RAINE OF TERROR: TALKING WITH ACCOMPLISHED HORROR ACTRESS RAINE BROWN by Owen Keehnen

Raine Brown has been in love with acting since she was a girl and like a smart little girl she promptly went about studying to be the best at what she loved. She is a veteran of The New Jersey School of the Arts program, The Governor's School of the Arts, as well as The American Dramatic Academy in New York. She eventually got her BFA in the acting program at Montclair State University and has even performed regularly with the Hudson Shakespeare Company. In other words, this is one actress who has seriously worked at her craft. And it shows. Her performances have garnered her several awards in the horror world as well as the respect and admiration of both her coworkers and audiences... and as a result she is VERY in demand.

Among her many film appearances as her work in three of director Dante Tomaselli's films: 'Horror' , 'Satan's Playground' and the upcoming 'Torture Chamber' with Lynn Lowry and Marilyn Chambers. Her other roles include 'The Super' , 'Psycho Street' (a chapter film which will include her directing debut), 'Game Over' (for which she won a Best Supporting Actress Award at The Haunted Horror Film Festival), 'Don't Look in the Basement' , 'Beast' , 'Insatiable' , 'The Sickness' , 'Experiment 7' , 'Psycho Holocaust' (for which she was nominated for Best Actress at The Chicago Horror Film Fest), 'Vindication' , 'Pink Eye' , 'Braincell' , 'As Night Falls' , '100 Tears' (for which she won a Best Supporting Actress Award at The Tabloid Witch Awards), 'Plasterhead' , 'Woods of Evil' , 'Barricade' , and 'Maya's Soul' , among others. In addition Raine still manages to make time for stage work and performances as well as appear at horror conventions coast to coast such as Fangoria and Weekend of Horrors . For the latest news about Raine Brown be sure to check out her website at rainebrown.com.

Recently the accomplished and friendly actress took time from her very hectic schedule to answer some questions for this exclusive Racks and razors Interview.


  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!!