Page 10 - FMH9

that is something that actually fucks with their own privilege so they can push it out because it’s a real thing that could possibly happen. Even if by watching Flesh, this black girl who is a serial killer, etc. in reality, if we want to be real about it, having access to either cover up a crime or not being profiled by the cops, that exists within the realm of fantasy. It will prob- ably make them uncomfortable to see the actions throughout the film, but there is still that comfort
of knowing that this probably actually can’t happen because of the social systems that are in place.
Mariam: Do you think using that entry point of irrational fear and discomfort to give voice to marginalized narratives will translate in people’s behaviors towards marginalized people? Like for example, will white people treat POC differently?
Monika: Definitely. What you said actually touches on how horror uses Blackness as the ultimate form of scariness, but it is always in an exaggerated from like Serpent and the Rainbow with Voodoo, etc. If you live in bumfuck Kansas or some place like that you know that you probably aren’t going to encounter a com- munity that actually practices Voodoo, but even just dark figures in the shadows, Anti-Blackness is played out utilizing that whole colorist binary which still taps into the irrational fear of white people even though it may not be in a literal sense. It’s exaggerated in the form of dark magic and zombies and shit like that, (laughing) it’s the fake way of having an irrational fear about Blackness instead of actually encountering Black people and fearing their life perspective with out feeling shitty about their own privilege.
Mariam: For instance how Michael Myers is a fucked up kid, which according to the white psyche is an anomaly while black people and dark skinned people are sinister in their essence. It’s in fantasy and horror sure, but it’s undeniable that the same irrational approach is constantly and utterly expressed in examples and denials of “do- mestic terrorism.”
Monika: Dylann Roof. This kid literally walked into a church and killed nine people, but was still taken alive and they took him to Burger King. Was that Mike Meyers though? You know what I’m saying? They didn’t kill Michael Meyers, they put him in an institu- tion and tried to “make him better” and they gave him a therapist (laughing). If it’s a Black zombie or vam- pire, we kill them on-sight. That’s how the irrational
white fear bleeds over. There is fantasy and there is reality of it, which one makes people more uncom- fortable? This is what Audre’s Revenge is trying to do, we are trying to bring that real life discomfort while having a fantastic element to it so people will still go and see the film. We are trying to find that balance.
Mariam: Land of the Dead hit on that some, where the main character is a Black zombie, but he is a thinking, sentient, even emotional Black zombie.
Monika: Totally! I love that movie! After we finish Flesh, there is a documentary project I am work-
ing on and I am really interested in a transwoman revenge story because transpeople have zero-to-
no visibility within horror movies as being a hero or protagonist, they have always been villains. Silence of the Lambs is the most queer coded movies of all time vilifying people that fuck with gender binaries, they must be insane if they fuck with that. That is definitely one project. Similar themes need to hap- pen in horror, it goes a lot further than just portray- ing LGBT folks being in the positions of other white people in traditional horror movies, we have to formulate our own stories and make them appealing to the masses so then they can maybe understand things. Now is the time to do it, because of increased visibility.
Mariam: So far in the Audre’s Revenge Films col- lective you specifically pick people to participate, but if people want to contribute or lend some of their skills, where can they get a hold of you?
Monika: Email us at audresrevengefilm@gmail.com. I check the email everyday and will answer any ques- tions. If anyone wants to donate money, they can paypal at bnbpowerchicago@gmail.com
Mariam: We didn’t really talk about the film you are working on right now, Flesh. Give us info, no spoilers!
Monika: Flesh is the story of a black girl, that’s kind of a personal narrative of my life. She is an alternative Black girl mostly into punk that has this desire to de- stroy her own internalized racial dysphoria that she experiences. She comes from a pretty impoverished background, she worked really hard and got into college. Then she starts to see that no matter how much she tries to assimilate into society that white