 Suzi
Lorraine is a very successful
model who over the past four
years has managed to accumulate
an extremely impressive print
resume and portfolio that
includes work with Mercedes Benz,
Mattel, and Macy’s as well
as calendars, CD covers,
catalogues, etc. Now this leggy
magna cum laude Business
Management major has her gorgeous
eyes set on movies. In that past
2-3 years she has worked very
steadily, appearing in
‘Acrimony’, ‘The
Night They Returned’
(playing a cannibal sister who is
definitely not on a diet!),
‘Love’ (a deceptively
titled drama/horror movie from
Spoon Theory Films), ‘B
Movie: The Shooting of Farmhouse
Massacre’, ‘Purple
Glow’, ‘Around
Midnight’, ‘Day of the
Ax’, ‘Thorn, ‘and
‘Cold Blonded Murder’
among others. In talking with
this up-and-comer one thing
definitely seemed certain, in
time you will know Suzi.Owen:
What does the term scream queen
mean to you and what do you hope
to add to that legacy?
Suzi:
A true scream queen is not only
an actress who has had numerous
roles in horror films, and who is
recognized as such, but also an
actress who LOVES the horror
genre, and can relate to it on
many levels. A true scream
queen is also a fan, and she has
an extensive library of horror
flicks at home, that she can
happily discuss for hours on end.
Owen: So, then
can you give a brief Suzi
Lorraine must-see horror movie
list?
Suzi:
"Creepshow",
"Pieces",
"Dead and Buried",
"Silence of the
Lambs", "Dolls",
"Carrie",
"Halloween",
"Psycho I
and II”,
"Invasion of the
Body Snatchers",
"Texas Chainsaw
Massacre", "Basket
Case", and so many
more!
Owen:
Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger,
Pinhead, or Michael Meyers and
why?
Suzi:
Freddy Krueger. His
character always intrigued me
- he was the coolest.
So damn scary in "Nightmare
on Elm Street" - I
saw that movie so many times
growing up. And the reality
factor made it scary - he was not
some cheesy sci fi monster - his
face was all burned off, he was
this evil child abuser, and he
attacked people when their guard
was down (in their dreams).
Then he evolved a bit in
subsequent "Nightmares",
cracking jokes and combining a
badass sarcastic attitude to go
along with all the carnage, but
he was still Freddy!
Owen:
What scream queens inspired you
and continue to inspire you
today?
Suzi:
My favorites are Jamie Lee
Curtis, Heather Langenkamp,
Jennifer Tilly, and Adrienne
Barbeau.
Owen:
What has been your favorite role
to date?
 Suzi:
My favorite role so far was
Maryann in "Day of
the Ax" (4th Floor
Pictures). It was a brief
but powerful role. Similar
to "The Texas
Chainsaw Massacre"
my character had been beaten and
tortured by the red neck maniacs
in the woods. She comes
into contact with the main
characters while she is walking
(actually wandering/stumbling, in
a daze) down the road.
Maryann is approaching madness at
this point, as she's seen her
friends
slaughtered right in front of
her. So she basically comes
unwound during the interaction
with the other characters, and
gets to run the gamut of emotions
from distracted and dazed, to
nonsensical and crazy, to
desperate and completely
psychotic.
Owen: Tell me a
little something about your
delicious role in 'The Night they
Returned'.
Suzi:
I play Tawny Taggart - one of the
crazy cannibal sisters.
Tawny, along with her sister
Brenda (played by Melantha
Blackthorne), gets her kicks by
luring unsuspecting strangers to
our cabin in the woods, and then
dismembering and eating
them. My character switches
from sweet and demure to saw
wielding maniac in the blink of
an eye. One of my
fondest memories of the film was
when our sister Jess (played by
Liz Faure) starts going into this
"psychic trance".
She's a great comedic actor, and
really begins to take the
character over the top -
hysterical howling sounds, tongue
lolling out, eyes crossing, you
name it. So Melantha
(Brenda) and I are supposed to be
all concerned about her at this
point, and really serious, and
neither one of us could look at
each other or at Liz (Jess)
without cracking up. We had
to re-shoot that scene A LOT.
Owen: Do you
have a dream role in the
genre?
Suzi:
I gravitate toward really strong
female characters that are
multi-dimensional and really well
fleshed out. I like the
opportunity to show many
different sides to the character,
thereby making her more
"real" in the viewers'
eyes. And it's always fun to play
the antagonist rather than the
victim.
Owen:
What's your response to arguments
that the whole label and
existence of scream queen is
misogynist and sexist? Do
you think that element exists and
if so what makes something
non-exploitative vs.
exploitative?
Suzi:
Well I think there's a lot of
gray area there. I mean
certainly a horror film can
exhibit misogynistic and sexist
elements, but there are plenty
that don't. For example, I
just saw "Chainsaw
Sally" and was
totally impressed by the strength
of the lead played by April
Burril. She is the complete
antithesis of your typical
"damsel in distress"
helpless female. She kicks
major butt, and wields a large
chainsaw. And in terms of a
film being exploitative vs.
non-exploitative, well now that's
really subjective. I think
it's all good as long as there is
"equal opportunity
exploitation" - the male
characters should subjected to
the same level of objectification
or abuse - what's good for the
goose, is good for the
gander. Personally I think
as long as the actor is
comfortable doing what they're
doing, and doesn't take it too
seriously, and realizes it is
JUST A MOVIE and is not
indicative of what they would do
in real life, then there's
generally nothing wrong with
it. Doesn't mean I would
necessarily choose to watch a
strictly exploitative film, but
to each his own.
Owen: Well put.
What projects do you have lined
up in the future?
Suzi:
I recently wrapped "She
Demons of the Black Sun"
with SVBI Films in
Montreal. For those who are
familiar with my work, they know
I have done several other films
with these guys - including
"Cold Blonded Murder",
"The Night They
Returned", and
“Purple Glow".
They are definitely great people
to work with - we all share
similar interests and goals, and
it is always a blast to work with
them. We just found out
that "Purple Glow"
will be premiering at the
Fantasia Film Festival this
summer! And "Day
of the Ax" just won
first place in the best horror
feature category at the Indy
Gathering Film Convention in
Cleveland! It will be
officially released the end of
this year by Brain Damage
Films. I'm heading back to
Montreal again in August to work
on "Hell
Jail: Rise of the Ghosts"
- which will be one of Sv Bell's
most ambitious projects to
date. Really excited about
that!
Owen:
As someone who is up-and-coming
in the field what advice do you
have to give to someone who is
looking to break into the indie
horror scene?
 Suzi:
Do it because you love it, not
for the money. Choose your
projects wisely, and remember
that film is
permanent. Don't let
anyone pressure you into
anything. Work your hardest
and do your best no matter what
you are working on - everyone has
to start somewhere.
Owen:
And finally, what's something
that makes you scream in real
life?
Suzi:
Cockroaches and mullets,
or better yet, cockroaches with
mullets.
That’s very scary!
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