Since her character Linda was drilled to death in Slumber Party Massacre, Brinke Stevens has executed her duties as Scream Queen with beauty, grace, and enthusiasm. Her acting career spans over 30 years, she has over 100 film credits to her name, and she continues to work almost exclusively in the horror and cult movie genres. Luckily for me, Miss Stevens took a little time out from her busy schedule to answer some questions for Doomed Moviethon.
Doomed Moviethon: One day, much to my surprise, I spotted you in The Time’s 1984 music video for “Ice Cream Castles”. Do you have any memories from that gig and should your fans be keeping their eyes peeled for other hidden and uncredited gems like this one (music videos, TV commercials, etc.) from your body of work?
Brinke Stevens: In the early 1980’s, before I became known as a horror star, I did a lot of small parts in big movies. I also worked on many music videos, which were so popular in the 80’s. My all-too-brief appearances led one friend to label me “Don’t Blink” Brinke. Sometimes my background roles were fun and glamorous. For “Ice Cream Castles”, I wore my own vintage, scarlet, ruffled Flamenco gown from the 1920’s. We shot at a fantastic faux castle in the Hollywood Hills. I rocked out with the uber-cool Morris Day and his band, who all have great dance moves. And then… Prince (their producer) stopped by the set to hang out with us! It was truly a magical day. For the eagle-eyed, I’ll reveal that I have small, sometimes uncredited, appearances in movies like: Private School, Body Double, Fatal Games, The Naked Gun, Spinal Tap, Three Amigos, Psycho 3, and The Man Who Wasn’t There.
DM: Before I delve back into the past, what are some of your current projects and festival appearances that we can check out?
BS: Right now, my writing career is going very well. I’ve got a new science fiction anthology, “Dangerous Toys, Vol. 1” (co-written with DB Story) on eXcessica.com; it’s a “print on demand” book that debuts July 16, 2010. I also wrote about my adventures in horror for an upcoming book by David Boyer, “Rock & Roll Party of the Dead” (due out in 2011).
My latest movie releases include: The Ritual and Post Mortem from Fleet Street Films (I play a serial killer’s mother), Joe Castro’s Summer of Massacre, The Boneyard Collection (Irina Bell Films); a horror comedy called Demon Divas (Happy Cloud Pictures), and Psychosomatika in Oct 2010. I also did the voice-over narration for a new documentary, The Many Faces of Cleopatra; it’ll be released on DVD and may even get a television run.
Next year, I look forward to shooting Deadlands 3, a new zombie thriller. And I’ll reprise the Vampira role in the upcoming Plan 9 from Outer Space remake from Darkstone Entertainment.
DM: Since the year 2000, you have been in over 60 films (!) and you consistently make appearances at horror and sci-fi conventions, how would you compare the horror and cult movie scene in the new millennium to the 1980s?
BS: In the 1980’s & 90’s, there were dozens of independent studios churning out hundreds of B-movies with fairly decent budgets. And so, we actually had catered meals and our own private trailers! But those days are long gone. Now, it’s all about being self-sufficient. I usually have to provide my own wardrobe and do my own make-up. The revolutionary home-video boom democratized filmmaking. Eventually, the technology was available for anybody to cheaply make a movie in their own backyard. By a happy accident, I was in the right place at exactly the right time — Linnea Quigley, Michelle Bauer, and I were the first true “Scream Queens”. I doubt if it’s even possible to follow in our footsteps anymore, because the indie studio system no longer exists.
The 1980’s were more known for horror-comedies than now. In my opinion, the films I did then were more innocent and fun-loving. Later, horror got much gorier and even went into the “torture-porn” realm.
In the past decade, I’ve shot a half-dozen new movies each year — as budgets constantly lessened and film-making spread into grassroots America. Some of my previous micro-budget shoots in rural areas were a real lesson in patience. (It’s a bad sign, for example, when the crew has to consult their camera booklet — and still cannot agree on the settings.)
DM: I think that one of your most unnerving performances occurs in Grandmother’s House (produced by Nico Mastorakis). In this rather unusual film, your character, known only as Woman, quietly hitchhikes into town and appears to fall victim to the evil grandparents in the film. Then, out of nowhere, this soft spoken and unassuming character explodes into a lunatic filled with murderous rage. Do you enjoy getting to tap into the darkest aspects of the human experience? And is it okay that I’m still just a little bit afraid of you?
BS: I have a soft spot for Grandmother’s House. It’s creepy horror in broad daylight. I hardly speak any words in it, yet it’s one of my most unsettling roles. It was nicely directed by Peter Rader (who also wrote the screenplay for Waterworld). In my 140 or so movies to date, I’ve been a killer and a victim in equal measure. However, I most enjoy it when I am both — and can do a Jekyll & Hyde switch. I love to start out “plain” and suddenly transform into a dangerous character, as I did in this movie, as well as in Haunting Fear and most recently Demon Divas.
DM: One film of yours that is criminally obscure is the 1990 anthology, Dark Romances. In it, you play a radio DJ that introduces seven tales of horror and later, you star in “What Comes Around…” as Diana, a woman who inspires artists to create their finest masterpieces right before she kills them. Do you remember anything special about the production of Dark Romances that you’d like to share?
BS: In many ways, Dark Romances is a brilliant anthology. Although it seemed like we were shooting it forever! Fortunately, much of it was filmed at a small studio (EZTV) in West Hollywood, close enough that I could walk to it. We’d shoot for a few hours at a time, every so often, over endless evenings and weekends. It was fun but challenging to be in nearly every episode, and to play so many different characters. I especially liked wearing my own collection of Victorian clothing for one story, and a blonde wig for another one. I was fond of the radio DJ role because I could “act” with my voice… all you ever see are my red lips. There’s a Grand Guignol sequence, where only my bare feet are shown on-camera while I’m supposedly being tortured — so my feet had to do all the acting in that scene (I was told I have talented feet.). Sadly, one of the producers, Mark Shepard, has since passed away. I doubt it will ever be released on DVD, though I still hope so.
DM: I consider your makeup in Haunting Fear to be an iconic image of you. I kept running into your maniacal visage from that film long before I had the pleasure of viewing it. In it, you play Victoria, a woman driven to madness by her callous and greedy husband (Jay Richardson). Little does he know that in a past life, Victoria was buried alive and her soul just ain’t gonna take it anymore! On the trivia page for Haunting Fear, IMDB says that Haunting Fear is one of your favorite of your performances. Is this still true of the 1991 film and what is it about this particular role that is so special for you?
BS: Haunting Fear was my first major leading role, and the biggest part I’d had so far. When director Fred Olen Ray asked me to read his script, at first I thought he had me in mind for the smaller role of a sexy secretary. But he wanted me for the lead, a woman whose cheating husband tries to drive her crazy to collect her inheritance. It’s a very complex role. On any given shooting day, I always had to first ask myself, “How crazy am I today?” By the end, I’m playing it totally insane. It was an amazing opportunity to stretch my range as an actress, and I’m grateful to Fred for his faith in me.
DM: During your career, I notice that alongside your prolific acting credits, you have also done some screenwriting (Teenage Exorcist) and producing (Shock Cinema) on various projects. Do you enjoy these other aspects of filmmaking and do you see yourself sitting in the director’s seat in the future?
BS: I accidentally became the assistant-director on a movie called First Loves in the mid-1980s. Originally, I was hired by the Italian director to rewrite his script. Later, I helped him to audition the actors by reading scenes with them — and sometimes offering my own suggestions to improve their performance.
The director, Antonio, was so impressed that he invited me to their shoot in Salt Lake City, Utah. He lacked a certain confidence in his ability to speak English, thus to clearly communicate with the cast and crew. In Utah, Antonio would take me aside to explain what he wanted. Then I’d step on-set to block, rehearse, and ultimately “direct” the scenes. Unfortunately, after five weeks of shooting, I came in one morning to find the stage-doors locked — they’d run out of money, and everyone was sent home. I’m not sure if it was ever completed and released.
It was a great experience for me, and gave me a good taste of how to direct a movie. So far, the offers just haven’t come in — but I’d love to do it again someday.
DM: Before I let you go, I’d really like to know which film actresses or actors from any genre that inspires you.
BS: I’m such a big fan of Christopher Walken and would love to work with him someday. Same for Bruce Campbell… we’ve met many times over the years, yet we’ve never worked on a film together. I imagine that would be a lot of fun; he’s so crazy. I’d also like to work on a Rob Zombie movie someday.