November 10, 2025 • 56 mins
After narrowly surviving the Abaddon Hotel in “Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire,” Elizabeth Vermilyea is back as Vanessa Shepherd in the latest installment of this indie horror franchise — “Hell House LLC: Lineage” (now streaming on Shudder). Tune in to hear all about making both “Hell House” movies, what it was like switching from found footage to the new film’s traditional narrative format, and what Elizabeth would like to see explored if the series continues.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
Hello, Welcome to Happy Horrid Time. My name is Tim Murdoch.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
And my name is Matt Emmert.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Now today's special guest starred as journalist Vanessa Shepherd in
Hellhouse LLC three Lake of Fire, and just reprise this
role to lead the fifth installment of the series Hellhouse LLC.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Lineage.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Not only was this the first film in the franchise
to get a theatrical release back in August, but it
also is the first to switch from found footage to
a traditional narrative format. Now, poor Vanessa is in a
very different mindset in this film, so we can't wait
to talk all about this pivotal character with the actress
who portrayed her. And if you happen to miss Lineage
in theaters, it just released on Shutter on October thirtieth,
(00:52):
so if you can catch it there, please Welcome to
the podcast. Elizabeth vermilia Hi.
Speaker 4 (00:59):
Was happy to be here. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Yes, We're so happy to have you here.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Now, you know, before we jump into the Hell House movies,
we'd love to know more about your background, like where
are you originally from and how did you first become
interested in acting.
Speaker 5 (01:14):
I'm from Stores, Connecticut. Little town in Connecticut. And yeah,
I started off like most actors. I just did school plays.
I did my first one when I was five or six,
I think, and then.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
I just kept on doing it from there.
Speaker 5 (01:31):
I was a really shy kid, so I really loved
being able to be different characters in the plays and
like getting to be people who were not shy and
there were words there for you with a script, because
I often found trouble, you know, finding the words to
like talk to people in real life because I was
so shy.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
So yeah, so I.
Speaker 5 (01:50):
Did a bunch of school plays and then I went
to a performing arts high school in Hartford, Connecticut, and
then I went to college for it, and I studied
in this city for a while.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
And yeah, it was always just something that I really
wanted to do.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Well, I mean, what you're talking to two theater guys,
so we totally. Did you do any musicals?
Speaker 4 (02:10):
I did?
Speaker 5 (02:11):
Yeah. I was in Fiddler on the Roof a couple times.
I was in Oklahoma. I was in this very weird,
silly musical version of A Midsummer Night's Dream that was
modernized and took place in a like casino in Las Vegas.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Yes, that dialogue is not easy.
Speaker 5 (02:33):
Yeah, yeah, no, no, yeah, and then singing and everything. Yeah,
it was Hermia I think in that one. Yes, I
did a lot of musicals back then. I didn't really
keep up with it once I got older.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
But yeah, and growing up, were you a fan of
horror films? Did any make an impact on you?
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (02:51):
I think the first horror film that I saw was
when I was probably way too young to be seeing it.
I believe it was Freddy's Dead, the Final Nightmare, Oh fun.
I think that's the one with a scene where the
grandmother twists the Q tip into the guy's ear. I
remember that scene really freaking me out and staying with
me and yeah, I don't know, there's just something so
(03:13):
fun about being scared.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
I really, I really do love horror movies.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
That is such a good, great Ever, we have never
we asked that to everyone. And you know, we get
The Exorcist all the time, we get like some of them,
the like Psycho and the Classics and stuff.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
We have never gotten Freddy's Dead, I know, but she picked.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
The like the most disturbing scene in that film.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Yeah. Yeah, it's a harsh scene to watch.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
Yeah, it's not exactly a classic I guess what.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
No, no, no, I mean the way the Final Nightmare. Then
that spawned multiple other movies.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
But yes, yes, exactly, we're quite familiar with that movie
and all of the front we love. We're big fans
of the Slasher series, like I'm a huge Halloween fan.
Tim's a huge Friday the Thirteenth fan, and we love
the Night on Elm Street fans, so we're quite familiar.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
With that install Yeah, it's a good one.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
So before starring in hell House three, we noticed on
your IMDb page that you did an episode on three
different true crime TV series. Yea, Evil Lives Here, Evil Talks,
Chilling Confessions, and Shattered. So I wanted to know, now,
on these shows, were you portraying like real people and
dramatizations or what did the roles entail?
Speaker 5 (04:26):
Yeah, the first one I did, I was the wife
of a serial rapist. Is how he started, and then
he started murdering his victims. I believe he's still alive
in jail serving a life sentence.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
I don't remember the name of him. He was the
Craigslist killer, I.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Think, yeah, I remember killer.
Speaker 5 (04:46):
Yeah, So I was his wife and she was actually
on the show like narrating, doing an interview, and then
I was doing the scenes as her, So yeah, that
was pretty cool and crazy for and that was my
first time being on TV and getting just you know,
see myself and on the screen and everything, so.
Speaker 4 (05:04):
That was really cool.
Speaker 5 (05:05):
And then I was also a prostitute to get strangled
and another one, I think my husband got murdered by someone.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Was it just a coincidence that you happen to do
three shows like this or is there like a community
of people that do true crime that they're like, hey,
let's have her back kind of?
Speaker 5 (05:28):
I think I think it's living locally to where they
shoot them a lot in New Jersey and in the
New York you know area, and once you're on the
radar of the casting director, I think they kind of like, oh,
we liked her in this, we can use her for
something else, that sort of thing. But yeah, and that
was like the only stuff on my reel for a while,
so I think that's why I kind of ended up
(05:49):
getting horror and more like serious stuff based off of that,
because it was like me screaming and getting slapped in
the face and stuff on my reel.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
So you're like, I'm ready for their romantic comedy.
Speaker 4 (06:01):
I guesah, yeah, you don't really get that from what
I was showing, but.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
Yeah, wow, but that's a look. I'll say this like
to start doing intense stuff like that. I mean it's
like I feel like a number one. Like you said,
it prepares you for horror and it shows that you
can do like at like a very a large range
of emotions.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
So that's kind of cool.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
Yeah. Yeah, and they're really fun.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
I mean they're they're quick, but it's like making like
a tiny little short film when you're shooting it.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Yeah, it's it's a lot of fun to film those things.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
So moving on to Hell House LC three, Lake of Fire.
How did you get involved with this project and what
was the audition process like for the role of Vanessa Shepherd.
Speaker 5 (06:41):
Yeah, so it was just a listing on backstage that
I applied for. I think it said that it was
the third movie in a horror trilogy, but it didn't
say the name of it.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
I don't think. So.
Speaker 5 (06:54):
I just applied for it and they asked me to
do an audition, which is just a self tape that
I sent to them.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
I got a callback where I got to meet them.
Speaker 5 (07:04):
I think it was Steven and Joe and somebody else
there at it, and yeah, so we went through the
scene and then they had me do like some improv
as Vanessa and they were asking me questions.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
And then the.
Speaker 5 (07:15):
Third callback, Gabriel, who plays Russell in it, was already cast,
so he was just doing like chemistry reads with different actresses.
So I came in and improv with him for a while.
I think it was us having like a fight, like
he didn't want me filming at the actual event, the
(07:36):
Insomnia Night, and I was trying to convince him that
I should be there. And yeah, it felt like really
good and like we had like a good vibe going on.
So and then I got the part and that's yeah,
that's how that went.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
And prior to audition, have you heard of the hell
House series or did you happen to see them?
Speaker 4 (07:56):
No, I hadn't heard of them.
Speaker 5 (07:58):
After when I got the first callback, I knew what
the title of it was and everything, So I went
and I watched the first hell House movie and.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
It was so scary, like really so scary.
Speaker 5 (08:12):
I had to take breaks while I was watching it,
and like I watched like a sitcom for a little
bit and then I went back to it because just
the whole vibe of it, like even if nothing was happening,
like it felt like eerie and uncomfortable. So yeah, but
I really really liked it, and so I was really
excited to like possibly be able to be in the
third one.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
We told this story before, but we stumbled upon the
first Hell House ll see. But well, I mean, obviously
we do this podcast. We watched horror all the time,
and we were just like looking for a new horror
movie that was streaming. This is you know, years and
years ago, and we were like, oh, found footage. Okay, well,
and we didn't expect it to be as scary as
it was when we were both just like fully engrossed
(08:53):
in it, and like.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
You, afterwards, I think we watched the Golden Girls episode
to clean our palate.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
To watch actually went to your true crime shows.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
Jah, I just relaxed, like Hilario, We're like yeah, no, no, yeah,
it is one of those films that really gets under
your skin and like we knew. I remember right after
we watched it, I was like I have to search
for this like director, and like I remember searching for
Stephen Cognetty on like Twitter, and because I'm like, there
(09:22):
has to be a sequel, there's more to this, and
what do you know four films later? Yeah, well, and
Lake of Fire was your first feature film, correct, Yes,
So how did you feel about making your film debut
in the horror genre?
Speaker 4 (09:36):
I felt really excited about it. It was really cool.
Speaker 5 (09:38):
And also there were there were two films obviously at
that point, and so like it already had a fan base,
Like you knew that people were going to be excited
about it and definitely going to watch it, and it
wasn't just like you know, my mom watching me in
a TV episode where I'm getting murdered. So yeah, it
was really exciting. I was really nervous about it, but
(09:59):
it was really cool. And yeah, and they continue to
be this really awesome fan base watching all the movies
and being really supportive, so it's really cool.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
It is good.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
He has a really comedic moment in the third one
when the girl I think her name is Isabelle says like, oh,
can we hashtag it? M M and You're like, no, no,
let's see Claire, Like I thought that stuff was so
funny morning mister. Yeah, You're like, so we to clarify
it's morning mystery.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Yeah mm, I know, yeah, we don't.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
We don't want it to be vague and mysterious. We'd
like people to know what they're searching it.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
I was laughing, Yeah, I was like, this is so funny.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
You know.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
So in Hollhouse three, your character is filming a documentary
on billionaire Russell Winns's interactive show Insomnia, which is being
run at the Abadon Hotel, and funny enough, your character
Vanessa seems to be like the only character in this
film who's actually hesitant about even stepping foot in this
location where so many people have disappeared, Like everyone else
(10:55):
is just like what, who cares? What similarities did you
find between yourself and this character when preparing for this role,
and how are you and Vanessa different?
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (11:06):
I think there's a lot of similarities. I mean, she's
she's in a.
Speaker 5 (11:10):
Field where it's a lot of men, and she's kind
of trying to make her way in it. She has
a lot of ambitions, She's there for a purpose. I mean,
part of the thing with found footage is like why
do they stay there after things start getting creepy? I
thought it was very believable in this that like she
can't go to her boss and say, like, I had
a scary ghost thing happened, so I'm just gonna leave.
(11:32):
Like it's you know, she has to stay there. It's
for a career. It's like she's proving herself. And yeah,
I think there's similarities with that and with acting, and
you know, the same ambition, the same trying to prove
yourself and trying to get roles and yeah, so there
was definitely a lot of similarities there.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
I don't think I would stay under.
Speaker 5 (11:55):
Any circumstances after you know, she has I have that
scary scene and going through the camera and I see
like that zombie thing. I think I would have been
out at that point. So that's a little bit of
a difference. But yeah, I really liked her as a character,
and I thought she was really grounded in reality and
someone like that the audience could relate to of how
(12:18):
they might react in those situations, like I don't think
it's safe to be here, but I'm trying to do
my job, but then it doesn't end up going very well.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
It was funny because I was like Matt and I
always say, like, why don't they just leave? Why don't
they just leave. But then you did cut to in
the cars and You're like, I can't quit. So I
was like, oh, she's answering all my questions.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Yeah, and I'm glad that you addressed that because I
was actually going to ask you because it's like your
character she sees an actual ghost of one of like
the former people who was killed there, and Russell literally
the night before tells her like not to come, and
for some reason I didn't even think about but yes,
like your job is on the line, like you can't
just not finish this documentary or this thing. You just
(13:00):
took over as the host. But I'm always like thinking,
I guess I forget that in real life people do
a lot of things they don't want to do for
their careers or just for something else, because it's easy
to be the person in the background saying I would
never stay, but like you never know.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Well, when she walked in and the first thing the
lights go about, I was like me, personally, I have
like a I'm done.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
Yeah, that's it the.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
End of movie exactly. Well, So okay.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
So Joe Bandelli the producer of all the Hell House
films and a very dear friend of ours. He told
us that you are one of the most talented actors
that he has ever worked with, which is a huge compliment.
And you got to work closely with Joe on Lake
of Fire, specifically because not only does he play the
terrifying hellhouse clown, but he also plays your cameraman, Louis,
(13:46):
what was it like working alongside Joe as both your
cameraman and the clown.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
He was the best.
Speaker 5 (13:53):
He's such a nice person, as you know, just like
really supportive, and he's a producer, sir, and so he's
there to help you in that way, but he's also,
you know, my scene partner. He's also the clown at times,
and yeah, it was like such a nice thing to
have him there and like being supportive. And it was
(14:13):
my first feature film, and you know, I'm one of
the leads in it.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
So it's kind of scary.
Speaker 5 (14:18):
Yeah, he's just like nothing but awesome and supportive and
just like helped me through the process so much.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Yeah, and I guess you're right.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
It's like to have as your scene partner the producer,
as someone who knows so much about it.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
It's like what better person you have him? You have
Stephen directing you and everything, So that's kind of cool.
I just thought it's funny because you literally have to
see him as your cameraman and then see him as
the clown, which is such such a different role.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
I think because he had.
Speaker 5 (14:47):
A larger role in this one, I don't think he
was the clown as much. Oh yes, and they had
other people in the clown suit.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
We've asked him.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
It's like, I know, he has played it on and
off in most of the installments, probably played it more
the fifth one than the third one. But that is
true because you actually see him more. I know he's
in the first two, but you don't see his face
as closely like in the third one. He's got a
good face shot as your cameraman.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Yeah, And you work with Stephen Cognetti, who wrote and
directed all the films in the franchise. What was he
like as a director?
Speaker 4 (15:19):
He's great. There was.
Speaker 5 (15:22):
With it being found footage, there's a lot of opportunity
for like improv and kind of seeing what happens in
the moment, and that was really great.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
I mean, he writes all.
Speaker 5 (15:31):
Of them, but he's also really open to like any
ideas that you might have. He's not like precious about
it and also just like really supportive and kind and
like just makes a really great environment for everybody to
work in. Yeah, we worked together three times now and
it's always just like a great experience.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
I love working with Stephen.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
Do you find yourself Did you find yourself improving a
lot on either Part three or Part five or did
you mostly stick to the scripa especial part three because
it's found footage. Did you find yourself improving or more
staying to the script?
Speaker 5 (16:05):
I don't remember too much specifically Part three. It was
definitely like looser and there were like little moments where
we would be able to do that.
Speaker 4 (16:16):
With lineage, not.
Speaker 5 (16:18):
So much because it was narrative instead of found footage,
and there's a lot of like specificity in the lines
that I think mattered for the story and making sure
that everything kind of made sense, So not so much on.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Lineage now, Yeah, no, that makes sense.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
Okay, So spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't seen part three,
and don't worry, we're going to get to lineage and
cover that completely. Just wanted to start with part three
because we are going to ask Elizabeth about the ending now,
So if you don't want that spoiled, just letting giving
you the warning.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Now.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
So, in the end of Lake of Fire, after basically
the cult members like infiltrate this show and basically massacre everyone.
During Insomnia's opening night, Vanessa herself gets dragged in the
basement and it looks like, at least what I thought
is that she gets her throat slit, But at the
end we find out that no one actually died because
Russell was an angel who interfered and saved everyone. Now,
(17:12):
were you surprised by this ending and that you survived
because most of the main characters in the first two
films did not make it.
Speaker 5 (17:20):
Yeah, no, not many characters make it, And yeah, I
was surprising when I got to the end of the
script and saw that we were not dead. Do you
get my throat slit in the basement? Which is a
lot of fun getting the makeup put on for that
and everything, which you can't really see so much in
the movie, which is a bummer.
Speaker 4 (17:38):
Because it looked really awesome.
Speaker 5 (17:40):
But yeah, so it was cool, and also it left
open the possibility of coming back, which is nice.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
So when you got your throat slit at that time,
did you think you'd be brought back.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
I mean you find out that you then need survived.
Speaker 5 (17:56):
Yeah, yeah, No, I didn't think that. I mean I
thought that was the trilogy and that was going to
be all the hell House movies at the time, and
then the Carmichael Manor came out and they went in
like a different direction with new characters, So I thought
and I loved it. I thought it was really good,
and so I thought any further movies would be in
(18:18):
that thing. So I was very surprised that Vanessa was
coming back for lineage, but I thought it was really
cool how he brought those two different versions of the
movie together and like tied all that with the Carmichael
manner and the Avadant Hotel.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
Yeah, and you're right.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
I remember when the third one came out, it was
kind of like, this is the concluding chapter of a trilogy.
But that's also what they said about Scream three, so yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
And speaking of bringing people back for additional films, all
five of the main stars from the original Hellhouse LC
returned in Lake of Fire with cameos. Now you don't
have any scenes specifically with them, but did you get
to meet them at all or interact with them.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
Yeah, we all hung out after the shooting day.
Speaker 5 (19:00):
It was really cool because I had just watched, you know,
the movie that they were in, so it was a
little bit like fangirl feeling like, oh my god.
Speaker 4 (19:07):
You guys are from the original movie. It was really cool.
Speaker 5 (19:10):
Yeah, and Ryan was my roommates for the night that
she was there, so that was really cool, and getting
to meet everyone was really awesome. Yeah, we didn't have
any of the same shooting days. I wasn't in any
scenes with them, so that was too bad. But yeah,
everyone was really nice and it was like a high
school reunion for them or something, it seemed like to
be able to be back there again.
Speaker 4 (19:31):
So yeah, it was really fun.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
What I love about all of these films in this
series is that Steven and Joe, they they bring so
much from the past into the present, you know, like
in terms of like past characters, past storylines, like everything
you see has a reason for being and will come
into play at some point. So it's nice to like
see some of the people and the fact that it's
(19:54):
like you guys have like a little hell house LC
family at this point, you know. With installments now between
Lake of Fire and lineage. You did another supernatural horror
film with Stephen Cognati and Joe Bandelli called eight twenty
five Forest Road. Now, even though this film only came
out earlier this year, it was it was filmed a
few years ago.
Speaker 4 (20:13):
Correct, Yeah, it was.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Now. Did you have to.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Audition for a twenty five Forest Road or were it
was that something they just asked you to do due
to your participation in Hell House three?
Speaker 5 (20:24):
Steven emailed me and said he was making a movie.
He thought it'd be good for one of the characters,
but he wasn't making it on his own. He had
other producers who would like to see an audition, so
he asked me if I'd be willing to put something
on tape, and I was like, of course. So I
did audition, But I don't know if they were also
(20:44):
auditioning other people for the role of Maria, which is
what I ended up playing at the same time, or not.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Any fun stories or memories from making eight twenty five
Forest Road.
Speaker 4 (20:57):
I don't know if it's fun.
Speaker 5 (20:59):
But we did make it, like right, We were supposed
to make it early twenty twenty, and then COVID so
it gets delayed like a year and a half and
then we were able to do it, but we still
had all these precautions and I had to wear like
one of those plastic it's like a dog collar with
the plastic shield over your face.
Speaker 4 (21:20):
So we had to wear that.
Speaker 5 (21:21):
Anytime we were like rehearsing with our makeup on, and
then we would just take it off for the scene.
So it was it was a weird time to make
a movie, but also really fun. It was my first
job back after that long COVID break, so it was
like so much fun. I think we were all like
really excited to be back to work. So I had
(21:42):
like a really great energy on set.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
So you're saying that when you guys do everything, but
when they're actually shooting the take, you had that like
dog collar thing on your interacting with people.
Speaker 4 (21:53):
Yeah, wow hours.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Yeah, I guess it's like I don't know. Sometimes I
think back at the COVID precautions.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
I know we it was like unfamiliar territory, but it's
almost like, well, if they're gonna spread something, they'll spread
it when you guys are doing the actual scene, right,
I guess.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
They figure out are we guys far away? Because I okay,
I watched The Bowl and the Beautiful and the way
they filmed this soap is like one person was like
way over there and one person was like way over here.
I don't even think they were filming at the same time.
And actually had a kissing scene where man kissed a mannequins,
so you know, really right, links yeah, but everyone was like,
that's not a real person.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Did you kiss any mannequins in a twenty five forest row?
Speaker 4 (22:29):
I didn't.
Speaker 5 (22:30):
I had Martha the Mannequin close to me a lot,
but I never I never went there with her.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
That was funny, Qessonal.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
I remember Martha the Mannequin and I was like, oh,
I see a little bit of Hellhouse clownish like tie
ins to it, you know. But it's it's funny because
I do remember hearing about this film like back years
ago when we interviewed Stephen and then took a while.
But at the same time, this has been such a
big year for him because it came out in April,
and then Hellhouse five came out. But okay, so you
(23:01):
kind of alluded to this, but so years past, a
fourth Hell House LLC film comes out, exploring the Carmichael
manner and basically introducing new characters, and then Stephen Cognetti
decides to do a fifth film Lineage and bring back
Vanessa Shepherd. How did you first find out that Stephen
wanted you back and how did you feel about reprising
the role.
Speaker 5 (23:22):
He called me and said I have a new project
that I'm working on that i'd like you to be in,
and I was like great, and then he said it
was another hell House and I was like what, that's crazy,
But yeah, I was really excited. He already knew at
that point that it was going to be narrative instead
(23:43):
of found footage, and talked a little bit about where
Vanessa was at and she's not doing great all that,
you know, nightmares and a little bit of a drinking problem,
and I was like that sounds really interesting and cool,
and so yeah, I was excited to be a part
of it.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Did you have any reservations not being found footage?
Speaker 4 (24:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (24:06):
I mean from the second that people heard that it
was not going to be found footage, there was a
lot of stuff online of people being like, well, I'm
not even going to watch it now because I don't
like movies that aren't found footage and stuff like that.
So I was, you know, like, ooh, it's I mean,
any project like this, you know there's going to be
people who like it and people who don't, and you're going.
Speaker 4 (24:28):
To see both of those things.
Speaker 5 (24:30):
So yeah, I was a little nervous about, like knowing
that I'm going to have to try to stay off
the internet to a certain ex sense.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
That is the right to be like if it's not
found footage, I was like, you're not watching nine point
nine percent things aren't found footage?
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Yeah, do you not watch I think every Oscar winning
film ever? You know?
Speaker 3 (24:50):
No, I mean it was weird because, to be completely honest,
when I when we first heard it wasn't going to
be found footage, we were like, wait, what this is
a found footage series. But at the same time, the
people who make these films should be respected enough and
trusted that they know what they're doing. And if Stephen
wanted to do a different format for this for the
reasons that he had, and you like his work, then
(25:13):
you should respect that, you know.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
And so it's not like the hell House film.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
It's not like when he released them he said, by
the way, everyone every film I do in this series
is going to be found footage. I mean, people were
just used to it. But when you look at so
many horror franchises, how many times did they change?
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Like there's like.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
Or you know, like a character change, like from Patricia
Quette to Tuesday Night.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Or like in Friday at Thirteenth when suddenly Jason is
a weird thing that you can transfer between people and
he Ja's like, you can change the format all the time,
or in Freddy's Dead your favorite harm She's like, I
didn't say, I'm kidding him.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
So when we're reintroduced to Vanessa lineage, she seems pretty broken.
Did you and Steven And it sounds like he did,
but talk a lot about where your character would be
at this point in the story, Like do you think
that she's stopping a journalist right after the events of
Lake of Fire?
Speaker 5 (26:09):
Yeah, for the most part, she I mean, it wasn't
only that.
Speaker 4 (26:14):
These horrible events took place. There was also the moment.
Speaker 5 (26:17):
Where she she outed her source something that he told
her off the record. She said, so like her journalistic
integrity was kind of ruined as well as this crazy
you know, people came back from the dead. That's like
a weird thing to have on your on your bio
from that point on when you do stuff. So yeah,
(26:40):
so I feel like like everything her ambition, everything she
was reaching towards the life that she wanted is like over.
Speaker 4 (26:48):
So that's a lot to go through.
Speaker 5 (26:52):
So I think she kind of was dealing with that,
trying to put together some sort of new life, new goals,
and then these nightmare start happening to her and she's
like pulled back into all that aved on stuff.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
Did when Stephen introduces to you, did he have everything
laid out for like where Vanessa's been and what she
was up to or was it more like collaborative between
you two?
Speaker 4 (27:16):
It was pretty well laid out.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Yeah, yeah it was.
Speaker 5 (27:20):
It was all kind of there to start with, and
then yeah, my job was just kind of making it
make sense to me, But yeah, it was.
Speaker 4 (27:30):
Everything was there in the script already.
Speaker 3 (27:32):
I always imagine, like Stephen, because there's so much lore
in this franchise, like having like a murder board, but
like a Hell House LLC board, and like everyone who's
connected with like yarn, right, I mean, how do you
would you not keep? Like I mean, it's it's the
amount of characters and the connections, Like there's got to
be some sort of bible or or notebook.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
I mean, all the funny characters from part three. I
thought it was the most comedic one. I mean, it's
also scary that all the characters were like because I
think you're the one that says it's kind of like
the Office or someone compares it to the Office, right.
Speaker 3 (28:06):
Yeah, I think you say that when the way they
are going to be filming them each themselves is yeah.
Speaker 5 (28:12):
We're like the background crew catching stuff. But yeah, there
were a lot of really funny characters in that one.
That one was really fun.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
So did you do and I assume that you did,
but do any different sort of preparation to play Vanessa
this time? And did you find it more challenging because
she was in such a fragile state.
Speaker 5 (28:30):
Yeah, I definitely did prep just and I think I
still had my old notebooks from what I did like
a fire and kind of figuring out, you know, everything
that I had for her as a character then and
then everything that was in the script that's like a
fact about her now, and then like bridging that gap,
trying to make the period in between make sense for
(28:51):
how she's gotten to this point was really.
Speaker 4 (28:53):
Helpful for you.
Speaker 5 (28:55):
Know, informing how I would play the character in a
way that made sense for.
Speaker 4 (29:01):
I don't know. I don't find emotional sad stuff that challenging.
I don't know. Maybe I'm just sad or something.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
I mean, no, no, I mean that's good.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
It's just funny because there's been so much with films
and horror films now, having so many sequels and legacy
sequels and requels and all of that stuff, Like trauma
is such a common thing that is actually explored in
horror today, whereas you know, in the past, we rarely
like really focused on what's the victim feeling.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
Right now, after they.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Concentrate on feelings, they were just like, oh my gosh,
I'm in a canoe and there's someone chasing me.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
Yeah, but it's like now, and I feel like as
an actor that must be give you so much more
meat to play with and stuff too, Like I kind
of feel like it'd be maybe more fun playing her
in part five because she's so messed up, if that
makes sense.
Speaker 4 (29:52):
Yeah, it was, It was. It was a lot of fun.
Speaker 5 (29:55):
And I think that something Stephen really likes to do
is kind of go into this psychology and the trauma stuff.
Speaker 4 (30:00):
With a two five as well. That one was very
heavily into all of that.
Speaker 5 (30:05):
So yeah, it's really fun, and it's like, I don't know,
it's it informs the scarce more. I think you're already
in this fragile state and then this clown is coming
at you on top of it, and yeah, yeah, it's
really fun.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
So you know, we've talked a lot about how this
film is the first in the hell House series to
be to not be found footage. In what ways do
you find it easier and in what ways is it
more challenging to make a traditional narrative film versus a
found footage film.
Speaker 5 (30:39):
Well, the found footage goes much quicker. There's one camera angle,
it's not extensive lights and everything. The setups are much quicker,
and so you it just flies by. I mean we
did the other movies.
Speaker 4 (30:53):
I think it was like a week and a half,
two weeks or something for Lake a Fire.
Speaker 5 (30:58):
So this one obviously there's more to it with camera
angles and with everything, and you know, shooting things from
my perspective and the other characters and then you get
a two shot of them, it just takes longer. It's
also really cool though, because you get to disappear into
the character a little bit more if you like. I mean, obviously,
(31:19):
if you're doing found footage, the characters are aware that
they're being filled in the moment, so there's a level
of self consciousness to that as the actor and the character.
With this, you just kind of tune everything out, pretend
it's not there, and you know, go through the scene.
So it's really different. They're both really fun in different ways.
Speaker 2 (31:41):
But yeah, that makes sense. I never even thought about.
Speaker 3 (31:43):
But like you're right, like found footage, they're literally playing
to the camera because they know they're being filmed, versus
an irregular and traditional film, you have to pretend the
camera doesn't exist because you don't want to be caught,
as we've seen in some old harm movies looking at
the cast.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
Yeah, someone, I don't even know if I should say this,
but I'm gonna say it.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Say it.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
I never act natural if there's a camera on me.
Like when I was a kid, I was like I
have to perform, you know.
Speaker 3 (32:07):
Yeah, but that's kind of I think that kind of
plays into some of the characters in like Lake of
Fire versus lineage, like like the whole comedic they're acting
for the camera versus there's no camera in a traditional format,
So yeah, nothing to act for, I guess.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
And you come in contact with the hell House clown
a lot in this film. Did you ever get truly
creeped out by Joe in that clown suit, especially when
he's right behind you in the drive in?
Speaker 5 (32:35):
Yeah, I don't get that creeped out when it's Joe
in the clown suit. There is one scene where I'm
coming out of the closet I've hidden in the closet,
and then I'm coming out of it later and there's
a quick shot of the clown behind me while I'm
in the closet, and that was just the mannequin, And
I had to be there in the dark with that
(32:55):
mannequin behind me before, and I didn't like that at all.
When it's just a mannequin with that clown face on,
it's like, really creeped me out.
Speaker 3 (33:05):
Yeah, you know, And I guess that I've always wondered
this because like across all of the films, like how
often it was a mannequin versus a person in the suit?
In your two films, how often was the clown a
mannequin versus a person in the suit.
Speaker 5 (33:21):
Mostly it was a person. Mostly it was Joe in it. Really,
just like shots where it's far away or like you know,
hiding in a closet behind me, where you're not going
to notice because it looks a little funky and kind
of like wobbly, I think, if there's not an actual
person in it.
Speaker 4 (33:41):
But yeah, so mostly it was Joe in that suit.
Speaker 3 (33:43):
And you know, props to Joe and everyone who played
the clown because like, I can't tell what I mean. Obviously,
when you see them moving, you know it's someone in there,
but like, there are so many parts where I'm just like, Okay,
this looks like a mannequin, but is it a person?
Speaker 2 (33:56):
Is it what?
Speaker 3 (33:56):
Like, you can't actually tell, And that's props to the
people who are remaining still but still being incredibly scary.
You know, one of my favorite scenes in Lineage is
when you're on the side of the bed and the
clown looks over the side at you, just because we're
so conditioned in horror films to see the hero, you know,
kind of peer over the side of the bed at
(34:18):
something versus the villain.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
Did you have a favorite.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
Scene in lineage to film either, because you just really
enjoyed doing it, or because of how it turned out.
Speaker 5 (34:27):
That scene in the bed was actually really fun because
it looks really scary in the film, but it actually
looked completely ridiculous when we were shooting it too, because
it was like, I think it was the mannequin for
a lot of it, and it's just hovering on top
of the bed, like with stuff stacked up underneath it,
and it's like supermanning over the bed. That one was
(34:48):
pretty funny and silly for the behind the scenes stuff
versus how scary it looked in the actual film.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
I totally jumped.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Yeah, Like and the drive in scene, and because you
said that that wasn't as scary, but we're you well,
first off, were you at a drive in or was
that screen like super imposed? Was that an actual drive
in theater? You were at it? It was an actual
drive oh okay?
Speaker 3 (35:08):
And then obviously the footage comes later of the Carmichael
girl talking to you.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
And then but the clown was actually in the back seat.
Speaker 3 (35:14):
Of that car, correct, Yes, yeah, okay, Well, but I
say it's like between takes or you and joej just like, hey,
how's it going?
Speaker 4 (35:20):
Like it was so cold and we were so tired.
Speaker 5 (35:24):
I think we were just like waiting there, like shivering
in the car, waiting for them to say.
Speaker 2 (35:28):
Action movie was playing on the screen.
Speaker 5 (35:33):
The beginning of that movie was just like random shots
of stuff that they could show because they didn't want
to deal with like copyright stuff totally. And then it
switched to the spooky footage which I could see, but
there was no audio, so I had to they let
me know when I was supposed to be woken up
by it and see all.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
That got it.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
Okay, Okay, So major major spoiler alert right now, since
we're going to talk about the ending of Lineage, and
if you haven't seen this film yet because it is
new and you don't want the ending spoiled, please go
check it out on shutter and then return to this
part of the interview because we are going to ask
about a lot of specifics in the ending. There's a
lot to unpack in the ending of this film, because
(36:16):
at first we find out that everyone in their lineage
that's related to the car accident that killed Margaret Carmichael's
being killed, and at the beginning, the only connection we
kind of know that Vanessa has is her soon to
be ex husband's dad was involved, but then we find
out that her mother was a woman who worked at
the Abadan hotel named Beverly, and Vanessa's long lost twin
(36:40):
is wait for it, Mitchell Kavanaugh from the second movie.
Speaker 2 (36:44):
Now, First off, did I get all that right?
Speaker 4 (36:46):
Yes? I believe he did.
Speaker 2 (36:47):
Oh my god. Okay.
Speaker 3 (36:49):
Secondly, what was your reaction to learning all these new
facts about your character?
Speaker 4 (36:56):
Ah? I was like, what really?
Speaker 5 (37:00):
Yeah, I had no idea, So I did as soon
as I read that part in the script where it
says something about my mom or twin. I remembered the moment,
which is really quick in the car meical manner. They
find like a note in a clock or something, and
it says Beverly something to do with that, and I
was like, Oh, that's who that was talking about. So yeah,
(37:22):
So I have a much deeper connection with the abbot
On and everything than I realized, and it's been faded
to drag me back into it this entire time.
Speaker 2 (37:32):
It's funny because did I've got to know when Stephen
was presenting this film you, did he reveal all that
at the beginning, like what your whole connection was or
did you just find that out when you read the script.
Speaker 4 (37:42):
I think I just found it out when I read
the script.
Speaker 5 (37:45):
Yeah, I don't think he said anything about it, so
it was a surprise as I was reading it.
Speaker 3 (37:51):
Yeah, I mean cool, it's good people who know this
series remember all of these characters and things like that
and know, and it's cool to kind of have connections
because otherwise, you know, some of these characters you don't
hear much about. But like and like, we loved seeing
the girls from the Carmichael manner in this and you
kind of connected them. It kind of like brings everything back. So, Okay,
(38:14):
this film is being billed as the final entry in
the Hellhouse series, but that ending, you know, it kind
of seemed to open more doors and close them. And
although Stephen Cognetti said he's no longer going to make
more hell House films, he also mentioned in an interview
that we read that he's outlined what would come next
from a story perspective. So my question is, has Stephen
(38:35):
talked to you at all about what he had the
idea for what would come next?
Speaker 4 (38:41):
No, he never told me.
Speaker 5 (38:42):
I do think that it was originally possibly going to
be like a two parter, but then decided that he
was kind of okay, just ending it on this kind
of note of uncertainty. I don't know where the story
was going to go after that, if it was going
to or if it will some day.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
Now do you think there will be another Hellhouse film?
And would you be up for playing Vanessa again?
Speaker 4 (39:07):
I don't know. I mean, it seemed pretty sure that
Steven is. It feels like this was the end of it.
Speaker 5 (39:14):
So I don't know if it could happen with like
another director or something of the else, or there could
be another hell House film that he does that's like, uh,
you know, a totally different story plotline or something.
Speaker 4 (39:26):
That doesn't do this.
Speaker 5 (39:28):
If it did happen, I would of course be totally
open to it. And I think there's a lot of
places Vanessa could go from where the movie ended on
this one.
Speaker 4 (39:39):
So yeah, who knows what'll happen?
Speaker 1 (39:41):
And most importantly, did your ex husband sign those divorce papers?
Speaker 2 (39:47):
Sign?
Speaker 4 (39:48):
Now?
Speaker 1 (39:50):
Great, there's there's I just want to know that's really quick.
So he's obviously has moved on. And there's like a
blonde girl that like touches his arm before she goes
down the stairs. Now he there's like a close up
on him. Did she kiss him? Because there's it looks
like there's a little bit of lipstick on his face,
and I just want to know, is that like a detail?
Speaker 4 (40:09):
I don't know. I wasn't there for that filming day.
Speaker 5 (40:11):
I saw it though, and I was like, oh, man,
yea happening with my ex husband. No, And I actually
I had a couple of days off when he came
in to do filming his scenes.
Speaker 4 (40:22):
So I've actually never met my husband in the film. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (40:28):
That is funny because yeah, all your scenes are on
the phone, so that's true.
Speaker 2 (40:32):
Well, oh my god, that's so funny. You never met,
never met? Yeah, well, and I totally get it.
Speaker 3 (40:38):
It's almost like if there was another hell House Elsie
film but Stephen and Joe were involved, that would be
kind of weird.
Speaker 5 (40:47):
But they're so like a part of it. I don't
even really know like what that would look like or anything. Yeah,
but I mean never say never did anything exactly.
Speaker 2 (40:56):
It'll take over, yeah, and you know, yeah, we'll take over. Look.
So let's just ask you this.
Speaker 3 (41:01):
If there is another Holleuse film, and let's see Stephen
and Joe are part of it, what would you like
to see explored in it.
Speaker 4 (41:09):
I think from where it left off, I think.
Speaker 5 (41:14):
Vanessa kind of starts the movie in a really dark place,
and it makes her a little bit like more passive
and she doesn't want to be involved. I think by
the end of the movie, she's really kind of like
accepted everything that's happened and wants to solve the mystery
and and all of this generational trauma and stuff. So
(41:36):
I think that she would definitely be more proactive and
trying to find the lonely House and all that sort
of stuff and like and the mystery and have like
some sort of final epic end scene between her and
Andrew Tully.
Speaker 2 (41:52):
Yeah, that's true. That would be good. I would love
to see fight sequences that. I would love to see
Vanessa happy.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Hoping you marry the bartender, I mean, oh, very young,
it's very young.
Speaker 5 (42:11):
I think he was a little bit young for Vanessa Slash.
Speaker 3 (42:14):
I think that's a little young now him wanted to
marry the bartender. That'll cheer you up, And it was
a very dark end to his character, but it was
it was dark end for years. So I would love
to see Vanessa happy. But you're right, it'd be great
to have. We haven't gotten many final confrontations with Andrew.
(42:36):
I know Russell in the third film sort of had
a confrontation, but there was so much fire on the
screen you couldn't really see it. So yes, let's get
like a big confrontation, or maybe Steven, if you're listening,
let's have like all of the people affected, get every
former cast member and they all together like fight.
Speaker 2 (42:56):
I mean, let's get.
Speaker 4 (42:57):
That Marvel movie where everyone the event.
Speaker 2 (43:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (43:01):
Yeah, yeah, that's what we're gonna do with Vanessa leading
it because she's the only one alive. Okay, So we
mentioned that Lineage was the first hou House film to
get a theatrical release. How did you feel when you
found out it would be playing in theaters And wasn't
there any sort of premiere for Lineage that you got
to attend before it was in theaters.
Speaker 5 (43:19):
No, we did not have a premiere with just us.
But no, I found out a few months I think
before it was going to happen, and yeah, it was
so exciting and so cool. I know they wanted to
do one for the Carmichael manner, which ended.
Speaker 4 (43:33):
Up not working out.
Speaker 5 (43:35):
So yeah, it was so cool to like see all
the posts of people going to see it and you
know their states, you know, across the country, and yeah,
it was really fun. There was actually a couple of
fans who were at Midsummer Scream, which I went to,
and they lived in Connecticut and we found out that
(43:56):
they lived really close by to where I was going
to go see it with my dad and like my
hometown theater, and they were there when I went home
to see it, and so it was really fun.
Speaker 2 (44:04):
Not in like a creepy way stalking, you know.
Speaker 4 (44:06):
They were very sweet.
Speaker 2 (44:07):
They warned me.
Speaker 5 (44:08):
They were like, we might come out to see it
when you're there, and I was like, okay.
Speaker 4 (44:12):
They were so nice though.
Speaker 2 (44:14):
Yeah Abodon eyes not Betty Davis eyes eyes. I yeah.
Speaker 3 (44:21):
I mean, we were so delighted to see that it
was going to be in theaters because it is like
a really cool thing. And it's also becoming more common
in a good way that like lower budget independent horror
is getting theatrical releases, Like I know, the Terrifier franchise
has been big with that. But even like we saw
like the Gester Part two, like smaller horror that the
(44:43):
first film, let's say, was just straight to streaming, getting
any sort of theatrical dates is really cool and Hell
House had like all over the country. So just a
few final questions before we wrap up. This franchise has
a huge fan base that's developed over the last like
ten years or so. How has your life changed since
(45:04):
being in the Hell House films? Like, do you get
contacted by fans a lot on social media?
Speaker 4 (45:10):
Sometimes? Yeah?
Speaker 5 (45:12):
Yeah, and they're always like really nice and just like kind,
and so that's been really fun. For this one specifically,
there was a lot more press than there was for
Lake a Flyer, So that's been really cool just to
be able to talk to people who have podcasts and
they're you know, horror fans and you know, made some
(45:33):
like connections from that, which has been really fun.
Speaker 4 (45:36):
Yeah. I mean, I think the biggest thing is that,
you know.
Speaker 5 (45:39):
Based on that first movie, I've gotten to do two
more with Steven and Joe and like work with so
many amazing actors who were like wonderful. So yeah, just
the whole thing has been like an incredibly positive, wonderful experience.
Speaker 2 (45:56):
That's awesome.
Speaker 3 (45:57):
And why, in your personal opinion do you think the
hell House franchise has become so beloved among horror fans?
Speaker 5 (46:06):
I think there was something just like so special about
the first one, just the chemistry of those actors and
those characters, and it's like such a smart idea that
Stephen had in the first place. Like it's so I
feel like sometimes people come up with ideas that are
like so like good that it feels like, oh, why
did no one ever come up with that before? I
(46:28):
feel like that's kind of what that first movie was,
and it's just like continued in such a fun way.
And he's so good at like planting little easter eggs
for like fans of it to follow and like find
something new every time. So yeah, I think that's why
it's become something that's endured and lasted and.
Speaker 3 (46:47):
You know, and found footage isn't easy to do, Like
I mean, on the surface, I think for new filmmakers
it seems like an easier, lower budget, like quicker way
of doing films. But we've seen a lot of found
foot which is not rad So like when you do
like a Hellhouse LLC, it's like it's you know, and
(47:07):
it's so effective, Like that first movie was so effective.
It really shines because like, yeah, like you can look
at every anybody can just put a camera on someone
and say, oh, I'm doing a found footage hym. But
it doesn't mean it's quality.
Speaker 1 (47:20):
Right, No, I love all the Hell House movies. What
are you up today? Any new projects you're working on
that you can tell us about.
Speaker 4 (47:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (47:29):
I have a few short films which should hopefully be
out maybe early next year. And then there's a future
film which is kind of like a psychological thriller sort
of one that should be shooting early next year.
Speaker 4 (47:43):
And I actually.
Speaker 5 (47:45):
Have a friend who's a producer and writer, and he
wanted to do a project together.
Speaker 4 (47:50):
So I've tried out.
Speaker 5 (47:52):
Like writing a little bit, which has been really fun
and exciting, which I've never done before. So it's kind
of scary, but not a horror film. It's like a
little like rom coms sort of thing. Since, as we
talked about, I have none of that because I'm a
sad girl, cute and happy.
Speaker 2 (48:10):
No, that's really cool.
Speaker 3 (48:11):
But with that said, obviously, since we're a horror show,
would you be up for doing more horror in the future, Like,
even if it wasn't Hell House, would you be open
to doing more horror?
Speaker 4 (48:21):
Yeah? Absolutely, I mean it's so fun.
Speaker 5 (48:24):
I really do like I love horror and I love
being in horror movies.
Speaker 4 (48:27):
It's really like awesome.
Speaker 5 (48:29):
I mean I love movies in general, so like, you know,
I want to do everything, but horror has been awesome
to be able to do and be a part of.
Speaker 2 (48:38):
And it's the best fan based.
Speaker 5 (48:42):
Dead.
Speaker 3 (48:44):
No, there really is like a lot of we talk
to people all the time on the show and they
you know, some people go to conventions and things, and
I think the initial viewpoint before you've done a horror
movie you're gone to a convention is oh, people who
love horror, like there's got to be and messed up
with them. But then they find out that horror fans
are kind of some of the most loyal, nicest and
(49:07):
just most involved fans and so you know, yeah, so
I love bragging about else.
Speaker 1 (49:13):
It gives a lot the fans a lot to talk about. Yeah,
Like because with each film there's new characters and like
motives and there's so much to discuss that like it
hurts my brain.
Speaker 3 (49:25):
Well that's why there's so many I don't know if
you are on Facebook, but there's so many like Facebook
chat or Facebook groups dedicated to this hou House franchise
just did dissecting everything. And I've got to say, like,
for like a Steven or a Joe, it must be
fun to just like hover and see people like talking
about this thing that you guys created and picking apart
(49:46):
every little thing and like wondering on stuff. But that's
got to be so just like it's got to be
so satisfying to see that, you know.
Speaker 1 (49:54):
Yeah, especially the ending because it leaves doors open to
like people can go this way or that way, or
there's so many different paths that the ending takes.
Speaker 5 (50:04):
Yeah, I think that's a more fun way to end
a franchise personally. I mean, I know it's kind of
abrupt and it like leaves questions open, but I think
that's kind of cool, especially if it's something that you've
loved since the beginning. It keeps it open away and
like your imagination, you get to imagine like where this
would could lead in the future. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (50:25):
So we have one final question for you, Elizabeth, And
we asked this to every single person that we interview,
and it kind of puts you on the spot, but
that's how we do it. What is one thing, just
one thing that you can tell us about your experience
working on either Hellhouse LLC three Lake of Fire or
Hellhouse ELLC. Lineage that you've never told any other interviewer, publication, podcast, YouTube,
(50:50):
or stat And it doesn't have to be like the
most salacious thing. It could just be anything, but just
one thing about your experience working on either of these
films that you've never told in an interview or two
people you stole the clown costume.
Speaker 5 (51:03):
I wish that would be great. Ooh, I don't know,
uh man, I don't. I mean, I don't know how
interesting this is going to be or anything, But I
don't think the.
Speaker 4 (51:20):
The scene at the drive in.
Speaker 5 (51:23):
Was like my most Like I was the most excited
to film that one. I thought it like looked really cool,
it was going to be really awesome, it was like
and it was, But it was also like such a long,
frustrating night because it was so technical with at the
moment where I have to adjust the mirror to see
the hand behind me took like forty five minutes or
(51:46):
something because I'm adjusting it to an angle not so
that I can see the hand, but so the camera
in the seat.
Speaker 4 (51:52):
Behind me can see it.
Speaker 5 (51:54):
And I kept on getting it like just slightly off,
and so that was frustrating. And then also when I
jump out of the car and I'm kind of scurrying
across the ground, they put down boards for me to
scurry across so that I wouldn't like, you know, damage
my hands because it's gravel. And we did a bunch
of takes with me screaming, screaming, scurrying across them, and
(52:17):
then we realized you could hear the board sound in
the audio, so then we filmed it a bunch more
times with me just pretending to scream, just going like
h but like with no noise. And then at the
end of it, I just had to scream into a
microphone a whole bunch of times over and over again
to try to put that together. So yeah, that that
(52:40):
was a long, weird night.
Speaker 2 (52:42):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (52:42):
No, this is exactly the kind of stuff we love hearing,
like the thing that you would maybe not bring up
in just like a general interview, but the but the
random behind the scenes things like and so they dubbed
your screaming over you pretending to scream, yes, I want
to go back there.
Speaker 4 (52:58):
Ye see if I do a convincing job.
Speaker 2 (53:01):
Wow, I can't. Yeah, that sounds like that would be frustrating,
so awkward.
Speaker 1 (53:05):
I mean, I know I have a microphone right in
front of me, but just to scream into it without motivation.
Speaker 2 (53:10):
Yeah, you're like Joe put the clown suit on. Yeah yeah, no,
I mean that that is tough. But I'm thinking about
the moving that the rear view mirror.
Speaker 3 (53:20):
Oh my god, I think I would go nuts if
like I had to do that over and over again.
Speaker 4 (53:24):
Oh, I felt so bad.
Speaker 5 (53:25):
I kept on just doing it slightly wrong and I
would practice like because I just had to eyeball where
it should be around and yeah, it was really hard
to like get that spot on.
Speaker 1 (53:36):
This is a dumb technical question, but I'm curious if
you're if it's cold outside and the windows are up,
how does it not steam so like every like, did
it steam up so like no one can see out?
Speaker 4 (53:49):
No, I don't think it did. We the car wasn't on,
so I don't think.
Speaker 5 (53:54):
Uh so, I don't think it should steam up, right
because we didn't have the air going through.
Speaker 3 (53:59):
Yeah, I mean, I guess if it's really cold outside,
depending on it, but but it keeps the.
Speaker 2 (54:04):
Cars usually keep like heat inside. I don't know, you're.
Speaker 5 (54:09):
We've possibly also had one window down for like the
boom coming in.
Speaker 2 (54:13):
Oh, that problem and that that would keep it from
being fogged up.
Speaker 1 (54:18):
Yeah, I'm so sorry.
Speaker 2 (54:19):
I'm not mister if he wasn't making out with the
clown and the.
Speaker 4 (54:22):
Back that's in the next one.
Speaker 2 (54:25):
Yeah, that's the next one. Anyway.
Speaker 3 (54:27):
Well, Elizabeth, we've had such a great time chatting with you.
Thank you so much for coming on our show. We
were so excited to talk with you.
Speaker 2 (54:34):
We're big fans of this franchise, we're big fans of yours,
and we can't wait to see what you do next.
So thank you so much for your time today.
Speaker 4 (54:41):
Yeah, thank you guys.
Speaker 3 (54:42):
It's really fun and we wish you the best of
luck and and tons of success with this movie.
Speaker 2 (54:47):
Hope. Again, people, if you have not seen it, it
is on Shutter and I'm sure that eventually it'll be
on other places on streaming or where you can rent
it and that kind of thing. So check out Hell House,
LLC lineage. And thank you so much, Elizabeth.
Speaker 3 (55:04):
Thank you, Okay, take care hye bye bye.
Speaker 1 (55:13):
Thanks for listening to another episode of Happy Horror Time.
Speaker 3 (55:16):
If you'd like to support the podcast, please sign up
to be a patron at www dot Patreon dot com
slash Happy Horror Time. As a patron, you get access
to all our bonus content, which now includes two new
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(55:36):
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Speaker 1 (55:42):
Patrons also get all our regular episodes ad free and
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Speaker 3 (55:52):
I'm Matt Emmerts and I'm Tim Murdoch, and we hope
you have a happy Horror Time.
Speaker 2 (56:01):
To the making the Thing, to the bad Thing.
Hello, Welcome to Happy Horrid Time. My name is Tim Murdoch.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
And my name is Matt Emmert.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Now today's special guest starred as journalist Vanessa Shepherd in
Hellhouse LLC three Lake of Fire, and just reprise this
role to lead the fifth installment of the series Hellhouse LLC.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Lineage.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Not only was this the first film in the franchise
to get a theatrical release back in August, but it
also is the first to switch from found footage to
a traditional narrative format. Now, poor Vanessa is in a
very different mindset in this film, so we can't wait
to talk all about this pivotal character with the actress
who portrayed her. And if you happen to miss Lineage
in theaters, it just released on Shutter on October thirtieth,
(00:52):
so if you can catch it there, please Welcome to
the podcast. Elizabeth vermilia Hi.
Speaker 4 (00:59):
Was happy to be here. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Yes, We're so happy to have you here.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Now, you know, before we jump into the Hell House movies,
we'd love to know more about your background, like where
are you originally from and how did you first become
interested in acting.
Speaker 5 (01:14):
I'm from Stores, Connecticut. Little town in Connecticut. And yeah,
I started off like most actors. I just did school plays.
I did my first one when I was five or six,
I think, and then.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
I just kept on doing it from there.
Speaker 5 (01:31):
I was a really shy kid, so I really loved
being able to be different characters in the plays and
like getting to be people who were not shy and
there were words there for you with a script, because
I often found trouble, you know, finding the words to
like talk to people in real life because I was
so shy.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
So yeah, so I.
Speaker 5 (01:50):
Did a bunch of school plays and then I went
to a performing arts high school in Hartford, Connecticut, and
then I went to college for it, and I studied
in this city for a while.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
And yeah, it was always just something that I really
wanted to do.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Well, I mean, what you're talking to two theater guys,
so we totally. Did you do any musicals?
Speaker 4 (02:10):
I did?
Speaker 5 (02:11):
Yeah. I was in Fiddler on the Roof a couple times.
I was in Oklahoma. I was in this very weird,
silly musical version of A Midsummer Night's Dream that was
modernized and took place in a like casino in Las Vegas.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Yes, that dialogue is not easy.
Speaker 5 (02:33):
Yeah, yeah, no, no, yeah, and then singing and everything. Yeah,
it was Hermia I think in that one. Yes, I
did a lot of musicals back then. I didn't really
keep up with it once I got older.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
But yeah, and growing up, were you a fan of
horror films? Did any make an impact on you?
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (02:51):
I think the first horror film that I saw was
when I was probably way too young to be seeing it.
I believe it was Freddy's Dead, the Final Nightmare, Oh fun.
I think that's the one with a scene where the
grandmother twists the Q tip into the guy's ear. I
remember that scene really freaking me out and staying with
me and yeah, I don't know, there's just something so
(03:13):
fun about being scared.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
I really, I really do love horror movies.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
That is such a good, great Ever, we have never
we asked that to everyone. And you know, we get
The Exorcist all the time, we get like some of them,
the like Psycho and the Classics and stuff.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
We have never gotten Freddy's Dead, I know, but she picked.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
The like the most disturbing scene in that film.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Yeah. Yeah, it's a harsh scene to watch.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
Yeah, it's not exactly a classic I guess what.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
No, no, no, I mean the way the Final Nightmare. Then
that spawned multiple other movies.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
But yes, yes, exactly, we're quite familiar with that movie
and all of the front we love. We're big fans
of the Slasher series, like I'm a huge Halloween fan.
Tim's a huge Friday the Thirteenth fan, and we love
the Night on Elm Street fans, so we're quite familiar.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
With that install Yeah, it's a good one.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
So before starring in hell House three, we noticed on
your IMDb page that you did an episode on three
different true crime TV series. Yea, Evil Lives Here, Evil Talks,
Chilling Confessions, and Shattered. So I wanted to know, now,
on these shows, were you portraying like real people and
dramatizations or what did the roles entail?
Speaker 5 (04:26):
Yeah, the first one I did, I was the wife
of a serial rapist. Is how he started, and then
he started murdering his victims. I believe he's still alive
in jail serving a life sentence.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
I don't remember the name of him. He was the
Craigslist killer, I.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Think, yeah, I remember killer.
Speaker 5 (04:46):
Yeah, So I was his wife and she was actually
on the show like narrating, doing an interview, and then
I was doing the scenes as her, So yeah, that
was pretty cool and crazy for and that was my
first time being on TV and getting just you know,
see myself and on the screen and everything, so.
Speaker 4 (05:04):
That was really cool.
Speaker 5 (05:05):
And then I was also a prostitute to get strangled
and another one, I think my husband got murdered by someone.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Was it just a coincidence that you happen to do
three shows like this or is there like a community
of people that do true crime that they're like, hey,
let's have her back kind of?
Speaker 5 (05:28):
I think I think it's living locally to where they
shoot them a lot in New Jersey and in the
New York you know area, and once you're on the
radar of the casting director, I think they kind of like, oh,
we liked her in this, we can use her for
something else, that sort of thing. But yeah, and that
was like the only stuff on my reel for a while,
so I think that's why I kind of ended up
(05:49):
getting horror and more like serious stuff based off of that,
because it was like me screaming and getting slapped in
the face and stuff on my reel.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
So you're like, I'm ready for their romantic comedy.
Speaker 4 (06:01):
I guesah, yeah, you don't really get that from what
I was showing, but.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
Yeah, wow, but that's a look. I'll say this like
to start doing intense stuff like that. I mean it's
like I feel like a number one. Like you said,
it prepares you for horror and it shows that you
can do like at like a very a large range
of emotions.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
So that's kind of cool.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
Yeah. Yeah, and they're really fun.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
I mean they're they're quick, but it's like making like
a tiny little short film when you're shooting it.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Yeah, it's it's a lot of fun to film those things.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
So moving on to Hell House LC three, Lake of Fire.
How did you get involved with this project and what
was the audition process like for the role of Vanessa Shepherd.
Speaker 5 (06:41):
Yeah, so it was just a listing on backstage that
I applied for. I think it said that it was
the third movie in a horror trilogy, but it didn't
say the name of it.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
I don't think. So.
Speaker 5 (06:54):
I just applied for it and they asked me to
do an audition, which is just a self tape that
I sent to them.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
I got a callback where I got to meet them.
Speaker 5 (07:04):
I think it was Steven and Joe and somebody else
there at it, and yeah, so we went through the
scene and then they had me do like some improv
as Vanessa and they were asking me questions.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
And then the.
Speaker 5 (07:15):
Third callback, Gabriel, who plays Russell in it, was already cast,
so he was just doing like chemistry reads with different actresses.
So I came in and improv with him for a while.
I think it was us having like a fight, like
he didn't want me filming at the actual event, the
(07:36):
Insomnia Night, and I was trying to convince him that
I should be there. And yeah, it felt like really
good and like we had like a good vibe going on.
So and then I got the part and that's yeah,
that's how that went.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
And prior to audition, have you heard of the hell
House series or did you happen to see them?
Speaker 4 (07:56):
No, I hadn't heard of them.
Speaker 5 (07:58):
After when I got the first callback, I knew what
the title of it was and everything, So I went
and I watched the first hell House movie and.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
It was so scary, like really so scary.
Speaker 5 (08:12):
I had to take breaks while I was watching it,
and like I watched like a sitcom for a little
bit and then I went back to it because just
the whole vibe of it, like even if nothing was happening,
like it felt like eerie and uncomfortable. So yeah, but
I really really liked it, and so I was really
excited to like possibly be able to be in the
third one.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
We told this story before, but we stumbled upon the
first Hell House ll see. But well, I mean, obviously
we do this podcast. We watched horror all the time,
and we were just like looking for a new horror
movie that was streaming. This is you know, years and
years ago, and we were like, oh, found footage. Okay, well,
and we didn't expect it to be as scary as
it was when we were both just like fully engrossed
(08:53):
in it, and like.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
You, afterwards, I think we watched the Golden Girls episode
to clean our palate.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
To watch actually went to your true crime shows.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
Jah, I just relaxed, like Hilario, We're like yeah, no, no, yeah,
it is one of those films that really gets under
your skin and like we knew. I remember right after
we watched it, I was like I have to search
for this like director, and like I remember searching for
Stephen Cognetty on like Twitter, and because I'm like, there
(09:22):
has to be a sequel, there's more to this, and
what do you know four films later? Yeah, well, and
Lake of Fire was your first feature film, correct, Yes,
So how did you feel about making your film debut
in the horror genre?
Speaker 4 (09:36):
I felt really excited about it. It was really cool.
Speaker 5 (09:38):
And also there were there were two films obviously at
that point, and so like it already had a fan base,
Like you knew that people were going to be excited
about it and definitely going to watch it, and it
wasn't just like you know, my mom watching me in
a TV episode where I'm getting murdered. So yeah, it
was really exciting. I was really nervous about it, but
(09:59):
it was really cool. And yeah, and they continue to
be this really awesome fan base watching all the movies
and being really supportive, so it's really cool.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
It is good.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
He has a really comedic moment in the third one
when the girl I think her name is Isabelle says like, oh,
can we hashtag it? M M and You're like, no, no,
let's see Claire, Like I thought that stuff was so
funny morning mister. Yeah, You're like, so we to clarify
it's morning mystery.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Yeah mm, I know, yeah, we don't.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
We don't want it to be vague and mysterious. We'd
like people to know what they're searching it.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
I was laughing, Yeah, I was like, this is so funny.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
You know.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
So in Hollhouse three, your character is filming a documentary
on billionaire Russell Winns's interactive show Insomnia, which is being
run at the Abadon Hotel, and funny enough, your character
Vanessa seems to be like the only character in this
film who's actually hesitant about even stepping foot in this
location where so many people have disappeared, Like everyone else
(10:55):
is just like what, who cares? What similarities did you
find between yourself and this character when preparing for this role,
and how are you and Vanessa different?
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (11:06):
I think there's a lot of similarities. I mean, she's
she's in a.
Speaker 5 (11:10):
Field where it's a lot of men, and she's kind
of trying to make her way in it. She has
a lot of ambitions, She's there for a purpose. I mean,
part of the thing with found footage is like why
do they stay there after things start getting creepy? I
thought it was very believable in this that like she
can't go to her boss and say, like, I had
a scary ghost thing happened, so I'm just gonna leave.
(11:32):
Like it's you know, she has to stay there. It's
for a career. It's like she's proving herself. And yeah,
I think there's similarities with that and with acting, and
you know, the same ambition, the same trying to prove
yourself and trying to get roles and yeah, so there
was definitely a lot of similarities there.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
I don't think I would stay under.
Speaker 5 (11:55):
Any circumstances after you know, she has I have that
scary scene and going through the camera and I see
like that zombie thing. I think I would have been
out at that point. So that's a little bit of
a difference. But yeah, I really liked her as a character,
and I thought she was really grounded in reality and
someone like that the audience could relate to of how
(12:18):
they might react in those situations, like I don't think
it's safe to be here, but I'm trying to do
my job, but then it doesn't end up going very well.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
It was funny because I was like Matt and I
always say, like, why don't they just leave? Why don't
they just leave. But then you did cut to in
the cars and You're like, I can't quit. So I
was like, oh, she's answering all my questions.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Yeah, and I'm glad that you addressed that because I
was actually going to ask you because it's like your
character she sees an actual ghost of one of like
the former people who was killed there, and Russell literally
the night before tells her like not to come, and
for some reason I didn't even think about but yes,
like your job is on the line, like you can't
just not finish this documentary or this thing. You just
(13:00):
took over as the host. But I'm always like thinking,
I guess I forget that in real life people do
a lot of things they don't want to do for
their careers or just for something else, because it's easy
to be the person in the background saying I would
never stay, but like you never know.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Well, when she walked in and the first thing the
lights go about, I was like me, personally, I have
like a I'm done.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
Yeah, that's it the.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
End of movie exactly. Well, So okay.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
So Joe Bandelli the producer of all the Hell House
films and a very dear friend of ours. He told
us that you are one of the most talented actors
that he has ever worked with, which is a huge compliment.
And you got to work closely with Joe on Lake
of Fire, specifically because not only does he play the
terrifying hellhouse clown, but he also plays your cameraman, Louis,
(13:46):
what was it like working alongside Joe as both your
cameraman and the clown.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
He was the best.
Speaker 5 (13:53):
He's such a nice person, as you know, just like
really supportive, and he's a producer, sir, and so he's
there to help you in that way, but he's also,
you know, my scene partner. He's also the clown at times,
and yeah, it was like such a nice thing to
have him there and like being supportive. And it was
(14:13):
my first feature film, and you know, I'm one of
the leads in it.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
So it's kind of scary.
Speaker 5 (14:18):
Yeah, he's just like nothing but awesome and supportive and
just like helped me through the process so much.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Yeah, and I guess you're right.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
It's like to have as your scene partner the producer,
as someone who knows so much about it.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
It's like what better person you have him? You have
Stephen directing you and everything, So that's kind of cool.
I just thought it's funny because you literally have to
see him as your cameraman and then see him as
the clown, which is such such a different role.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
I think because he had.
Speaker 5 (14:47):
A larger role in this one, I don't think he
was the clown as much. Oh yes, and they had
other people in the clown suit.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
We've asked him.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
It's like, I know, he has played it on and
off in most of the installments, probably played it more
the fifth one than the third one. But that is
true because you actually see him more. I know he's
in the first two, but you don't see his face
as closely like in the third one. He's got a
good face shot as your cameraman.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Yeah, And you work with Stephen Cognetti, who wrote and
directed all the films in the franchise. What was he
like as a director?
Speaker 4 (15:19):
He's great. There was.
Speaker 5 (15:22):
With it being found footage, there's a lot of opportunity
for like improv and kind of seeing what happens in
the moment, and that was really great.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
I mean, he writes all.
Speaker 5 (15:31):
Of them, but he's also really open to like any
ideas that you might have. He's not like precious about
it and also just like really supportive and kind and
like just makes a really great environment for everybody to
work in. Yeah, we worked together three times now and
it's always just like a great experience.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
I love working with Stephen.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
Do you find yourself Did you find yourself improving a
lot on either Part three or Part five or did
you mostly stick to the scripa especial part three because
it's found footage. Did you find yourself improving or more
staying to the script?
Speaker 5 (16:05):
I don't remember too much specifically Part three. It was
definitely like looser and there were like little moments where
we would be able to do that.
Speaker 4 (16:16):
With lineage, not.
Speaker 5 (16:18):
So much because it was narrative instead of found footage,
and there's a lot of like specificity in the lines
that I think mattered for the story and making sure
that everything kind of made sense, So not so much on.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Lineage now, Yeah, no, that makes sense.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
Okay, So spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't seen part three,
and don't worry, we're going to get to lineage and
cover that completely. Just wanted to start with part three
because we are going to ask Elizabeth about the ending now,
So if you don't want that spoiled, just letting giving
you the warning.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Now.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
So, in the end of Lake of Fire, after basically
the cult members like infiltrate this show and basically massacre everyone.
During Insomnia's opening night, Vanessa herself gets dragged in the
basement and it looks like, at least what I thought
is that she gets her throat slit, But at the
end we find out that no one actually died because
Russell was an angel who interfered and saved everyone. Now,
(17:12):
were you surprised by this ending and that you survived
because most of the main characters in the first two
films did not make it.
Speaker 5 (17:20):
Yeah, no, not many characters make it, And yeah, I
was surprising when I got to the end of the
script and saw that we were not dead. Do you
get my throat slit in the basement? Which is a
lot of fun getting the makeup put on for that
and everything, which you can't really see so much in
the movie, which is a bummer.
Speaker 4 (17:38):
Because it looked really awesome.
Speaker 5 (17:40):
But yeah, so it was cool, and also it left
open the possibility of coming back, which is nice.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
So when you got your throat slit at that time,
did you think you'd be brought back.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
I mean you find out that you then need survived.
Speaker 5 (17:56):
Yeah, yeah, No, I didn't think that. I mean I
thought that was the trilogy and that was going to
be all the hell House movies at the time, and
then the Carmichael Manor came out and they went in
like a different direction with new characters, So I thought
and I loved it. I thought it was really good,
and so I thought any further movies would be in
(18:18):
that thing. So I was very surprised that Vanessa was
coming back for lineage, but I thought it was really
cool how he brought those two different versions of the
movie together and like tied all that with the Carmichael
manner and the Avadant Hotel.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
Yeah, and you're right.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
I remember when the third one came out, it was
kind of like, this is the concluding chapter of a trilogy.
But that's also what they said about Scream three, so yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
And speaking of bringing people back for additional films, all
five of the main stars from the original Hellhouse LC
returned in Lake of Fire with cameos. Now you don't
have any scenes specifically with them, but did you get
to meet them at all or interact with them.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
Yeah, we all hung out after the shooting day.
Speaker 5 (19:00):
It was really cool because I had just watched, you know,
the movie that they were in, so it was a
little bit like fangirl feeling like, oh my god.
Speaker 4 (19:07):
You guys are from the original movie. It was really cool.
Speaker 5 (19:10):
Yeah, and Ryan was my roommates for the night that
she was there, so that was really cool, and getting
to meet everyone was really awesome. Yeah, we didn't have
any of the same shooting days. I wasn't in any
scenes with them, so that was too bad. But yeah,
everyone was really nice and it was like a high
school reunion for them or something, it seemed like to
be able to be back there again.
Speaker 4 (19:31):
So yeah, it was really fun.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
What I love about all of these films in this
series is that Steven and Joe, they they bring so
much from the past into the present, you know, like
in terms of like past characters, past storylines, like everything
you see has a reason for being and will come
into play at some point. So it's nice to like
see some of the people and the fact that it's
(19:54):
like you guys have like a little hell house LC
family at this point, you know. With installments now between
Lake of Fire and lineage. You did another supernatural horror
film with Stephen Cognati and Joe Bandelli called eight twenty
five Forest Road. Now, even though this film only came
out earlier this year, it was it was filmed a
few years ago.
Speaker 4 (20:13):
Correct, Yeah, it was.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Now. Did you have to.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Audition for a twenty five Forest Road or were it
was that something they just asked you to do due
to your participation in Hell House three?
Speaker 5 (20:24):
Steven emailed me and said he was making a movie.
He thought it'd be good for one of the characters,
but he wasn't making it on his own. He had
other producers who would like to see an audition, so
he asked me if I'd be willing to put something
on tape, and I was like, of course. So I
did audition, But I don't know if they were also
(20:44):
auditioning other people for the role of Maria, which is
what I ended up playing at the same time, or not.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Any fun stories or memories from making eight twenty five
Forest Road.
Speaker 4 (20:57):
I don't know if it's fun.
Speaker 5 (20:59):
But we did make it, like right, We were supposed
to make it early twenty twenty, and then COVID so
it gets delayed like a year and a half and
then we were able to do it, but we still
had all these precautions and I had to wear like
one of those plastic it's like a dog collar with
the plastic shield over your face.
Speaker 4 (21:20):
So we had to wear that.
Speaker 5 (21:21):
Anytime we were like rehearsing with our makeup on, and
then we would just take it off for the scene.
So it was it was a weird time to make
a movie, but also really fun. It was my first
job back after that long COVID break, so it was
like so much fun. I think we were all like
really excited to be back to work. So I had
(21:42):
like a really great energy on set.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
So you're saying that when you guys do everything, but
when they're actually shooting the take, you had that like
dog collar thing on your interacting with people.
Speaker 4 (21:53):
Yeah, wow hours.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Yeah, I guess it's like I don't know. Sometimes I
think back at the COVID precautions.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
I know we it was like unfamiliar territory, but it's
almost like, well, if they're gonna spread something, they'll spread
it when you guys are doing the actual scene, right,
I guess.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
They figure out are we guys far away? Because I okay,
I watched The Bowl and the Beautiful and the way
they filmed this soap is like one person was like
way over there and one person was like way over here.
I don't even think they were filming at the same time.
And actually had a kissing scene where man kissed a mannequins,
so you know, really right, links yeah, but everyone was like,
that's not a real person.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Did you kiss any mannequins in a twenty five forest row?
Speaker 4 (22:29):
I didn't.
Speaker 5 (22:30):
I had Martha the Mannequin close to me a lot,
but I never I never went there with her.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
That was funny, Qessonal.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
I remember Martha the Mannequin and I was like, oh,
I see a little bit of Hellhouse clownish like tie
ins to it, you know. But it's it's funny because
I do remember hearing about this film like back years
ago when we interviewed Stephen and then took a while.
But at the same time, this has been such a
big year for him because it came out in April,
and then Hellhouse five came out. But okay, so you
(23:01):
kind of alluded to this, but so years past, a
fourth Hell House LLC film comes out, exploring the Carmichael
manner and basically introducing new characters, and then Stephen Cognetti
decides to do a fifth film Lineage and bring back
Vanessa Shepherd. How did you first find out that Stephen
wanted you back and how did you feel about reprising
the role.
Speaker 5 (23:22):
He called me and said I have a new project
that I'm working on that i'd like you to be in,
and I was like great, and then he said it
was another hell House and I was like what, that's crazy,
But yeah, I was really excited. He already knew at
that point that it was going to be narrative instead
(23:43):
of found footage, and talked a little bit about where
Vanessa was at and she's not doing great all that,
you know, nightmares and a little bit of a drinking problem,
and I was like that sounds really interesting and cool,
and so yeah, I was excited to be a part
of it.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Did you have any reservations not being found footage?
Speaker 4 (24:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (24:06):
I mean from the second that people heard that it
was not going to be found footage, there was a
lot of stuff online of people being like, well, I'm
not even going to watch it now because I don't
like movies that aren't found footage and stuff like that.
So I was, you know, like, ooh, it's I mean,
any project like this, you know there's going to be
people who like it and people who don't, and you're going.
Speaker 4 (24:28):
To see both of those things.
Speaker 5 (24:30):
So yeah, I was a little nervous about, like knowing
that I'm going to have to try to stay off
the internet to a certain ex sense.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
That is the right to be like if it's not
found footage, I was like, you're not watching nine point
nine percent things aren't found footage?
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Yeah, do you not watch I think every Oscar winning
film ever? You know?
Speaker 3 (24:50):
No, I mean it was weird because, to be completely honest,
when I when we first heard it wasn't going to
be found footage, we were like, wait, what this is
a found footage series. But at the same time, the
people who make these films should be respected enough and
trusted that they know what they're doing. And if Stephen
wanted to do a different format for this for the
reasons that he had, and you like his work, then
(25:13):
you should respect that, you know.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
And so it's not like the hell House film.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
It's not like when he released them he said, by
the way, everyone every film I do in this series
is going to be found footage. I mean, people were
just used to it. But when you look at so
many horror franchises, how many times did they change?
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Like there's like.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
Or you know, like a character change, like from Patricia
Quette to Tuesday Night.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Or like in Friday at Thirteenth when suddenly Jason is
a weird thing that you can transfer between people and
he Ja's like, you can change the format all the time,
or in Freddy's Dead your favorite harm She's like, I
didn't say, I'm kidding him.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
So when we're reintroduced to Vanessa lineage, she seems pretty broken.
Did you and Steven And it sounds like he did,
but talk a lot about where your character would be
at this point in the story, Like do you think
that she's stopping a journalist right after the events of
Lake of Fire?
Speaker 5 (26:09):
Yeah, for the most part, she I mean, it wasn't
only that.
Speaker 4 (26:14):
These horrible events took place. There was also the moment.
Speaker 5 (26:17):
Where she she outed her source something that he told
her off the record. She said, so like her journalistic
integrity was kind of ruined as well as this crazy
you know, people came back from the dead. That's like
a weird thing to have on your on your bio
from that point on when you do stuff. So yeah,
(26:40):
so I feel like like everything her ambition, everything she
was reaching towards the life that she wanted is like over.
Speaker 4 (26:48):
So that's a lot to go through.
Speaker 5 (26:52):
So I think she kind of was dealing with that,
trying to put together some sort of new life, new goals,
and then these nightmare start happening to her and she's
like pulled back into all that aved on stuff.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
Did when Stephen introduces to you, did he have everything
laid out for like where Vanessa's been and what she
was up to or was it more like collaborative between
you two?
Speaker 4 (27:16):
It was pretty well laid out.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Yeah, yeah it was.
Speaker 5 (27:20):
It was all kind of there to start with, and
then yeah, my job was just kind of making it
make sense to me, But yeah, it was.
Speaker 4 (27:30):
Everything was there in the script already.
Speaker 3 (27:32):
I always imagine, like Stephen, because there's so much lore
in this franchise, like having like a murder board, but
like a Hell House LLC board, and like everyone who's
connected with like yarn, right, I mean, how do you
would you not keep? Like I mean, it's it's the
amount of characters and the connections, Like there's got to
be some sort of bible or or notebook.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
I mean, all the funny characters from part three. I
thought it was the most comedic one. I mean, it's
also scary that all the characters were like because I
think you're the one that says it's kind of like
the Office or someone compares it to the Office, right.
Speaker 3 (28:06):
Yeah, I think you say that when the way they
are going to be filming them each themselves is yeah.
Speaker 5 (28:12):
We're like the background crew catching stuff. But yeah, there
were a lot of really funny characters in that one.
That one was really fun.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
So did you do and I assume that you did,
but do any different sort of preparation to play Vanessa
this time? And did you find it more challenging because
she was in such a fragile state.
Speaker 5 (28:30):
Yeah, I definitely did prep just and I think I
still had my old notebooks from what I did like
a fire and kind of figuring out, you know, everything
that I had for her as a character then and
then everything that was in the script that's like a
fact about her now, and then like bridging that gap,
trying to make the period in between make sense for
(28:51):
how she's gotten to this point was really.
Speaker 4 (28:53):
Helpful for you.
Speaker 5 (28:55):
Know, informing how I would play the character in a
way that made sense for.
Speaker 4 (29:01):
I don't know. I don't find emotional sad stuff that challenging.
I don't know. Maybe I'm just sad or something.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
I mean, no, no, I mean that's good.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
It's just funny because there's been so much with films
and horror films now, having so many sequels and legacy
sequels and requels and all of that stuff, Like trauma
is such a common thing that is actually explored in
horror today, whereas you know, in the past, we rarely
like really focused on what's the victim feeling.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
Right now, after they.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Concentrate on feelings, they were just like, oh my gosh,
I'm in a canoe and there's someone chasing me.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
Yeah, but it's like now, and I feel like as
an actor that must be give you so much more
meat to play with and stuff too, Like I kind
of feel like it'd be maybe more fun playing her
in part five because she's so messed up, if that
makes sense.
Speaker 4 (29:52):
Yeah, it was, It was. It was a lot of fun.
Speaker 5 (29:55):
And I think that something Stephen really likes to do
is kind of go into this psychology and the trauma stuff.
Speaker 4 (30:00):
With a two five as well. That one was very
heavily into all of that.
Speaker 5 (30:05):
So yeah, it's really fun, and it's like, I don't know,
it's it informs the scarce more. I think you're already
in this fragile state and then this clown is coming
at you on top of it, and yeah, yeah, it's
really fun.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
So you know, we've talked a lot about how this
film is the first in the hell House series to
be to not be found footage. In what ways do
you find it easier and in what ways is it
more challenging to make a traditional narrative film versus a
found footage film.
Speaker 5 (30:39):
Well, the found footage goes much quicker. There's one camera angle,
it's not extensive lights and everything. The setups are much quicker,
and so you it just flies by. I mean we
did the other movies.
Speaker 4 (30:53):
I think it was like a week and a half,
two weeks or something for Lake a Fire.
Speaker 5 (30:58):
So this one obviously there's more to it with camera
angles and with everything, and you know, shooting things from
my perspective and the other characters and then you get
a two shot of them, it just takes longer. It's
also really cool though, because you get to disappear into
the character a little bit more if you like. I mean, obviously,
(31:19):
if you're doing found footage, the characters are aware that
they're being filled in the moment, so there's a level
of self consciousness to that as the actor and the character.
With this, you just kind of tune everything out, pretend
it's not there, and you know, go through the scene.
So it's really different. They're both really fun in different ways.
Speaker 2 (31:41):
But yeah, that makes sense. I never even thought about.
Speaker 3 (31:43):
But like you're right, like found footage, they're literally playing
to the camera because they know they're being filmed, versus
an irregular and traditional film, you have to pretend the
camera doesn't exist because you don't want to be caught,
as we've seen in some old harm movies looking at
the cast.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
Yeah, someone, I don't even know if I should say this,
but I'm gonna say it.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Say it.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
I never act natural if there's a camera on me.
Like when I was a kid, I was like I
have to perform, you know.
Speaker 3 (32:07):
Yeah, but that's kind of I think that kind of
plays into some of the characters in like Lake of
Fire versus lineage, like like the whole comedic they're acting
for the camera versus there's no camera in a traditional format,
So yeah, nothing to act for, I guess.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
And you come in contact with the hell House clown
a lot in this film. Did you ever get truly
creeped out by Joe in that clown suit, especially when
he's right behind you in the drive in?
Speaker 5 (32:35):
Yeah, I don't get that creeped out when it's Joe
in the clown suit. There is one scene where I'm
coming out of the closet I've hidden in the closet,
and then I'm coming out of it later and there's
a quick shot of the clown behind me while I'm
in the closet, and that was just the mannequin, And
I had to be there in the dark with that
(32:55):
mannequin behind me before, and I didn't like that at all.
When it's just a mannequin with that clown face on,
it's like, really creeped me out.
Speaker 3 (33:05):
Yeah, you know, And I guess that I've always wondered
this because like across all of the films, like how
often it was a mannequin versus a person in the suit?
In your two films, how often was the clown a
mannequin versus a person in the suit.
Speaker 5 (33:21):
Mostly it was a person. Mostly it was Joe in it. Really,
just like shots where it's far away or like you know,
hiding in a closet behind me, where you're not going
to notice because it looks a little funky and kind
of like wobbly, I think, if there's not an actual
person in it.
Speaker 4 (33:41):
But yeah, so mostly it was Joe in that suit.
Speaker 3 (33:43):
And you know, props to Joe and everyone who played
the clown because like, I can't tell what I mean. Obviously,
when you see them moving, you know it's someone in there,
but like, there are so many parts where I'm just like, Okay,
this looks like a mannequin, but is it a person?
Speaker 2 (33:56):
Is it what?
Speaker 3 (33:56):
Like, you can't actually tell, And that's props to the
people who are remaining still but still being incredibly scary.
You know, one of my favorite scenes in Lineage is
when you're on the side of the bed and the
clown looks over the side at you, just because we're
so conditioned in horror films to see the hero, you know,
kind of peer over the side of the bed at
(34:18):
something versus the villain.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
Did you have a favorite.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
Scene in lineage to film either, because you just really
enjoyed doing it, or because of how it turned out.
Speaker 5 (34:27):
That scene in the bed was actually really fun because
it looks really scary in the film, but it actually
looked completely ridiculous when we were shooting it too, because
it was like, I think it was the mannequin for
a lot of it, and it's just hovering on top
of the bed, like with stuff stacked up underneath it,
and it's like supermanning over the bed. That one was
(34:48):
pretty funny and silly for the behind the scenes stuff
versus how scary it looked in the actual film.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
I totally jumped.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Yeah, Like and the drive in scene, and because you
said that that wasn't as scary, but we're you well,
first off, were you at a drive in or was
that screen like super imposed? Was that an actual drive
in theater? You were at it? It was an actual
drive oh okay?
Speaker 3 (35:08):
And then obviously the footage comes later of the Carmichael
girl talking to you.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
And then but the clown was actually in the back seat.
Speaker 3 (35:14):
Of that car, correct, Yes, yeah, okay, Well, but I
say it's like between takes or you and joej just like, hey,
how's it going?
Speaker 4 (35:20):
Like it was so cold and we were so tired.
Speaker 5 (35:24):
I think we were just like waiting there, like shivering
in the car, waiting for them to say.
Speaker 2 (35:28):
Action movie was playing on the screen.
Speaker 5 (35:33):
The beginning of that movie was just like random shots
of stuff that they could show because they didn't want
to deal with like copyright stuff totally. And then it
switched to the spooky footage which I could see, but
there was no audio, so I had to they let
me know when I was supposed to be woken up
by it and see all.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
That got it.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
Okay, Okay, So major major spoiler alert right now, since
we're going to talk about the ending of Lineage, and
if you haven't seen this film yet because it is
new and you don't want the ending spoiled, please go
check it out on shutter and then return to this
part of the interview because we are going to ask
about a lot of specifics in the ending. There's a
lot to unpack in the ending of this film, because
(36:16):
at first we find out that everyone in their lineage
that's related to the car accident that killed Margaret Carmichael's
being killed, and at the beginning, the only connection we
kind of know that Vanessa has is her soon to
be ex husband's dad was involved, but then we find
out that her mother was a woman who worked at
the Abadan hotel named Beverly, and Vanessa's long lost twin
(36:40):
is wait for it, Mitchell Kavanaugh from the second movie.
Speaker 2 (36:44):
Now, First off, did I get all that right?
Speaker 4 (36:46):
Yes? I believe he did.
Speaker 2 (36:47):
Oh my god. Okay.
Speaker 3 (36:49):
Secondly, what was your reaction to learning all these new
facts about your character?
Speaker 4 (36:56):
Ah? I was like, what really?
Speaker 5 (37:00):
Yeah, I had no idea, So I did as soon
as I read that part in the script where it
says something about my mom or twin. I remembered the moment,
which is really quick in the car meical manner. They
find like a note in a clock or something, and
it says Beverly something to do with that, and I
was like, Oh, that's who that was talking about. So yeah,
(37:22):
So I have a much deeper connection with the abbot
On and everything than I realized, and it's been faded
to drag me back into it this entire time.
Speaker 2 (37:32):
It's funny because did I've got to know when Stephen
was presenting this film you, did he reveal all that
at the beginning, like what your whole connection was or
did you just find that out when you read the script.
Speaker 4 (37:42):
I think I just found it out when I read
the script.
Speaker 5 (37:45):
Yeah, I don't think he said anything about it, so
it was a surprise as I was reading it.
Speaker 3 (37:51):
Yeah, I mean cool, it's good people who know this
series remember all of these characters and things like that
and know, and it's cool to kind of have connections
because otherwise, you know, some of these characters you don't
hear much about. But like and like, we loved seeing
the girls from the Carmichael manner in this and you
kind of connected them. It kind of like brings everything back. So, Okay,
(38:14):
this film is being billed as the final entry in
the Hellhouse series, but that ending, you know, it kind
of seemed to open more doors and close them. And
although Stephen Cognetti said he's no longer going to make
more hell House films, he also mentioned in an interview
that we read that he's outlined what would come next
from a story perspective. So my question is, has Stephen
(38:35):
talked to you at all about what he had the
idea for what would come next?
Speaker 4 (38:41):
No, he never told me.
Speaker 5 (38:42):
I do think that it was originally possibly going to
be like a two parter, but then decided that he
was kind of okay, just ending it on this kind
of note of uncertainty. I don't know where the story
was going to go after that, if it was going
to or if it will some day.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
Now do you think there will be another Hellhouse film?
And would you be up for playing Vanessa again?
Speaker 4 (39:07):
I don't know. I mean, it seemed pretty sure that
Steven is. It feels like this was the end of it.
Speaker 5 (39:14):
So I don't know if it could happen with like
another director or something of the else, or there could
be another hell House film that he does that's like, uh,
you know, a totally different story plotline or something.
Speaker 4 (39:26):
That doesn't do this.
Speaker 5 (39:28):
If it did happen, I would of course be totally
open to it. And I think there's a lot of
places Vanessa could go from where the movie ended on
this one.
Speaker 4 (39:39):
So yeah, who knows what'll happen?
Speaker 1 (39:41):
And most importantly, did your ex husband sign those divorce papers?
Speaker 2 (39:47):
Sign?
Speaker 4 (39:48):
Now?
Speaker 1 (39:50):
Great, there's there's I just want to know that's really quick.
So he's obviously has moved on. And there's like a
blonde girl that like touches his arm before she goes
down the stairs. Now he there's like a close up
on him. Did she kiss him? Because there's it looks
like there's a little bit of lipstick on his face,
and I just want to know, is that like a detail?
Speaker 4 (40:09):
I don't know. I wasn't there for that filming day.
Speaker 5 (40:11):
I saw it though, and I was like, oh, man,
yea happening with my ex husband. No, And I actually
I had a couple of days off when he came
in to do filming his scenes.
Speaker 4 (40:22):
So I've actually never met my husband in the film. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (40:28):
That is funny because yeah, all your scenes are on
the phone, so that's true.
Speaker 2 (40:32):
Well, oh my god, that's so funny. You never met,
never met? Yeah, well, and I totally get it.
Speaker 3 (40:38):
It's almost like if there was another hell House Elsie
film but Stephen and Joe were involved, that would be
kind of weird.
Speaker 5 (40:47):
But they're so like a part of it. I don't
even really know like what that would look like or anything. Yeah,
but I mean never say never did anything exactly.
Speaker 2 (40:56):
It'll take over, yeah, and you know, yeah, we'll take over. Look.
So let's just ask you this.
Speaker 3 (41:01):
If there is another Holleuse film, and let's see Stephen
and Joe are part of it, what would you like
to see explored in it.
Speaker 4 (41:09):
I think from where it left off, I think.
Speaker 5 (41:14):
Vanessa kind of starts the movie in a really dark place,
and it makes her a little bit like more passive
and she doesn't want to be involved. I think by
the end of the movie, she's really kind of like
accepted everything that's happened and wants to solve the mystery
and and all of this generational trauma and stuff. So
(41:36):
I think that she would definitely be more proactive and
trying to find the lonely House and all that sort
of stuff and like and the mystery and have like
some sort of final epic end scene between her and
Andrew Tully.
Speaker 2 (41:52):
Yeah, that's true. That would be good. I would love
to see fight sequences that. I would love to see
Vanessa happy.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Hoping you marry the bartender, I mean, oh, very young,
it's very young.
Speaker 5 (42:11):
I think he was a little bit young for Vanessa Slash.
Speaker 3 (42:14):
I think that's a little young now him wanted to
marry the bartender. That'll cheer you up, And it was
a very dark end to his character, but it was
it was dark end for years. So I would love
to see Vanessa happy. But you're right, it'd be great
to have. We haven't gotten many final confrontations with Andrew.
(42:36):
I know Russell in the third film sort of had
a confrontation, but there was so much fire on the
screen you couldn't really see it. So yes, let's get
like a big confrontation, or maybe Steven, if you're listening,
let's have like all of the people affected, get every
former cast member and they all together like fight.
Speaker 2 (42:56):
I mean, let's get.
Speaker 4 (42:57):
That Marvel movie where everyone the event.
Speaker 2 (43:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (43:01):
Yeah, yeah, that's what we're gonna do with Vanessa leading
it because she's the only one alive. Okay, So we
mentioned that Lineage was the first hou House film to
get a theatrical release. How did you feel when you
found out it would be playing in theaters And wasn't
there any sort of premiere for Lineage that you got
to attend before it was in theaters.
Speaker 5 (43:19):
No, we did not have a premiere with just us.
But no, I found out a few months I think
before it was going to happen, and yeah, it was
so exciting and so cool. I know they wanted to
do one for the Carmichael manner, which ended.
Speaker 4 (43:33):
Up not working out.
Speaker 5 (43:35):
So yeah, it was so cool to like see all
the posts of people going to see it and you
know their states, you know, across the country, and yeah,
it was really fun. There was actually a couple of
fans who were at Midsummer Scream, which I went to,
and they lived in Connecticut and we found out that
(43:56):
they lived really close by to where I was going
to go see it with my dad and like my
hometown theater, and they were there when I went home
to see it, and so it was really fun.
Speaker 2 (44:04):
Not in like a creepy way stalking, you know.
Speaker 4 (44:06):
They were very sweet.
Speaker 2 (44:07):
They warned me.
Speaker 5 (44:08):
They were like, we might come out to see it
when you're there, and I was like, okay.
Speaker 4 (44:12):
They were so nice though.
Speaker 2 (44:14):
Yeah Abodon eyes not Betty Davis eyes eyes. I yeah.
Speaker 3 (44:21):
I mean, we were so delighted to see that it
was going to be in theaters because it is like
a really cool thing. And it's also becoming more common
in a good way that like lower budget independent horror
is getting theatrical releases, Like I know, the Terrifier franchise
has been big with that. But even like we saw
like the Gester Part two, like smaller horror that the
(44:43):
first film, let's say, was just straight to streaming, getting
any sort of theatrical dates is really cool and Hell
House had like all over the country. So just a
few final questions before we wrap up. This franchise has
a huge fan base that's developed over the last like
ten years or so. How has your life changed since
(45:04):
being in the Hell House films? Like, do you get
contacted by fans a lot on social media?
Speaker 4 (45:10):
Sometimes? Yeah?
Speaker 5 (45:12):
Yeah, and they're always like really nice and just like kind,
and so that's been really fun. For this one specifically,
there was a lot more press than there was for
Lake a Flyer, So that's been really cool just to
be able to talk to people who have podcasts and
they're you know, horror fans and you know, made some
(45:33):
like connections from that, which has been really fun.
Speaker 4 (45:36):
Yeah. I mean, I think the biggest thing is that,
you know.
Speaker 5 (45:39):
Based on that first movie, I've gotten to do two
more with Steven and Joe and like work with so
many amazing actors who were like wonderful. So yeah, just
the whole thing has been like an incredibly positive, wonderful experience.
Speaker 2 (45:56):
That's awesome.
Speaker 3 (45:57):
And why, in your personal opinion do you think the
hell House franchise has become so beloved among horror fans?
Speaker 5 (46:06):
I think there was something just like so special about
the first one, just the chemistry of those actors and
those characters, and it's like such a smart idea that
Stephen had in the first place. Like it's so I
feel like sometimes people come up with ideas that are
like so like good that it feels like, oh, why
did no one ever come up with that before? I
(46:28):
feel like that's kind of what that first movie was,
and it's just like continued in such a fun way.
And he's so good at like planting little easter eggs
for like fans of it to follow and like find
something new every time. So yeah, I think that's why
it's become something that's endured and lasted and.
Speaker 3 (46:47):
You know, and found footage isn't easy to do, Like
I mean, on the surface, I think for new filmmakers
it seems like an easier, lower budget, like quicker way
of doing films. But we've seen a lot of found
foot which is not rad So like when you do
like a Hellhouse LLC, it's like it's you know, and
(47:07):
it's so effective, Like that first movie was so effective.
It really shines because like, yeah, like you can look
at every anybody can just put a camera on someone
and say, oh, I'm doing a found footage hym. But
it doesn't mean it's quality.
Speaker 1 (47:20):
Right, No, I love all the Hell House movies. What
are you up today? Any new projects you're working on
that you can tell us about.
Speaker 4 (47:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (47:29):
I have a few short films which should hopefully be
out maybe early next year. And then there's a future
film which is kind of like a psychological thriller sort
of one that should be shooting early next year.
Speaker 4 (47:43):
And I actually.
Speaker 5 (47:45):
Have a friend who's a producer and writer, and he
wanted to do a project together.
Speaker 4 (47:50):
So I've tried out.
Speaker 5 (47:52):
Like writing a little bit, which has been really fun
and exciting, which I've never done before. So it's kind
of scary, but not a horror film. It's like a
little like rom coms sort of thing. Since, as we
talked about, I have none of that because I'm a
sad girl, cute and happy.
Speaker 2 (48:10):
No, that's really cool.
Speaker 3 (48:11):
But with that said, obviously, since we're a horror show,
would you be up for doing more horror in the future, Like,
even if it wasn't Hell House, would you be open
to doing more horror?
Speaker 4 (48:21):
Yeah? Absolutely, I mean it's so fun.
Speaker 5 (48:24):
I really do like I love horror and I love
being in horror movies.
Speaker 4 (48:27):
It's really like awesome.
Speaker 5 (48:29):
I mean I love movies in general, so like, you know,
I want to do everything, but horror has been awesome
to be able to do and be a part of.
Speaker 2 (48:38):
And it's the best fan based.
Speaker 5 (48:42):
Dead.
Speaker 3 (48:44):
No, there really is like a lot of we talk
to people all the time on the show and they
you know, some people go to conventions and things, and
I think the initial viewpoint before you've done a horror
movie you're gone to a convention is oh, people who
love horror, like there's got to be and messed up
with them. But then they find out that horror fans
are kind of some of the most loyal, nicest and
(49:07):
just most involved fans and so you know, yeah, so
I love bragging about else.
Speaker 1 (49:13):
It gives a lot the fans a lot to talk about. Yeah,
Like because with each film there's new characters and like
motives and there's so much to discuss that like it
hurts my brain.
Speaker 3 (49:25):
Well that's why there's so many I don't know if
you are on Facebook, but there's so many like Facebook
chat or Facebook groups dedicated to this hou House franchise
just did dissecting everything. And I've got to say, like,
for like a Steven or a Joe, it must be
fun to just like hover and see people like talking
about this thing that you guys created and picking apart
(49:46):
every little thing and like wondering on stuff. But that's
got to be so just like it's got to be
so satisfying to see that, you know.
Speaker 1 (49:54):
Yeah, especially the ending because it leaves doors open to
like people can go this way or that way, or
there's so many different paths that the ending takes.
Speaker 5 (50:04):
Yeah, I think that's a more fun way to end
a franchise personally. I mean, I know it's kind of
abrupt and it like leaves questions open, but I think
that's kind of cool, especially if it's something that you've
loved since the beginning. It keeps it open away and
like your imagination, you get to imagine like where this
would could lead in the future. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (50:25):
So we have one final question for you, Elizabeth, And
we asked this to every single person that we interview,
and it kind of puts you on the spot, but
that's how we do it. What is one thing, just
one thing that you can tell us about your experience
working on either Hellhouse LLC three Lake of Fire or
Hellhouse ELLC. Lineage that you've never told any other interviewer, publication, podcast, YouTube,
(50:50):
or stat And it doesn't have to be like the
most salacious thing. It could just be anything, but just
one thing about your experience working on either of these
films that you've never told in an interview or two
people you stole the clown costume.
Speaker 5 (51:03):
I wish that would be great. Ooh, I don't know,
uh man, I don't. I mean, I don't know how
interesting this is going to be or anything, But I
don't think the.
Speaker 4 (51:20):
The scene at the drive in.
Speaker 5 (51:23):
Was like my most Like I was the most excited
to film that one. I thought it like looked really cool,
it was going to be really awesome, it was like
and it was, But it was also like such a long,
frustrating night because it was so technical with at the
moment where I have to adjust the mirror to see
the hand behind me took like forty five minutes or
(51:46):
something because I'm adjusting it to an angle not so
that I can see the hand, but so the camera
in the seat.
Speaker 4 (51:52):
Behind me can see it.
Speaker 5 (51:54):
And I kept on getting it like just slightly off,
and so that was frustrating. And then also when I
jump out of the car and I'm kind of scurrying
across the ground, they put down boards for me to
scurry across so that I wouldn't like, you know, damage
my hands because it's gravel. And we did a bunch
of takes with me screaming, screaming, scurrying across them, and
(52:17):
then we realized you could hear the board sound in
the audio, so then we filmed it a bunch more
times with me just pretending to scream, just going like
h but like with no noise. And then at the
end of it, I just had to scream into a
microphone a whole bunch of times over and over again
to try to put that together. So yeah, that that
(52:40):
was a long, weird night.
Speaker 2 (52:42):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (52:42):
No, this is exactly the kind of stuff we love hearing,
like the thing that you would maybe not bring up
in just like a general interview, but the but the
random behind the scenes things like and so they dubbed
your screaming over you pretending to scream, yes, I want
to go back there.
Speaker 4 (52:58):
Ye see if I do a convincing job.
Speaker 2 (53:01):
Wow, I can't. Yeah, that sounds like that would be frustrating,
so awkward.
Speaker 1 (53:05):
I mean, I know I have a microphone right in
front of me, but just to scream into it without motivation.
Speaker 2 (53:10):
Yeah, you're like Joe put the clown suit on. Yeah yeah, no,
I mean that that is tough. But I'm thinking about
the moving that the rear view mirror.
Speaker 3 (53:20):
Oh my god, I think I would go nuts if
like I had to do that over and over again.
Speaker 4 (53:24):
Oh, I felt so bad.
Speaker 5 (53:25):
I kept on just doing it slightly wrong and I
would practice like because I just had to eyeball where
it should be around and yeah, it was really hard
to like get that spot on.
Speaker 1 (53:36):
This is a dumb technical question, but I'm curious if
you're if it's cold outside and the windows are up,
how does it not steam so like every like, did
it steam up so like no one can see out?
Speaker 4 (53:49):
No, I don't think it did. We the car wasn't on,
so I don't think.
Speaker 5 (53:54):
Uh so, I don't think it should steam up, right
because we didn't have the air going through.
Speaker 3 (53:59):
Yeah, I mean, I guess if it's really cold outside,
depending on it, but but it keeps the.
Speaker 2 (54:04):
Cars usually keep like heat inside. I don't know, you're.
Speaker 5 (54:09):
We've possibly also had one window down for like the
boom coming in.
Speaker 2 (54:13):
Oh, that problem and that that would keep it from
being fogged up.
Speaker 1 (54:18):
Yeah, I'm so sorry.
Speaker 2 (54:19):
I'm not mister if he wasn't making out with the
clown and the.
Speaker 4 (54:22):
Back that's in the next one.
Speaker 2 (54:25):
Yeah, that's the next one. Anyway.
Speaker 3 (54:27):
Well, Elizabeth, we've had such a great time chatting with you.
Thank you so much for coming on our show. We
were so excited to talk with you.
Speaker 2 (54:34):
We're big fans of this franchise, we're big fans of yours,
and we can't wait to see what you do next.
So thank you so much for your time today.
Speaker 4 (54:41):
Yeah, thank you guys.
Speaker 3 (54:42):
It's really fun and we wish you the best of
luck and and tons of success with this movie.
Speaker 2 (54:47):
Hope. Again, people, if you have not seen it, it
is on Shutter and I'm sure that eventually it'll be
on other places on streaming or where you can rent
it and that kind of thing. So check out Hell House,
LLC lineage. And thank you so much, Elizabeth.
Speaker 3 (55:04):
Thank you, Okay, take care hye bye bye.
Speaker 1 (55:13):
Thanks for listening to another episode of Happy Horror Time.
Speaker 3 (55:16):
If you'd like to support the podcast, please sign up
to be a patron at www dot Patreon dot com
slash Happy Horror Time. As a patron, you get access
to all our bonus content, which now includes two new
bonus episodes every month, a monthly after show mini episode,
access to our Discord community so you can chat with
(55:36):
us directly, and the chance to review a film with
us in one of our bonus episodes.
Speaker 1 (55:42):
Patrons also get all our regular episodes ad free and
a day early our monthly newsletter, the chance to vote
in polls, and autographed Happy Horror Time stickers.
Speaker 3 (55:52):
I'm Matt Emmerts and I'm Tim Murdoch, and we hope
you have a happy Horror Time.
Speaker 2 (56:01):
To the making the Thing, to the bad Thing.
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