An accomplished writer, director and actress mostly working with the TrashArts Films production company, Jessica Hunt is accomplishing plenty with her career offering plenty of credits in many of the studios' output. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with her about her early interest in the industry, getting to work on various films from the studio and some upcoming projects.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general?
Jessica Hunt: I blame my mum haha, she introduced me to horror at a young age, and it pretty much became the only genre we would watch together. She would also record things that she knew I would enjoy, ready for me to watch once I had come home from school. I think horror was the only thing that would hold my attention for long periods of time.
Me: Were you into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
JH: I found supernatural horror used to stick with me a bit, night terrors etc. I remember watching The Grudge on my own, what a mistake haha. I have always enjoyed a good serial killer horror like Nightmare on Elm Street, so much character in a villain.
Me: Where did you get the urge to go into directing? Who were some of your favorite directors growing up that you were able to take influences from into your work?
JH: A performer needs a director to behave like a mirror for them, to be the external eyes and to be a strong communicator. I trained as an actor, but I found that the directors would have such a huge effect on how I would perform. I always craved more direction so I naturally directed myself and others I worked alongside, making me realize, I was able to offer more as a director.
I like many directors’ styles and stories, such as Tarantino, Danny Boyle, Gaspar Noe however, I feel that the most influential directors for me have been those that I have worked with directly. But my main influence for my stories comes from real-life happenings and my nightmares.
Me: When you entered SouthDowns College for your studies, was there any kind of push towards a specific style or format?
JH: I wanted to study acting as a craft, we experimented and learnt about many different genres at college from comedia to mime, but my favourite was a rather extreme and risky play, called Anima Mundi. It is based on a tarot card reading given to a man before he goes to fight in the war. I played the girl he was to fall in love with, however, it was fated that he would lose her to a satanic cult where she would be raped and killed. It was pretty dark, but a fucking excellent story to portray.
Me: After graduating, you joined the company TrashArts as a writer, director and actress. What about the studio and their output appealed to you to join them?
JH: They were always supportive of me and the projects have always been fun. I get to explore my dark and twisted ideas with people who actually want to make them come to life. It is a great community and you don’t get that every day.
Me: As you first were involved in their anthology "Trash Arts Killers Volume One" as well as acting in the segment, where did the inspiration for your segment come from?
JH: I have always wanted to explore a psychopath’s mentality and the Angel of Decay story was a great opportunity for this. My character was inspired by copy-cat-killers who become obsessed with famous serial killers, they recreate their kills as a way of honouring their memory, imagining that they have some kind of connection. It’s dark, obsessive but equally tragic and it occurs a fair bit in society.
Me: Shortly after, you also co-wrote and co-directed their feature "Lonely Hearts." How much involvement with Sam did you have with coming up with the storyline?
JH: The reality TV theme is one that I knew I needed to explore, people are hooked on watching this stuff! The people that end up on these shows do mental things to compete with each other, they rise to fame and then become old news in a blink of an eye, and people have killed themselves as a result.
I was very much invested in making the characters believable, many of them have traits of people I have personally known, so it was quite fun to write.
Sam really wanted to support me with my first feature film so he made sure that I had as much creative freedom as I needed.
Me: What was the set like while shooting the film? How did the cast and crew react to the type of film being made?
JH: We rented a secluded campsite space, it needed to be away from others as we knew there was going to be plenty of screams haha. We were going to be there for a few days together so we made plenty of effort to keep each other entertained and well-fed in between shooting. Everyone involved was very professional and supportive, I had a great time working with the actors on the more daring scenes too.
Me: Do you recall having any odd or funny on-set stories about yourself or any of the other cast/crew members?
JH: Sure, one thing comes to mind, one of the actor’s Tyne showed us that she had a special skill, this was on the first night when we were getting to know one another before the day of filming. I laughed so hard at her snorting this condom that I just had to have her recreate this moment in the film.
Me: Continuing to write, direct and act in their efforts "Trash Arts Killers: Volume Two" and "Arachnacid," does it still challenge you to be involved in various capacities at once on projects like these? How do you balance those priorities during a shoot?
JH: I’m an all-or-nothing kinda gal I suppose, chaos is my order in many ways when I’m feeling creative. It can be a bit of an addiction in many ways, when you have a creative block it can be quite devastating, so when you get your mojo back you take every opportunity you can to keep yourself in that state. Busy is bliss.
Me: As well, you also have the upcoming effort "The Truth Will Out" soon to be released. What can you tell us about this project?
JH: Well, I am in it! The story is heavily influenced by the Me Too movement, I wanted to have a story about witches as I was really obsessed with the mythology surrounding the moon trinity at that time. I felt that it went hand in hand with the movement because you were seeing abused women standing together to take their power back, and that just seemed so perfect a tribute to the trinity, heads will roll!
Me: What else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers?
JH: I am currently writing another Trash arts feature with SMB, which is going to be a follow-on from a past feature, for now, that is all I will say haha.
Me: Lastly, being that this is Women in Horror Month, what special message do you have for any women out there looking to join in the industry in any capacity as you are one yourself?
JH: Firstly, I would like to invite you to get in touch with me! Everyone has great ideas, but sometimes you just need the right team to make it happen.
Thank you again for your time!
This interview ran as part of our Women in Horror Month celebrations. Click the banner below to check out all of our reviews and interviews about the occasion:
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