By
Mass Grave Pictures just released the trailer for the horror/comedy short film ‘MissUnderstood Monster’ by award-wining indie horror director Lindsay Serrano (Beneath). This Little Monsters inspired film stars Heather Drew (A Place in Hell) and Heather Buckley (The Ranger). You can watch the trailer and read the interview below after the jump.
Menstruation Demon wants some of Laura’s spaghetti. MissUnderstood Monster (2019), Mass Grave Pictures
MissUnderstood Monster revolves around Laura (Drew), a strong female protagonist that is brought to her knees by a pesky monster (Buckley) that pays her a visit every month. The trailer has a fun indie rock vibe coupled with 90’s Trapper Keeper graphics. Drew looks amazing and the make-up on Buckley looks phenomenal. Awesome work by make-up artist Beatrice Sniper. And if you look carefully you’ll see me, Latin Horror managing editor Christian A. Morán making a cameo appearance in the trailer.
Menstruation Demon loves chocolate. MissUnderstood Monster (2019), Mass Grave Pictures
Latin Horror is looking forward to ‘MissUnderstood Monster‘ because we loved Serrano’s debut film, ‘Beneath,‘ a film about a very deadly protective teddy bear that went on to steal the hearts of audiences during its festival run. Lindsay Serrano is an up-and-coming director to watch with a dark and satiric comedic vision. Her films are a must watch!
Laura is getting those monster cravings. MissUnderstood Monster (2019), Mass Grave Pictures
I got a chance to ask Lindsay some question about her love for horror, her film, and the importance of women directors in the horror industry.
Morán: Why do you do horror films?
Lindsay: Because horror is AWESOME… it’s a little bit of everything: drama, comedy, and the supernatural… you get to play with all the toys when you make horror. You get to create in a world where anything is possible, and you get to make the rules. I’m also an 80s kid so I was raised on monsters and creatures like The Muppets, My Pet Monster, Star Wars, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Goosebumps, and later Are You Afraid of the Dark so that’s a lot of what I want to create now, the stuff of magic and of other worlds.
Morán: Why did you make your follow up film about the monthly menstrual cycle?
Lindsay: There’s been a lot of discussion in the media on women’s health and things like the pink tax and it’s always treated as such an uncomfortable and taboo subject. And it’s just silly for something natural to be treated like some secret, mysterious thing. By giving menstruation life in a light-hearted way, I’m hoping to lift the taboo a bit, make it easier to discuss and show it’s not something that should be feared, mocked or be ashamed of. There’s a lot of misunderstanding between the genders of what it is to live with this natural all be it annoying and sometimes painful monthly visitor and I just wanted to give everyone a glimpse at what it is to live with it…literally. I have 4 young nieces and I hope by the time they reach puberty, it is better for them.
Morán: Tell the Latin Horror audience about working with this cast?
Lindsay: I’m really lucky I got my dream cast for this project. I’ve been working on this story for a while, churning it over and over in my head and then one day I was at a film festival and got into a conversation about female monsters with Heather Buckley, who might possibly love monsters even more than me, and she said it was her dream to play a monster. I knew right away that I had found my Menstruation Monster, so I went home and wrote the script immediately. While writing the Monster’s counterpart I knew I wanted someone who was super expressive and had great timing, Heather Drew is the first person who came to mind. It really was collaborative effort, we had a lot of one on one conversations about the characters and Heather Buckley and I spent an entire day playing dress up to find just the right look for our Punk Rock Monster. Once we had the look in place, I was able to send a lot of reference photos to Beatrice Sniper, who created the amazing monster makeup design. With the monster and hero in place, I started the search for her love interest. I knew I wanted someone who was very real and sincere, who could be funny but still kind of reserved. I did not want the typical bland Ken doll either. Christian Moran and I spent a lot of time together on the festival circuit last year and I really wanted to work with him. And Deana Demko is a constant collaborator and one of my favorite people to work. Because we did a lot of the work in advance we got to play with the characters on site and improv on some of the scenes which lead to an even better film than I even imagined.
Morán: What’s the importance of having women directors?
Lindsay: Stories, and especially movies, have been told from the same perspective for a long time now and with have a female at the helm, they bring different experiences and references, their characters make decisions for different reasons, and that is what brings variety to a society. Entertainment is one of the main ways people are exposed to other cultures, opinions, and experiences. Movies give people the opportunity to walk in another person’s shoes, to see the world through another set of eyes. So, the more varied the creators, the richer a culture and a society can become. Celebrating female directors makes them more visible, and the more visible they are, the more woman are going to see them and think I could be a director. Without seeing a female director it’s hard to imagine or see yourself being one.
Morán: Tell me about the awesome New York City event you are doing for Women In Horror Month (WIHM)?
Lindsay: Christina Raia (IndieWorks, Congested Cat Productions) and I are co-hosting “The Big Bloody Apple” a NYC WiHM event this Thursday, February 21st at the Stone Creek Bar and Lounge starting at 7 PM. We are showcasing six short films from up and coming female filmmaker including: My Final Girl by Kristina Leath-Malin a documentary looking at the placement of black women in cinema from 1930s to Present, The Cabinet by NYC comedian Victoria Diana, Game Over by Amanda Sabater cofounder of NextRound Productions, It’s Normal by Nicole Solomon cofounder of 4mile Circus, The Keys by Amanda Brittany Goodman cofounder of The Art of Collaboration, and Trance by Angie Hanse of Reel Prophecy Pictures. We are also going to have women in horror trivia with prizes and a talk on women in horror by Heather Buckley. The event is FREE and there is also plenty of time for networking.
MissUnderstood Monster (2019), Mass Grave Pictures
MissUnderstood Monster is coming to a film festival near you soon. According to Lindsey, she recently started submitting the film to festivals,
“I’m hoping it will be on the circuit starting this spring or summer.”
So in the meantime stay tune to LH for updates about the film. In the interim, if you live in in the tri-state area, come down to the ‘Big Bloody Apple: NYC Women in Horror Month Event‘. Come support indie filmmakers!!!
Date & Time: Thursday, February 21, 2019 at 7 PM – 11 PM
Location: Stone Creek Bar and Lounge
140 E 27th St, New York, New York 10016
For more information about the event please visit: EVENT LINK
MissUnderstood Monster Synopsis:
Life is hard enough without your “monthly monster.” A driven thirty-something woman struggles to endure a visit from her Menstruation Demon, while juggling a career, dating, an active social life, and her monster junk food cravings…
A comedic look at what a woman has to deal with during that special time of the month.
Director: Lindsay Serrano
Writer: Lindsay Serrano
Cast: Heather Drew, Heather Buckley, Deana Demko, Christian A. Morán
Cinematography by: Philip Karl
MakeUp by: Beatrice Sniper
Fangs by: Horror Show Jack Fangsmith
Featuring Music by: Screaming Bloody Mary’s, BITE, and Turbulent Hearts
Producers: Manny Sarrano and Lindsay Serrano
Company: Mass Grave Pictures
Website: www.massgravepictures.com
MissUnderstood Monster Poster:
MissUnderstood Monster (2019), Mass Grave Pictures
Comments