By David Owain Hughes
1) What was it like to do Sorority Babes 2, especially after all these years? Did you ever think it would happen? Was there ever talk about a sequel in the early days? Did you co-direct it?
Released in 1987, the original “Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-o-Rama” was SO perfect — a stellar cast, a talented young director (David DeCoteau) and amazingly good production value on a modest budget. [They flipped a car; they set a guy on fire!] It’s easy to see why it became a cult classic that still entertains modern audiences.
Fast-forward to late 2019, when Charles Band of Full Moon called me to say, “I want to remake SORORITY BABES.” Me, aghast: “Why?” Him: “I’d like to introduce a whole new generation to this wonderful film.” I couldn’t really argue with that. He added, “And I want you to be involved with it.” I pointed out, “Well, I died in the first movie.” He said, “No no, I want you to DIRECT it!” Oh, okay then!
Suddenly, the Covid-19 pandemic derailed our plans to shoot in early 2020 in Los Angeles CA. Full Moon’s “Deadly 10” production slate didn’t fully recover until 2022. By that time, Charles Band had purchased an historic 1930 mansion in Cleveland Ohio (dubbed “Full Moon Manor”) where the walls were painted hot pink for “SORORITY BABES 2”.
It was such a transformative experience to direct my first feature film. I was fortunate to have a well-practiced team including my producer William Butler and SFX wizard Greg Lightner — who was tasked with recreating The Imp based solely on screen-grabs from the original film. Previously, I’d only directed short films like my pet project “Personal Demons” (36 mins), which I wrote and starred in. (Part of “TERROR TOONS 4” anthology; DVD-release on Halloween 2023)
After working as an actress in over 230 films, I’ve learned quite a lot about the filmmaking process. My main strength was dealing with the actors to coax a good performance. Plus, handling the enormous amount of paperwork and organization every shooting day, not to mention for a whole month of prep before filming began. Though I felt somewhat reserved at first, by Day 3 I’d slipped into my groove and was able to bark orders like the best of ‘em.
Of course, I knew I’d have gaps in my knowledge. Like on Day 1, when the cameraman asked me, “Do you want to use a 60 or 85 for this next shot?” Me: “Hmm… let’s go with the one you think works best.” Yikes, imposter syndrome! Now, I do know the difference between camera lenses.
I was thrilled that the new script wasn’t a scene-for-scene remake, though it surely pays homage to the original. Michelle Bauer and I were brought back for cameos as ghosts in the bowling alley. We absolutely wanted to include Linnea Quigley in her OG “Spider” role. She shattered her knee-cap a week before our 2022 summer shoot in Ohio and couldn’t travel. We quickly brought actress Kelli Maroney on board as “Spider’s sister”, and she contributed so much to the picture.
I also want to quash a misinformation that David DeCoteau co-directed this movie — he didn’t. Dave is always incredibly busy with his own Lifetime projects. He told me “I have faith you can do it alone!” and he wished me well. I had a wonderful time and can’t wait to direct again.
2) You’re always busy, seemingly doing something all the time. How do you manage your time and what are you currently working on? Do you have to refuse lots of projects/roles?
Typically, I go out of town up to four times every month. One trip is usually for a movie shoot, and one or two trips for a horror convention. I’ve had a long career as a travel writer too, so I’m always jetting to fun places to write about them for various magazines. I also contribute to many reference books — such as “See You at San Diego”, a compilation of essays about the famous San Diego Comic-Con. Plus other upcoming books about the 1980’s VHS revolution, about “Femme Fatales” magazine in the 1990’s, and about my former husband Dave Stevens (“The Rocketeer” creator).
Whenever I am rarely at home, I spend my days doing voiceover work. I’ve recorded dozens of audio books in my home-studio. Lately, I’ve segued into recording “audio descriptions for the blind” for films and documentaries. (It’s really a thing!)
Given all that, it means I need to turn down podcasts and written interviews. I apologize to the many kind souls who request to interview me. But there’s only so much spare time….
3) From your experience, with a lot of focus on minority groups these days, such as the LGBT community and women in horror in particular, do you think there’s a lot more opportunity in the genre for those voices to be seen and heard nowadays? Is it a lot different to when you started your career in horror?
All the recent film projects I’ve been involved with DO actively practice inclusivity, like casting a variety of races and gender orientations. I’ve been hired for several roles that were originally written for a male, such as a police commissioner and a scientist. I even played the President of the United States in “The Silicon Assassin”. Being a female director on “Sorority Babes 2” was probably a direct result of the #MeToo movement. Charles Band of Full Moon was clearly on-board in support of gender equality.
4) With new sequels to Scream, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween and many others, along with TV spin-offs such as Chucky, is there a horror franchise you’d love to be a part of? Are there any roles you turned down that you later regretted?
I’d love to be a series-regular on a popular TV show for the obvious perks (career longevity and financial reward), but I don’t get offered those sorts of auditions. I fell into the indie horror scene right at the start of my career — and pretty much have stayed there for four decades.
I never turned down any roles in horror franchises, but neither was I offered them. The main drawback comes from fan conventions, where I can’t be included with any popular “reunion” groups, which is always a huge publicity draw. I tend to get lost as a solo guest therefore. Once in a while, I’m invited as part of “The Slumber Party Massacre” cast — or as “The Nightmare Sisters / Scream Queens”, along with Michelle Bauer and Linnea Quigley.
5) Many people might not know this, but you hold a degree in biology, and you initially pursued a career in marine biology. Why did you move away from that career choice? Why acting and modeling?
In San Diego California, I got a Bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology (double major), and then a Masters degree in marine biology at Scripps Institute of Oceanography. My goal was to specialize in animal behavior, and specifically to study how dolphins communicate with one another. Back in the 1970s, the popular theory was that dolphins talked to each other by making audible noises. I had my own theory that they instead communicate soundlessly with their natural sonar. (Turns out I was 13 years ahead of my time, because it took that long for someone else to broach the same theory.)
However, my research was frowned upon because thousands of dolphins were being killed in tuna nets, and thus nobody really wanted to talk to them except me. Well, that unpopular research got me kicked out of grad school and I was unable to complete my Ph.D. I immediately landed a job as an environmental consultant for San Onofre nuclear power plant. I thought I’d remain in science all my life, but fate had other plans.
In 1980, I married my college sweetheart Dave Stevens and moved to Los Angeles CA. Though I continued to look for science jobs, I accidentally was “discovered” by a casting agent and put in a movie the very next day, as an ‘crowd extra’ in “All the Marbles”. I’d never aspired to be an actor, and certainly didn’t expect to become a cult icon of horror movies. Go figure! To quote a line from “Nightmare Sisters”: “Advanced trigonometry never prepared me for this!”