Women in Horror Month...my interview with Chloe Carroll, director of short horror film, "Ticks"

On Thursday, February 6th, Toronto Indie Horror Fest presented horror fans with a showcase of short horror genre films made by women in honour of Women in Horror Month (which is February, for those who don't already know that).

It was great fun seeing a range of films from all over the globe, including:

Ticks (US)
Director - Chloe Carroll
When three young adults venture into the woods, a Tick bite could be more deadly than they ever imagine.

And now, my interview with Chloe Carroll, director of short horror film Ticks:

How did the idea for this film come about?

I am so paranoid about ticks and insects in general and I know a lot of people who share the same fear so I figured this would be a perfect film for my Fear Crypt channel.

Tell me a little bit about working with the cast and crew. And where did you shoot?

We shot the film in Pennsburg, PA. I normally try to keep my shoots indoor as I don’t have to worry about the weather and can schedule the shoot far in advance, but luckily it only rained a little bit and we were able to get most the outdoor scenes shot after the rain had stopped, and we moved the tent scene to inside a garage so none of the equipment would get wet. I pretty much work with the same team on most of my shoots so it is always wonderful and we all work really well together.

Warning...a gory image is waiting for you on the other side of "Read More"!

Since it’s Women in Horror Month, please give me your thoughts as a woman who works in the horror film industry—how do you find it? How far do you feel women have come in this field?

I am early in my career in the film industry so I can’t speak for how things may have been a few years ago, but so far my experience has been great. This past year I produced 5 short films, all of them had at least two women on the producing team. I think it's very important to have women both in front of and behind the camera. As the owner of Fear Crypt I am doing my part in making sure women are championed in the film industry.

Where has Ticks screened so far and where can we see it next?

This was the first event the film has screened at, but it will be screening next at HorrorHound Weekend Film Festival in March.

Do you envision a longer version at some point down the road, perhaps involving a wider spread plague-like tick invasion? What other future plans do you have for it?

I would LOVE to do a feature version of this! I could definitely write a feature version of most of my Fear Crypt shorts. The main hurdle in getting that done is finding the budget.

Now, the usual questions I like to trot out because it’s one of the things I focus on in my author blog — what is your favourite B-movie and why?

The Rocky Horror Show is a great one! I’m also big into musicals so I love horror musicals, I think its such a great mix!

How about your favourite horror-comedy (that rises above what you might consider a B-movie)?

Love Cabin In the Woods and Happy Death Day. I have recently found that a lot of the scripts I have been writing fall into the Horror-Comedy realm. I think it's also such a great genre mix.

Tell me more about what you have coming up on the horizon.

Thanks so much for this opportunity to talk about the film! I am currently doing the festival circuit with my first feature film that I produced and my husband Phillip G. Carroll Jr. directed. Its a Sci-Fi/ Horror/Thriller called THE HONEYMOON PHASE. It's a Black Mirror-esque meets Fatal Attraction sci-fi horror, following Tom and Eve who lie about being married so they can enter The Millennium Project. Paying $50,000, this 30 day scientific study analyzes couples’ relationships while they reside in futuristic smart homes secluded in the woods. Run by a mysterious researcher and his associate, the experiment leads Eve into a violent descent of madness questioning her lover’s trust and whether he is the man she thinks he is. If you want to check  out more about the film please check out our website www.TheHoneymoonPhaseFilm.com and if you want to check out more horror shorts please check out www.FearCrypt.com for upcoming releases.

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