Kier-La Janisse
Directing
Biography
Kier-La Janisse (born 1972) is a Canadian film producer, programmer, founder of international horror school The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, and author of A Violent Professional: The Films of Luciano Rossi and House of Psychotic Women: An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films. Her feature directorial debut, the documentary Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror, was released in 2021.
Place of Birth: Winnipeg, Canada
Known For
Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror
An exploration of the cinematic history of the folk horror, from its beginnings in the UK in the late sixties; through its proliferation on British television in the seventies and its many manifestations, culturally specific, in other countries; to its resurgence in the last decade.
Celluloid Horror
Celluloid Horror explores Kier-La Janisse's tireless crusade to bring obscure cult horror film to the masses through her independently run international film festival.
Tales of the Uncanny
A detailed look at the history of horror anthology films.
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau
The story of the insane scandals related to the remake of “Island of Dr. Moreau” —originally a novel by H. G. Wells—, which was brought to the big screen in 1996. How director Richard Stanley spent four years developing the project just to find an abrupt end to his work while leading actor Marlon Brando pulled the strings in the shadows. Now for the first time, the living key players recount what really happened and why it all went so spectacularly wrong.
1000 Women in Horror
Is horror a man’s world? You might assume so – but you won’t be thinking that way for long once you investigate the vast contribution women have made to horror movies for well over a century. In 2020, award-winning Australian critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas released the definitive book on the subject: 1000 Women in Horror, 1895–2018, an encyclopaedic work celebrating the many women – filmmakers, actors, producers and technicians – who have shaped the genre since the moment cinema’s light first flickered.
Eli Roth's History of Horror
An in-depth look at the history and pop cultural significance of horror films.
Parasite Memories: The Making of 'Shivers'
"Parasite Memories" is a brand new retrospective piece on the film produced by High Rising Productions with lively contribution from effects artist Joe Blasco, actresses Lynn Lowry and Barbara Steele, actor Allan Kolman, and Canadian critic Kier La-Janisse.
Raw, Rough and Rabid: The Lacerating Legacy of Cinépix
A featurette looking back at the early years of the celebrated Canadian production company, including interviews with author Kier-La Janisse and special make-up artist Joe Blasco.
The Reluctant Icon: A Tribute to Laura Gemser
A poignant ode to the star of the Black Emanuelle series and the real-life love story at its core, written, directed and narrated by Kier-La Janisse based on an interview with longtime Italian journalist Manlio Gomarasca.
Kier-La Janisse on Cockfighter
The author of Cockfight: A Fable of Failure recounts her long history with Monte Hellman’s Cockfighter (1974), which is effectively illegal to screen in the UK due to staged scenes of the titular blood sport.
Filmography
as Self
as Self
as Self
as Herself