Shannon Lark
Encyclopedia
Shannon Lark is an American
Writer, Dancer, Director, Producer, professional Scream Queen
, and Film Festival Director
. Lark was the first ever Fangoria
Magazine Spooksmodel and has publicly advocated the advancement of the female role in horror cinema as the founder of The Chainsaw Mafia, a website dedicated to lesser-known artists in the genre to collaborate and showcase their work, and the Viscera Film Festival, a non profit horror film festival for women.
Her second attempt at the art of filmmaking was with the short Babies For Breakfast, followed soon by Marburg, a 16-minute horror docudrama about a ebola-like disease. From those early cinematic experiments Shannon has moved on to appearing within numerous independent and short films such as The Cleaner, Rated R for Zombies, and It’s My Birthday. Her feature films include Mr. Cleaver, Retardead (2008), and Walking Distance (2009) in which she stars alongside genre veterans Reggie Bannister
and Debbie Rochon
. Dubbed “San Francisco’s gore gore girl” by the media, Shannon is an established advocate for the female presence within horror cinema
. The first ever women only horror film festival, Viscera Film Festival, is an annual event showcasing horror cinema as exclusively created by women.
From the years 2005-2008 Shannon was a featured dancer in the Living Dead Girlz, a horror themed troupe combining burlesque and choreographed dancing arterial splatter theater. The troupe was featured in the 2007 film Brains. Shannon runs The Chainsaw Mafia, a production company focused on horror film and splatter theater. The Chainsaw Mafia is also a website for networking writers, filmmakers, and various artists within the horror genre. In 2008, Shannon became the first ever “Spooksmodel” for Fangoria
Magazine, ruling with its crown of gore from 2008-2009. The “Spooksmodel” appeared at every Fangoria Weekend of Horrors convention as well as appearing in the printed magazine promoting its various functions. In 2011, it was announced that Shannon would star in Towers of Terror, a zombie film set in the World Trade Center
on September 11, 2001.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Writer, Dancer, Director, Producer, professional Scream Queen
Scream queen
A scream queen is an actress who has become associated with horror films, either through an appearance in a notable entry in the genre as a frequent victim or through constant appearances as the female protagonist...
, and Film Festival Director
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
. Lark was the first ever Fangoria
Fangoria
Fangoria is an American magazine devoted to horror and exploitation films, which has a number of associated brands:* Fangoria Comics* Fangoria Films* Fangoria RadioFangoria may also refer to:* Fangoria , a Spanish electro pop band...
Magazine Spooksmodel and has publicly advocated the advancement of the female role in horror cinema as the founder of The Chainsaw Mafia, a website dedicated to lesser-known artists in the genre to collaborate and showcase their work, and the Viscera Film Festival, a non profit horror film festival for women.
Career
Lark spent the following years studying the formulas of horror film, as well as investigating the various aspects of filmmaking itself while working at REEL Video in Berkeley, CA. Teaming up with the Primitive Screwheads, Lark performed as Annie in "splatter theatre" productions of "Evil Dead: LIVE" for two years in a row. She also starred as Elsa in "Re-Animator" and "Little Red vs. the Undead" as Little Red Riding Hood. In 2006, Lark left the Primitive Screwheads and ventured onto directing, producing, and starring as Nancy Thompson in "The Elm St Murders," which used 18 gallons of fake blood sprayed at the audience, custom Freddy Gloves by Special FX Artist Devon Ryan, and the audience was pulled out of chairs, thrown in Freddy's path, and covered in pillow feathers. The show ran for 6 months at the DNA Lounge and Club 6 in San Francisco, ending with a Halloween show at Stanford University.Her second attempt at the art of filmmaking was with the short Babies For Breakfast, followed soon by Marburg, a 16-minute horror docudrama about a ebola-like disease. From those early cinematic experiments Shannon has moved on to appearing within numerous independent and short films such as The Cleaner, Rated R for Zombies, and It’s My Birthday. Her feature films include Mr. Cleaver, Retardead (2008), and Walking Distance (2009) in which she stars alongside genre veterans Reggie Bannister
Reggie Bannister
Reginald Horace "Reggie" Bannister is an American musician, actor, producer, writer, and activist. He is often referred to as "The Hardest Working Man in Horror".-Biography:...
and Debbie Rochon
Debbie Rochon
Debbie Rochon is a Canadian B-movie actress and former stage performer, best known for her work in Troma films.-Biography:...
. Dubbed “San Francisco’s gore gore girl” by the media, Shannon is an established advocate for the female presence within horror cinema
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
. The first ever women only horror film festival, Viscera Film Festival, is an annual event showcasing horror cinema as exclusively created by women.
From the years 2005-2008 Shannon was a featured dancer in the Living Dead Girlz, a horror themed troupe combining burlesque and choreographed dancing arterial splatter theater. The troupe was featured in the 2007 film Brains. Shannon runs The Chainsaw Mafia, a production company focused on horror film and splatter theater. The Chainsaw Mafia is also a website for networking writers, filmmakers, and various artists within the horror genre. In 2008, Shannon became the first ever “Spooksmodel” for Fangoria
Fangoria
Fangoria is an American magazine devoted to horror and exploitation films, which has a number of associated brands:* Fangoria Comics* Fangoria Films* Fangoria RadioFangoria may also refer to:* Fangoria , a Spanish electro pop band...
Magazine, ruling with its crown of gore from 2008-2009. The “Spooksmodel” appeared at every Fangoria Weekend of Horrors convention as well as appearing in the printed magazine promoting its various functions. In 2011, it was announced that Shannon would star in Towers of Terror, a zombie film set in the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
on September 11, 2001.
Filmography
- Towers of Terror (20122012 in filmThe following tables list films that are in production or have completed production and will be released in the United States and Canada at some point in 2012...
) - Walking Distance (20092009 in filmThe year 2009 saw the release of many films. Seven made the top 50 list of highest-grossing films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that as of this year, their Best Picture category would consist of ten nominees, rather than five .- Highest-grossing films :Please note...
) - Retardead (20082008 in filmThis is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
) - Mr. Cleaver
- Rated R for Zombies
- It’s My Birthday
- The Cleaner (20072007 in filmThis is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
) - Flying Saucer Rock 'N' Roll (20062006 in film- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
) - Marburg
- Babies for Breakfast
Additional sources
- HorrorMovies.ca, "Fresh Meat: Shannon Lark"
- ScreamQueen.com, "SHANNON LARK - Scream Queen of the Month "
External links
- Shannon Lark at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...