Interview: Brooke Lewis slices her way through the patriarchy

The 1978 blood-soaked revenge tale I Spit on Your Grave is a gruesomely disturbing depiction of one woman’s savage misery. The film, directed by Meir Zarchi, who drew from a very real encounter with a rape survivor, and featuring a harrowing performance from Camille Keaton (as Jennifer Hills, a Manhattan writer on vacation in the country), articulates the brutality of gang rape and Hills’ vengeful warpath in broad brushstrokes. Clocking in at over 100 minutes, the cult classic writhes in the deep emotional and psychological wounds of trauma, but communicates such timely issues of womanhood, the male gaze and loathing of women with an eye for granular camerawork and a script that is as heightened as it is embedded in the patriarchy’s toxic depths.

Such seminal rape and revenge fixtures as 1960’s The Virgin Spring and 1972’s The Last House on the Left have greatly challenged the scope of mankind’s most grotesque and served to engage and empower, even as grisly the images might be to witness. From front-loaded ramshackle storytelling to an often explosively gory third act, the horror sub-genre continues to communicate the questions of morality and retribution, blurring the lines so effectively that the audience must claw their own way to the brink of humanity and back. 2018’s Revenge (starring Matilda Lutz, whose character Jen is a direct nod to the 1978 thriller) arrived in the height of the #MeToo movement, and despite few fantastical plot points, is as much rooted in the history of misogyny as it is a reminder of a woman’s strength and ongoing struggles.

Now in pre-production, the upcoming feature To Avenge, starring Brooke Lewis, most known for her work in Kinky Killers (2007) and IMurders (2008), as well as award-winning short films Sprinkles (2010) and Psycho Therapy (2016), is expected to pick up the torch of its predecessors while pushing the psychological boundaries. “We’d been in talks for over a year on this film. We talked about a couple different roles for me to play,” Lewis tells B-Sides & Badlands over a recent phone call. Helmed by director Nick Belial, who wrote the screenplay alongside Erin Hazlehurst (The Color Rose, 9 Questions), the story unfolds of a young woman gang raped and her eventual revenge on her victimizer. “When it came down to it, Nick made me the direct offer of a rape survivor’s advocate named Jenny Price. It’s pretty powerful, and it seemed to be a very smart role for him to cast me in. As an empowered woman who hopefully empowers women, personally and professionally, this is the type of story I gravitate toward. It’s very dark, but I love the stories and roles that show even through adversity and god-awful times, women can bounce back and have strength.”

The parallels to 1978’s I Spit on Your Grave struck an undeniable chord for Lewis, and it became pretty evident she needed to be involved. “When I read the script, that was my reaction exactly. But there are other really interesting elements to it. Listen, I love the original and the remake ⏤ Sarah Butler is brilliant. There’s more to it. It’s an evolved modern-day action version and has more character development,” says Lewis, who admits to very few reservations in taking on such a hefty, emotional role. 

“Reservations usually stand within the external production questions, like financing. Sometimes when you get offered a project, you’re not able to read a full script right away. I always ask. I need to read a full script. I need to know everything that’s going on,” she stresses. “If there’s something that’s incredibly offensive to me, I probably won’t choose the project. Sometimes, it’s tough. In fact, with this film, they weren’t releasing the full script for quite some time, which is why it was such a long process. Once they were legally able to release a script, I was all onboard.”

Lewis is also readying a slew of other projects this year, including 1/2 New Year (written by and co-starring Drew McAnany), Evolution War and Dead Slate (another feature film currently in pre-production). Recently, it was announced the star has signed a global distribution deal with Hyvio to re-release her three short films, Sprinkles, Psycho Therapy and 2017’s Allen + Mille: A Short Romance (co-starring Courtney Gains of Children of the Corn fame). Even more, Lewis continues expanding her lucrative empire with such clothing lines as Rock Your Hot Mess, via Metal Babe Mayhem.

Below, Lewis considers her well-earned title as a modern-day Scream Queen, the pressure of being a woman in the entertainment industry and how she (still) wrestles with trusting her instincts.

How did you become a “Scream Queen”?

So, I was a horror fan as a kid. All the late ‘70s and ‘80s horror films were my favorites. I had a lot of friends back in New York who were acting in a bunch of indie-horror films. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would become a “Scream Queen” in the film industry. It started when I did Sundance in ‘04 when the very first ‘Saw’ was released. I took notice, and I saw people coming out of the theatre screaming. I thought they were onto something. The psychological thriller was in. I went back to my producers who I had worked with in New York. I had just moved to Hollywood. They had wanted to collaborate on a production, and we had done a couple mysteries together.

I said, “Here’s the deal. I will collaborate and be your LA liaison, if we do a psychological horror thriller.” I had done Broadway and network TV, and no one knew who I was. So, we surrounded me with named actors and helped produce and raised financing. We did a film called ‘Polycarp,’ which, when we went to the film market that year, was picked up at Universal Vivendi and Showtime. They then changed the title to ‘Kinky Killers.’ I laugh at that to this day. It started out as this really cool psychological horror thriller with this whole serial killer vibe, and next thing you know, as distribution would have it, they change it. Here I am playing one of the leads with Charles Durning, Eric Etebari and Michael Pare. We had all these wonderful actors, and we’re in a movie called ‘Kinky Killers.’

That said, here was the blessing, I thought for sure my agents were going to drop me. Well, Showtime picked it up and aired it three nights a week for two years. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this could happen. My manager at the time called me and said, “Come to the office.” I thought they were going to drop me. And they said, “Oh my gosh, look at this.” They had a pile of fan mail on the table. “They’re saying, ‘We need to get these fan letters and requests to Scream Queen Brooke Lewis. She’s the new it Scream Queen.'” There was also a pile of inquiries asking me to come out and sign autographs at the horror conventions. I couldn’t believe it was happening. I remember it like it was yesterday.

Do you feel a pressure or stigma in being labeled a “Scream Queen”?

100 percent. I have always aspired to have similar careers to the notable scream queens like the iconic Jamie Lee Curtis, Adrienne Barbeau [Creepshow, The Fog, Escape from New York] and Suze Lanier-Bramlett [The Hills Have Eyes]. If I could have their careers, I would absolutely be thrilled. However, on the other side, I have learned now that I’m getting older and been in this business for 20 years, there is a stigma to it. I’ve directly faced that many times where I’ve gone in for a sitcom, especially nowadays, or screen tested for something, and the response has been, “Well, we’re just not sure. She’s really talented but she is a known ‘Scream Queen’” or “Oh, we don’t know if we should bring her in for this film because she’s a horror star.” It’s so frustrating. I’m also known a bit for my Ms. Vampy character, which is positive messages for teen girls. Even when we were pitching a show to some younger networks on TV, the response was, “Well, Ms. Vampy has become similar to an iconic Elvira character, but she’s a horror icon, not a talented actress.” They sometimes don’t take us as seriously in mainstream projects.

Do you feel men are typecast nearly as much as women in horror?

I do think there are some male actors who have faced it, but I do think women are faced with it to a much stronger degree for several reasons. The unfortunate part of what has transpired with the Scream Queen title is that there are wonderful, legitimate and talented actresses who are Scream Queens and can carry a TV series or mainstream film. However, there’s the whole other flip side where people have chosen to dumb down the genre. People take on their own title of Scream Queen by pouring blood on their boobs and making a low budget film, and now, “I’m a Scream Queen!” I don’t agree with that. It has affected the title of Scream Queen over the years, from the Jamie Lee Curtis era, the Danielle Harris era. It’s been so watered down by some that we’re not taken as seriously as actresses. It’s almost like some men (and even women) gratuitously had women for no purpose running around and screaming naked with blood on their boobs. I’ve had this said to me, “Oh, you’re a Scream Queen? You’re a step above a porn star.” That’s really unfair, but it is something we women of horror have had to face.

What happens to a lot of us is that we end up “being known” in a genre. You start to become part of the community. I’m very grateful for this. You start to get direct offers for films. That’s your dream, to not have to go in and audition. You start to get to that point in your career. You’re like, “How could I turn it down?” I get direct offers all the time. So, it’s such a blessing. “Why not take another horror film?” You end up doing that, and you get pigeon-holed in your genre. Then, you start to be overlooked by the mainstream world.

What iconic performances from women or films have really stuck with you over the years?

Jamie Lee Curtis was such an inspiration to me. And to watch Danielle Harris in the ‘Halloween’ films. They were just these strong women. I remember watching the original ‘Prom Night’ as a young girl when we first had a VHR. It just spoke to me. Movies like ‘Carrie’ with Piper Laurie and Nancy Allen, and Sissy Spacek, forget it! She’s my height, what a badass and brilliant actress. Adrienne Barbeau was such an inspiration to me. She went from the TV show ‘Maude’ to doing all of her husband’s [then John Carpenter] films. I’ve gotten to spend much time with her at all the horror conventions and appearances. She’s just incredible. I’d take her career in a heartbeat. All those women really set the tone for me.

Is creating a character like Ms. Vampy even more vital in today’s world?

As an actress, a life coach and a woman, I’ve always felt challenged and faced issues of body image, self esteem and struggles as a young girl. It’s always been a part of my mission to give back and have a great purpose for whatever I do, artistically. Originally, Ms. Vampy was created as a horror host. When I created her, I had just become a big Scream Queen, and I had been doing a lot of vampire modeling and photo shoots. Marketing companies came to me and wanted me to be “Brooke Lewis: Vampire Goddess” and maybe do some lingerie stuff and nudity. This was 2008 and even web series hadn’t happened in a big way yet. I said, “Listen, you don’t need me for that. You have way younger, hotter playmates. If you want to do something with me, it has to be my essence, my passion and mission.” That’s when Ms. Vampy was born.

I turned down the deal with this big company. My partners and I got together. I said, “I think they’re on to something.” We created our own, and I thought about what would be my essence in this. People would always say to me, “Oh, you’re always so vampy. You’re such a vixen.” I looked at the body of my work, which was, at that point: horror, comedy and mobster movies. So, I said, “You know what? I’m Ms. Vampy!” It was almost like a ‘Saturday Night Live’ character and very mainstream. She’s a comedic mobster Brooklyn vampire with a heart of gold. She’s my alter ego and my strength and courage. When Brooke Lewis can’t get it, I vamp it out. I have to become Ms. Vampy. I had this amazing horror fan base at that point, and I didn’t want to let them down.

But I wanted to stay true to me, as an actress and artist. I needed to make her positive. I’m always trying to prove myself in my art and in life. The horror community was either going to love this or they were going to hate it. When we launched the first episode of the web series at the beginning of 2009, I could not believe the response we got. We had 17 horror sites cover us immediately and gave us the most incredible reviews. I decided to use the character for good. Now, over the years, we’ve revamped it, no pun intended. We cover LGBT and all life and teen issues in the current series being pitched right now. It’s always my mission to support people and make a difference.

This summer, ½ New Year?, touted as a dramedy, is expected to debut. How did this project come to be?

One of my dear friends Drew McAnany from Philadelphia was struggling getting acting work when he moved to LA years ago. About six years ago now, he started writing. He said, “I’m just going to do it myself and give myself a break.” He wrote a lead role [Reed Deluca] for himself and the role of his older sister Pam Deluca for me. So, we are a brother and sister Italian team that came from south Philly to LA, and the story all about the trials and tribulations that young people go through when they move to follow their dreams to Hollywood, where we all think it’s going to be so perfect and fabulous. The truth is it’s not. And you’re away from your family and comfort zone. I love the tagline that says, “Friends are the family you choose.” A group of friends in their 20s live together in a house, and the film shows the problems they go through with their significant others, careers, drugs, drinking and a lot of other challenges. They have a half New Year party to celebrate and start new resolutions.

In the press materials, it notes that one of the friends has a frightening breakdown?

There’s definitely emotional and psychological components to the story. A lot of these characters deal with their own demons, and it explores mental stability, illness and drugs, all these things real-life people suffer through.

You also have another feature film in pre-production, a slasher called Dead Slate. What can you speak on regarding this project?

One of my best friends in the world, Staci Layne Wilson, is super talented. She’s done so much over many years. She also wrote and directed [2016’s short] ‘Psycho Therapy,’ with Ricky Dean Logan from ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ fame [star of 1991’s Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare]. Staci is directed this piece. The film is really cool and a definite slasher flick. It’s a bit over the top, and some of the components make you laugh. It’s a bit of an homage to the ‘80s with a ton of cool, crazy kills. I know if anyone can handle the beautiful visuals of this piece, it’s Staci.

Your performance in 2016’s Psycho Therapy is such a weighty, emotional outing. Do you feel that project was a big turning point for you?

Well, back in 2010, a young director Roger Scheck who I met at ShriekFest had written a short piece for me. Shame on me for this. My career was going so well as an actor from 2004 to 2010, and I said, “I don’t do short films.” Back then, there weren’t platforms for short films like there are today. I was a bit snobby about it. He’s like, “You’re going to do this one, and you’re going to love it!” We had both signed on for a feature, but it lost financing. We were wanting to do something to be creative. So, we did a short called ‘Sprinkles,’ which is what I think was a turning point for me and my own psyche as an actress. I was stepping into grown roles.

I was playing a young mom who was raped. That was the film that won me the most Best Actress awards over many years and what I’m most known for in short film. That showed me my confidence. I’m incredibly insecure and my worst critic. I always second guess myself. After that, I got spoiled and wanted all my roles to be that. As an actor, you can hit this incredible stride, and you want all your roles to be that brilliant and well-written. Then, you go through a time where you choose to do a feature because you want to work with a specific director, so I went on to do several features. The roles were fun and great. I played hookers or fighter pilots, but there wasn’t anything that was as deep, dramatic or meaty being offered to me.

So, at this point, it’s a few years later. Staci and I sat down at lunch one day, and we were both feeling incredibly stifled, creatively. I said, “I just pray everyday that I find my next ‘Sprinkles.’” Two days later, Staci emails me a script. She literally wrote it in a day. I told her that I wanted a psychological thriller where this woman is savage, and she’s a woman scorned. Then, again, you think you’ve hit your stride. ‘Psycho Therapy’ is so beautifully shot. It was such a deep piece to sink my fangs into, and Ricky Dean Logan was such an incredibly actor to work opposite. We had such great chemistry, and we gave each other so much.

I’m so humbled and blessed. Age-wise, it was five years later, it was wonderful to show I was again a mom and a wife and stepping into female roles that I want to step into as a grown actress. I want to show the world I can play that. I’d love to play a villain in a Lifetime movie. [laughs] I think it shows in the body of my work. Even in ‘Kinky Killers,’ I’ve never really been a victim in a horror film or even killed in a horror film. I’m always the strong woman, the detective, the FBI agent, the killer!

You’re also a certified life coach. When you hit creative brick walls in your acting work, how do you stay inspired yourself?

I vamp it out! My life coach mantra is: “Be You, and Be Fearless.” Everything in my crazy career and life connects. [laughs] I tell clients that I’m not into the hocus pocus of “let’s be happy every moment of every day.” I don’t think that’s realistic. I think we can find joy and happiness even in tough times, but I am a big proponent of telling clients, friends and myself to feel whatever it is you’re feeling. Allow yourself to feel it, even in the deepest, darkest, saddest moments. We all fail and fall. So, we’re all a hot mess. I remind myself of that. I’m so self critical, and I try so hard to be perfect. We’re all perfectly imperfect, so it’s a lot easier when you accept your flaws. I’m very flawed, and I accept it. Then, I allow myself to cry and be angry and be hurt. Then, I pick myself up and vamp it out and move forward.

I went through things in life where I should have just laid on the couch or went back to my parents’ back east or said, “That’s it. I’m done!” But I can’t do that. I’m too much of a fighter. Through adversity, I find strength. So, that’s what I do. I push ahead.

You previously did an interview in which you spoke about trusting your instincts. How did you come to learn that lesson?

The hard way! [laughs] I’m stilling learning it. One of my Near Year’s resolutions is to trust my instincts and make more powerful choices. That is something I speak about constantly, and I’m facing it right now, personally and professionally. Unfortunately, for many, many years, I gave too much of myself and was so worried about pleasing others and about what people think of me. It’s such a bad, thin-skinned way to be when you’re a public figure or a celebrity of any kind. I work really hard on this part.

Every time something has gone awry (a film, an event, a relationship, a friendship), without fail, I look back and knew something was wrong early on. Hindsight is 20/20. The red flags are always there, if we choose to pay attention. If we choose to feel, and I say that as a life coach, and sit with something, instead of being overzealous, your gut instincts are there. You can’t go wrong. I learned by failing, falling and making grave mistakes. I’ve learned a lot. Now, I’m much more careful about following my instincts. When a film offer comes to me or I’m asked to help someone else for free, instead of jumping to say “yes’” because I want to please them, I’m going to really sit with it now and see how it really feels. I don’t want to get caught in that trap again.

So many coaches and metaphysical gurus say “Oh, just get happy! Just choose joy!” I don’t really believe that. I believe that your feelings are your own, and you have every right to feel them.

No matter what, we’re all human. I’m human. I always lead with my heart, even in horror. Sometimes, I make mistakes. I’m a hot mess. We’re all a hot mess. But I just want my fans, friends and family to go, “You know what? Brooke worked her butt off for everything she’s accomplished, and she did it with heart.” Then, there’s my personal mantra: When faced with fear, dig deep inside, find your inner vamp and vamp it out.

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