Adrienne King Talks All American Bully And More
Matt Boiselle
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I’m going out on a limb here, and I figured I’d ask – has anyone ever seen that tiny film from way back in 1980 about some Momma’s boy who drowned in a lake, only to have said angry Momma wreak havoc upon a boatload of horny camp counselors?
It spawned a gaggle of sequels and made hockey masks a very fashionable accessory for the demented slasher on-the-go. Turns out in the film, one lone woman managed to best the angry Momma and forever changed how we looked at someone losing their head.
Her name is Adrienne King, and she has been standing alongside some very established company as a horror heroine extraordinaire, and her latest venture, All American Bully (review), just released on DVD and VOD services on June 23rd. She was more than gracious enough to give us a few minutes of her time to discuss the film, as well as her camp days some 35 years ago – so grab your marshmallows, gather around the fire, and allow the first survivor to enlighten us all.
DC: Can you give us a little description as to your character of Principal Kane in the film?
AK: Principal Kane is a very strong individual, and we don’t see her vulnerable side, unfortunately, but she cares tremendously about what is going on in her school, and needless to say things are getting out of hand, and she honestly doesn’t know where to turn. At the same time, she has a gay son who’s just come out – he graduated high school last year, and she’s a bible-thumper who isn’t dealing with this very well at all, and finds out that one of her teachers was the one who convinced her son to come out. So, she’s becoming bombarded – not only in her personal life, but her professional life as well. You end up seeing a person who is overwhelmed at her inability to get anything right. I didn’t feel the need to go too far into any research for the role, because my sister is actually an assistant principal for two schools in Southern California, and the stories that I hear are just frightening. Some people won’t see this film as a horror movie, but it’s a horror of a completely different kind.
DC: You had a very strong performance in the film, and on a couple of occasions you really managed to flip the anger switch – did it come easy, or did you have to really dig to tap into that emotion?
AK: I did have to dig for it, but there’s one emotion that with the flip of a switch I can bring up, and that’s betrayal. What I had to do to get to that place in my mind was to create this demon out of the English teacher who convinced her son to come out. I felt like there was a lot of personal suffering in her character, which was conveyed through Jason Hawkins’ direction, and I really felt it. Aside from that, I was also blown away at how good this young cast was – they were nothing short of sensational.
DC: What do you think comes off as the strongest message that was conveyed in the movie?
AK: Hopefully, just not being as brutal to one another out there. We’ve become so desensitized to the video games and all the sensationalism on the internet that I don’t think we realize how much damage we’re doing to each other, especially the young kids. This is the way they interact now, and they don’t know the consequences until afterwards, and unfortunately by that time it’s way too late.
DC: Now, any horror fan worth their weight will recognize you as one of horror’s leading heroines. Your work in Friday the 13th is etched in stone, and the horror fanbase is still reeling from the passing of Betsy Palmer – could you share with us a little about your time with her? I’ll bet you’ve got a boatload of fond memories.
AK: I do – one of the memories I like to tell was when I brought my copy of Crystal Lake Memories (affectionately known as the Bible to F13 fans) to a convention after we re-connected back in 2004 – I’d like to say she forgave me for chopping off her head! So, on one of my trips to New York City (one of her old stomping grounds), she invited me over to her brownstone for dinner. Now this next part is common knowledge, I’m not telling stories in school: she loved to smoke her joints, and she loved her glass of bourbon in the evening, and I figured if all I have to do is smoke my joint, enjoy my wine in the evening, become a vegetarian (which Betsy introduced Adrienne to), and have THIS much energy? God, she had a great life, and she passed when she was 88, but she was still well into her 70’s and still making her way around the convention circuit by herself. She made me realize that every single day there is a reason to celebrate – so here we are at her house, and I didn’t realize that she didn’t have a copy of the book. As we’re flipping through the book, Betsy says, “look at what you and I have created!” I told her, “they really do love you, Betsy,” and she told me, “yeah, I know – I’m going to accept the fact that this is what I’ll be known for.” At that moment, she took this long sigh, and she had a tear in her eye, and at that moment it was very poetic. We hugged and she asked me if she could borrow the book for a trip to her daughter’s house over Mother’s Day weekend, and I felt like that was a huge moment in her life, because she had gone through so much hell back when that movie first opened – the critics all panned her, and called her horrible names for doing a horror movie. Back in the late 70’s-early 80’s, horror films were technically considered one step above porn, and this being an actress who’d been in films with names like Henry Fonda and James Dean, and she was looked at as an actress who made her way very prominently through stage, TV, and silver screen…and I think she realized that she could pass with a smile.
DC: Last one for you, Adrienne – after the release of this film, what’s coming up for you in the future? What’s keeping you busy?
AK: Well, I think Dread Central knows about William Froste, don’t you? I get to play an investigative reporter named Jackie Winters and interact with an incredible ensemble of horror icons – Kane Hodder and I will actually have a scene together, and I personally think that’s bloody brilliant.
DC: That’s going to be a moment that will set the fans on fire – people will lose their minds over that.
AK: I’m so glad that someone finally got it! I know that fans for years have asked when all of the old survivors were going to come back, and I always thought that it had better be soon before we’re all in walkers! I read the script for that, and it’s fabulous – we’re looking at a new horror franchise with a new Boogeyman out there. The cast has got Bill Moseley, Leslie Easterbrook, Tyler Mane, Miko Hughes, Tiffany Shepis, Michael Berryman – the list goes on. I’ve also got my Crystal Lake Wines to keep me busy, and I’ve been painting as well, one especially for my latest wine varietal, called “Chiller White,” and that should be coming out within the next month.
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