PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I had no idea what to expect when I started watching the new horror flick, Slaxx (read our review here). An entire movie about a pair of jeans that kills people? I automatically had a picture in my head of what I thought it was going to be like. And boy, was I 100% wrong. Not only is it witty and just so damn entertaining, it’s incredibly bloody and violent, and I really appreciate that. I was lucky enough to speak with the filmmaking duo behind this savage fashion statement, Elza Kephart and Patricia Gomez, and we talked about the story behind the film, our favorite childhood writers, why we love the genre and, of course, horror movies.
PopHorror: I loved Slaxx so much! It was a ton of fun. I’ve never seen anything like it, and I am in awe at how well done it is. Thank you so much for that.
Patricia Gomez: Oh my goodness. Thank you so much, Tiffany. That’s amazing!
Elza Kephart: I love hearing that people love our film!
PopHorror: I’m really excited for more people to see it because I want to talk about it with someone. Slaxx has already played some really prestigious festivals in the last year or so, and will soon be on Shudder. How does that feel to have your movie be on such a great platform that will make it available to legions of horror fans?
Elza Kephart: It’s so nice. It’s so amazing. We knew Shudder was coming on board when we were making the movie because they were part of the financing, but at least I didn’t grasp how big of a deal it was until more recently. Everyone was like, “You’re going to be on Shudder! Oh my God, that’s so amazing!” Maybe because I’m in my own weird artistic world I sort of don’t really live in the real world. But for me, when I realized what a big deal it was, I was like, “Oh my God, I’m so excited!” Because of Covid, we couldn’t really get it out there and have people’s reactions, so it was really heartbreaking. Even though it played prestigious film festivals, we didn’t see people reacting. This is sort of by proxy. The Shudder release is acting like that, as the big release. I’m super thrilled.
PopHorror: That is exciting!
Patricia Gomez: Yeah, me too! It’s great because we know it’s going to the people that want to see it, right? The horror fans. Which is really amazing, honestly. I honestly couldn’t be more thrilled to be on Shudder. Yay!
PopHorror: So you co-wrote the film together. How did this come about, and what was the inspiration?
Elza Kephart: When we were on a road trip going from Gainesville to New Orleans, we had a friend in the car who hates the word slacks. We’ve all been friends since we were teenagers. We were harassing her with the word “slacks,” like “Slacks slacks slacks!” As simple as that. As silly as that. And then it became more serious. Patricia, take it away.
Patricia Gomez: I’m going to be honest, Tiffany. The first version that we wrote was kind of a very generic horror film like high school nerd versus the popular girls. When we were done, I remember we both were like, “Eh. It’s not anything too interesting.” We moved on from that version. We set it in the store. We started to explore this idea of corporate greed, but there was still something missing. Then Elza saw a great documentary about fast fashion that was like the lightbulb in her head. She was like, “This is what’s been missing in Slaxx!” So as soon as she incorporated that element into the script, it just gelled. It was amazing, and we were off to the races.
PopHorror: That’s so much fun! What is it that draws you both to horror?
Patricia Gomez: Good question! I’ve been into horror since I could remember. Like really young. Even at seven, eight, nine years old, I’ve been watching horror films. Luckily, my parents didn’t care what I was watching, so I was able to look at all that. I’ve just always been interested in things that are a little bit darker. I can’t really explain why; it’s genetically how I am. So I’ve always been attracted to that stuff, and I thought maybe I would grow out of it, but no. I’m in my 40s, still love horror, still reach towards the dark things. It’s just a part of me at this point.
PopHorror: Same.
Elza Kephart: Same here. I can’t explain why I like horror. When I was young, I used to read Agatha Christie and everyone else was reading The Baby-Sitters Book Club. Is it The Baby-Sitters Book Club or The Baby-Sitters Club?
PopHorror: The Baby-Sitters Club!
Elza Kephart: The Baby-Sitters Club. I was like, “Ew, so boring.” I’ve always been drawn to the dark, macabre stuff, and then I had a little segue out of it when I was in film school. I was like, “I’m going to make serious films,” and then Patricia and I co-wrote our first feature.
Patricia Gomez: And then she met me, Tiffany!
Elza Kephart: No! I mean, I was always into it, it’s just that when we decided to write our first zombie movie, I delved back into visual research and stuff. And I was like, “I love this stuff!” I’ve been going to Fantasia since I was 17. Of course, this is what I want to do. It was just a natural, sort of re-falling in love with horror. It’s not like a device that we’re using in order to get into the industry because horror is hot. We just really love it.
PopHorror: I love that so much. But hey, I was reading The Baby-Sitters Club with my Fear Street books so… I like them both.
Elza Kephart: Fair enough! Fair enough, fair enough. Of course.
Patricia Gomez: I’m guilty, too! I was reading those as well, but I always had the Clive Barker and the Stephen King.
Elza Kephart: Christopher Pike!
PopHorror: Yes, yes!
Elza Kephart: RL Stine?
PopHorror: Yes! I was also reading Stephen King for my Book It Club. You know, the Pizza Hut Book It in the sixth grade. I think I was the only one reading Stephen King at that time.
Patricia Gomez: That means you were the coolest.
PopHorror: Right? Thank you!
Elza Kephart: You’re going to laugh at this. I have a cousin who is five years younger that I’m really close to. And every Christmas, I would rent a horror movie after opening presents and would force him to watch a horror movie with me. He became a banker.
PopHorror: I do love that.
Patricia Gomez: That’s a great tradition.
PopHorror: That sounds the best. I really loved the movie so much! I’m excited to see what else is coming from you guys. Do you have anything you’re working on next?
Elza Kephart: Yeah, we sure do! Patricia, pitch the first one!
Patricia Gomez: Elza and I have a ton of things, but our main project right now is a TV series about a vampire geneticist who’s tried to live a normal life in suburbia with his wife, and they’re expecting a child. One day, he gets a knock on the door, and it’s his long lost vampire relatives that want him back, and they need his help. They’re not going to leave until he goes with them. So mayhem ensues, some killing, blood drinking, all that good stuff. That TV series is called Sweet Blood, and we’re very excited about that. We’ve been working on it for a while, as long as Slaxx, and slowly making it hopefully really great and interesting. We also have a feature that we’re just beginning to work on so maybe Elza wants to say a little bit about that.
Elza Kephart: Yeah, I like to call it Slaxx 2: Trees that Kill because everyone is like, “Are you making a Slaxx 2?” “No, but actually we sort of are.” Because Patricia, in her previous life, was a wildlife ecologist, so she’s really into trees, and I’m really into trees, also. I would say I follow the Wiccan path, and so we’re writing a script where there’s an ecosystem that’s actually taking revenge for it being destroyed. The main character is a priest that’s set in the Middle Ages, a priest who’s like a dogmatic Christian. He comes to this small village where these weird miracles are happening only to realize that it’s actually the ecosystem trying to communicate with him, because he’s very psychic, and he’s never accessed his psychic powers. I’m like giving it all away but so the priest has to-
Patricia Gomez: Okay!
Elza Kephart: The priest has to come to terms with being psychic and being connected to nature and help the ecosystem survive. He has to throw away his logical dogmatic Christian approach in order to save this tree and save himself, because he’s also being sort of contaminated by it.
PopHorror: I can’t wait to see these come out! What’s your favorite scary movie?
Elza Kephart: There’s films that are scary, like Poltergeist when the hand comes out of the TV and you’re like, “Ah!” But I would say I make a distinction between films that give you jump scares and films that are really disturbing, like profoundly disturbing. To me, the most disturbing films I’ve seen are films by Michael Haneke, like Funny Games. The original Funny Games and The White Ribbon disturbed me for weeks and weeks. I don’t know. He’s not a horror filmmaker; he makes every day horror. I would say he’s the closest I’ve found to being truly horrifying.
PopHorror: I would say he’s horror.
Elza Kephart: It’s interesting. He’s never been brought into the horror world, but I really think he’s a horror filmmaker.
Patricia Gomez: Maybe without the blood. I think probably that’s why he’s kind of kept apart.
Elza Kephart: Funny Games has some blood.
Patricia Gomez: Yeah, but you know I mean. Blood blood. Blood blood, Elza! I mean, I think for me, a very scary movie I saw, which now that I’m older I don’t find scary, but when I saw it, it really freaked me out. There are actually two. It was John Carpenter’s The Thing. It was so scary. That dog transformation… I just replayed it. I was terrified of that. It just looked so real. And then, Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the first one. I watched it alone, the whole family was out. I watched it at like one in the morning, and it really creeped me out! I remember being scared to go to bed. It’s so well done and so raw, and it makes you think, “This could happen to me!” It’s just so real.
Thank you so much, Patricia and Elza, for taking the time to speak with us. Be sure to catch Slaxx on Shudder now!
