An American Haunting: Star Rachel Hurd-Wood "My agent sent me the script, which I thought was incredible and I called them back and said I really wanted the part of Betsy Bell. I went to 3 or 4 auditions as well as doing a screentest. I was so nervous and when I get nervous I get very hungry. I ate tons of pasta before I did my screentest (laughs)." By: Elaine Lamkin
The Lost: Author Jack Ketchum "I think the ending kinda stunned 'em. I don't think they knew whether to applaud or not. Some did, most just sort of sat there. The Q&A was uneventful, mostly about technical things as I recall. But outside in the lobby afterwards the feeling was full of energy and enthusiasm." By: Elaine Lamkin
An American Haunting: Writer/Director Courtney Solomon "Donald Sutherland was the first to sign on – we had a meeting and he was on board. Then his agent suggested Sissy as they repped her too. I had no real hope of getting Sissy but once she read the script, she said it was “a classy film” and she signed on." By: Elaine Lamkin
The Lost: Writer/Director Chris Sivertson "I’m a big Ketchum fan. I’ve read all of his novels and pretty much all his published short stories... He’s a great writer who creates fantastic characters and then puts them into the most intense situations imaginable." By: Elaine Lamkin
Apocalypse and the Beauty Queen: Star Courtney Kocak "I’m sitting at a Hardee’s discussing “Apocalypse” with Tom Smugala. He also took some pictures of me outside the restaurant in these thrift store clothes, which were similar to what Sylvie would wear in the film. And he jokingly asked me if I could lose 3 or 4 pounds!" By: Elaine Lamkin
Silent Hill: Scream Tween Star Jodelle Ferland "I did see some of the creatures on the set. I saw the Gray Children who chase Rose. It was funny because their eyes are on the sides of their heads so I thought they could see me but the actors’ eyes inside the costume look straight ahead so they really couldn’t see me (laughs)." By: Elaine Lamkin
Mortuary: Actor Rocky Marquette "Oh man, was I ever crazy. But that is what makes it so great! I have to admit I was nervous the first day but then after I was drenched with blood it felt like I was wearing clothes. HA! When I watch it now, I see that I am naked." By: Elaine Lamkin
Apocalypse and the Beauty Queen: Star Gunnar Hansen "I’m always tired of talking about [Texas Chainsaw Massacre] as the questions are almost always the same. But at the same time, everyone’s interest and enthusiasm about the film make it something I doubt I will ever stop discussing." By: Elaine Lamkin
Apocalypse and the Beauty Queen: Star Carlos A. Vio "I got notice of “ABQ” through an Internet resource called indieaccess.net that some dude was making a film in Missouri and was looking for an actor to fill the role of Matthew, the male lead. So I sent Tom my headshot and resume, which I guess interested him, because he then sent me some sides from the script to shoot and send down to him from Toronto." By: Elaine Lamkin
Dead and Breakfast: Actor/Producer Miranda Bailey "[Unearthed] is currently in post – we’re aiming for a theatrical release in September. It’s similar in tone to “Alien”. There is a creature which has killed off most of a tribe of Native Americans. The survivors manage to capture and bury the creature only to have some archaeologists dig it up centuries later and unleash the horror." By: Elaine Lamkin
Lady Vengeance: The Great Park Chan-wook "“Lady Vengeance” is the only film in the trilogy which has a character completely unworthy of sympathy. Other characters in the film are combinations of good and evil. And actually, the film starts in full color but the colors are gradually bleached away as the movie progresses until it ends in black and white." By: Elaine Lamkin
The Grudge 2: On Set in Japan with the Cast and Crew! "I don’t feel any pressure from the movie itself… I kind of feel the pressure as in I’m an Asian actor from Asian cinema and I’m getting a chance in a Hollywood movie and I hope I don’t want to screw it up because I know there’s a lot of actors in Asia… that are looking to get a break."" By: Mark Slonsky
The Pig/The Bighead: Hardcore Horror Author Edward Lee "In the ‘70s when I was starting to read horror in earnest, I often found myself wishing that the stories pushed the envelope; I found myself wanting things to be more explicit and more sexual, and then thought "Wouldn't be great to be able to write horror with deeper boundaries?" By: Elaine Lamkin
The Heirloom: Director Leste Chen "The Taiwan film industry is so dead, so when somebody asks me if I want to make a movie, of course I have to say "yes!" My producer explained to me that in this terrible market, the first film is extremely important. If you can establish your market value, you can build a reputation and then, eventually, you can get closer to the film you want to make." By: Elaine Lamkin
Firecracker: Writer/Director Steve Balderson "Shot in both black and white, to represent the drab, everyday, painful world Jimmy inhabits and in beautiful, oversaturated color for the carnival scenes to represent the world Jimmy wants to be a part of, “Firecracker” is visually stunning but also emotionally harsh." By: Elaine Lamkin
Apocalypse and the Beauty Queen: Director Thomas Smugala "I was always intrigued by her story, but I knew that I would need to tell her story in a way wasn't too sadistic. That's why it was important to keep it a fairy-tale. I have always loved the wicked stepmother and have used a similar theme in a 20-minute short I had shot a few years earlier called "186 Days". When I passed the script over to James he went crazy over the Bathory idea" By: Elaine Lamkin
Snakes on a Plane: Director David R. Ellis "We had over 500 real, non-venomous snakes as well as some CGI snakes. The trailer, which is currently making the rounds on the Internet, is rather rough. The shot of the woman with the snake coming out of her blouse needs tweaking as do a few others – when we’re finished with post, all of the snakes will be photo-real." By: Elaine Lamkin
SLiTHER: Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Look at the FX "I'm a big fan of CGI, I don't think they would be making the movies they are now if it wasn't for CGI. I think it's only helped our business, especially with composite effects, removing tubes or moving rods, and that's not really that big of a deal, if you set up your shot right, that'll save you a ton of money." By: SpookyDan
KatieBird: Certifiable Crazy Person: Star Taylor M Dooley "This film is about the birth of a female serial killer as told by the killer herself while she tortures her next victim/psychiatrist. It is an exploration of the themes of nature v. nurture, good v. evil, because there is a twist: KatieBird’s father is a serial killer who nurtures and fosters the seed planted in his teenage daughter." By: Elaine Lamkin
Death By Engagement: Star Jeff Parise "As a matter of fact, yes something “funny” did happen while shooting. Brandon Largent, the actor playing the killer, got very exited and over zealous when it came time to strangle me and I couldn’t hold him off. When “action” was called he went for it and began to actually choke me! If it looks real, it’s because it is!" By: Elaine Lamkin
Hatchet: Writer/Director Adam Green "Spiral is a complete 180 from Hatchet. When I was asked to come on board I jumped at the chance because it was such a moody, dark script and it was not a “horror” movie per se. So now I have two very different films completed that will come out soon after each other." By: Spooky Dan
2001 Maniacs: Star Wendy Kremer "I’m still beside myself that I not only got to work beside Robert [Englund] for two of the most fun-filled weeks of my life, but that I still get to see him from time to time." By: Elaine Lamkin
The Ocean: Director Dante Tomaselli "My films are hallucinatory. But with “Halloween 9”, there would be a much greater emphasis on scaring the audience. And, you know, art and horror CAN merge." By: Elaine Lamkin
Death By Engagement: Star P.J. Soles "I was hit full force in the ear by the water from the fire hose, which broke my eardrum, which made me pass out. I went to the hospital, and I had to go to the doctor once a week for six months for treatment for my eardrum – eventually, I regained my hearing but there is still scar tissue which is visible to doctor’s instruments…..no big deal!" By: Elaine Lamkin
Stay Alive: Star Jimmi Simpson "No, I haven’t seen the final cut but what I have seen is damn scary! The images in the video game are just insanely creepy and The Countess…!" By: Elaine Lamkin
