“We have to face our darkness and our light, not deny any part of ourselves.”
Alexandria Collins
Alexandria Collins is an accomplished writer~director~actor both in the horror genre and beyond. I am very excited to bring you this newest interview in our Women in Horror series. It was such a pleasure speaking with Alexandria and hearing her perspective on being a filmmaker in the horror genre.
Originally from Tallahassee, FL, Alexandria was inspired by her upbringing in the church to create her horror short, REBORN. It started with a vision of a young girl gaining powers from her baptism, then from there Alexandria was inspired to create this world in a short film. She really explores the shadow sides of humanity in her work, “creatively, horror and thrillers give a lot of room to explore that and really force the audience to examine themselves […].” REBORN was featured in Hulu’s Bite Sized Huluween. Along with her own label, Alexandria has quite a few projects to look out for in the future. Check out my interview, with Alexandria, below. What a pleasure to get to hear her story.
Conversations With Alexandria
Where did you grow up & where do you currently reside? How has this affected your writing?
I grew up in Tallahassee, FL and currently live in Los Angeles, CA. When people think of Florida they think palm trees and beaches, but Tallahassee is pretty traditionally southern. It’s impacted me and my work in innumerable ways. I love writing about the south, and am often informed by nature in my writing. I suppose LA’s helped with that as well.
What was your first memory with the horror genre?
I used to read horror and psychological thriller books and watch scary movies as a child even though I was terrified. I have no idea why. My favorite book for a long time was a thriller (can’t recall the name) about a group of teenagers trapped inside a shapeless bright space unwittingly forced to participate in a Pavlov’s dog type of experiment.
What was the inspiration behind your horror short REBORN?
I just had a vision of a young girl getting baptised in the church and coming up with powers. It was so clear and my job then was to understand what the world around it was. It’s been a really beautiful journey to build this world of Reborn and understand my lead character Kaya more.
REBORN has a very powerful plot based in religion. Growing up I was around religion quite a bit, so I’m interested to know the influence behind the choice.
I grew up in the church and feel intimately connected to religion in general and Christianity specifically. It’s a world I’m familiar with and can speak to its positives and negatives. With the short I’m touching on the perception in Christianity (especially in southern, baptist communities) that the pastor is the only one with power and he’s the most connected to God. I wanted to flip the power on its head and also make the audience question who’s actually using their powers for good or not.
How did REBORN come to be a part of Hulu’s Bite Size Huluween series? Did they approach you, or did you create it specifically for them? Has this opened up other doors for you?
I met the VP of Fox Digital (now 20th Digital) at an event hosted by The JTC List, a WOC group in LA. I approached him and pitched him on a feature concept and that led to a meeting. While that feature didn’t work out, they wanted to work with me on this short and yes, it has opened doors for me that I’m very thankful for. Exciting times ahead.
Check out Alexandria’s short film.
We know horror, as a genre, is not typically forgiving towards women. What inspired you to use this genre as a creative outlet?
I think because I’ve been drawn to darker subject matter in much of my work, this is a natural progression. I believe we all have shadow sides and humanity is all about duality. We have to face our darkness and our light, not deny any part of ourselves. Creatively, horror and thrillers give a lot of room to explore that and really force the audience to examine themselves and their relationship to their shadow. It’s a fun challenge.
With female creators like yourself, we are starting to see a change in the tropes around women & Women of Color. How do you want your work to stand out and be an outlet for change in this genre?
The more depictions of all types of people we have on screen, the better. My work is bound to be different from another person’s because I am an individual. I’m not striving to stand out, I’m working to be authentic to my voice and perspective. I hope that my work from here on will inspire people to continue stretching the “bounds” of our perceived abilities as storytellers.
I’m excited to see you are starting your own label, and that you have a few projects in development. What inspired you to create your company Supernormal Ventures? What would the mission statement for your label be?
I have lots of ideas and desires in life and they needed a home–so I made one. Supernormal is often used as a scientific term meaning exceeding the normal, exceptional. That’s what I aim to do with my work. I want my work to speak for itself in all areas of film, business, tech etc. My mission is to be authentic and excellent and create space for others to do the same.
Your work spans across several genres, from comedy to horror. Do you see yourself continuing with the horror genre in the future?
Absolutely. I love horror and have more I’m developing in this genre as well as comedy, drama etc. I don’t ever want to be boxed so I’m doing all I can to make it so that doesn’t happen.
What is your favorite horror film? What horror creators inspire you?
Funny, as an adult, I don’t watch much horror so most of what I’m creating is just coming from my imagination. I do like the work of Ari Aster and Jordan Peele. Of course, Stanley Kubrick. So much of horror is about mounting tension artfully and they’ve all done that so well. I have a lot to learn from them!
When you look back on your career, what mark do you hope to leave on this industry?
I hope I leave a body of work that I’m proud of. I hope it’s work that others study and are curious about. I hope my work brings people back time and time again to gain further understanding. I hope it feels impactful and cuts deeply into human truths.
Do you have any projects coming up that you’d like to share?
Just stay tuned.
Alexandria is a great example of the success a Killer Shorts Contest finalist could have with a horror short. As she says, “I don’t watch much horror, so most of what I’m creating is just coming from my imagination.” Alexandria’s work, in horror, clearly comes deep from her experiences, creativity, and imagination. Creating REBORN from a vision clearly shows Alexandria follows her instincts and lets her creativity flow. REBORN is a very powerful short. Make sure to look out for her future work, because Alexandria Collins is certainly a filmmaker worth following.
You can find out more about Alexandria’s work on alexandriacollins.com.
Find REBORN on Hulu’s YouTube channel, or on Alexandria’s website.
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Featured image: provided by Alexandria Collins
