Jen and Sylvia Soska

Jen Soska and Sylvia Soska (born April 29, 1983),[1] also known as The Soska Sisters or The Twisted Twins,[2] are Canadian twin sisters who work together as film directors, producers and screenwriters.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9] They are known for directing often violent and visceral horror movies such as Dead Hooker in a Trunk, See No Evil 2 and American Mary.[10][11][12]

Jen and Sylvia Soska
Jen Soska (left) and Sylvia Soska (right) with actress Tristan Risk (center) at Fantastic Fest, 2014
Born (1983-04-29) April 29, 1983
Other namesTwisted Twins, The Soska Sisters
OccupationFilm directors, producers, screenwriters, actresses
Years active2001–present
Websitetwistedtwinsproductions.net

Biography

Jen and Sylvia Soska were born on April 29 in Canada. The twins graduated from Argyle Secondary School. Their love of horror began at an early age, when their mother gave in to their constant begging to watch Poltergeist.[13] They decided to work in the horror movie field soon after, initially trying to become actresses and working as extras, but were unhappy with the stereotypical twin roles they were being offered.[14]

Dead Hooker in a Trunk

Jen and Sylvia briefly attended film school and wrote and directed Dead Hooker in a Trunk as a final project. The film was shot for $2,500 and released by IFC. It received an overall rating of 80% from critics at Rotten Tomatoes (4 fresh and 1 rotten review).[15] The twins starred in the film as twin sisters – Badass (Sylvia) and Geek (Jen). Highly inspired by Robert Rodriguez's Rebel Without A Crew, the Soskas sought out El Mariachi star Carlos Gallardo to play the character God.

An absurdist dark satire, Dead Hooker in a Trunk originated as a faux trailer the sisters created, annoyed when their film school cut the budget for their final project. The film had a screening cancelled by one movie theater in Saskatoon after the theater received anonymous complaints.[16]

American Mary

Following their first project, the twins wrote American Mary,[17]. American Mary was shown at Film4 Fright Fest, Toronto After Dark Film Festival and Monster Fest.[2][18] The twins cast Canadian horror star Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps) as Mary Mason, and had special effects created by Masters FX. Wanting to be respectful to the body modification community, the sisters hired flesh artist Russ Foxx as a consultant to ensure authenticity. American Mary went on to win the Special Jury Award at Fantastic Fest.

ABCs of Death 2

The sisters directed a segment in ABCs of Death 2 titled "T is for Torture Porn, which follows an actress, Yumi, as she auditions for an adult film scene. Yumi is revealed to be a hentai monster. The film was produced by XYZ Films.

See No Evil 2

Jen and Sylvia Soska made two films for WWE Studios: See No Evil 2 and Vendetta.[19] See No Evil 2 again featured Katharine Isabelle. Avid fans of professional wrestling, the Soskas were hired to resurrect the franchise after a six year hiatus.

Vendetta

The first film in the Lionsgate and WWE Studios Action Six Pack was the Soska Sisters' action film Vendetta, written by Justin Shady. The film stars Dean Cain as Mason Danvers, who goes into prison in pursuit of the man who killed his wife.

Rabid

The Soskas co-wrote and directed Rabid (2019), a remake of David Cronenberg's 1977 film of the same name,[20] starring Laura Vandervoort[21] and professional wrestler CM Punk.[22] Avid fans of David Cronenberg's work, the Soskas hired cast and crew from Cronenberg's previous films. They again collaborated with Masters FX, hiring Steve Kostanski as head creature designer.

Rabid had its World Premiere on the closing night of the 20th Annual Fright Fest in London. It would go on to play film festivals throughout Europe and was released on Blu-ray on October 7, 2019. It had its North American Premiere on October 15, 2019 in LA at Screamfest. Shout! Factory released the film theatrically and on VOD December 13, 2019.

Other work

Jen and Sylvia have written for Marvel Comics, writing a Night Nurse story for Marvel's Secret Wars Journal #5 in 2015, a short story called The Ripley with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and a Deadpool story for the first annual Avengers Halloween Special. In January 2019, the Soska Sisters started writing Black Widow for Marvel with illustrator, Flaviano in a series called 'Seeing Red.'

The twins hosted both seasons of the Blumhouse-produced Hellevator on GSN. They were interviewed for Eli Roth's History of Horror which aired October 2018.

In April 2021, it was announced that the Soskas would be working for DC Comics with their first story being a part of their DC Round Robin in which fans choose their favorites in an online voting competition.

Filmography

Film

Year Film Producer Director Writer Actor
2001 Josie and the Pussycats
N
2005 Fantastic Four
N
2009 Dead Hooker in a Trunk
N
N
N
N
2012 American Mary
N
N
N
N
2014 ABCs of Death 2
N
N
N
2014 See No Evil 2
N
N
2015 Vendetta
N
N
2015 Dead Rising: Watchtower
N
2016 The Blackburn Asylum
N
2019 Rabid
N
N
N
N

Television

Year Show Actor Host Episode(s)
2008 Kyle XY
N
"I've Had the Time of My Life"
2015 Hellevator
N
N
Starring role

References

  1. Leiren-Young, Mark. "Vancouver's Soska Sisters bring the madness to Whistler Film Festival". Canada.com. Archived from the original on 2013-06-25. Retrieved 2011-08-07.
  2. "Twisted sisters stick the knife into their latest film American Mary". if.com.au. Retrieved 2015-10-14.
  3. Torrevillas, Phylicia. "Call them the twisted sisters". Metro Vancouver. Archived from the original on 2012-08-04. Retrieved 2011-08-07.
  4. Whittington, James. "Exclusive Interview With Jen And Sylvia Soska, Directors Of Dead Hooker In A Trunk". Horror Channel. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
  5. Christie, Greg. "Boozie Movies! Dead Hooker in a Trunk Review". Twitch Film. Archived from the original on 2011-12-09. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
  6. "IFC Midnight Picks Up Dead Hooker in a Trunk for Limited Theatrical and VOD Release". Joblo.com. 26 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
  7. "Bloody Disgusting". Bloody Disgusting. 26 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
  8. "Film Review: Dead Hooker In A Trunk". Brutalashell.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-02. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
  9. "Rants and Raves". KPBS. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
  10. Jett, Kristy. "Soska Sister talks "AMERICAN MARY" casting and more". Fangoria. Retrieved 2011-08-07.
  11. "American Mary". Dread Central. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
  12. Freville, Bob. "Soska Twins Talk About Ass-Kicking, Hookers & American Mary". Kotorimagazine.com. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
  13. Rose, Steve (11 January 2013). "The Soska sisters are the new faces of horror". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  14. "About Us". Twisted Twins Productions. 2011. Archived from the original on 5 October 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  15. "Dead Hooker in a Trunk". Rotten Tomatoes. 2009-12-31. Retrieved 2015-10-14.
  16. https://www.horrorsociety.com/2011/04/11/dead-hooker-in-a-trunk-banned/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. "Sylvia Soska - Biography". imdb.com. 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  18. "American Mary". Rotten Tomatoes. 2013-05-31. Retrieved 2015-10-14.
  19. "Vendetta". Rotten Tomatoes. 2015-06-12. Retrieved 2015-10-14.
  20. "David Cronenberg's 'Rabid' Remake: Soska Sisters Ready Their 'Continuation' of Body Horror Classic with 'Female Perspective'". 15 February 2018.
  21. "'Supergirl' & 'Jigsaw' Star Laura Vandervoort Joins Reboot of David Cronenberg's Horror Classic 'Rabid' – Cannes". 11 May 2018.
  22. "411Mania".
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