WiHM Special - Katlyn Aviles

A newcomer to the industry, director Katlyn Aviles is working hard to establish herself in her career in her recently-released directorial effort Steve and the Dead Girl following a string of work on other films. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with her about getting into the genre, her process of filming a new project and filming the new short.

Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general?

Katlyn Aviles: Hello! Thank you for the interview! I’m excited to be a part of this year’s Women in Horror Month spotlight! I first got into horror when I was a kid. I think I was eight or nine years old when my mom first introduced to me horror films. She was watching the original IT mini-series on TV one afternoon and invited me to watch it with her. Tim Curry’s Pennywise freaked me out and I was hooked immediately!

Me: Were you into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?

KA: Yes, once I started watching horror movies, I couldn’t get enough! It became a tradition at my house to go to the local video store every Friday evening, and rent a bunch of horror films. My mom introduced me to all the classics- Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, etc. There was a time when I was renting Friday the 13th Part 4 every weekend because it was my favorite of the series! I always had a blast watching it!

I remember one night, I did a double feature of The Exorcist and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and was freaked out for days! To this day, Texas Chainsaw is one of the few horror movies that still creeps me out every time I watch it.

Me: When did you discover a passion to go into the movie-making industry? Where you interested in any particular aspect of the business?

KA: I grew up when all the Saw movies were being released into theatres every year. During my early teens, I went through a Saw obsession, and would always buy the films when they were released on DVD. I started exploring the special features on the DVDs and became fascinated with the behind-the-scenes documentaries. I loved seeing how they made the traps! I started thinking it would be cool to make my own movie one day. I had always aspired to be in working in film; up until that point I wanted to become an actress and be a scream queen like Jamie Lee Curtis. I’m not that great at acting, so my ambition became to work behind the camera instead. Listening to the writer/director commentaries on DVDs solidified my desire to write and direct my own horror films.

Me: When you entered the University of Miami for your studies, was there any kind of push towards a specific style or format?

KA: Not really. That was one of the reasons why I chose to go to the University of Miami for my MFA. I had gotten accepted into a couple of big-name film schools, but those programs did have a specific style that they wanted you to follow. There were also rules that if you wanted to direct, you couldn’t take producing classes. Or if you were in the producing track you weren’t allowed to write your own work. I didn’t like the idea of being pigeonholed like that. The University of Miami was different in that they let you experiment with every aspect of the filmmaking process and gave you the freedom to create what you wanted. I don’t think I would have been able to make my short film “Steve And the Dead Girl” had I gone to a different university.

Me: With plenty of short films early in your career, what tools and skills do you acquire working on those that transferred to future film-projects?

KA: There is so much I learned from making my early short films, a lot of it being logistical stuff like making sure the people you hire understand their role on set and stick to it. Being a director on a small set can be challenging because not only are you directing the actors, but you also have to make sure the crew is doing their jobs at all times as well. I’ve been on sets of other films where a crew member’s ego got too big and they tried to impose their vision on the director. I’ve been on sets where actors don’t get along and are constantly fighting between takes. As a director, how do you manage that?

One thing I am starting to implement on my future projects is to sit down with all my crew members prior to the film shoot and set some ground rules for set etiquette. I feel I’ve also gained better skills at directing actors. Directing is a difficult thing to teach, and I’ve learned more from actually doing it than taking a course or reading a book. I’ve found that every actor I work with has different needs. It varies from film to film, and I’ve learned to adapt to that and ask each actor what they need from me as a director.

Me: When writing a new project, what's the one fall-back tactic that you're always able to draw inspiration from? 

KA: I always get inspiration from real life. As the old Mark Twain saying goes: “Truth is stranger than fiction.” I find that to be true, and a lot of my films come out of real newspaper articles or stories I’ll read online. When I was writing “Steve And The Dead Girl”- a film about necrophilia- I wanted to understand the mindset of someone who had this particular fetish. I did some research and surprisingly found places on the internet where people would discuss their desires to have sex with dead bodies! Many of them would do role-playing with their partners! Those discussion boards played a huge role in crafting the character of Steve on the page. I’m a big proponent of researching topics you're interested in writing about. I know research can sometimes be boring, but often I’ve found it beneficial in helping me generate ideas.

Me: Is there any specific type of character you prefer writing? What is the process like when you start in on a new story?

KA: I prefer writing psychological horror and have a lot of fun getting deep into the mind of my characters. I like creating characters that have many shades of grey to them and are not strictly good or bad. Again, for “Steve and the Dead Girl” one thing that interested me while writing the script was to see if I could get the audience to sympathize with the main character despite all the terrible things she was doing. Complicated characters are the ones I most like to write, and they’re the most challenging to write as well! My writing process is a bit different depending on if I’m writing a short film or feature. With shorts, I tend to have a pretty good idea of where I want the story to go, and I’ll write an outline and do some research on the story topic. With features, I take a lot more time in the planning phase. I’ll spend a good amount of time working on treatments, writing character bios, and writing out every scene beat by beat. Once I feel like I have a good handle on my characters and the different acts, then I’ll get started on writing the rough draft.

Me: That brings us to your latest project, the short "Steve and the Dead Girl." What can you tell us about the film?

KA: “Steve and The Dead Girl” was my MFA thesis project. I always had this idea to do a story about a guy who is into necrophilia and hates himself for it. I really wanted to write a story featuring subject matter that is not shown a lot in film, and, as I mentioned previously, I wanted to write a story with a main character the audience could relate to and be horrified by at the same time. It’s the first time I directed a script I wrote, so this film was a big milestone for me!

Me: Given the dark subject matter, where did the inspiration for the story come from?

KA: I wish I had a great story about how I got the inspiration for “Steve And The Dead Girl”, but the idea just came to me one day. During my undergrad studies, I got a degree in psychology, and most of my classes were in abnormal psychology which I found really interesting. When coming up with ideas for a script, I knew I wanted to combine horror elements with abnormal psychology, and the idea evolved from there. Once I had the idea, then I started researching necrophilia and built the character and story further from that research.

Me: What was the set like while shooting the film? How did the cast and crew react to the type of film being made? 

KA: We had a blast on set! We all spent a lot of time laughing at the absurdity of what we were filming. Most of my crew were classmates of mine from the University of Miami, so we all got along pretty well. I’m so thankful for my amazing cast and crew- this film is successful because of them and their hard work. The lead actor, Adam Chefitz is a phenomenal performer, and really got into the role. And I want to give a particular shoutout to the cinematographer Alexandra Santiago-Georget who not only made the film look amazing, but also helped with producing duties, did the color correction and was all-around just a lifesaver on set. One thing I’m really proud of is that our crew was made of women in key roles such as cinematographer, SFX artist, and A.D.

Me: Do you recall having any odd or funny on-set stories about yourself or any of the other cast/crew members?

KA: There’s a scene in the film that takes place at a restaurant. We were very lucky to find a local restaurant that let us use the location for free. Of course, when they asked what the subject matter of the film was, we got scared they would not let us film in their location if we told them what the film was really about, so we made up this fake romantic-comedy story as a cover. Admittedly, we had to use that bogus story a lot to be able to have access to certain places to film!

We were also lucky to find an actual embalming room to film in. The first time I went to scout the place, the funeral director walked me into the embalming room, and there was an actual cadaver on one of the slabs! It was my first time seeing a dead body, so that was an experience. That was the moment things got real for me!

Me: Beyond these projects, what else are you working on that you'd like to let our readers know about?

KA: If people would like to watch “Steve And The Dead Girl” they can find it on YouTube. I’m grateful that the film got picked up for distribution through ALTER studios. People can find the film on ALTER’s YouTube page.

In addition to being a filmmaker, I am also working with SIN Film Festival. My film played there last year and won one of the Seven Deadly Sins awards. It’s an amazing festival that’s run by some great people. I would highly encourage any filmmakers out there to consider submitting their film! The festival is a part of a horror convention called Sinister Nights that will be taken place in Miami, FL on September 3-5, 2021. Anyone interested can find more information at https://sinisternights.com/.

I’m currently working on a feature-length horror film and am hoping to film my next short film later this year.

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? Thank you again for your time!

KA: I think my biggest piece of advice to women who are interested in being in the industry is to believe in yourself. I know this sounds like a clichéd answer, but it’s something I had to learn in order to achieve my goals and be successful. When I was first starting out, I definitely had situations where I was on a crew with all men who didn’t listen to my opinions and were more interested in making their vision rather than mine. I had to force myself to find my confidence and speak up. It was difficult, and awkward at first, and it’s something I’m still working on. Never be afraid to stand up for yourself and your ideas. And make the film or creative project you want to see. When making my film, I got so many different opinions from other people on changes I should make to the script to make it “better”. None of these ideas aligned with the story I wanted to tell. I ignored these opinions and stuck to my story, and I think that’s why I’ve been so successful with the film. I’m seeing more and more women working on horror projects now, which is really exciting! Thank you again for letting me talk about work!

To check out the short itself, you can do so here:

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: