indie Horror showcase at the Czar Bar in Kansas City, MO, to directing the short film ‘Call Girl’, starring Laurence Harvey (‘Human Centipede 2) and Tristan Risk (‘American Mary’), Jill is quickly making her bloody mark on the map. Jill was kind enough to take time to answer a few questions…and here they are:
Tell us about Call Girl. What inspired you to make it?
A good friend of mine, Eric Havens, wrote “CALL GiRL” and he sent it to me almost 2 years ago. We started working on it together and he decided directing wasn’t for him. I was very disappointed in the halt in production. A fellow filmmaker told me if I wanted to direct- this was the perfect script to start with. And, with that advice I got up the courage to ask Eric if I could. Which was very scary, considering I had NO experience. He really had to take a gamble and believe in me. I am so thankful for that.
But the reason I first ever thought I could attempt this is thanks to all the filmmakers I’ve met through running Slaughter Movie House (monthly screening series where I show independent horror films).
How did you get started doing the Slaughter Movie House at the Czar Bar? What were some of your favorite screenings?
I attended Texas Frightmare Weekend 2012 and saw a lot of films there. I met the filmmakers behind “Dear God NO!” and “Bloody Bloody Bible Camp”. I was inspired by them and wanted to get involved. One of the guys from DGN helped run a screening series in Atlanta. So, I asked him a million questions and started with their film in June 2012.
“Dear God NO!” was screening definitely a favorite of mine. Other favorites were: “Mold!” by Neil Meschino, “Mon Ami” by Rob Grant and our first anniversary party with “Madison County” by Eric England.
Our second anniversary is just around the corner. We are showing “Demonica”, the filmmakers are coming in town for the party, and “CALL GiRL”!
What films, directors, etc, inspire you?
Directors:
Baz Luhrmann and his films, especially “Romeo & Juliet”.
Timo Tjahjanto (Killers, V/H/S2, ABCs of Death).
Adrian Garcia Bogliano (Here Comes the Devil, Penumbra, ABCs of Death, and on and on).
Jen and Sylvia Soska (American Mary).
Jerry Pyle (Burn, Service).
Films:
“The Blair Witch Project”
“Candyman”
“Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer”
Really, what inspires me, are films that pull you in emotionally. I think I’m most attracted to tragedies- disturbing and sad stories. I think I would call “American Mary”, “The Bride of Frankenstein”, “Requiem for a Dream” and so on: tragedies.
Laurence R Harvey says it best- when he is asked what is it about horror that attracts him- he says (paraphrasing), “I like film that doesn’t treat the audience passively, film that causes a reaction, and it just so happens that horror lends itself to that more often than other genres.”
Weapon of choice?
Chainsaw.
If you were offered an insane amount of money to do a film, but it had to be a remake, what film would you choose? How would you approach it, and who would you cast?
I’ve been thinking on this question for over two days and I still don’t know.
So, instead I started to think about who would be a dream to direct and that is Leonardo DiCaprio. Then I pondered…. What he could pull off? He’s a good psycho. Maybe Jack Torrance from “The Shining”. And I’d love to see Claire Danes be his Wendy. Romeo and Juliet back together again.
As for Danny, I’d want to cast an unknown actor.
But really, I don’t want to remake anything.
What projects do you have lined up in the future?
I’m acting in a short film, “The Crawler“ by Amanda Payton. It’s just a teeny-tiny part.
I’m in talks of doing hair on a feature film shooting in LA, very excited about that. I do hair professionally.
And I second-unit directed a scene in “ABCs of Death 2”. I can’t wait until that releases, hopefully by the end of the year. It’s all top secret right now.
Thanks, Jill! Best of luck!
www.SlaughterMovieHouse.com
facebook.com/CallGirlShortFilm
