So
Raine why don't you start us off with a visual
and describe the room or place where you are
answering these questions?
I am in my condo.
I am surrounded by favorite things. My dog Skyler
is right by me on his little blanket under the
folded up tread mill. I have my red and black
living room- my big red comfy couch, black
furniture, red and black carpet and curtains that
look like stage curtains- I didn't realize until
after they were up but that is cool! I have my
huge screen TV which I love as my own child. I
have a ton of framed photos and posters from my
films up all around the walls. I have a candle
lit and my little space for my office work. Oh
yea and shelves full of books, DVD's and wigs.
You
have so many movies completed or coming up -
'The Super',
'Brain Cell', 'Game
Over', 'As Night
Falls', etc. What are the usual
determining factors for you choosing a film role
- or give me the top three in order.
What are
they paying me? no- but seriously- yea!! Top 3
--- Do I like the character? Do I like and trust
the people I am working with. Will I gain
something either personally or artistically from
this experience?
I also want to
hear about your work in Dante Tomaselli's new
movie 'Torture Chamber' with
Marilyn Chambers and Lynn Lowry. Give me a teaser
that will make it irresistible to Racks and
Razors readers.
Didn't
you just do that? It has me, Marilyn Chambers and
Lynn Lowry, directed by DT! What more could you
ask for! Haha! But seriously, I love Dante, I
love working with him and on his sets. I am so
glad to be working with him again because he gave
me my first break in his film Horror. At the time
I was so excited and a little in awe of him and
the whole film process. It is great to work with
him again now that I am established and can be
more of a pier to him with my understanding of
the whole film experience. He just makes me smile
and calm. I gave everything for this project. I
got poison ivy and also rug burn, or tunnel burn,
as the case may be, on my hips! So I suffered for
my art. It looks really cool and I think people
are going to love it. Really creepy!!!!
Tell me all
about your directing debut - doing the 'No
Rest for the Wicked' segment of
'Psycho Street'. What made this the right time
and the right project?
I will start it
off with the classic line... It was the best of
times; it was the worst of times. I have to say
that I didn't plan to direct until I read this
script. I was always going to be starring in it
and producing it, but as I read it over and over
I realized I wanted to direct it. I knew it was a
short, with basically one main location and only
2 main characters, and very dialogue heavy,
almost like a play. I knew I could handle this as
my first attempt and more importantly I really
understood this material and had a vision. The
story is about a single mother who is an addict
and struggling and trapped in a life that she did
not plan... She has a rocker ex- boyfriend who
comes back into the picture and they have a very
co-dependent messed up relationship. The story is
a tension building story of their relationship
and his inability to accept her son as part of
his picture and her desperation to hang onto him
at any cost. Well I just fell in love with the
character dynamic and the real interactions and
struggles of the lead. I have to say that this
has been one of the most artistically fulfilling
projects I have ever worked on. To have the
opportunity to create the character and really
guide the direction of how the project will be
seen has been wonderful. I have done many
projects that while working on them I had a
specific idea of how I saw it and then when I saw
the film, I realized the director's vision was
not the same as my own and it was always a bit
shocking. So artistically this project has been
so rewarding and to have a piece that I can fully
say is what I envisioned and a show piece for my
acting because this has been on of the bigger
acting challenges that I have had, I am so proud.
The worst of times was all the stuff that
surrounded it. Before we started shooting my
original AD and DP had to dropout and the whole
movie was postponed. The AD got deathly ill and
the DP not only had a scheduling conflict but a
death in the family! And we almost didn't have
equipment for the 2nd shoot because the new AD's
friend had to take the equipment we were
depending on last min to another shoot. Anyway, I
found new equipment and I made the shoot happen,
and it was magical. Producing is not fun, it
sucks most of the time but the artistic work
while you are doing it is where it is at!! We
shot at my house, which was great for traveling,
not great for my house, and I will go on record
now, does not look run down like it does in the
film. It's art department people, which consisted
of me!! Also, the version you see in 'Psycho
Street' will not be my version the way I
intended. Others have decided that the piece does
not fit with the new idea of 'Psycho Street' as
fun. The piece was not written as fun but as an
intense and morbid story. But I was told someone
else, is now cutting a new version for the
anthology which I have not seen yet. I need to
make that distinction because my heart and sole
is in my project now renamed 'No Rest'. I had a
mini creative crisis because some negative people
were saying unconstructive things about the
project based on the very first editors rough
cut. I got so concerned. I was hearing this
negativity and knew that I produced, directed,
and starred in this piece and maybe I was too
smeared all over this project to see that it
sucked. After a few weeks, many viewings and me
showing my piece to people whose opinion I really
respect I started to breath again. It was a great
learning experience for me because I learned so
much about following my creative instinct and not
letting other people's disapproval taint what you
do. I learned that not everyone is going to like
everything and maybe they are not your audience.
I think this piece is def. a psychological horror
film in its content, but it never goes for the
superficial and cheap thrill. Some people don't
want their horror to have substance and emotion
and that is ok, they are not going to like my
work and find it, and I guess they could find it,
and I quote "a snore fest". I also
learned to use people for what their talents are
but also keep a tighter lid on my creative
control. I like working as a democracy, a little
from this person and some from this, and I love
when people have great ideas, especially because
this was my first time directing, I was letting a
lot more input in. At the end of the day I
learned to have tighter control on my work so
that others don't try to take advantage and take
over the project. I hope my Director's cut gets
put on as an extra in the anthology because I
want people to see it. That short still called,
'No Rest for the Wicked' even though I star in
it, I don't have anything to do with that final
edit except what they use from my version, and I
am not even sure what it will look like. I hope
it fits in more with what they want for the
anthology but I am not really a part of it. I
think the anthology itself is going to be really
awesome and I am excited to see it. I already
love 'Hypochondriac' the first short in the
anthology. My version will hit the film festivals
and then I have the options to do what I see fit
with it. I am hopeful it will get out there. Wow
this was a lot of writing, but I am just so
passionate about this project!!!
Congrats
too on your upcoming role as Harriet in the
'Don't Look in the Basement' remake.
If we were to be given a warning about Raine
Brown's residence it would be called 'Don't Look
in The ________' and why?
Thank
you!! Underwear drawer - because that is just
rude!!
You've won
awards for several of your horror film roles -
'Game Over',
'Psycho Holocaust',
'100 Tears', 'Sculpture'.
What do you think has been your finest scene on
screen as a horror actress and why?
Wow I don't know.
I mean all the characters and things that happen
in the films, I feel so close to. It's like
children, how can you say which one is best? I do
love the ending scenes in Sculpture. It is so
intense and crazy! But I am not sure it is my
favorite. So many hold a special place in my
heart. Ok that is cheesy, but pretty true.
Raine, you've
done the convention thing and are so popular as a
horror actress. I'm sure you've had fans ask you
some very strange things. What's the most unusual
thing you've been asked?
I have to
say that I have not really had a problem. Most of
the fans have been very sweet and cool to meet.
There is this one guy who always buys my costumes
from me and he was so adorable he put them in
this huge glass case that was lined with some
expensive fabric and brought the whole thing to
NYC at a convention to show me. That was pretty
touching that someone would do that.
In
the smaller budgeted horror movies and such some
very interesting things can happen on set. What
is the craziest, scariest, or simply most unusual
thing that you've ever witnessed on a movie set?
On the
set, things are work, work work. So I don't have
any stories that are too bad all the things I can
think of are little annoying personality crap and
things that as a professional I do not think are
appropriate to discuss publicly. . However, right
before I was going to show up to set to film the
movie 100 Tears, I got a call from one of my
producers saying that he wanted to let me know
what was going on so that if I heard something I
wouldn't be freaked. But apparently, there was a
party in the warehouse where we were going to be
filming the next week and some absolutely crazy
guy grabbed this girl in the dark and was
strangling her with rope and then if I remember
correctly, he jumped out a window. The girl was
ok in the end because someone came in, but it was
just kinda weird. I think the guy died so I
wasn't too scared but that is bad mojo - if you
believe in that stuff.
Do you have any other
upcoming projects you would like the
racksandrazors.com readers to know about?
Yes! Yes!
Yes!! 'I Heart you!' I co-created and
co-produced, and executive produced and starred
in this film. It is my baby and it is in the
editing stages. I love this film because it is
really a character piece. It is a dark romantic
horror comedy as I like to call it. I play a very
type A personality type who is a caterer and
married to a snerd- kinda like a smooshy nerd
guy. They are both very board in there marriage
but pretend to be this ideal suburban couple
where everything is perfect. However, in her
spare time she is a serial killer and guess what,
he is too. Each becomes attracted to the other
killer not realizing it is their own spouse. It
is like 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith' meet 'Silence of the
Lambs'. Very fun and off the wall but underneath
has a commentary about modern life in the burbs
and how things aren't always what they seem.
Also, Sculpture, Briancell and Game Over all are
coming out this year!!!!
Zombies,
werewolves, vampires, witches, creatures, aliens,
psychos --- what does it for you horrorwise
Raine, and why?
Vampires!
Because every since Interview with the Vampire,
wow, there is just something about them! Yum! I
never could figure out if I wanted to be Tom
Cruse and bite Brad Pitt or Brad Pitt and be
bitten by Tom Cruse- either way it would be a
win!! I am a huge Buffy fan and Angel too.
However, I wanted to love True Blood, because
vampires and Alan Ball, producer of my favorite
show of all times 'Six Feet Under', but I just
don't love it. I don't know. I watch it but
nothing. Kinda like a guy who is really nice and
you keep going out with him because he looks good
on paper, but no sparks. Don't know why. And
please don't get me started with the 'Twilight'
stuff. I read the books for fun, but no need to
see the over hyped films. If you want to read
vampire novels Anne Rice is the Queen. Period!!
What was the first
movie you saw that scared the shit out of you?
I
remember at a sleepover party they watched
'Child's Play'. That was so scary! To this day I
hate that movie. I think about that same time
there was a little doll that was very popular
that looked so much like that doll from the
movie- which even now writing this I don't want
to use its name. It scared me so much.
Okay, we're
pulling the car into the Raine Brown Drive In.
What three horror flicks are on the triple bill
for tonight and what goodies are they going to be
serving up at the concession stand
Chocolate,
chocolate, and more chocolate! My favorite! I am
a chocoholic. I even had to answer that part of
the question first. As for films, you would get
Carrie, because that is the ultimate
psychological horror thriller in my option,
awesome film. You would get Braincell, because
that is a film I starred in, shot in England, and
coming out the end of July, and I gots ta promote
myself!! Haha. And finally, Hard Candy, which is
a newer indie horror film, shot basically in one
location and two characters and I so loved it and
wished I could have been a part of it as I was
watching it! Awesome!!
What is the best
Halloween costume you ever had?
It is so
funny that I am not a huge Halloween fan! I think
because I get to wear costumes all the time, I
don't get so excited about dressing up for
Halloween. But I think my favorite was when I was
the sexy little devil, sparkly devil ears, short
tight red dress, black ass kicking boots! I think
it was especially awesome because I wore this
when I hosted the Village Halloween Parade a few
years back! I think it was just such a perfect
night for me that I actually remember that
costume.
Do
you have any collections, obsessions, or true
loves?
I could
tell you but then I would have to kill you. I
think you are trying to get at my inner dork!! Oh
I can tell you I went through a huge Dr. Seuss
phase! And Greek myths for a bit! Shakespeare is
my other one!! I know that that is only my
literary obsessions. My dog is probably my other
obsession or at least one of my true loves.
What scares
you in real life?
Righteousness!
And to a much lesser degree, spelling!! |