Unrestricted Views from Jessica Messenger actress and producer of Six Hot Chicks in a Warehouse

The amazing Unrestricted View Horror Film Festival is back for its second year, running from the 30th October to the 5th November, and so is our Unrestricted Views bringing you an insight to the people behind the fantastic fright fest of films on show.

Below we talk to Jessica Messenger actress and producer of Six Hot Chicks in a Warehouse which screens on the 2nd of November at 7pm. Get your tickets HERE

Love Horror: Tell us about your film?
Jessica Messenger: Six Hot Chicks In A Warehouse is about a disgraced photographer called Adrian who concocts a plan to lure those who mocked him to his new pad come studio. The film is one we expect to divide audiences, those who love something a little offbeat may enjoy it. Its not a film that takes itself seriously and i hope viewers can enjoy it and have fun at our ridiculous expense!

Love Horror: How did you get into making horror movies?
Jessica Messenger: I guess horror film found me. I spent most my formative years studying for a dance career, it wasn’t until i was 18 that i thew in the towel and decided to study film and tv at university. Horror cinema was one of my classes and it allowed me to experience all the genre had to offer over the course of a few years. I traded dance for acting and as roles came they became more and more horror orientated. Partly i put this down to the independent scripts that are actually out there. Horror is probably one of the only genres where its worth taking a gamble on your investment if you are working with a really minute budget. For writers, film makers and the like i guess making a horror movie has the most support from the genre fans, peers and there are all sorts of accolades you can collect to launch your career. I dare say trying to write, make and sell a period drama would be touch more challenging.

Love Horror: What is your view on horror in 2017 and how would you change it?
Jessica Messenger: On one hand i think we have a lot of new, unique ideas coming through the ranks and on the other we have a Hollywood habit of rehashing. Id say for indie horror filmmakers they are really making effort to push boundaries and make the films they truly want to make, i suppose the lack of studio allows this ability. The difficulty lies in being able to move further forward as a filmmaker and not being stuck in the same sort of place. I have a lot of wonderfully talented friends, who have made spectacular shorts on really skinny budgets, they are ready to make the leap to features but then comes a whole other host of issues. Even after making a feature, the filmmakers are left to fend for themselves and the amount of distribution issues I’ve heard about is truly horrifying. You may get past your first feature, but you blew all the money you had, expecting to be able to distribute and make something back to move onto the next and guess what happens? They don’t. Then what?! Debt yourself again to make ANOTHER low budget movie, which winds up with a similar distributor, with similar issues, again no profit. There comes a point where you just cant move past it, checkmate if you like. I’d like to see that change. At the moment they rely on investors or other producers to see their film, see the ambition and throw them a life line to catapult them to the next rung of the ladder. Distribution issues need to change. We NEED to stop ripping off the filmmakers.

Love Horror: What is your favourite horror film and why?
Jessica Messenger: Gahhhhh. This question. Always a tricky one, but then i cant give you my favourite band, or favourite food or anything for that matter. I tend to like a lot of stuff, it makes for a more full interesting life right? I suppose if i was backed into a corner and told it was life or death, id choose Scream. The first film impacted my life massively. I was terrified to do anything when i saw that movie for the first time. Ghost face will be forever my favourite villain. I dare say that film gave me an interest in horror movies in the first place which i guess leads me here today.

Love Horror: If Hollywood came knocking and gave you anything you wanted what movie would you make and who would it star?
Jessica Messenger: I would make a star wars spin-off which follows the story of a female Sith lord and how she fell from grace. It would have zero to do with any man, I guess id rather her just be a sociopath. We have this issue don’t we in movies? Where the reasons behind a woman’s madness falls at a mans feet. i don’t believe in that for everybody. There has to be a woman out there that simply enjoys chaos and disorder because its fun. I’d be the Sith. Ive been pretty vocal on this in the past, why hasn’t this happened yet? Id cast Julianne Moore, she’s a work of art, Natalie Portman (AGAIN) but purely because she is my ultimate girl crush at the moment, i cannot watch her adverts without staring at the tv completely bedazzled. Id cast Angelina Jolie, she’s complicated, interesting, strong – something about her always captures me and i would put Ellen Page as the heroine. I fucking love Ellen Page.

Six Hot Chicks in a Warehouse which screens at the Unrestricted View Horror Film Festival on the 2nd of November at 7pm .
Read more about the Unrestricted View Horror Film Festival and buy tickets at www.unrestrictedview.co.uk/

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Alex Humphrey

Alex studied film at the University of Kent and went on to work for Universal Pictures in their Post Room gaining an inside look at the movie industry from the very bottom. Constantly writing reviews in everything from local magazines to Hip Hop sites Alex honed his critical skills even spending a brief period as a restaurant critic. Read more

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