Margaret Pomeranz exists in a very particular part of the Australian consciousness: she’s loved by National Public Radio devoted parents and their ‘destroy the patriarchy’ kids alike. While her time seated next to David Stratton on The Movie Show and At The Movies means she’s a stalwart of the country’s bespectacled arts community, her disinterest in intellectual elitism and rejection of any sense of high-art pretension has seen her emerge as a kind of eye-rolling anti-hero.
While conversations around dismantling genre and blurring the lines between high and low art are favourites in any university classroom today, Pomeranz has been pressing people to interrogate what they think is “good” or “worthy” for decades. As a result her participation in the film community is textured and refreshing: she can defend the cultural value of a Vin Diesel movie and fight oppressive censorship culture with the same moving commitment.
Laughing (throatily) off any glimmer of pretension or posturing, she is an example of what you can get done if you work hard, don’t take things too seriously and commit to always calling bullshit where you see it.
So you’re hosting a panel at Vivid looking at horror as a genre. In the 60s there was this real moment of sophistication around horror films that slowly devolved into slasher movies across the 80s; but it feels like we’re witnessing a kind of horror renaissance, do you see that?
Australian audiences have been very weary of genre. You only had to look at the case of The Babadook, which was such a good film. It did absolutely no business here, then was praised, particularly in The Guardian in London. But, it’s a starting point for so many filmmakers. Oliver Stone’s first two films were horror films. What are those films that – the really sadistic horror series where the two Australians went to America and made the film?
The Saw films?
Yes! They got their start on horror. It’s a genre that I must say I was never particularly into, but over the years I’ve actually come to embrace it. You know, I’m slightly ashamed, but I must say I quite like the original Hostel.
That’s a huge jump from not being a horror fan to liking Hostel.
I can remember not being a fan and sitting in the cinema (watching Hostel) and being absolutely blown out of my mind realising that I enjoyed it. I was all alone and I had to sit through this horror film. It was a blast, actually.
I’m not a fan of that, sort of “horror-porn” you know. After the first couple of Saw films I just wasn’t interested in seeing any more. And I really didn’t like the second Wolf Creek either. I think that when horror dips into really elemental fears, that’s when it’s tremendously effective.
Margaret being detained by police in 2003 for attempting to screen Larry Clark’s banned film Ken Park.
Could you give me an example of what you think works in horror?
I think obviously that situation of having a world that’s out of your control, and a malevolence in it. That’s pretty much what horror is. You’re a victim with no way out. I think the original Wolf Creek worked because it tapped into this fear of Australians of this vast, terrifying interior of our country. I thought there was a validity about that film that I didn’t think was there in the second one. But I can tell you, I was in Cannes and I can remember at the screening you could hear the seats flapping up. People left the cinema! So some people can’t take it. That was pretty raw, that one.
You mentioned before that Australians are often uncertain about genre films, we need to see them break overseas before we embrace them. Why do you think that is?
I think that’s true of most Australian films, it’s really hard to break into the market, but Australians have been notoriously wary of genre. My heart bleeds for The Babadook because it was a really sophisticated, well made, well written film, and never had a chance to make a mark in cinemas here. It most probably did a lot better on DVD and downloading because of the later notoriety it got. But it’s not something that people rushed to see.
Is that an extension of our “cultural cringe” when it comes to our own creative industries?
I think there are so many factors: The advertising budgets for so many Australian films are miniscule compared to the swamping of American series films. A lot of people want to go to the cinema for fairly mindless stuff that’s not particularly well written or well thought out – you know these sequels are just, I don’t know, I’m in despair.
I could wrack people around the head and say, “Go and see our cinema!” It’s really, really interesting. But I don’t think people want really interesting films, I think they want – and I’m going to sound like a real snob here – but I think they want a mindless experience.
They want to be taken away from themselves for two hours and walk out of the cinema and not think about it again. That’s the beauty of a lot of what we’re creating here now, it is reflecting our society.
Margaret introducing the Tuesday Movie during her two decade long stint at SBS.
Before we finish, I want to just speak briefly about you as a media personality. In recent years there’s really been a swell of young, creative women who flock to you.
Really?
Yeah, absolutely. I was bragging to my friends all week about interviewing you.
I don’t get it in a way. All I’ve done is my job, all these years. I mean okay, you’re on television and you do get a profile, and I’ve been very proud to have been a woman in the business. I wasn’t going to be the woman on The Movie Show, but I wanted a woman up against David. That was always a driving force with me: I wanted a feminine voice, because so much opinion about film is coming from males and there is a real role for women’s voices.
You know, I needed it (her role on The Movie Show) like a hole in the head. But I thought it was important that you had a woman introducing films with some sort of authority on screen. So look, if I’ve inspired young women to go after it I’m very happy.
Margaret will be hosting the discussion The Horror Genre — Getting Your Film Made at Vivid on 4 June. For the full lineup of events, visit their website.
Credits
Text Wendy Syfret
Image via YouTube