Category Archives: Interviews

Still a Dead-Eye 35 Years On: A CHOPPING MALL Interview with Kelli Maroney

Image March 20, 2021 Landon Evanson 1 Comment

When Season 2 of The Last Drive-In opened with a shot of CHOPPING MALL spelled out on the marquee over Joe Bob Briggs’ shoulder last April I nearly squealed. Okay, I might have squealed. But it was only because CHOPPING MALL is perhaps my favorite drive-in movie of all-time, and knowing that Barbara Crampton had already been on the show meant that we’d be getting a dose of Kelli Maroney had me straight up giddy with anticipation.

And judging by the reaction on Twitter, I was not alone. While it’s hard to believe that it’s been three-and-a-half decades since we spent the night with a group of horny teenagers taking on a gang of killbots, it isn’t difficult to understand why the film seems to grow in popularity the further it gets from its original release date of March 21, 1986. It hits the ground running and never stops.

With titles like FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH (1982) and NIGHT OF THE COMET (1984) to her credit, Kelli Maroney is a bona fide queen of ’80s cinema, but CHOPPING MALL holds a special place in the hearts of many, including the star of the film.

“How could you not be delighted that people enjoy something as much as they seem to enjoy CHOPPING MALL? The appreciation and the gratitude is off the charts.”

Our appreciation and gratitude too is off the charts, not only for 77 minutes of awesome, but that Ms. Maroney shared a few moments with us over the phone in early February to discuss her memories of the shoot, her confusion over why no one ever told her Joe Bob was a fox, the status of a possible television series, and she even shared a personal tidbit about the picture that she’d never told anyone before.

Ladies and gentlemen, Kelli f***ing Maroney.

NIGHTMARE NOSTALGIA: Can you believe it’s been 35 years?

KELLI MARONEY: That’s what I always say. If you had told me in 1986 that in 2021 I’d be giving five interviews this week for CHOPPING MALL? (laughs) I would’ve said “What are you smokin’?” because it wouldn’t have been real to me. It used to be more NIGHT OF THE COMET but now it’s CHOPPING MALL. Even Joe Bob Briggs said “What’s the deal with CHOPPING MALL?” and his producer said “Dude, it’s the most popular thing.”

Even I said to (director) Jim Wynorski “Can you believe this? I can’t get over it. I can never get over it.” It never gets old, it’s always stunning. I’m tickled, I’m delighted and really touched because that’s the whole point of doing this is to connect with people and give them something that they enjoy. And this is beyond anybody’s wildest dreams to have done something that people like so much, but I had no idea it was going to be CHOPPING MALL.

NN: It almost felt like the anniversary celebrations began last year when CHOPPING MALL opened Season 2 of The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs. We’re not going to rehash that conversation, but give us a peek behind the curtain of being on one of horror’s biggest stages.

KM: It was amazing. First of all, I got a message from (Briggs) on Twitter and I thought “this isn’t really Joe Bob Briggs,” but it was, it was John (Bloom). He’s a lovely guy and he’s extremely smart. And Joe Bob is a character obviously, but it’s just heightened. If John was always in his sense of humor, and it was just heightened and a little more Southern, it’s still him. So, you get there and everybody is so nice. At first I met Diana (Prince) — Darcy the Mail GIrl — and my friend Felissa Rose had been on before, so I reached out because I was excited. If you’re on Joe Bob you’re a horror fixture in that community otherwise you wouldn’t be there.

First of all, I had never met him before, so when he was on MonsterVision I had never seen that so I thought Joe Bob, what is he a big, fat guy with a beer belly that talks about boobs all the time? I had no interest. I didn’t know what he was doing because I’d never seen it, but no one ever told me he was a babe (laughs). Seriously, no one had ever said anything to change that perception that I had.

He’s a very big supporter of the Chattanooga Film Festival, which is lovely, and they gave me an award once, First Joe Bob did a little riff on NIGHT OF THE COMET — well, it wasn’t a little riff because that dude gets seriously in depth and it’s never little, he always gives a full talk — but my award was a paper mache slice of pizza designed by a local artist who is told what the recipient means to the festival and then the artist creates it. And I said, pizza? And Chris Dortch, who owns and runs the festival and presented the award, said “Yes, you’re like pepperoni pizza. You make everything better that you’re in.” I said “awww, that’s adorable. That’s so sweet!” So, I took a picture with Joe Bob, and even with my huge high heels on I am half his size because he’s tall and I”m petite.

So, back to Felissa. I asked her advice on guesting for the show and she said “don’t tell him something you’ve already told everybody else in interviews” So, I took that as don’t tell the same old story about how I wanted to be an actor since I was a little girl. Don’t bore Joe Job. Be entertaining. And Felissa has no problem just saying things, so she set the bar so high.

Sometime as actors you get all serious about things and nobody cares, they want you to be fun. And as you can see, I’ll just talk as long, until you tell me to stop (laughs).

I love when fans feel like they’re a part of things, and that’s what’s so great about The Last Drive-In. The whole Mutant Family gets on Twitter and it’s a lot of fun. But I was extremely thrilled when I found out it was true. In fact, Darcy direct messaged me on Twitter saying “let me know if you’d don’t hear from them because I’m not doing CHOPPING MALL if you’re not there.”

NN: You’ve probably seen tons of CHOPPING MALL cosplay over the years, but has anyone done it better than Darcy?

KM: No. No. And we had a long girl conversation about “can you even find this blouse anymore?” and the shoes that were closest to what I had worn were $100 so we weren’t doing that, but in two million years I never thought I’d be having a set conversation about that outfit (laughs). She had it down. She even had the patch, and she even did the limp — like at the end when I was limping — it was a thing of beauty. You can really tell she doesn’t just do it because it’s in the movie and she sees what they’re wearing, she’s got the whole thing down.

NN: Is it uncomfortable maneuvering around with a flare in your bra?

KM: You know I forgot all about it. It fit perfectly in there and I forgot all about it (laughs). As did Allison, she almost forgot she had it, too! She looks down and she’s like “oh yeah, I’ve got a flare!” I don’t know, it just fit right.

NN: You never know what movies are going to resonate with audiences, and 35 years later we’re still talking about CHOPPING MALL as you said, but did your head kind of explode like Suzee Slater’s when Liam Carroll posted his piece for The Spool (which you shared on Twitter) outlining how the film had helped him through anxiety attacks and depression. When you read something like that about a drive-in , B-movie that obviously means something to people, how does that make you feel?

KM: Through the internet and doing conventions you hear these kinds of stories a lot and that’s why you want to be an actor. You put up with the lifestyle and the uncertainty and everything that goes along with it because we just have that driving need to connect with other people. It’s such extreme validation to hear that back, that something I put my heart and soul into and it comes back in a wave. I wasn’t out there acting into a void, it’s hitting people and it means something to them. I’ve given them something and they’ve given me something, and it means that I didn’t waste my life doing something that didn’t mean anything, people like CHOPPING MALL (laughs).

NN: There were some rumors a few years ago about CHOPPING MALL doing a television series, and unless I missed something, did anything ever come of that or something that might still happen?

KM: Wynorski’s in charge of that. We were getting set to do a tease, and then I’m not sure exactly what happened because I think he had several meetings with Lionsgate but as they say in the industry, put a pin in it, which means put a pin in it like on a bulletin board and save it for later. It’s just a risky venture I would think, so I don’t know I haven’t heard anything about it for quite a while.

NN: We’re not going to ask you what your favorite scene or line from the film is because I know you’ve answered those questions a thousand times, but I am interested to know what your lasting image is. When you’re thinking about CHOPPING MALL and not being interviewed about it, what comes back to you most?

KM: I’m going to tell you something that I’ve never told anyone.

NN: I like to hear that.

KM: Ready?

NN: I am.

KM: Sometimes that song, the CHOPPING MALL theme goes through my head when I’m doing my makeup or driving around (laughs). And that is true, it is absolutely true (laughs).

NN: I introduced a friend of mine to CHOPPING MALL and he appreciates it as a B-movie, but I refer to it as a classic and one day he said “you know what, CHOPPING MALL is not a classic.” So, I said I’m going to be interviewing the star of the movie and we’ll see. His name is Chad, so if you have message for Chad as to why CHOPPING MALL is a classic, I’d love to hear it.

KM: Hey Chad, sorry you got dragged into this, but since you are (laughs), you can like it or not like it but I don’t like THE SOUND OF MUSIC particularly, but it’s a classic so you’re just going to have to eat this one on CHOPPING MALL. I’m sorry (laughs).

Interviews

‘It’s Going to be the First One Times a Thousand’: An Interview with TERRIFIER 2’s Lauren LaVera

Image August 9, 2020 Landon Evanson Leave a comment

Sometimes you just get a feeling. When the teaser trailer for TERRIFIER 2 dropped on July 24, the few glimpses we were given of Lauren LaVera as Sienna left this writer with the overwhelming sense that Art had his Laurie. Or as David Howard Thornton would put it, the Batman to his Joker.

Often times horror franchises hit the pavement sprinting but over time, they simply can’t maintain the pace and step by step begin to lose steam. Rare is the franchise that starts strong only to grow stronger, but that very well be the lane TERRIFIER finds itself in, and where LaVera enters the equation.

With a resume that includes Marvel’s IRON FIST as well as a background in martial arts and dance training, LaVera is well equipped to step into the daunting role of nemesis to the already iconic Art the Clown, but it’s her internal drive that will have fans falling in love with Sienna. The badass horror heroine TERRIFIER needs to take things to the next level.

LaVera considers the role a privilege, and demonstrated that with “endless questions” about the character for writer / director Damien Leone and even wrote a character biography to understand Sienna at a molecular level.

A firm release date is yet to be announced, but when Art disciples everywhere finally get the opportunity to lay orbs on TERRIFIER 2, LaVera assures all the blood and gore and action, but also believes the sequel “will be better in every aspect. It will be better. One hundred percent better.”

Ladies and gentlemen, remember the name Lauren LaVera.

NIGHTMARE NOSTALGIA: When I spoke with David Howard Thornton last April he said that he’d told TERRIFIER writer / director Damien Leone that “Art needs his Batman, the Joker needs his Batman,” a worthy adversary. Then I saw the teaser for TERRIFIER 2 and it just vibed, you were chosen for a reason. How does it feel to be the protagonist in one of the most highly anticipated horror sequels in recent years?

LAUREN LAVERA: It feels amazing. I actually did mention in another recent interview that when I did find out I booked the part I went out to eat with Damien and Dave and that was one of the things that Dave actually said to me. He told me that Sienna is the Batman to Art’s Joker, so I don’t think I really understood the role I was taking on until he said that to me. I was like “Whoa, that’s a pretty heavy statement,” so I think in the beginning I really truly didn’t understand but I think it’s hitting me a little bit more every day, the effect that TERRIFIER has on people and what TERRIFIER 2 is going to mean in my life and both Dave and Damien’s life. If feels great, in short, after all that, it feels great.

NN: Had you seen TERRIFIER before landing the gig?

LL: Actually I knew about TERRIFIER before I auditioned, I knew of it. I had some friends, because I love horror and all of my friends know that I love horror, so I had a lot of friends and acquaintances reach out to me years and months before the audition saying “you should check out this film. You’d really appreciate it, you’d really enjoy it,” and I had every intention to watch it but I just never got around to it.

So, when I found out I had that audition I didn’t have a lot of time to watch the film before my first audition and then I received the callback. I got the callback without even watching the movie so maybe I should continue not watching the movie, I don’t want to see if and then maybe make the wrong choice in my next audition. So, I continued not to watch it until I found out I booked it, and the same day I found out I booked it I watched the film for the first time, and I watched it again a couple of times after that and I really enjoyed it.

NN: Actresses had to be lining up for the role of Sienna, so how did you land the part?

LL: Oh, God. That’s a good question. You know what? When I had received the breakdown I actually didn’t think I would be right for Sienna. So, I sent the breakdown–and for people who don’t know what a breakdown is, it’s what the casting director sends your agent and which your agent sends you, it’s basically a description of the character–and when I read it I was like “I don’t know if I’m this person, I don’t know if I can do this.”

So, I sent it to an actor friend of mine and said “you should audition for this because you would be more likely to get booked for this,” and she was real excited about it and said “yeah, I’ll do it.” I don’t know if she actually did it, but I was surprised each time I got the callback, I was like “wow, I really didn’t think I was the right fit for this,” but I guess Damien and the guys at Fuzz On The Lens saw something that maybe I didn’t. So, I’m happy I took the chance and actually went for it. I don’t know, with every role I just give it my all and hope it sticks. So, yeah, that’s how I booked it (chuckles).

NN: When TERRIFIER landed for the masses two years ago, Art the Clown became almost instantly iconic and a little indie wasn’t so little anymore. The bar was set pretty high for the first of what Leone hopes to be a trilogy, so what can we expect from its follow-up?

LL: You can definitely expect more blood, more gore, definitely more action, but also more story, which is what really drew me to it. The thing with the first TERRIFIER, the reason why people love it so much is because of the insanity that happens in the first one, it’s very gory, there’s a lot of twists and turns that people either loved or hated, so that’s what I liked about it. But it was basically a setup for Art. It was really just go give you an idea, it was supposed to be an introduction to him.

What was lacking in story for the other characters, for the final girls and just for everybody else involved, the difference and what people should really look for in the second one is that it’s very much story-driven around the character of Sienna, around her little brother Jonathan (Elliott Fullam), around her mom and also around her friends, her friends play a huge part, and there’s also some other really wonderful characters that I think people will fall in love with. But you’ll still get all of the same things that people loved about the first one–you’re still going to get that gore, you’re going to get even more action, more blood–it’s just going to be the first one times a thousand plus an interesting story.

NN: In late July, Leone appeared on The Nick Taylor Horror Show podcast and shared that you were in constant contact with “endless questions” and were journaling about your part, saying that “nobody has ever cared for a character” as much as you had, perhaps even more than he did–adding that Sienna is his favorite character that he’s ever written. Tell us about that preparation process going into TERRIFIER 2.

LL: I spent a lot of time for this, and also in general with my acting coach Bryan Fox, and he’s incredible. I was constantly reaching out to Damien and constantly reaching out to (Fox) with endless questions. I like to read scripts that I book hundreds of times, because I’m a huge fan of Anthony Hopkins and that’s what he does. He reads his scripts like 500 times or something like that, and I didn’t read (chuckles) as much as that but I read it over and over and over again to see if I could pick up little things. It’s all about subtext, so reading between the lines–what is my character really saying with each line–what is the underlying meaning. I also write biographies for my characters, so I’ll make the smallest decisions of what’s my character’s favorite color to broader concepts like what’s their sexual orientation or something like that. It’s just a a deep dive into what I believe Sienna should be.

I also asked Damien make a playlist for me. One of my favorite actors is Mahershala Ali, he’s incredible, and I heard in an interview with him once that he makes a playlist for all of the characters that he takes on because what that person listens to gives you a better idea of what kind of person they are. So, Damien made a whole playlist that I still listen to to this day because I absolutely love it, of songs that Sienna would listen to and it really gave me a better idea of who she was. If she listens to this kind of music she probably is a romantic, she’s probably a this, she’s probably a that, so there was a lot that I put into it including music choice to broader concepts. It was a lot (laughs).

NN: Can you give us a taste of the kind of music Leone thinks that Sienna would listen to?

LL: It’s funny because I’ve said this before, but I think Sienna is a lot like Damien. I mean, he wrote her, but even reading the scripts and hanging out with Damien I see a lot of similarities. One of the bands he put in the playlist a lot was Fleetwood Mac, that’s Damien’s favorite band which I love because I’m a huge Stevie Nicks fan, so when I saw that I was like “wow, that’s really great.” Also, a lot of eighties music. A lot of Fleetwood Mac, a lot of Madonna too which I loved, but also some nineties music like Gin Blossoms and Rage Against the Machine, really great music. It gives you an idea of Sienna’s more dreamy-esque fantasy, she’s very into fantasy and stuff like that, but she also has an edge to her. It’s a lot of variety between eighties synth music to hard rock.

NN: In that same Q&A, Leone also commented on a night during filming that was dingy and cold and that he was a bit down but looked over at you covered in blood, wearing a skimpy Halloween costume, suffering more than anyone, but you just smiled. Would it be fair to say that you don’t just see this film as an opportunity but a privilege?

LL: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. In all fairness I do think that every job is a privilege, I’m very grateful with every job that I had, but there was something very special about this film. There was something very special about the camaraderie that we all developed on set, with me and Damien as well, we keep in contact frequently talking about the character, talking about the entire process. We’ve all developed a great love for each other, a great respect for each other. Sometimes I would just take a step back and look at everybody on set, see how tired they all looked and how hard they were working and I was just thrilled thinking we’re all making something very special together. It was very easy for me to smile at times because I was just in awe with the people that I was working with.

NN: You also have background in martial arts and dance, so how helpful were those skill sets in what had to have been a grueling and physically demanding shoot?

LL: It was immensely helpful because through my martial arts I’ve made a lot of friends who are also martial artists and who are also stunt performers, so because of that I train with my friends who are martial artists and stunt performers. We train on mats, we train on how to fall, we train on how to take a hit, and this was a very action-heavy role to take on. Sienna gets beat up a lot and she beats up a lot, as well. If I hadn’t known how to properly fall, how to properly take a hit I could have seriously been hurt or I could have seriously hurt somebody. That experience was absolutely beneficial in the long run with this type of role.

NN: What makes David Howard Thornton so special in that clown costume?

LL: (Laughs) What he really brings to the character, his whole experience, he’s a comedian first and foremost. One thing that I truly believe is that it’s much easier for comedians to venture into more dramatic roles that dramatic actors to venture into comedic roles, because comedic roles in my opinion are much harder to take on. There’s a nuance, there’s a formula to it, and I think because he’s this hilarious guy with this wonderful personality he’s able to give Art this sadistic but also a you-can’t-help-but-love-him type of personality because of the type of person that (Thornton) is. Really, his whole essence is what makes Art so special.

NN: You touched on how funny Thornton is (as well as the character), but there’s also a switch that he can flip where it’s very menacing and unnerving, that stare with his eyes is absolutely terrifying. After all your prep, what went through your mind when you finally set up for your first scene and just before Leone yelled “action” and you’re staring at Art the Clown?

LL: Definitely terror. It was not hard for me to feel afraid of Art the Clown. Dave is a different story, I could never be afraid of Dave, but as soon as he gets into character, as soon as he manipulates his body, as soon as he manipulates his face it’s much easier to be afraid of him. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m terrified of clowns to begin with and the character that Damien created with the prosthetics that he made are truly horrifying. I felt everything. Every time I look afraid I’m truly afraid because it’s actually very scary to witness in real life. A lot of it was done with dark lighting and I felt like I was alone because of how the stage was set up, so it was definitely very scary.

NN: Speaking of Dave, we reached out to Mr. Thornton and he said that maybe we should ask you about the ghosts at Fright Factory and the house you stayed at upstate during filming.

LL: (Laughs) That’s funny. I have a very interesting relationship with my belief in ghosts because I really feel in my life that I have encountered supernatural entities. However, I’m the type of person that refuses to believe that they exist. I constantly tell that to myself because I don’t think I’d be able to sleep at night if I would give in to the things that I believe that I saw.

At the Fright Factory, yes, he told me some things but I’m the type of person who tries to stay oblivious to it, I’m like “no, that didn’t happen” just because I’m terrified of it, I”m very much a scaredy cat. (Thornton) said he saw things moving, there was a mechanical doll that went off by itself in the Fright Factory which I cannot deal with because dolls scare the hell out of me. Especially porcelain dolls, and that was a very creepy porcelain doll. I was like “okay Dave, whatever you say. I just won’t go in that room.”

And the same at the house we stayed at upstate, a priest died there and apparently he wasn’t the best person, so there was some creaking. I actually stayed in his room, so I personally could not deal with it and just tried not to listen to whatever ghost stories people told me. I was just the type of person that said “okay, whatever. I can’t listen to it,” so yeah (chuckles), that’s my take on it.

NN: Horror fans are a passionate bunch, are you ready for the fervor to come once the film drops?

LL: I cannot wait. I’ve already had my fair dosage of horror fans because there were a lot of horror fans who were on the set of TERRIFIER 2 because they donated to get the film made, they’re wonderful people. They got to hang out with us, and I still talk to them because they’re amazing. As well as online, I’ve already had people reach out to me with just so much love and so much support. I’m floored by the horror community because they’re like you said very passionate, but really wonderful people because they just want fun and want good entertainment and I really truly believe that we’re going to deliver that. I’m excited to meet every single fan.

NN: We know that you can’t give much away, but what can you share that will leave TERRIFIER fans champing at the bit until the big unveiling?

LL: (Laughs) Wow, that’s a tough question. I’m not even quite sure what I can share. What I can say is that it definitely will be bigger and better in every aspect. There will be more story and I think, again that was what was lacking in the first one and that some people were complaining about. Damien is the type of person that reads every comment and tries to listen to all of his fans. He knows that he can’t please everyone, obviously, but he puts everything into consideration. (Leone) often says “they’re either trolling or they have something of substance to say,” and he really takes all of that into consideration. He’s listened to everybody’s thoughts on the first one and how he can improve the second one. I truly believe that the second one will be better in every aspect. It will be better. One hundred percent better.

Interviews

“Got Some Mail For Ya”: An Interview with ‘The Last Drive-In’s’ Darcy the Mail Girl

Image April 12, 2019 Landon Evanson 1 Comment

Sometimes in life the stars align and magic happens. That was the case for Diana Prince, known to the Drive-In Mutant Family as Darcy the Mail Girl.

She was part of a contingent who regularly encouraged Joe Bob Briggs to make his triumphant return to television, and when Shudder decided to make it happen, Briggs remembered Prince, offering what can only be described as the gig of a lifetime for a horror fanatic.

From the first marathon last July through a pair of holiday specials and now weekly double-features, Drive-In fans everywhere have gotten to know the new Mail Girl, who has quickly found a special place in our collective heart thanks largely to the fact that no one is a bigger Joe Bob fan that Darcy, herself. Whether the show is streaming live or not, Prince tirelessly tweets to promote The Last Drive-In and the man none of us can get enough of.

“The love that he gets makes me so happy. He still doesn’t get it, he’s just super humble. But he literally never understood how much he meant to us growing up,” Prince said, continuing, “You have no idea, man. You raised us.”

On Friday afternoon, Nightmare Nostalgia spent a few moments on the phone with Darcy to discuss her escape from Twitter jail, what the future holds for the show, a flick and guest combination she’d like to see happen that will blow your minds, and what being a part of the Joe Bob renaissance means to her.

NIGHTMARE NOSTALGIA: How does it feel to be out of Twitter jail?

DARCY THE MAIL GIRL: [Laughs] It was actually really frustrating. I sent all these texts to anyone who would listen “They won’t let me tweet!” because I couldn’t tweet to anybody and all The Last Drive-In people panicked and were like “What are we gonna do?!” So Joe Bob was trying to figure out his password to let me tweet from his account, and he was like “I don’t know it. I don’t know how to do that [laughs].” It was actually really sweet how quickly they got it fixed, because so many people atted them and it got a real person’s attention and it made them look to see that I wasn’t a bot. So it was sweet and I hope that it doesn’t ever happen again [laughs].

NN: While we’re on the topic of Twitter, if you had to guess (and maybe you know), give us an estimate on the number of messages you receive from the mutants each day? And how much does that number balloon on air dates?

DMG: [Chuckles] Lord, I would have no idea how to guess that. I know the week before last Twitter sent me a message saying you’re getting a ridiculous amount of of messages, we need to compartmentalize or something, but I was like eh, just let ’em keep coming in [laughs]. It’s cool, I’m so happy everyone gets involved, but Lord I have no idea. Hundreds, hundreds, hundreds [chuckles].

NN: Sounds like you didn’t believe Joe Bob when he first offered you the gig, so that has got to be a good story. How did you land the role of Mail Girl?

DMG: I was one of several of his die hard fans who just really wanted him to come back and we kept encouraging him even though he insisted he was done, there was no place for him anymore. We were like that’s just bullshit, you have no idea how bad we need you. And two of them, who are now the producer (Matt Manjourides) and director (Austin Jennings) said “If we can get somebody to do this will you just give it a shot?” and [Joe Bob] was like “Well, whatever.”

They took it to Shudder and Shudder was like “All right, we’ll do it” and Joe Bob said “Well, you believed in me forever, do you want to be my Mail Girl?” and I was like “Whaaa? [Laughs]” He said to me “You’d be doing me a huge favor if you would,” and I said “(Shocked sound) Okay, I’ll give it a shot” [laughs].” So, I guess that’s kind of how it worked out, just friends banding together and [Joe Bob] just being an amazing person saying “We’re all in this together. Let’s go.”

NN: For someone who’s a huge horror fan—and gets nervous on camera anyway—were you losin’ your s*** before the cameras rolled for the first time?

DMG: The first time was fucking ridiculous! I was a wreck. I actually didn’t leave on the plane the first time, I was like I’m going to mess up his show, and I know it’s going to be a pain in the ass to replace me last minute, but there’s no reason I should be doing this. I thought I was doing them a favor like “Sorry, I can’t make it.” They said “Get your fucking ass out here now [laughs].”

So I got another flight, went out and when it was time to actually go on camera I just couldn’t. They had Felissa Rose and I was like “You be the Mail Girl. You’d be amazing.” And she was just being so supportive and pushed my ass in front of the camera, but I was worried I’d have severe stage fright and not be able to speak, it was just a mess [laughs]. But once again Joe Bob was just very kind and understanding, like “You’ll get it. It’s going to be fine, don’t worry.”

And literally, I remember crying to him during the marathon “If this messes up it’s ’cause of me, because everyone’s going to love you and you’re doing everything great. The only thing people can hate is me, so I’m really sorry if you don’t get picked up because of me,” and he was like “That’s just nonsense.” His confidence made me feel a little bit better, but it was hard. It has gotten much easier, but the last few times it was really scary. You go out there and he’s just so Joe Bob-y, the set and everybody watching, and he nails everything like it’s nothing, and then I come out there like “Wha? Whaaa? [laughs] What am I supposed to say? Where’s the camera? I don’t know, can I go back to the Twitter now? [laughs]”

It’s been a challenge and interesting, but it helps me grow as a person and that’s one of the things that he’s great about, just encouraging people to believe in themselves and be more than you think you can.

NN: Your take on THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974) led to the Joe Bob reaction of all-time. It’s been since Thanksgiving, but that moment still has life doesn’t it?

DMG: Yeah, people have definitely not let me forget about that [Laughs]. I think some people were using that as why I shouldn’t be Mail Girl, like “She doesn’t even respect the first CHAIN SAW! You’re terrible! [laughs]” But I like different opinions and I know Joe Bob loves it, and that’s great, but I like the remake better. And a few people have signed up saying they feel the same so, all right [laughs].

NN: Let’s talk cosplay. First, what’s been your favorite so far? And perhaps more importantly, when are you going to get the Drive-In Jedi into an outfit that isn’t jolly St. Nick?

DMG: [Laughs] I am trying so hard, trust me. He’s just a very stubborn little man. I’m grateful for the Santa Claus, if he hadn’t done that, it wasn’t even Christmas, come on! [laughs] But every time I say “How ’bout you wear this?” and he says “How ’bout I don’t? [chuckles] My favorite so far, I don’t know, I never feel complete because I have to travel and I don’t have all my stuff. I would love to do it in L.A. sometime where I could do really good effects makeup and stuff, so I kind of feel like it’s half cosplay [laughs].

I really liked the pilgrim version of the condom salesman because I don’t know that people would have paid as much attention to Ted Raimi’s part if I hadn’t [chuckles], so it’s kind of cool to remind them that he’s there, and that’s a thing that happened. Although I forgot my machete with that. See, that’s the problem. I forget half my pieces before I go out on camera all the time [laughs].

NN: There have been so many, but for you, what’s been the moment of The Last Drive-In so far?

DMG: A bunch of [Joe Bob’s] speeches, I think this is the most ultimate thing that could ever happen and then something else happens [chuckles] and it’s like no, this. He’s had some really great speeches, but the one that sticks out the most, just because I didn’t know what was going to happen after, was when he was saying goodbye at the very end of [the original] The Last Drive-In where he was like “Thanks for having me back.” We worked so hard just to have this one moment of his just saying goodbye to people if nothing else happened, and then he was and it was like “Oh, no! [sad chuckle] Don’t say goodbye like that,” he walks away and left his hat and literally we were all crying. It was like, no [chuckles], we have to figure something else out for you, sir. That was probably the moment for me, and I’m so glad it wasn’t the end, but in the moment [chuckles].

NN: You’ve got to have a behind the scenes story.

DMG: There’s definitely a lot of behind the scenes craziness [laughs]. The first thing that pops into my head is Felissa Rose, the first day I met her she was so encouraging and she just has so much personality, she was trying to coach me up to be comfortable in front of the camera. We were having a blast, until I had to go on camera [laughs], but behind the scenes it was all jokes. “Oh, we’re going to be twins and blah, blah, blah,” and I was like “Oh, this is fun [chuckles].” So that was cute.

And then last week, everyone trying to blow up the blow-up doll really quick was very funny, have some good behind the scenes footage of that where we were like “We’ve gotta get the doll blown up! Hurry! [laughs]” And a lot of my costumes, it was like a group effort trying to put on my PHANTASM balls [chuckles], “I can’t get them to stay, man!’ We were trying glue and to staple them [chuckles]. Yeah, I cause drama, I think [chuckles].

NN: Yeah, the blow-up doll was fantastic. I didn’t see that coming and then you walked out with it and I was like “Oh, boy. Here we go!”

DMG: We film on a set where, I can’t remember his name, but some CNN guy or whatever, but it’s his place and sometimes they’re doing stuff at the same time and everybody from his camp was trying to come and be like [whispers] “That’s the room with the blow-up doll” and trying to see what was going on [laughs]. Like “Don’t mind us, this is work [laughs].”

NN: What movie are you really pushing for to be featured?

DMG: Oh, Lord. I have a whole frickin’ list of like please, please, please, but number one easy, is HALLOWEEN III (1982). It’s just sitting right there and it would be amazing, and I definitely want to debate [Joe Bob] because he’s so wrong in his hatred for it [laughs]. Plus, what if we had Tom Atkins on? That would be just fucking iconic. So I would love to share that, so easy, but he’s stubborn so we’ll see [chuckles].

But FRIDAY IV (1984) needs to happen. He did the whole marathon but [Briggs] had to leave that one out and he’s never done it before, and that’s one of my favorite movies ever. So, we have to figure out a way to do FRIDAY THE 13TH PART IV.

NN: That’d be a hell of a double feature, a couple of huge franchise films like that, but I agree HALLOWEEN III is fantastic. And I hadn’t even thought about the idea of maybe Tom Atkins being a guest, that would be unbelievable.

DMG: Right?! It would be amazing, and we can so do it. Ugh, get your shit together, Joe Bob [laughs].

NN: Give us a HOGZILLA (2014) update.

DMG: [Laughs] HOGZILLA was never actually released. SYFY was talking to them about buying it, but they didn’t show enough of the hog so they bowed out and then they just said “Oh well, fuck it [chuckles].” There’s two people I know that have copies. One is the cinematographer or something but it’s on QuickTime or some weird thing, but our biggest lead so far is the director (Diane Jacques), who has it, and she’s just very difficult to keep in communication with.

She’s like “Oh yeah, we’ll figure it out,” so I think she wants to maybe release it if she can show it on The Last Drive-In if I can get everyone to agree to that. And if I can’t, I have to convince her to just “Let me have it, man! [chuckles]” We just have to show it somehow, but it’s kind of all in her hands, she’s like the sole HOGZILLA owner at this point. We’ll get it, though. I’ll get somethin’, man, even if I have to QuickTime it together [chuckles].”

NN: What can you tell us about VENGEANCE (2019), the FRIDAY THE 13^TH fan film you’ve been working on?

DMG: It’s just a really amazing project from a bunch of really die hard FRIDAY THE 13TH fans that they’ve been trying to put together for a long time. I first shot a little bit for the trailer like a year ago, then they did a Kickstarter, and now it’s finally filming and coming together.

It’s different because they’re bringing in people who sincerely love it, all the kills are homages to other famous kills from the series, like the sleeping bag kill and mine is [short pause] an iconic one. I guess I shouldn’t say [laughs], but you’ll recognize it for sure. And it’s an actual sequel to PART VI (1986), the people involved loved that so much that they’re just continuing that story. (JASON LIVES director) Tom McLoughlin is a consultant I guess you could say, and then we have C.J. Graham and we have Steve Dash’s last appearance, Amy Steel’s coming in and it’s just like wow, what an amazing little thing to be a part of.

And everybody is giving up their fees to donate to a leukemia charity because one of our actresses (Chalet Brannan) was battling with that but she’s good now, so all the money that we don’t have to spend on production is going to that cause. We’ve got $15,000 raised so far, so it’s just a really neat little thing. They built this whole Camp Blood, very detailed set and it’s amazing to just be up there and shoot and walk around in Jason’s territory [laughs].

NN: Any new twists or expanded role in the works for you as we get more and more of The Last Drive-In?

DMG: [Laughs] [Joe Bob] is definitely trying, like with SOCIETY (1989), “Hey, you have knowledge in this. We’re gonna need you to come talk about it.” Like, “Okay [laughs].” He’s changing more and more as he gets to know me more. The first marathon was kind of like a written out character who was just being annoyed by Joe Bob and shit, and I was just like this is not at all what’s happening with me here.

So [Briggs] is like “Just be you,” so now I don’t have anything written, it’s just like “Darcy talks [chuckles]” and he brings me out. So that’s interesting and cool and he wants to do that more and more, and we’ll see how that goes [laughs]. ‘Cause I’m always like “I’m good, you’re nailing it. You can talk to yourself. [laughs].”

But some of the movies, I definitely love being able to represent. Like we have one for the finale, it’s one that I want to say, it’s one I’ve been pushing for forever and I can’t believe we get to do it, so I think he wants me to be out there because I just love it so much to talk about it, so yay! [chuckles] I’m excited for that one.

NN: And you can’t tell us what it is.

DMG: I can’t! But God I want to so baaad! But that last week, I will just shout it “You guys have to watch this! [chuckles]”

NN: First, we had the hilarious Mail Girl v. Male Girl showdown from the original marathon, and now Felissa Rose is the show’s go-to mangled dick expert. How much more can we expect to see or hear from the SLEEPAWAY CAMP (1983) star?

DMG: As many dicks as we can bring out, we’ll bring her [chuckles]. Any way we can bring in Felissa it’s always gonna be a party [chuckles]. And I’m always pushing [Joe Bob] to pick movies that have dicks anyway for equality, so it’s like we need dicks, and we need to talk about dicks [chuckles].

NN: We’re about to embark on Week 3 of a nine-week run of double features, but many are wondering, are there any marathons lined up for later this year?

DMG: We are hoping to. I know that we all love the marathons, it’s not Shudder’s favorite [chuckles], but we love doing them. They’re actually renegotiating everything now and figuring that out so none of us know for sure what’s going to happen after [the nine-week double feature run], but I’m hoping and Joe Bob’s hoping that we can do holiday marathons. We have Friday the 13th coming up, I want to do a proper Christmas [laughs], and I hope we get to. It’s just the vibe of a marathon is so frantic, hectic, and it’s such a party atmosphere. The weekly shows, people know that they can watch it later in the week or whatever. It’s cool, it’s still fun, but the marathons are such a different little monster [chuckles].

NN: You don’t have a lot of down time, but have you had that moment where it hit you and you realize what you’re involved with?

DMG: The second I walked on set the first time, I did. I was like “Holy fucking hell, this is Joe Bob and he’s back and I’m part of this somehow. That’s fuckin’ weird! [chuckles]” I’m so happy for [Briggs] to be back, and any way I can support him and the people who put this on, I’m so happy to be able to.