I have seen enough horror movies to have created my own set of rules on what kinds to watch and which to avoid. With the exception of Jaws, I never watch horror movies about killer animals, mostly at the fault of the Sci-Fi Channel, but that’s another story.
What came over me the night I decided to watch Shark Night 3D? Perhaps it was the cast. I mean, Joel David Moore was hilarious in Grandma’s Boy, Sara Paxton was great in the remake of The Last House On The Left, Katharine McPhee was horribly ripped off in season 5 of American Idol when she lost to Taylor Hicks (*cough* … rigged … *cough*) and hey, Joshua Leonard pulled off a major publicity stunt by claiming to be missing, a victim of the Blair Witch. All signs pointed to yes and ThunderCats were go!
I’ll be honest — the best part of the entire movie didn’t come from anyone in the big-name cast. It happens in the first five minutes of the film. This, my friends, is where we are introduced to Christine Quinn, the beautiful blonde in the white bikini on the movie poster. The opening scene seems to pay homage to the famous scene in Jaws where the girl is out swimming at night and her drunken boyfriend is passed out on shore, oblivious to the fact that his girlfriend is being eaten alive by a killer shark. Yes, Christine dies but her career was just kicking to life!
I had the great pleasure and opportunity to talk with Christine about her upcoming film releases, including Humans Versus Zombies, based on a real live action game (humansvszombies.org), playing in limited areas across the U.S. starting on 11-11-11.
Pop-Break: I watched Shark Night 3D and was very disappointed that you died in the first five minutes. I have heard that you get bitten really early on in Humans Versus Zombies and that you’re basically the Ebola monkey from Outbreak.
Christine Quinn: In both films, I set the tone for the rest of the movie, and I do die early on in Shark Night 3D, but I think, for the audience, the scene was fun and memorable. In Humans Versus Zombies I do not “die”, but become a zombie! My character, Megan, is the “Patient 0” and responsible for bringing the virus back to the town.
PB: Do you think you would stay human longer in real life if a zombie apocalypse was to hit?
CQ: I think I have a little zombie/vampire in me. I am not sure the exact percentage but, I am certain my family descends from Transylvania. So, I am positive I would have some kick ass fight moves ready to bust out at any needed moment. Also, I have been bitten by a zombie before so maybe I have some kind of immunity?
PB: So, honestly, you would be the one on the roof picking off zombies with a gun, not sitting in the corner rocking?
CQ: If a zombie apocalypse were to hit, I would be the one on top of the roof rockin’ some automatics in tight cut off camo gear. Just sayin’.
PB: Before your role in HvZ, were you aware of the game, that the film is based off of, going on across college campuses?
CQ: The game is so popular and I was very aware of the hype across college campuses way before I was cast for the film, which made it even more exciting because the film already had an audience even before filming started.
PB: It looks like you have another film being released next year, The Ghost Of Goodnight Lane. Can we expect you to live longer in this one?
CQ: I am so excited about this project. I am one of the leads in the film, so my screen time is significantly more. As far as the demise of Laurel, I cannot give away exact details but let’s just say, as featured in the Ghost of Goodnight Lane poster, she does end up “bottoms up.”
PB: I read that the film is about a haunted movie studio and is loosely based on the studio it is being filmed in, which is actually haunted. Have you had any paranormal experiences there?
CQ: I did witness a few paranormal happenings during filming. I have always believed in paranormal activity, but we noticed events were happening to and around people that specifically stated they did not believe in ghosts. Mirrors have come crashing down off walls, loud noises that only certain people could hear, the lighting department sometimes had an exceptional amount of problems with unexplained reasons why lights were not triggering, and countless occasions of items being moved or all together disappearing. The makeup department had a few issues with this!
My specific paranormal experience happened towards the end of filming. We had all wrapped late, locked up the studio with everyone gone and decided to head out to grab a bite to eat. An hour later, we received a call from the security company that the inside motion detector had gone off. I had instant chills, but the horror geek in me wanted to go investigate. We walked in the studio, with only flashlights, and no one was there except all the creepy props from filming, including a children’s rocking horse that was exceptionally scary. We all knew what set off the motion detector but we were still trying to justify a logical explanation. I remember feeling very odd that night while we were “investigating” the studio. I just felt I had to leave, it was cold, and I felt a feeling of being watched. Not in a bad way … I just don’t know how to explain it.
PB: The film also stars scream queen Danielle Harris, Lacey Chabert, and Billy Zane. We know what your scariest moment was, but what was your favorite behind the scenes moment with them?
CQ: It is so hard to accurately answer this question because there were so many outrageous things going on behind the scenes. We ate lunch across the street at a karaoke studio. On the big screen there were always foreign music videos playing with the lyrics on the bottom that, of course, we could not read but still, we would all love to bust out into song in the middle of our lunch and it ended up being our routine every day.
Most of my scenes were with Billy Zane — so unfortunate, right? — so in between takes Billy and I would bust out talking in our accents and making jokes. Billy Zane is an incredibly funny guy, and an amazing cook. He is a vegetarian who makes amazing dishes and let me in on a few recipes.
PB: I collect horror memorabilia. Of course, I have to use eBay to acquire anything. Do you take home any mementos from your movies for your own collection?
CQ: I like to collect scary movie posters. In my next house I want to line a wall with them and make it something cool and eclectic. The goal is to have them all be my movies, but hey, I am on my way. Two down. LOTS to go!
PB: You’re 23 years old and coming up fast in the horror genre. Pretty soon, we are going to see your name all over the place. So, what is your horror fantasy for the future?
CQ: There are so many horror fantasies I have. As an actress, I like to be given a challenge so, I would love to play a totally demented psycho girl. Maybe something along the lines of Carrie? I also loved the evil power character Megan Fox played in Jennifer’s Body. The list of directors I’d love to work with goes on and on, but a few definite names would be George Romero, Rob Zombie, Diablo Cody, Eli Roth, James Gunn. As far as actors and actresses, anyone talented I am always blessed to work with. Maybe Johnny Depp? I would not object to that!
PB: Don’t worry, Christine, I’ll make sure to tag those directors. Let’s see if we can make that fantasy happen.
As for all of you, be sure to check out Humans Versus Zombies, released Friday in limited theaters. Christine will be present at the Premiere Renaissance 20 theater in Houston that day. Come out and meet her if you’re in the area. If not, you can follow her on Twitter @ChristineBQuinn.
Ann, this is a wonderful interview!