Emily Louise Rua is the Writer/Director of (and an actress in) "Gluttony."
La Libertad: Where were you born?
Emily Louise Rua: I was born in Western New York, growing up in the City of Tonawanda (not to be confused with the Town of Tonawanda, or our rival city, North Tonawanda).
La Libertad: Where do you currently reside?
Emily Louise Rua: I can be found lurking around Los Angeles, California.
La Libertad: What do you love most about your work?
Emily Louise Rua: In both film and events I get to create a cohesive
“world” for the viewer or attendee. I love to transport people to a
different space where they can have a shared experience, and hopefully
learn something about themselves along the way.
La Libertad: What talents and hobbies do you have?
Emily Louise Rua: One talent I am proud to possess is a keen attention to detail. I love adding small "Easter eggs"
in my films, to tell a deeper story than what is on the surface, or
think through every aspect of the experience for a live event to fully
transport my audience into the “world” of the event.
Hobby-wise, I constantly need to express my creativity; I love to cook,
scrapbook, and play the piano – all with a horror/Halloween twist, of
course! My kitchen is vintage Halloween-themed, I make a Halloween
scrapbook every year, and I have dozens of Halloween sheet music books.
La Libertad: What inspires you?
Emily Louise Rua: The creative works of others often inspire me to
create something different of my own. I have a film Degree from U.S.C.
[University of Southern California], and I strongly believe that to
succeed in the cinematic arts, you should constantly be studying films
from all periods, genres, and countries. I try to watch three hundred
sixty-five films or T.V. show seasons a year, and it has been
instrumental in my growth as a filmmaker.
I love horror, so I gravitate to those films a lot; however, I have found brilliant inspiration in French romantic comedies, noir thrillers
from the 1940’s, modern Bollywood musicals, and more. There is always
something to learn from watching other works – or reading books, or
viewing artwork.
La Libertad: What foreign languages, if any, do you read, write, and/or speak?
Emily Louise Rua: I am much better at reading the romantic languages
than speaking, but I have a very basic knowledge of Italian and Spanish,
and I have learned a Japanese phrase or two, after two trips out there
to tour haunted attractions.
La Libertad: What are your career goals?
Emily Louise Rua: I would love to take over the reign as the Queen of
Halloween. Horror and Halloween are at the core of my being, so I am
doing all I can to work in those industries, and help to create films
and events that can bring people together to share their love for those
topics. I hope to direct and act in more horror films, and help [take]
more Halloween events across the country.
La Libertad: Your remark that you "would love to take over the reign as the Queen of Halloween" seems to imply that you would like to replace someone you regard as the current Queen of Halloween; if so, who?
Emily Louise Rua: There are many strong women in the Halloween and Horror space, from Horror Movie Hostesses like Elvira and Vampira, to crafters and bakers like Christine McConnell and Martha Stewart, to Horror Movie Scream Queens like Jaime Lee Curtis and Sarah Michelle Gellar. I strive to honor their legacy and contributions to the field while pioneering my own persona in the hopes of someday being counted among their royal ranks.
La Libertad: Why are you so interested in horror films?
Emily Louise Rua: Horror is a genre that can really unite people.
Everyone has felt fear at some time or another, whether it is fear of
the dark, fear of the unknown, or fear of amorphous blobs from outer
space. Horror can use our primal understanding of fear to examine the
human condition – [what humanity means]... How are we different from
“monsters”? Or, are we the monsters? An audience explores these themes
together, and survives with new understandings or perspectives, even
when their onscreen counterparts may not.
La Libertad: What would you like to tell our readers about the 9 Ways to Hell? For example, which segments did you write and direct?
Emily Louise Rua: My segment in 9 Ways to Hell is “Gluttony." I wrote, directed, and co-starred in the piece.
La Libertad: What special effects do you use?
Emily Louise Rua: For "Gluttony," we went old school and followed in the footsteps of Alfred Hitchcock.
He used chocolate syrup for the classic shower scene in Psycho, and we
used a chocolate syrup concoction for our black sludge. Poor Ginny O’Keefe
(Stephanie) was covered in the sticky goo for our shoot. It was a mess
to clean, but worked great for the camera. Sometimes the simplest
effects are the best – and most tasty!
At right: Makha Mthembu, Brieanna Yniguez, Lacey Rae, Ginny O'Keefe & Marissa Floro in "Betrayal"La Libertad: Where do you want the film to go?
Emily Louise Rua: We just had one of the highlights for me – it played
in a film festival in my hometown area, so my family was able to see my
segment on the big screen. I love being able to share my work - and the
work of my amazing friends - with the community I grew up with. I look
forward to the film getting distribution and being available to the
masses. There were so many talented filmmakers, actors, and crew on 9 Ways to Hell! And I hope that this film brings all of us future opportunities.When I am not making horror films, I work in the events industry, focusing mainly on horror, Halloween, and cinema events. I have been an exhibitor coordinator for ScareLA, HauntX, and Cine Gear Expo, and I work with a technical director as an events assistant on private and corporate events.
For "Gluttony," I knew right away that I did not want to go the obvious route of just focusing on over-eating, so I read the portion of Dante’s Inferno covering that level of Hell with a fine-toothed comb to pick out details that could take the story someplace more unconventional.
"Gluttony" does not just focus on food, but over-indulgence in many aspects of life. It concerns an empty excess in everything, at the expense of the people around you. That was the core of the story I wanted to tell.
I also loved the imagery of tormented souls in putrid, black slush, and knew that I wanted to incorporate that into the segment as well.
Gluttony is a sin that I believe hits a nerve with women in particular. Women are objectified and judged based on their weight, how they look, how much make-up they wear, their jewelry, et cetera. I wanted to highlight this pressure and ridiculousness through the relationship of the drop-dead gorgeous Stephanie (played by Ginny O’Keefe) and the plain, average-in-every-way woman, Becky (yours truly).
I enjoyed subverting expectations, and portraying a little karmic justice in this piece as well. The message of my segment is to enjoy life with a bit of moderation, and to never lose sight of how your ambitions, desires, and ego affect the people around you.
[The year] 2020 has been an insanely stressful year, but there are still so many things to be thankful for, amidst the madness. Many people have turned to film and the entertainment industry as an escape, and are recognizing how much the arts contribute to overall happiness.We have also seen the return of drive-in theaters across the country, which is an exciting outlet for filmmakers to explore with their local venues. Many horror films already use limited cast and contained locations to tell stories, so I feel that there will be a surge in horror film making for the foreseeable future.
I have tried to make the most of this down-time in traditional production to connect with filmmaker friends online, and work on personal film projects with my roommate. I know that, as a community, we can make it through these tumultuous times together.
Interview by Emily Louise Rua
Edited by
William Mortensen Vaughan
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