A Webby-nominated director, Alexandra Serio has only just started her work with several shorts and other projects which includes the recently-released ASMR genre short Tingle Monsters (the review of which can be found HERE). Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month and the shorts' release, I talk with her about creating the project, it's themes and hopeful impact.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, how did you get into the genre?
Alexandra Serio: Thanks for having me. I really think that a majority of American millennials have an interest in horror thanks to the late great Wes Craven who truly revived the genre in the late 90s with his Scream franchise. The movie and its multiple sequels are a testament to what makes the genre great: jump scares, tension, misdirection, and one hell of a final girl.
Me: Were you always into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
AS: Other than Scream, I saw Brian De Palma’s Carrie at a young age, perhaps too young, and it really resonated with 12-year-old me who despised Catholic school and all its strictures.
Me: When did you discover a passion for writing and directing?
AS: I have always written short stories since as far back as I can remember. The first one I wrote was in elementary school and it was a continuation of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven. We had just gotten our first family PC in 1994 or 1995 and I remember my dad bringing in the PC for maintenance and being so proud of the story that he showed it to the computer tech who apparently enjoyed it as well.
I feel like writing film is just an extension of writing fiction with a focus on showing instead of just telling. As far as directing, I’ve only shot work that I have written at this juncture mostly because it’s the easiest way for me to get material.
Me: Your latest short is called Tingle Monsters. How did the inspiration for that come about?
AS: Tingle Monsters was heavily inspired by my own experience watching ASMR and making female-driven educational content at my company Nameless Network and seeing the abusive comments female hosts received for everything from their voice to the way they looked. The film was also inspired by an Amanda Hess piece called Why Women Aren’t Welcome on the Internet for Pacific Standard. In this piece, Hess outlines the specific type of abuse women are subjected to on social media where threats of rape and violence are launched at women simply for expressing an opinion.
Me: The scenario, in general, could have featured anyone yet includes a woman as its central focus. Was that significant to telling your story?
AS: I crafted Tingle Monsters to look and feel like a verite experience, one that drops the viewer into a situation that they are already familiar with—the harassment of women on the internet. If this film featured a male protagonist, it would have been a completely different film. Men’s actions are not subject to hypersexualization and that is the theme of this film. Shining a light on one of the biggest gender double standards that most people in the world accept as a norm, women included.
Me: As an admitted proponent of gender equality, what does the film mean to you?
AS: Tingle Monsters is an acknowledgment of the status quo. Women are hypersexualized and bullied for expressing their opinions on the internet and this has an effect on their real-world experience. Tingle Monsters invites the audience to acknowledge where we are and collectively decide that this is not acceptable if we ever are to hope that things can change.
Me: What are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers?
AS: I am in pre-production on a doc. That’s all I can say at this moment.
Me: Lastly, being that this is Women in Horror Month, what special message do you have for any women out there looking to join the industry in any capacity as you are one yourself? Thank you again for your time!
AS: My advice to anyone is just to start. I made Tingle Monsters for around $2,000 and shot it on an iPhone XS with a cast and crew of 3 people. You can do it too! Tell the story only you can tell.
This interview has run as part of our month-long Women in Horror Month celebration. Click the banner below to check out all of our reviews and interviews we've conducted for the event:
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