Known for their wildly successful We Really Like Her! podcast and subsequent screening series at the Revue Cinema in Toronto, Danita Steinberg and Emily Gagne have been celebrating women in front of and behind the camera for years. The duo are now set to bring their unique blend of passion and expertise to a new sleepover-themed, nostalgic horror series at Hot Docs, fittingly titled Pillow Fright!
Presented monthly beginning August 8, the inaugural line-up will feature Final Destination (2000), Paranormal Activity (2007), and The Haunting (1999). In other words, all movies that would feature as faves for any self-respecting horror-loving teen when VHS tapes were still a thing.
That Shelf’s Managing Editor, Emma Badame, had the chance to talk with the genre-loving cinephiles ahead of the series’ kick-off to find out why they’re adding horror to their programming quivers, why these three films in particular, and what attending audiences can expect from the throwback experience (including pyjamas, games, and more!) Read on below to learn more:
That Shelf: You’ve been behind the women-centric podcast and screening series We Really Like Her! for several years now. What prompted you both to want to change things up and delve into these amazingly nostalgic horror films?
Emily Gagne: When people find out that we’re big horror fans, they are often surprised, as if people who love movies about and made by women can’t also enjoy a good gorefest (tell that to Karyn Kusama or Julia Ducournau). But we’ve both been into scary stuff since we were kids — I know I, for one, was known for making friends watch slasher flicks at sleepovers. Even now, we make it a point to go to haunted houses as much as humanly possible.
We do get to screen the occasional horror movie with We Really Like Her!, but of course we have to stick to women-directed or women-written stuff, which can be limiting as a lot of those films are not as well-preserved. This new series opens the door for us to screen flicks that wouldn’t fit the WRLH! bill, but still deserve to be enjoyed in a theatre with a crowd.
Danita Steinberg: We like to keep people on their toes! Based on first impressions, I don’t think folks expect us to love horror as much as we do, but we’ve both been lifelong fans of the genre. It’s something we’ve always bonded over. We’re excited to share this other side of us.
And ultimately, we wanted to bring the We Really Like Her! essence to another series – we love celebrating movies with others in a safe environment. So why not do that with horror?
TS: How did you narrow down the three flicks you picked for the series? Do they have special significance for one or both of you?
EG: We essentially looked for films that we actually watched at sleepovers. Final Destination seemed especially on-point given the 25th anniversary, not to mention the recent sequel. And The Haunting is one that we’ve actually watched together as we share a love of ghost stories and all things Shirley Jackson.
DS: Our programming choices are always rooted in earnest appreciation. That’s not to say these films are perfect or we can’t poke fun at stuff, but there’s no hate watching here! We actually just really love all three movies!
I’m thrilled to bring these films back to audiences because they just haven’t screened. Rep cinemas often play 1970s and 1980s horror, but the Y2K films can get overlooked. So it’s always fun to show something different.
Personally, The Haunting is the first horror film I remember seeing in theatres, just a few days before my 10th birthday so it will always hold a special little place in my ghost-loving heart.
TS: I love the tagline for the Pillow Fright! series, about it being a safe, inclusive space for “the girls, gays and theys”. Can you talk about why creating those spaces is important to you and how you think others could follow suit?
EG: As queer women who don’t own a lot of black t-shirts, we’ve often felt unwelcome in traditional horror spaces. It’s maddening given that most horror movies centre women (for better and for worse)!
In any case, the hope is to create the colourfully creepy environment we’ve always craved, where scream queens can gather together without worrying about being quizzed and questioned. We’re even hoping to have a screaming contest at one of our screenings, giving people a chance to get their feels out with folks who actually get it.
DS: Over the years, we’ve worked hard to make We Really Like Her! screenings a warm and welcoming space, and we want to bring that vibe elsewhere.
There are so many women and queer folks who love film (especially horror!), but don’t always feel like they belong at rep screenings, which are often very male-dominated and gatekeep-y. It’s not that straight men aren’t allowed at our screenings, but they certainly aren’t centred. We make it very clear that they do not hold the authority on what constitutes good cinema!
If you want another series that is doing something similar, I highly recommend checking out Final Girls Film Club. They’re doing awesome work and we are big fans of all they do!
TS: Now given the title for the series IS Pillow Fright! and that PJs are encouraged (love that), what other events or activities are you planning to keep on theme for the entire night?
EG: I’m personally very excited about our regular karaoke pre-show, which will always feature tracks from the year the given film was released. I feel like most sleepovers I went to as a kid evolved into lip sync or dance contests, so this is a tribute to that beloved, Britney Spears-filled custom.
Of course, we want to have some Ouija boards on hand as much as possible. Because it’s not an old school slumber party without a seance!
DS: We just want to be cozy and have a nice, collective experience! For our Paranormal Activity screening, we hope to have a true ghost story-telling contest. We’d also like to summon Bloody Mary (if you know, you know) at some point.
TS: If you get a chance to do a second series, do you already have an idea of what films you’d like to program? Anything you can tease for us?
EG: We’ve mainly focused on Y2K era horror flicks so far, but I think it would be fun to dip into the late ’80s oeuvre too. I will never forget when I watched The Lost Boys the first time — I am certain it was my unofficial bisexual awakening.
Also, I know we are both huge fans of Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell, so that would be a fun one. Although, not sure if Hot Docs will let us have a pet goat on stage.
DS: We’d love to do some campy stuff like Death Becomes Her. I know we’d both kill to do Halloween H20, which is so much better than people remember. Stay tuned!
Pillow Fright! kicks off today, August 8, at the Hot Docs Cinema with a screening of 2000’s Final Destination. Get tickets here for any of the screenings now.
