Snapchat: Mudditchgirl91 is three minutes and ten seconds of pure internet. It’s a compact quasi-horror movie written by 21-year-old author Alex Kazemi, directed via FaceTime and filmed on Snapchat – in the New York apartment of its star, Tumblr phenomenon Bella McFadden. “I don’t know why, but I know I like it,” said Marilyn Manson.
In the film, Bella, playing a character called Mudditchgirl91 (an allusion to tweets by another mysterious online celebrity, Lauren Avery), loses her mind in a dark pit of longing for Mudditchboy. She writhes around in Easy Cheese, bursts detergent pods onto her shirt and threatens to cut her tongue in two.
It’s either a sign that the End Times are coming, or a brilliant satire of internet culture in 2015. Watch it and decide for yourself. But earlier this week Playboy called it “the weirdest Snapchat video of all time.”
“What was scary about doing this in real-time was that people believed this was actually [Bella]. We made the decision to not tell anyone it was a fake-short film until an hour later,” Alex explained over email. “People were blowing up Bella’s phone thinking she was having a melt down. Her boyfriend stopped talking to her, her sister was worried. They thought of having a intervention. Real people lose their minds in front of the lenses of social media every day.”
Bella, who has an Instagram following of 53.3 thousand, is no stranger to the weirdness of the internet. She’s become famous in the online universe as “Internet Girl,” by maintaining a Tumblr filled with images of baby lambs in diapers, gothic Hello Kitty dolls and weirdly angled, weirdly artful self-portraits in kilts, crop tops and pigtails.
We emailed her to find out where Internet Girl ends and Bella begins – and for her thoughts about what “the weirdest Snapchat video of all time” means.
How does it feel knowing that Marilyn Manson has watched Mudditchgirl91 – and also that Marilyn Manson knows who you are?
I actually met Marilyn Manson once when I was in high school and I sort of idolized him. So the fact that he wanted to share the movie was exciting.
How did Alex first pitch this project to you?
It was so surreal. I got a direct message at 3AM while I was out with friends, proposing the character and script. I immediately responded and said I’d take the role. Initially the project was supposed to be for a Hollywood production company and as a film major I was stoked to be on board.
What do you think the movie’s message is? Does watching it scare you, like it scares us?
I was in shock when I read the script… like, WTF am I getting myself into? But when I read deeper into it I started laughing at the reality of it all and the mockery of Internet culture.
Alex directed via FaceTime, right?
Filming started at 9AM the next day. Alex PayPal-ed me the money for the props, and made himself available. My flatmate Rachael and I ran around the East Village in the pouring rain, grabbing everything from detergent pods to KFC. As soon as we got home the filming began. It took place over seven hours on the live Snapchat feed.
You have a pretty huge Instagram and Tumblr following. How did that happen?
I started off on Tumblr in tenth grade as a gore blogger. I definitely freaked out a lot of kids in my high school, which I’m not complaining about. Then I ended up branching off onto Instagram in my senior year. In the beginning it was my way of finding acceptance outside of my school setting, which I was always alienated from. Now I find social media is a candid reflection of myself.
Mudditchgirl91 draws a very fine line between mimicking weird internet culture and actually being part of that culture. As someone who has a big online presence, how did it feel to act out a role that has similarities with your own internet persona?
I am part of “weird internet culture,” and I’m proud of that. Mudditchgirl91 is a character completely created by Alex Kazemi. She is not who I am on my personal profiles. It is purely character-driven. I did this because it brought me out of my comfort zone. We had NO idea the video would blow up the way it did!
What’s your favorite thing on the internet right now?
I’m 100% obsessed with this group called Goth Boi Clique at the moment. They’re at the top of my SoundCloud list.
What do you do IRL? What’s an average day in your life?
Well. No day is average in my life these days – especially since I moved to New York for the summer. This summer has given me major opportunities. I’m also heading back to school in Montreal in September. I’m a full-time student at Concordia University in Communication Studies and Film, and I’m actually really excited to start my new semester. I’m enrolled in the History of Satan and Queer Theory courses.
Who else do you hope sees the film?
Lana Del Rey.
Credits
Text Alice Newell-Hanson