Christa Campbell [Interview]

It is almost strange how the idea of “sexy” and “horror” have somehow managed to coincide with one another.  Perhaps it is the unbeknownst personal sadistic side of all of us that makes the two work together so well.  Or perhaps we as a society like to watch beautiful people struggle for 90 minutes at a time and, most of the time, come out victorious.  Or even quite the opposite at times.  I think what I am really trying to say here is this:  we want to see beautiful people.  It really doesn’t matter what they are doing.  Gardening even.  For every man who wants to see a sexy vixen spraying and praying assault rifles, there is also a woman who is dying for the hunk with absurd muscles to wake you out of a 5 year coma after standing by your side the whole time, just getting sexier.  Don’t kid yourself, we all know this is true.

But when it comes to Christa Campbell, there is obviously something more.  Unlike your usual Maxim Magazine worthy celebrities, this girl is the full package.  She’s smart, talented, and composes herself as a true professional in her field.  She is the woman now responsible for continuing on the legacy of what I consider the greatest horror franchises in history.  That’s right, if you dig The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for all of its glory, she is your woman.  And we were fortunate enough to get the chance to share a few words with her about TCM, her recently released film Spiders, and as always, what makes her smile.  Enjoy!

How does it feel to be known as a Scream Queen?  Is it a pretty fabulous way of life being a sex symbol for the bloody underworld, at least part time?

I’ve never considered myself a scream queen. When you say ‘Scream Queen” it usually means the victim in the film and I usually play the villain which is much more exciting and sexy!

One of your latest film, Spiders, has been said to be absolutely frightening, even for people who claim they are not afraid of the world’s most hated 8 legged creature.  Why do you believe this?  What is different about this film than films involving the horrors that are spiders in the past?

I think spiders in general are scary and creepy! Our film is a fun sci-fi action film that’s a lot of fun- and it’s even fun for all ages too.

Spiders seems to be directly within the perfected elemental boundaries of legendary horror filmmaker Tibor Takacs.  What was it like working under his direction and bringing one of his stories to life?

You know, I’ve made many films with Tibor. We know each other very well and have a fantastic shorthand when working together. I’ve always really enjoyed working with him and hopefully we’ll do it again soon.

I am personally a huge fan of 2001 Maniacs, as well as its sequel, mostly because they just looked like a whole lot of fun even beyond all the gruesome deaths.  What was it like making these films?  Was it as exciting as it came through on the big screen?

It was sooo much fun! The first film I was just getting to know everyone and we were on a tight schedule . By the time we made the second film we were one big happy family and getting to work with Bill Moseley was great. Shooting that scene with Ogre was amazing and we improvised  most of the scene too.

Your upcoming film Straight A’s, in which you starred in and took executive producer duties, seems a bit different from your usual more outlandish works (save for your brilliant performance in the touching film Mozart and the Whale).  How did you become involved with such a low-key, down to earth yet drug idled, sort of story?

Producer Holly Wiersma brought us the film. It had Ryan (Phillippe) and Anna (Paquin) at the time and she asked me if I’d like to play the role of Dana . After reading the script and meeting with the director James Cox I was excited to be a part of it. Then we got Luke Wilson aboard and that was exciting for us too.

Was there some pressure behind backing yet another tale based around the legendary Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise?  Are you as happy with the results as audiences seemed to be?

There’s always pressure when doing a remake or sequel . You want to make a great film and satisfy the fans and I think we made a great film. The fans really came out and supported us too which was great.

You have also been pinned as one of the executive producers for Texas Chainsaw Massacre 4.  Without giving too much away, what are your plans as far as the dynamic of this film?  Is there anything we can expect to see that might be new and exciting?

We don’t have an exact plan right now. We are discussing with our partners what will become of this franchise so there’s nothing really to report just yet.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

 When I heard that Texas Chainsaw 3D was number one at the box office.