Izzy Lee

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Izzy Lee
Izzy Lee dark cropped hi res.jpg
Lee in 2014
Alma mater Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Occupation(s)Filmmaker, director, producer, actor, writer

Izzy Lee is an American filmmaker and writer, known for her short films Re-Home (2019), [1] The Obliteration of the Chickens (2019), [2] My Monster (2018), and Innsmouth , which she produced through her company Nihil Noctem. [3] [4] She has written for multiple outlets such as Birth.Movies.Death, [5] Rue Morgue , [6] TwitchFilm , and Fangoria and has also helped program and curate film festivals like the Boston Underground and the Boston Sci-Fi Fest. [7] [8]

Contents

Lee began showing an interest in horror in kindergarten and later attended the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, where she received a BFA in illustration. [7] [8] She initially started as an actor and writer, but branched out into filmmaking in order to "see if I could do it". [8]

Lee started her filmmaking career in Massachusetts, where she was featured on WCVB Channel 5’s news show, Chronicle. in 2021. [9] Lee has gained a following leading up to articles which shine a light on her talent as an up-and-coming director, such as "one of 10 female horror directors Blumhouse should hire" from The A.V. Club , [10] as well as from author and film festival programmer Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, who stated that "...Izzy Lee... is going to be massive once she gets the break that she deserves" in Entertainment Weekly. [11]

Lee often works with socio-political themes in horror and thrillers, as well as cult or weird genres. [12] [13] Lee's first short film, Legitimate, was released in 2013 and was partially inspired by Representative Todd Akin's comments about "legitimate" rape. [7] The following year, Lee directed a trailer, Come Out and Play, for Christopher Golden's 2014 novel Snowblind. [14] In 2015 Lee released Innsmouth, which was inspired by the works of H. P. Lovecraft, particularly The Shadow over Innsmouth . [15] [16] The short received some media attention for Lee's choice to feature a predominantly female cast, which she did in order to "make [Lovecraft] roll over in his grave a little by having the cast 98% female and switching the gender roles.” [17] Her short film Re-Home (2019) started as a reaction to the promise of a wall built between the United States and Mexico. [18] Lee has also tackled abuse within the Catholic Church with Rites of Vengeance (2017) [19] and revenge porn with For A Good Time, Call... (2017). [20]

In 2023, her short film, Meat Friend [21] starring Marnie McKendry [22] (daughter of fellow horror filmmakers Rebekah and David McKendry), [23] Megan Duffy, and Steve Johanson, was nominated for Best Short by Fangoria for their annual Chainsaw Awards. [24]

The filmmaker often casts other directors in her short films, such as: Gigi Saul Guerrero [25] in Re-Home; Brea Grant and Daniel Isn't Real director, Adam Egypt Mortimer in My Monster; Silvia Graziano and The Ranger producer Heather Buckley in Rites of Vengeance; and Sophia Cacciola in Innsmouth . The author Bracken MacLeod [26] provided the voiceover for the experimental, Werner Herzog-influenced The Obliteration of the Chickens (2019), [27] while Lee herself narrated Disco Graveyard (2020). [28]

Filmography

YearFilmDirectorWriterProducerActorNotes
2013Legitimate YesYesYesYesShort film, as Masked Woman [7]
2013Ave Maria NoNoNoYesShort film
2014Come Out and PlayYesYesYesNoShort film
2014PicketYesYesYesNoShort film
2014Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling: Episode 15 - The Girl Who Was DeathNoNoNoYesVideo short, as Barfly
2015Bring Us Your WomenYesYesNoYesSegment "Arya Tara", Actress in segment "Sirens", as Persephone
2015Invisible FriendYesYesYesNoShort film
2015A FavorYesYesYesNoShort film [29] [30] [31] [32]
2015 Innsmouth YesYesYesYesShort film, as Izzy [33]
2015PostpartumYesYesYesNoShort film [34] [35]
2016GrindsploitationYesYesNoNoSegment "John Smith"
201660 Seconds to DieYesNoNoNoSegment "Necrosis"
2016TrinityNoNoNoYesas Tarot Card Reader Two
2017For a Good Time, Call…YesNoYesNoShort film, written by Chris Hallock, shot by Bryan McKay, co-produced with Severin Films
2017Rites of VengeanceYesYesYesNoShort film, co-produced with Mary McDonagh and Paul Furio
2018My MonsterYesYesYesNoShort film, co-produced with Richard Stringham
2019 Clickbait NoNoNoYesas Biology 433: Plant Taxonomy and Human Dissection student, Halloween Partier
2019The Obliteration of the ChickensYesYesYesNoShort film
2020Disco GraveyardYesYesYesYesShort film
2020Consider the TitanicYesYesYesNoMusic Video
2022Meat Friend [36] YesYesYesNoShort film
2022Memento Mori [37] YesYesYesYesShort film

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References

  1. ↑ "Cinepocalypse 2019: Izzy Lee's 'Re-Home' – Short Film Review". Pop Horror.
  2. ↑ "THE SHORT FILMS OF IZZY LEE #2 (2019)". Cinedump.
  3. ↑ "INTVW: A SIX PACK OF NEW ENGLAND FILM-MAKING MASTER MINDS, PT.1". Icons of Fright. 2016-04-28. Retrieved 2016-05-26.
  4. ↑ "Interview with 'Innsmouth' Director Izzy Lee". Tom Holland's Terror Time. 2016-03-23. Retrieved 2016-05-26.
  5. ↑ "Izzy Lee". Birth. Movies. Death.
  6. ↑ "Izzy Lee". Rue Morgue.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "NO-BUDGET NIGHTMARES: SHORT FILM ROUNDUP (IZZY LEE'S LEGITIMATE)". Daily Grindhouse. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 Torretti, Barbara (2015-08-14). "Interview with actress, writer and director Izzy Lee". DarkVeins. Retrieved 2016-05-26.
  9. ↑ "New England native Izzy Lee takes on the strange and unusual in her short films". WVCB5.
  10. ↑ Rife, Katie. "We rounded up 10 female horror directors for Jason Blum, who seems to have trouble finding them". The A.V. Club.
  11. ↑ "1000 Women in Horror author says book could have been ten times longer". Entertainment Weekly.
  12. ↑ "Writer/Directory Izzy Lee once again defies the "Genre Box" with the experimental short film, 'The Obliteration of the Chickens'". Hellbent for Horror.
  13. ↑ "THE SHORT FILMS OF IZZY LEE (2017)". Cinedump.
  14. ↑ Lee, Izzy (January 5, 2014). "Come Out and Play". YouTube. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Travel to Innsmouth for a Teaser and Some Stills". Dread Central. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
  16. ↑ "INNSMOUTH (Short Film)". Starburst Magazine. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
  17. ↑ "Izzy Lee puts a New Spin on Lovecraft with Short INNSMOUTH". Diabolique Magazine. 2016-03-08. Retrieved 2016-05-26.
  18. ↑ "Cinepocalypse 2019: Izzy Lee's 'Re-Home' – Short Film Review". Pop Horror.
  19. ↑ "RITES OF VENGEANCE: Short Film Review". SCREAM.
  20. ↑ "Short Film, Short Review: FOR A GOOD TIME, CALL..." Screen Anarchy.
  21. ↑ Malone, Stephanie. "13 Stellar Shorts From Genreblast 2022" . Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  22. ↑ Melanson, Angel. "A Sentient Pile Of Murderous Hamburger Meat: Watch The MEAT FRIEND Teaser Now". Fangoria. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  23. ↑ Fassel, Preston. "[review] With 'memento Mori' And 'meat Friend,' Izzy Lee Ups Her Short Game- And Shows She Needs A Feature". Daily Grindhouse. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  24. ↑ Gilchrist, Todd (27 January 2023). "Jordan Peele's 'Nope,' Ti West's 'Pearl' Lead Fangoria's Chainsaw Award Nominations". Variety. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  25. ↑ "Gigi Saul Guerrero To Direct Orion Horror Thriller '10-31′". Deadline. 14 January 2020.
  26. ↑ "BRACKEN MACLEOD". Macmillan Publishers.
  27. ↑ "The Obliteration of the Chickens' (2019) Short Review". Pop Horror. 2 March 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  28. ↑ Danielle, Tori. "[Short Film Review] DISCO GRAVEYARD". Nightmarish Conjurings. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  29. ↑ Dolan, Patrick. "Review: Izzy Lee's new short A FAVOR". Rue Morgue. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  30. ↑ Unsworth, Martin. "A FAVOR (Short Film)". Starburst. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  31. ↑ Muller, Stuart. "FrightFest 2015 Review: A FAVOR Engenders Favour". Twitch Film. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  32. ↑ Villalpando, Tiffany (17 July 2015). "Favor, A (Short)". Dread Central. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  33. ↑ Hallam, Scott (8 September 2015). "Innsmouth (Short, 2015) (review)". Dread Central. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  34. ↑ Mueller, Stuart. "Review: POSTPARTUM. So, Speaking Of Six-Minute Emotional Roller Coasters". Twitch Film. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  35. ↑ Lidstone, David. "We review Izzy Lee's short horror film POSTPARTUM". Rue Morgue. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  36. ↑ XIII, Daniel (5 February 2022). "Short Film Review: Meat Friend (2022)". Horror Fuel.
  37. ↑ XIII, Daniel (5 May 2022). "Short Film Review: Memento Mori (2022)". Horror Fuel.
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