Exclusive Interviews and Photos from the 8 Films to Die For Kick-Off Party
Horror and Hollywood go together like Jason Voorhees and his machete. So it’s only natural that the resurgence of After Dark’s “8 Films to Die For” should have its big kick-off red carpet event and party – including the crowning of this year’s Scream Queen(s) to Die For – at the Next Door Lounge, an old-school speakeasy with an eerie 1920s vibe.
It’s one of the most cozy corners in town. Just steps away from tourist traps like The Hollywood Wax Museum and the famed Hollywood & Highland complex, the Next Door Lounge feels like it’s a world away. There’s no sign out front, only a neon skeleton key marking the spot. From the moment you encounter their dapper doorman decked out in tux and tails, you feel transported to the glamour and forbidden excitement of the speakeasy age. Behind the towering iron doors lies a dynamic den where artisanal cocktails take center stage set in an ambience when Hollywood was a mere ingénue at the start of its illustrious career.
When it’s not an “8 Films to Die For” shindig, jazz plays in the background while black and white films flicker on the wall, recalling the stars of the silver screen who once reveled in the hidden bars of Tinsel Town. When it is an “8 Films to Die For” shindig, White Zombie blasts through the stereo speakers, this year’s great-eight horror movies are projected on the walls, and a score of sexy scream queens wend their way to the stage to perform and compete for the crown. Usually it’s just one lucky lady selected, but this year it turned out to be a tie between actress Haley Jay Madison and drag queen Marta BeatChu. Both were given the $10K prize.
We caught up with several of the actors and directors on the red carpet, plus took tons of pics! Fortunately this happened before the open bar service, which featured a cherry vodka absinthe concoction… so we were able to ask questions and take our snapshots somewhat competently. All photos are by Aaron Kai.
It was a rare catch to get the inimitable James Remar in front of our mic. Here’s what he had to say about acting in Hank Braxtan’s Unnatural. “It’s not the kind of role that I typically get offered – you know, the rugged leading man out there in the wilderness. We shot it in Alaska, and that was certainly an attraction. It was a decently written part, so of course I’m going to play it – the guy was a real man who loved the place that he lived, the people, and what is at stake. So there were a lot of elements. He’s a multi-dimensional character – and he’s the hero. I want to play the hero sometimes.”
With regard to his costar, Sherilyn Fenn, he said, “She plays the… she’s kind of the bad guy. She’s a scientist who works at the lab that’s been involved with the genetic manipulation of animals in the north. They’re modified, and one of them got released that’s very, very dangerous – and so that’s the battle that I have to put up with. She’s the one on charge… but I save her. But didn’t know she was the bad guy at the time, so then I confront her.”
Hank Braxtan, the director of Unnatural, said, “This script and concept was developed in December of 2012 [way before James Patterson’s ‘Zoo’ TV series]. It just took us forever to write it, and we ended up revising a lot because it was originally going to take place in the summer, but then we wound up in Alaska in the winter! It was cold, but the models in the bikinis did great. I am a big fan of the classic ‘When Animals Attack’ and animal mutant movies. You say monster movie, and I’m in. So we did a monster polar bear. We shot the movie in a very mid-70s, early 80s style. There are no CG bears in the movie at all.”
Stephanie Hodes plays the assistant on a wilderness high fashion shoot gone awry in Unnatural. “She basically is the grunt working behind the scenes while the fashion models are gorgeous in their bikinis.” But they have to model in the snow, so maybe it’s not too glamorous after all. Then there’s that mutated killer bear on the loose, too. “I don’t want to give anything away, but the bear does kill some of us!”
Unnatural: A morally ambiguous corporation experiments with genetic modification, resulting in the creation of a man-hunting creature. When it escapes, a group of unsuspecting cabin dwellers become its prey in a horrifying game of cat and mouse.
Courtney Paige Theroux, who’s in the high school horror Suspension, explained, “It is a thriller about a girl being bullied in high school. Her father was in prison, but now he’s out and there’s all these murders happening and you think that it might be her, but you’re not quite sure. I play her bully in the film. I’m really mean to her, and it’s kind of sad. But this genre is really hitting it off the charts right now, with ‘Scream Queens’ and the ‘Scream’ TV series on now. Scream was actually a movie I watched when I was in the fourth grade… my mother got in trouble for letting me watch it. It really scared me, but I think the adrenaline is awesome. I’ve been a big fan of the horror thriller genre ever since.”
Suspension: Emily is a high-school student with a penchant for drawing gruesome pictures in her sketchbook. There’s a reason for her obsession with horrific images: Her father, Tom, once went on a murder spree and is now residing in a mental hospital. On a night she’s home alone babysitting her mute little brother, Tom escapes and targets Emily and her friends during a bloody killing rampage.
Powell Robinson, the co-director of Bastard, told us, “We call it a throwback slasher, but the main things we want to stress is that we don’t make fun of the 80s with it. It was more like, we just love 80s movies. We wanted to study how they did it and approach it that way. It was never to laugh at them or anything. So what we did was, we watched a lot of them and stuck to the things we could do, like all practical effects, a really synth-heavy score, that kind of stuff.” Their movie does not take place in the 80s; it is more of an ambiguous time period. While they don’t make fun of the 80s slashers, there is some comedy in Bastard. “These movies can be fun. It’s supposed to be entertaining, not just a punch in the gut.”
Bastard: Five strangers – newlywed serial killers, a suicidal cop, and two runaways – become suspect and victim when a masked murderer makes its presence known in an isolated mountain town.
Ciara Flynn, who’s in Lumberjack Man, plays a camp counselor. “I wanted to be Lumberjack Man, but they said no because I’m not 6’8”. It’s not fair! But I play Faith Fitzsimmons, and basically I’m one of the camp counselors at Fun Under the Son, which is a Christian camp for kids. The poor kids don’t have a chance to learn anything before all hell breaks loose and we find out the camp is haunted by the Lumberjack Man. The Lumberjack Man doesn’t always use an ax – one of my favorite ways that he kills is the manual force choke. He literally just lifts people [and breaks their necks]. We shot this on a Boy Scout reservation and also Willie Nelson’s Ranch. It’s a very gory, really funny movie.”
Athena Paxton is also in Lumberjack Man. “I play one of the airhead counselors in the Christian camp. Eventually the Lumberjack Man comes along – he’s a demon logger. He’s specifically targeting a certain bloodline, and we get in the way of his quest for that blood.”
Lumberjack Man: As the staff members of Good Friends Church Camp prepare for a spring break filled with “Fun Under the Son,” a demon logger rises from his sap boiler to wreak his vengeance and feast on flapjacks soaked in the blood of his victims.
The remaining entries in this year’s “8 Films to Die For” include:
Wind Walkers: A U.S. solider returns home from captivity to find that his best friend and fellow former POW has gone AWOL. While out on an annual hunting trip with his friend’s father and some extended family, their group comes under attack by an ancient Native American curse that has mysterious connections to his best friend’s heritage and the prison in which they were once held captive.
The Wicked Within: When a little girl dies, her family gathers to mourn the loss. Yet, the pain is not forgotten, and a vengeful demon spirit takes possession of a vulnerable family member, tearing at the ties that bind them all together. One by one, it forces each family member to confess to his or her buried lies and face the morbid consequences of their sins.
Murder in the Dark: When a group of young people camping in the ruins of a medieval Turkish town play a party game called “Murder in the Dark,” they soon discover that someone is taking the game too far. Produced in an experimental shooting style, this murder-mystery features a cast of actors who were not allowed to see the script. The actors’ choices interactively changed the shape of the story. They had to use clues to solve the mystery laid out before them by the filmmakers.
Re-Kill: It’s been 5 years since the outbreak that wiped out 85% of the world’s population, but the war between Re-Animates (Re-Ans) and Humans wages on, as most of the major cities are still uninhabitable. Within the few surviving cities, the Re-Ans have been segregated into “zones” and are policed by the R-Division of the QUASI S.W.A.T. Unit who hunt to re-kill the Re-Ans in the hope of quelling a second outbreak.
The revised and revamped “8 Films to Die For 2015” is now distributed by Fox Home Entertainment. Fans can pre-order all “8 Films to Die For” on Digital HD at Amazon. Or, if you’re in one of the 11 lucky cities, check below to find a theater nearest you:
- Hollywood Hits – Danvers, MA
- Studio Movie Grill Spring Valley 16 – Dallas, TX
- South Barrington 30 – South Barrington, IL
- Studio Movie Grill Tampa – Tampa, FL
- Great Lakes Stadium 16 – Mentor, OH
- Harkins Northfield 18 – Denver, CO
- Emagine Canton – Canton, MI
- Superstition Springs 25 – Mesa, AZ
- Theaters at Mall of America – Minneapolis, MN
- Brenden Modesto 18 – Modesto, CA
- CityWalk Stadium 19 – Universal City, CA
For more information visit at 8filmstodiefor.com.
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