An accomplished author with plenty of work mixing horror and erotica together, Destiny West is also making the leap into filmmaking as her studio Fractured Visions Film prepares to start its first film The Unhallowed. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with her about her early interest in writing, starting out as a filmmaker 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?
Destiny West: My pleasure, thank you for having me. I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love horror. I remember watching my first Hammer Horror Film when I was around 4 years of age. I was completely enchanted by Dracula and my love started with him. Thankfully I had parents who allowed me to indulge in my passion, and my Father would drive miles to take me to a video shop that had the best horror selection in the city. Two of my favourite horror movies when I was a kid were Blood Sucking Freaks and Blood for Dracula. I think a psychologist would have a field day with that. But I think that is probably why my writing always leads into the erotic zone.
My parents weren’t one for censorship, and growing up watching English comedies and all the Carry – On films helped shape me into who I am today. I was truly blessed to have parents like that, I remember friends at school not being allowed to watch certain films or television shows and my parents never restricted our viewing. My Dad was also always brandishing a Super 8 camera to film events, so my siblings and I would use the camera and create little films. I remember being Wonder Woman in one and my brother and his mates doing a stop motion Star Wars film with our Star Wars toys, and the guys puffing away on cigarettes to then blow the smoke across the pool table that they had created into a stop motion set. Dad also bought the Betamax video recorder the day it was released, so that opened up a whole new world of cinema to me. I think one of the first movies we watched on the Betamax was Alien, and I was fascinated with the fast-forward and rewind button on the remote for the chest-bursting scene. That Betamax saw many horror movies through it.
Me: Were you into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
DW: Being an Aussie girl, I would have to say Ozploitation films. Movies like Razor Back, Patrick, Fair Game. However, I would watch anything horror-related. Even my love of vampires didn’t box me into the vampire sub-genre. I wanted to watch everything and anything I could get my hands on. Like I said previously Hammer Horror had a huge influence on me, I wanted to be Ingrid Pitt. (I was lucky enough to have interviewed her twice when I was working for Red Scream Magazine.) I would work my way through the horror section and if something new came in, I would snatch that up quickly. I was willing to give anything a chance. Evil Dead was definitely a stepping point for me, I watched it on VHS at a friend's house down the street and I was like ten years old walking home by myself afterward thinking – this is what I want to do. I want to write or make movies that scare the hell out of people.
Me: What was the starting point to become a writer? Were you always into writing growing up?
DW: I was always storytelling to my friends; they would listen to me make up wild tales and be mesmerized. Then in primary school, I believe that is Junior school to you. I would do little skits, where I would take a commercial from television or a scene in a Soapy and rewrite a horror version of it and have my friends act it out at school. I had my first poem published when I was 10. My High School English teacher predicted I would go on to be a writer. However, I didn’t start professionally writing until the year 2000. I was living in the UK and was so inspired by my environment. I believe Todd Tjersland (The Necro-files, Faces of Gore) would take credit for discovering me, though Hertzan Chimera might argue that he told Todd about me first. I started off writing short stories and then went into doing interviews and articles. I got a job doing my dungeon-style interviews for American underground horror magazine Red Scream, then went on to become Editor. Though Red Scream took up a lot of my time, with putting it together and doing interviews, and I didn’t have much time to work on fiction stories. I definitely do not regret my time working there. I met a lot of my favourite people in horror and made a lot of lifelong friends.
Me: Managing to mix together both horror and eroticism in your stories, what was your inspirations to get into the industry? Did you try to take influences from some of your favorite writers' style with your own voice in your work?
DW: Erotica always was a natural leaning for me when it came to horror writing. The two just went hand in hand. I would try and just write horror, but sex would weave its way back in somehow. When I returned to Australia from the UK, I wrote my first novel by hand in two weeks. I wasn’t particularly influenced by any other writer. I was influenced by people around me and things I saw. My imagination is a pretty dark place. Every character in my first novel Lamia is based on someone I know personally. So much of me went into the main character, I felt like I bled that novel out of me. If we talk about horror writers that I love, Richard Laymon is my favourite. I could read one of his books in a couple of hours. Of course, he has long passed, but I have saved one of his novels and not read it. I couldn’t bear to think of being on this planet with nothing new of his left. That is why I chose not to read one book. I know that sounds crazy.
I have also always had very supportive partners, my ex from the UK, was phenomenally encouraging and helped me shape who I was, and find myself in life and on the pages. I have a fantastic partner now, who is both my partner in life and also in film. We feed off one another creatively, I love that and I don’t think I could function without that compatibility in a relationship.
Me: While writing, you started a film production company, Fractured Visions Film. What was the inspiration to move into this aspect of the business? What is the overall goal of the studio?
DW: I have always loved film and I had so many ideas for scripts, I just needed a like-minded person to come on board. I met my partner and we decided to make films together. It was only a natural step that we formed Fractured Visions Films; we wanted a film identity. We live in a rural town in what you would consider the ‘outback’ and the landscape is so inspiring because of its isolation, dangers and beauty. Half of the year it looks like middle earth, then the rest of the year it is so barren and desolate and so hot, but that itself has its own beauty. The night is so dark and the sky is stunningly adorned with stars. We felt Australia was very untapped with possibilities when it came to horror. We also wanted to show that you don’t have to move to the city to create something viable. If anything, I believe we have greater benefits being in the outback, there is a true sense of community and people genuinely want to help. Our goal is to create Australian horror films for a universal audience, create opportunities for youth in the area and boost the economy of our town. We also want to make truly terrifying films. I personally have not seen a truly scary film since I was a kid and watched The Exorcist for the first time. Nothing scares me now, and I find that very sad. We aren’t about timed jump scares and CGI blood; we are old school and proud of that fact. We are putting the atmos-fear back into horror.
Me: The first film from the studio was 'The Unhallowed.' Where did the inspiration for the film come from?
DW: The Unhallowed is in pre-production, we have WW distribution lined up for when it is complete and Philippe Mora (Communion, Mad Dog Morgan) is co-producing it with me. The inspiration came from taking the monster catalogue – Werewolf, Mummy, Water Creature and Vampire and giving those entities a uniquely Australian twist. So, The Unhallowed will be number one in a series of films, with the vampire one opening the gate. Each film set in a different decade, but interlocking at certain points. We are extremely excited about the project.
Me: Being the co-writer on the film, what do you remember about the experience doing your first screenplay?
DW: I gave input, but my partner did the hard work. We both were on the same wavelength with the film. We aren’t to the letter when it comes to traditional scriptwriting, we are very loose and believe in bringing ad-lib to every project we do. We actually made a version of The Unhallowed, a promo rough version to help get support, it goes for 90 minutes, then we shot a professional trailer in one day. That was definitely an eye-opener, we did like 72 shots in one day! The cinematographer did not think it would be possible, but we nailed it.
Me: As well, you’re also preparing your latest film 'High Strangeness.' What can you tell us about the film?
DW: Wow, I could say so much, but it would probably take a year. High Strangeness was meant to be a short film that developed into a feature film of epic proportions. We filmed it over a couple of years, only filming on weekends as our actors were volunteering their time. We experienced everything that could go wrong on set and used a lot of duct tape and imagination. However, we have reached the summit and are extremely proud of what we have achieved. A feature-length film on $3000! And technically the only crew was my partner and I. The actors would pitch in as well, it was really a joint effort.
The film is about a highly successful playwright who is fighting her own demons with drug and alcohol addiction. Her parents are killed in a car accident and she is obligated to become the guardian of her younger sister. They move back to the family home, which is an isolated farmhouse and things just spiral into chaos for both characters as childhood memories and creepy unexplained phenomena drag them along on a hell ride. It is extremely intense, creepy rabbit man, aliens, delusional activity. There are two versions of the film, one is more mainstream and the other throws it all at the audience, conspiracy believers will revel in it. Philippe Mora is our Executive Producer; he made the film Communion based on Whitley Strieber’s novel of his alien abduction experiences. It just seems so perfect that there is that connection. The film is already receiving interest from the UFO community. Again, in saying that though, you don’t have to be into science fiction or aliens to enjoy High Strangeness, it is predominately a horror film.
High Strangeness is truly terrifying, and you will feel like you are part of the film.
Me: What was the set like while shooting the film? How did the cast and crew react to the type of film being made?
DW: I read this question to my partner and he laughed. We met a lot of ‘interesting’ people when making the film, just put it that way. My advice to anyone making a film – get police checks and psych checks on anyone you bring in... If you can. Seriously. When it came down to it, the cast were great, we appreciate all their support. I think at times it was hard for them to see what was developing around them. Anyone would know that when you are making a film to how it looks on screen is a long process, and as we had to film it over a couple of years, I think a few got a bit ‘disinterested’. But for the ones that stuck around for the whole process, we couldn’t be prouder of them. Making a film like we did, and how we did it, definitely makes you see who your true friends and supporters are. Would we make a film in the same way, definitely no. We were doing a million jobs each, I was cooking food for actors, whilst trying to mix and apply blood and make costumes. My partner would come up with ideas and it was like oh okay you need a spaceship, yes, we can make that! (laughs) oh now you want a giant rabbit, sure... But in all seriousness, we had a lot of good times on the way and a lot of laughs. Now the product is in the final stages of post and I couldn’t be more excited. Britt Hadlow the actress who plays the main character in this film is amazing, we have watched her blossom into a fantastic actor in the time we have known her, she has made it through from beginning to end, never swaying with doubt or boredom, we are grateful for her determination to see this through with us.
Me: Do you recall having any odd or funny on-set stories about yourself or any of the other cast/crew members?
DW: We were filming in an isolated farmhouse during summer. So some days the temperature reached up to 48 degrees Celsius (around 118 F) It had been a very dry summer, so there was this plague of locusts in biblical numbers that descended upon the property and with that Wolf Spiders and Huntsman spiders looking for an easy meal. Wolf and Huntsman spiders the size of my hand everywhere, I remember my partner picking up a jacket off a chair and there were 5 Huntsman spiders under it. A few of our actors have spider phobias and were staying in the house whilst we were using it as a location. So, rooms had to be inspected and when they went to bed, towels were shoved under closed doors to stop the spiders from coming into the bedrooms at night. One night there was a particularly huge Wolf Spider that was the size of my hand and very aggressive and it chased one of our actors. I remember another time when one of our actresses ran out of the house because of the spiders only to be on the grass surrounded by them. You could shine your torch on the front lawn at night and see thousands of glowing eyes everywhere! Thankfully, I don’t have a phobia of spiders and I was left to deal with most of them, whilst my partner quoted lines from Alien at me from a great distance. We also had little bats living in the crevices of walls. This house was the perfect location for a horror movie.
Me: What else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers?
DW: I am the editor for The Australian Short Film Network Journal, so that keeps me pretty busy. We do interviews and promotion of Australian films and filmmakers. I am truly blessed to have that job because I have made some amazing friends along the way, like iconic Australian actor Roger Ward. He is the best, so inspiring, supportive and encouraging. I am doing a lot of post work on High Strangeness also. Press kits that kind of thing. Plus, working with Philippe Mora is amazing. I had always loved his work since I saw The Howling 3 and experienced an Australian version of a werewolf, though marsupial. He really opened up my eyes at a young age to the potential of Australian horror. I am also working on my own film project which will be a predominately female cast and crew, I don’t want to go into much detail. But it is based on one of my favourite classic novels, it has been made into a film several times, but I am going to bring a horror element to it. Stay tuned for that announcement. Also, we are going into full production of The Unhallowed mid-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!
DW: If you have a passion for horror and want to make films just do it. Don’t sit around waiting for the money to fall into your lap, don’t count on grants or funding. If you have a camera and an idea and some people willing to be in your film, get out there and do it. Remember to do what is within your means though. We live in a wondrous age thanks to our technology so there really is no excuse now. You hear of people wanting $10,000 grants to make a 5-minute film, we made a feature-length on $3000. There is no excuse to be not making films, if that is what you want to do with your life.
Thank you for having me, I really appreciate it.
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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