 Blue-eyed
and curvaceous scream queen Ryli
Morgan is a native of Charlotte,
North Carolina --- and believe it
or not she even lives there
still. Fiercely determined, she
wasn’t about to let a small
problem like geography and the
lack of a local film community
stand in the way of pursuing her
dreams of a career in
entertainment. She started at
home…literally. Ryli began
her movie career with a couple of
films (‘Despair’ and
‘Runaway Terror’) done
by her husband Mark Baranowski
for On Mark Productions. She was
fine with the nudity and liked
making movies. It was just
as she’d imagined! With
her lifelong interest in all
things Goth and ghoulish, it was
only natural that the petit
Capricorn would be drawn further
into the horror genre. Ryli
followed her first two films with
several other dark delights
– ‘Expendable’
(with Brinke Stevens), ‘Sin
By Murder’, ‘The
Spicy Sisters Slumber
Party’, and ‘Severe
Injuries’ (starring Amy Lynn
Best, Debbie Rochon, Lilith
Stabs, Robyn Griggs and Brinke
Stevens). She was Troma’s
July 2002 Tromette of the Month
and has also been featured in
magazines like
‘Draculina’…and
she’s a cyberceleb as well.
Ms. Morgan has become a regular
sight at the fright conventions
and is networking her further
into independent horror world.
There’s little doubt
we’ll be hearing much more
from her...in fact, there’s
a little more from her below.
Owen:
As a Scream Queen who still lives
in her hometown of Charlotte, NC
--- Have you become somewhat of a
local celebrity?
Ryli:
I don't really think of myself as
a Scream
Queen. I leave
that title to those who created
it -- Janet Leigh, Brinke
Stevens, Linnea Quigley, Michelle
Bauer... Oddly enough, I'm more
popular overseas than I am in my
own hometown. I have a following
in Germany, of all places.
Owen:
So tell me about your German fan
base. Was it
a response to your films or
your website?
Ryli:
To be honest, I'm not
really sure if it was a film or
the site... but I
appreciate it, either way!
Owen:
How did you realize it existed?
Ryli:
I started receiving fan
mail from Germany -- that's when
I first realized I wasn't just
known by a few peers.
Qwen:
You started in films with a
couple movie projects ('Despair'
and 'Runaway Terror')
with your husband Mark
Baranowski for On Mark
Productions and have
since done 'Expendable' and
'Sin By Murder' for him as
well. Was if tough to
be married to the director or did
that make it easier?
Ryli:
I think it was harder,
in some ways -- it can be
stressful on both sides, because
I want to do such a good job
since it is for my husband's
project, but sometimes it
seems that he doesn't have quite
as much patience with me as he
does with the other actors -- but
that's a hazard of the game.
Owen:
You’ve mentioned wanting to
follow in the footsteps of SQ
royalty like Brinke Stevens, and
since then you have made 2 films
with her -- 'Expendable' and
'Severe Injuries'. Were you
star struck?
Ryli:
Brinke and I have appeared in two
films together, but have yet to
actually be on the same set. She
filmed her scenes with her own
crew for ‘Expendable’.
It would be great to actually
shoot some scenes with each other
-- I just know I could learn tons
from her! We've appeared at
conventions together for the past
few years, and she's truly a
treasure, both as a friend and as
a colleague.
Owen:
Did she still manage to give you
any advice as an up and coming
SQ? What did you learn by
watching her work?
Ryli:
Not to compromise. Anything.
Ever. That's the main thing I've
learned from her. That, and that
we don't all have to fit into a
particular mold to be succesful
in this business.
Owen:
Speaking of Brinke --- 'Severe
Injuries' is like a who's
who of modern scream queens with
you, Brinke Stevens, Debbie
Rochon, Amy Lynn Best (who also
directed!), Robyn Griggs, Lilith
Stabs, etc. Was there a lot
of scream queen sisterhood
happening on the set?
Ryli:
Actually, primary filming was
completed when Mark and I shot
our scenes, so I didn't get to
experience the on-set sisterhood.
We shot our scenes on the fly
while attending a convention with
Mike Watt and Amy Lynn Best.
Owen:
What makes you scream in real
life?
Ryli:
The supernatural and
spiritual gets me more than
slasher-type stuff.
Owen:
Where do you see your career five
years down the line?
Ryli:
I hope to still be acting, maybe
writing more. Maybe venture into
music, even...
Owen:
Do you have a dream role?
Ryli:
Not really a dream role, I don't
think, but there are certain
people that I would love to work
with sometime, both
"B-" and
"A-listers"...
Owen:
Any other new projects upcoming?
Ryli:
Currently, we're working
on a new film, ‘Twilight’s
Parasites’ --- The
outside world is overrun by
zombies, and several people
seek refuge in the various rooms
of an abandoned hotel. As night
falls, the tension causes them to
unravel, and one by one, they
begin to turn against each
other…
Always,
Ryli . www.rylimorgan.com
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