Actress Interview:

Belle With an Edge: Talking With Kimberly Lynn Cole

Regardless of that her credits include ‘Cremains’ (her first film with director Steve Sessions), ‘Horrortales 666’, ‘Old Noggins’, ‘Dead Clowns’ (with an all star horror cast including Brinke Stevens, Debbie Rochon, Eric Spudic, Robyn Griggs, etc.), ‘The Black Doll’, ‘Deadfall’, ‘Search for the Beast’, ‘Monster in the Garage’, ‘The Tallulah Bankhead Story’ (!!!), ‘Mark of the Astro-Zombies’, and ‘Psycho Santa’ (as well as the sequel). As if that weren’t enough, Kimberly Lynn Cole won my heart when I heard she was the proud proprietor of a horror amusement park in Alabama called Scream Farm, which contains several frightening exhibits, rides, and more. How fun is that!!!

Recently Ms Cole took a few minutes to answer some questions for racksandrazors.

Owen: You began your film career with a speaking part as a Pod Soldier in Abel Ferrara's remake of 'Body Snatchers'.  What bit of direction did Ferrara give you when he filmed the scene?

Kimberly: Abel Ferrara is a very unique guy, they call Abel's regular group of friends Abel's Stable. Haha. It’s hilarious the actor James Russo told me that Abel's father was one of the biggest gangster types in New York years ago, Abel was always telling me they were poor Italian trash but yet he always talked about going to Havana as a child and gambling. Go figure... if he gave me any direction on how to act during Body Snatchers I could not understand it, he mumbled constantly and I never understood a word he said. Giggles. Abel is a great guy and can be a lot of fun to be around but if he gets mad watch out!  He took the wheel of my car one night and almost ran us off the road because he was jealous over something.

Owen: Yeah, subsequently I read that you dated director Abel Ferrara (The Bad Lieutenant, Dangerous Games) for a year.  What was that like?  Is he as intense as his films?

Kimberly: Same as above, VERY INTENSE.  We spent time in Miami and stayed in L.A. at the Chateau Marmont, I met Madonna.  He was a blast to be around.  Then we went our separate ways, I wish him the best always.

Owen: You are also quickly becoming a favorite actress of excellent horror director Steve Sessions appearing in 'Cremains', his short film 'Deadfall', as well as the slaughter-stars studded 'Dead Clowns' (with Brinke Stevens, Debbie Rochon, Robyn Griggs, Eric Spudic, etc.) How did your professional connection with him start?

Kimberly: I was the first scream queen actress who signed on to do his first film ever CREMAINS. It was a good experience except I became very ill with the flu during filming Steve was very caring and kind to me we became good friends.  I think we are still good friends he is a very kind and generous person.  He has overcome a lot of obstacles to become a successful indie director and I hope he keeps putting out great films.  I have quite a few wonderful, unique props in my haunted house that were gifts from Steve and I appreciate them immensely.

Owen: I’ve heard you were a "lifelong fan of horror". Was it exciting to be working on a 'Dead Clowns' alongside so many long-established actors in the genre?

Kimberly: Yes, I adore Brinke Steven's I have worked with her recently in the yet to be completed House of Shadows and she is a joy to work with a beautiful lady and a complete professional!!! Debbie Rochon is just a lovely, lovely lady and I love all her films.  I am very proud of Dead Clowns the producer just sent me a sealed copy of the British version and I was proud to see the excellent cover art and my name on the front along with Debbie and Brinke and Eric Spudic and Jeff Dylan Graham and Lucien Eisnach who by the way did FETAL BOY GOES TO HELL and if you have not seen it YOU SHOULD!!!  It is going to be an Indie Classic when everyone finally gets a taste of Lucien's twisted tastes! Oh Robin Griggs is in Dead Clowns as well and does a fantastic job! I have to say that Dead Clowns just has a fantastic cast and I hope to work with Eric Spudic again one day soon, he could win the title of the hardest working guy in films easily!!!! 

Owen: Why do you think clowns freak out and frighten so many people?

Kimberly: As for clowns freaking out people:  Hmmm let’s see they are funny yet creepy. I used to dress as a big giant hilariously fat clown and go to my son's kindergarten class and there would always be about two kids that would freak out and almost wet their pants.  I would have to warn the school two days in advance when I was going to appear and do a show because they had to set up an alternative class for the kids with CLOWN TERRORS! Haha.  I think Hollywood has perpetuated the clown fear thing with so many films.......and maybe John Wayne Gacy helped out a bit. Giggles and grins.

Owen: So as a horror fan, what does it for you -- vampires, creatures, aliens, serial killers, ghosts, werewolves, zombies...Name your demon and why.

Kimberly: ZOMBIES...definitely the thought of re-animated dead flesh rising and terrorizing me. For a great many reasons, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead were some of the first horror films that scared me and I think something we never think of much when watching a movie is that dead flesh would have a horrible putrid stench and that is the scariest thing to me.  I am a clean freak and almost to the point of being a germiphobe so can you imagine my horror if I were to be touched by dead flesh!! Smile

Owen: You also worked in Ted V. Mikels 'Mark of the Astro Zombies' with Brinke Stevens.  In that film I hear you get to die horrible...any hints or teasers?

Kimberly: The only thing I can say about working with Ted V. Mikels is that we were friends for a while, we have lost touch.  He contacted me and asked me to do it and a family illness precluded my traveling there so I got a crew together and filmed my own scenes, actually I WROTE my own death scene and I did the stunts and set up the clothes line stunt etc... It all turned out beautifully and he used the footage although he forgot to give me credit for writing and filming and directing my own scenes but alas I rarely get such credit it seems. Sad smile. The only good think I can say about it for sure is that there were many toys and bobble heads and posters and websites set up and all sorts of foreign publicity etc.... Also the exposure was good I recently saw ten copies for sale in BEST BUY and also Sun coast and about twenty for sale on Ebay new.  I never saw a cent for it sadly!!!!

Owen: Speaking of gore, you've also worked twice with gore legend and exploitation pioneer David F. Friedman (producer of the Herschell Gordon Lewis' classic 'Blood Feast') in 'Redneck Revenge' and 'Search for the Beast'.  What were your primarily memories of those two filming experiences?

Kimberly: Working for Dave Friedman was a dream come true, he knew all about the amusement park rides and the rides and carnival history are my favorite thing on earth!!!!   He is like a mix between Cecil B DeMille and P. T. Barnum; he is a lovely man and a true SHOWMAN!  I enjoyed working on both movies even though they are basically forgotten.  I think Something Weird sells them both.  I have very fond memories of them both and Dave and Rick Montana and the cast. I would LOVE to hear from Rick Montana again, just to know he is doing well.  He is a true hero of mine!

Owen: Joe Bob Briggs gave you a Drive-In Award for your supporting role in 'Horrortales 666'.  Do you actually get a little statuette or a certificate or something or is it a verbal mention?    

Kimberly: I ADORE JOE BOB BRIGGS!!!!   HE is just the kewlest and most beautiful man I know!!!!   I will never tell about the prize that I got for that award. Giggles.  I would love to have a life size statuette of HIM!!! I hope to one-day get the hug that he still owes me from him!!!  I cannot say enough nice things about Joe Bob!

Owen: Any overriding memory of the 'Horrortales 666' shoot?

Kimberly: Horrortales 666 was a lot of fun to do, it was another one where we shot our own scenes in our home studio here at SCREAM FARM but Phil Herman is a doll and Joel Wynkoop is just the greatest!!!!   Joel helped me a lot through his talking to me after I recently lost my father. He was a great inspiration to me while caring for my father during a yearlong illness before I lost him.  I know my father is in heaven; he died with a prayer on his lips.  It has been very difficult for me the last four months without my father but we are all making progress, life goes on and my father would have been so happy about my brother's wedding this week in Jamaica!!!!

Owen: Tell me about being a victim in 'Psycho Santa'.  How did Santa get his Cole for Christmas?  Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Kimberly: That was very clever about the Cole for Santa Claus. Haha   A friend of a friend suggested me to Director Peter Keir and that was how it happened, they were kind enough to include my own son in the filming, we both die of course but it was great fun and I had one of the kewlest and funniest prolonged death scenes in history.  Its TRUE black humor! Also I recently completed scenes for PSYCHO SANTA PART TWO!!!!  I am excited about that!

Owen: In your resume it also says you played Tallulah Bankhead's lesbian lover in a Japanese made-for-TV movie shot in Alabama.  What is that all about?

Kimberly: Just like it says about 7 years ago a Japanese company came to town to film two small films the Ty Cobb story and the other one about Tallullah Bankhead and I play her lesbian lover although I tried over and over to get a copy of the movie all I ended up with was a game show that used some clips from the movie all is Japanese and of course not using my scenes which were short.

Owen: You've also made a decision not to do nudity in films.  Since you work primarily in the low-budget horror genre has that cost you a number of roles?  Were you ever tempted?

Kimberly: I have chosen not to do nudity and it has cost me QUITEA BIT actually, more than just roles it has cost me PLENTY of those but it also did not make a difference, first of all let me say that I was NEVER tempted to take my clothes of and give up who I am and embarrass my son for nothing, there is no money in doing indie films, nothing but heartache in reality.  It did not matter because I have done lots of charity in the past and was just starting to make a respectful name for myself in my community and suddenly someone heard I did B films and at first they were delighted but then someone saw that CREMAINS was in the porn bin at SunCoast in the mall (WRONGLY SO, there is only two nude scenes and NONE ARE OF ME) and the rumors went around that I was a porn queen so I got murdered by association and my reputation was in ruins so I quit my charity associations and just moved to this farm in the country.  It has even cost me my reputation with the people I volunteered with at my son's school.  I decided to focus on other things here in my community because I am a fighter and never give up.  I have a lovely home in the country in Jones, Alabama with a great big in ground swimming pool with a stone waterfall that pours into the pool and a pond with a stone lions head on a brick wall that pours into it, I have my paradise here and things are good.  I have decided to do my own thing and I call my home SCREAM FARM we have a giant haunted house here and I have a stone statue of death on my front porch much to my neighbors dismay and a disemboweled statue of a scarecrow holding up the sign for SCREAM FARM in my front yard, my home is an A-frame two story built into the side of a rolling hill.  It’s quite unique.  We have seven acres here and a giant haunted house with theme park quality animatronics from such masters of the horror trade as SCAREFACTORY and BRUTAL IMAGES made some of our props.  We just got four masks from another master mask maker JEREMY BOHR; he is a fantastic guy and a major talent!!!! I will include some photos of a few of our animatronic props here at SCREAM FARM.

Owen: You are also an amusement park ride fan too!  I love roller coasters!  Do you get the same rush from a good horror movie as you do from an especially high roller coaster drop?  Are you addicted to that same sort of adrenaline rush?

Kimberly: I love all amusement park rides but especially what they call IRON RIDES, or central or circular based rides.  My favorite of all time is the CHANCE TURBO, I have been searching all over the world for one in good enough shape to buy and bring home to SCREAM FARM to theme TURBOSTEIN and run. By the way the haunted house is being run strictly for charity.  For children's charities.  The money will go to St. Jude and a burn center for children and a charity in my father's honor called BICYCLES FROM CURTIS.  That was my father's name.  We will give out bicycles to needy children at Christmas and all through the year.  I am addicted to being scared and to the rides. I have ridden one roller coaster at the beach forty times in a row with my son and a group of adrenaline junkies two years ago.  It was a BLAST!!!!!  I was high for a week!  It was an old wooden coaster too!!!!!

Owen: I also want to hear about your film 'Old Noggins'.  It sounds creepy and silly at the same time.

Kimberly: ODD NOGGINS is probably my favorite film of all time but alas I think it was the last time I will ever work with Joe Sherlock again.  I wish him nothing but success.  He is a phenomenal guy; he has just chosen other actors and actresses.  Odd Noggins is a bit of a cult classic now, it was really fun to make and an incredible group of people behind it.  I wish them all a world of success.  I am thankful I was a part of ODD NOGGINS. 

Owen: What roles do you have lined up in the future?

Kimberly: Right now I am open for any paying roles anyone has in mind but I am not actively seeking or begging,.. Haha, for roles. I am perfectly content to sit here at SCREAM FARM and get everything running right for HALLOWEEN, I want to scare the bejesus out of at least 5,000 people this year!  Hopefully more than that!  Due to my father's health and then losing him four months ago and having to spend the summer settling his estate and taking care of other family matters I had to turn down a couple of great roles and I am doing some stuff for Luc Bernier that should have already been done (sorry Luc) he is a great actor, writer and director and he is French and very sweet and gorgeous!  I want to work with Luc Bernier all I can for as long as he will allow me.  Other than that it’s just SCREAM FARM right now.  Oh and waiting for DEAD CLOWNS to come out here in the U.S.

Owen: What makes you scream in real life?

Kimberly: What makes me scream in real life...ZOMBIES AT MY DOOR!!!!!  But the scariest thing of all is AN EMPTY CHOCOLATE BOX!!!!   AHHAHAHAHA!  I love chocolate!