Judging by “The Serpent’s Skin,” you wouldn’t guess Alice Maio Mackay is only 20. The wunderkind filmmaker from Australia is already on her sixth feature, and it was inspired by fantasy TV shows that are almost a decade older than the director. Co-written with Benjamin Pahl Robinson, Maio Mackay’s moody new movie pays vivid homage to her favorite episodes of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Charmed” by way of a witchy girl-on-girl love story. Think “The Craft” with more queer kissing, and surreal technicolor visuals akin to a sapphic “Mandy.” Fans of Maio Mackay’s earlier “T Blockers” will be happy to hear she’s still funny, but this story was made for Gen-z femmes who discovered Evanescence via Spotify.
Why Maio Mackay took a liking to supernatural TV shows from the ‘90s is anyone’s guess, but how she went about catching up on them is what matters most.
Why Maio Mackay took a liking to supernatural TV shows from the ‘90s is anyone’s guess, but how she went about catching up on them is what matters most.
- 7/24/2025
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Stars: Jeremy Moineau, Chris Asimos, Dominique Booth, Lewi Dawson, Olivia Deeble, Lisa Fanto, Molly Ferguson, Patty Glavieux, Betsey Brown | Written by Alice Maio Mackay, Benjamin Pahl Robinson | Directed by Alice Maio Mackay
As always, I made sure I got to see the Christmas movie from this year’s Fantasia festival. Carnage for Christmas sees true-crime podcaster Lola, return to her hometown for the first time since leaving and transitioning, only for an ‘urban myth’ to seemingly also return and start killing again. Lola must solve the case and save the town that didn’t want her.
I don’t mean this in a bad way at all, but Carnage for Christmas feels very familiar to anyone who has seen plenty of slasher films, and more specifically Christmas slasher movies. There are clearly influences here from such films as Silent Night, Deadly Night and Black Christmas. This is of course no bad thing,...
As always, I made sure I got to see the Christmas movie from this year’s Fantasia festival. Carnage for Christmas sees true-crime podcaster Lola, return to her hometown for the first time since leaving and transitioning, only for an ‘urban myth’ to seemingly also return and start killing again. Lola must solve the case and save the town that didn’t want her.
I don’t mean this in a bad way at all, but Carnage for Christmas feels very familiar to anyone who has seen plenty of slasher films, and more specifically Christmas slasher movies. There are clearly influences here from such films as Silent Night, Deadly Night and Black Christmas. This is of course no bad thing,...
- 7/26/2024
- by Alain Elliott
- Nerdly
Stars: Lewi Dawson, Lauren Last, Stanley Browning, Etcetera Etcetera, Patty Glavieux, Toshiro Glenn, Lisa Fanto, Chris Asimos | Written by Alice Maio Mackay, Benjamin Pahl Robinson | Directed by Alice Maio Mackay
T Blockers is Australian filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay’s follow-up to So Vam and Bad Girl Boogey. Right from the start, she lets viewers know this isn’t your typical creature feature with an introduction by Cryptessa, played by Etcetera Etcetera, who achieved fame on RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under. This is shortly after being revealed to be part of Terror from Below, a supposedly lost movie being watched by one of this film’s characters.
That character would be Spencer who’s watching it while helping calm down his roommate Sophie (Lauren Last) who is about to go on a date with Adam, her first date since coming out as a trans woman.
That doesn’t go quite as planned,...
T Blockers is Australian filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay’s follow-up to So Vam and Bad Girl Boogey. Right from the start, she lets viewers know this isn’t your typical creature feature with an introduction by Cryptessa, played by Etcetera Etcetera, who achieved fame on RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under. This is shortly after being revealed to be part of Terror from Below, a supposedly lost movie being watched by one of this film’s characters.
That character would be Spencer who’s watching it while helping calm down his roommate Sophie (Lauren Last) who is about to go on a date with Adam, her first date since coming out as a trans woman.
That doesn’t go quite as planned,...
- 3/8/2024
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
Stars: Lisa Fanto, Iris Mcerlean, Prudence Cassar, Steven Nguyen, Toshiro Glenn, Lewi Dawson, Georgie Cufone, Em Bleby, Mark Fantasia, Patty Glavieux | Written by Alice Maio Mackay, Benjamin Pahl Robinson | Directed by Alice Maio Mackay
Showcasing different time periods connected by a creepy mask which brings out the worst in people, co-writer/director Alice Maio Mackay uses her sophomore feature to show the venomous bigotry resonating across the changing years. Sixteen years after the last killings, close friends Angel (Lisa Fanto) and Dario (Iris Mcerlean) are thrown into a nightmare situation when their friend is the next victim. It is up to the pair to overcome their personal struggles and fight their fear before the masked killer slaughters everyone dear to them.
What’s key to Bad Girl Boogey are the firm friendships within the group, looking out for each other regarding addiction issues, self-harming, and age-inappropriate relationships. This is particularly true for Angel,...
Showcasing different time periods connected by a creepy mask which brings out the worst in people, co-writer/director Alice Maio Mackay uses her sophomore feature to show the venomous bigotry resonating across the changing years. Sixteen years after the last killings, close friends Angel (Lisa Fanto) and Dario (Iris Mcerlean) are thrown into a nightmare situation when their friend is the next victim. It is up to the pair to overcome their personal struggles and fight their fear before the masked killer slaughters everyone dear to them.
What’s key to Bad Girl Boogey are the firm friendships within the group, looking out for each other regarding addiction issues, self-harming, and age-inappropriate relationships. This is particularly true for Angel,...
- 6/28/2023
- by James Rodrigues
- Nerdly
Digital Release Announced for So Vam: "Distribution Solutions, a division of Alliance Entertainment, announces the Digital release of Mutiny Pictures’ So Vam coming June 21, 2022. The queer horror is impressively co-written, produced, and directed by then 16-year-old Alice Maio Mackay, a young trans filmmaker in her feature debut!
Kurt is a high school outcast in a conservative town who dreams of moving to the city to be a famous drag queen. When he is kidnapped by a predatory old vampire and attacked, he is rescued just in time by a gang of rebellious vampires who feed on bigots and abusers. As a
vampire, he finally knows empowerment and belonging. However, his killer is still out there, creating new minions with their own rotten
hatred and threatening all that he loves. Until Kurt faces the monster, he will never truly be free. But, this time, he need not face it alone.
The...
Kurt is a high school outcast in a conservative town who dreams of moving to the city to be a famous drag queen. When he is kidnapped by a predatory old vampire and attacked, he is rescued just in time by a gang of rebellious vampires who feed on bigots and abusers. As a
vampire, he finally knows empowerment and belonging. However, his killer is still out there, creating new minions with their own rotten
hatred and threatening all that he loves. Until Kurt faces the monster, he will never truly be free. But, this time, he need not face it alone.
The...
- 5/18/2022
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
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