Michale Graves is a singer who began his career with his band the Mopes in Lodi, New Jersey, and is probably best known for singing for the late 1990's re-incarnation of the horror punk rock band The Misfits.  While in the band, Michale wrote songs with titles like "Dig Up Her Bones", "The Shining", "The Haunting", "Witch Hunt", and "This Island Earth".  Given that most of these song titles are derived from some of the most famous horror films ever made, House of Horrors recently spent a few moments with Graves while he busily signed autographs prior to performing at a horror convention. 

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You don't know me, but I know you. I want to play a game. Here's what happens if you lose. A device strategically placed inside of your monitor will leap out at you and sever your vocal chords if you don't read this interview all the way through. Think of it as my insurance policy that every word I write gets read. There is only one key to deactivate the device in your monitor. It's in the stomach of the dead body behind you. Look around reader. Know that I'm not lying. Better hurry up. Live or die, make your choice. OK, OK, I'll stop. Hey, I never said I was a serious journalist.

Thank god for people like Shawnee Smith, who make my job very easy. She is a warm, genuine, down-to-earth old soul who calls you personally to tell you she is running late for an interview. Starting in the business as a child, there isn't much she hasn't done. Best known for her work in the SAW movies, this talented actress was twice-nominated for the young artist award for her work in the 1985 TV-movie CRIME OF INNOCENCE and in 1985 for THE BLOB. This year she added a producer credit to her resume with 30 DAYS OF NIGHT: DUST TO DUST, a project in which she also stars. There are many topics to discuss with Shawnee but SMITH & PYLE was the topic of choice during our discussion.

SMITH & PYLE are Shawnee and actress Missi Pyle (GALAXY QUEST, HEROES) respectively. Their rousing country rock/ folk album IT'S OK TO BE HAPPY is creating quite a buzz since its recent release and has been embraced by the horror community Shawnee is so popular with. This isn't her first parley into the music business however; she fronted the rock band Fydolla Ho, with whom she toured America and the United Kingdom.

The wonderful Shawnee, who is busy working on the VH1 reality show SCREAM QUEENS where she shares judging duties with James Gunn (SLITHER), was gracious enough to chat with me about her new album, what drives her creatively and long walks with Jigsaw.

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: IT'S OK TO BE HAPPY was released July 29th. How did you and Missi discover you wanted to make music together?

SHAWNEE SMITH: We met doing a TV-pilot last year. Missi was on another show and they couldn't cast this role and Jhoni Marchinko, from WILL AND GRACE created the show and she kept disagreeing with the network and the studio people and she was like,"What am I gonna do Shawnee?" and Missi was on another show, THE WEDDING BELLES, that got canceled and she was like 'Oh I found my girl, Missi Pyle, her show just got canceled we're bringing her over!' We were ready to go, so excited. I knew who Missi was, I had met her before and thought she was really cool and she was very talented. We just really hit it off and during that week of filming we went to the Coachella Music Festival, got a feather up our rears, and decided to do like a 24-hour mission. We got stuck in traffic and had a lot of time to talk and she shared with me that one of her life's dreams was to be in a rock band. I've had a few rock bands and was like 'Really?, are you sure?' and she went on and on and on and finally I said. "Alright, I'm going to be in a band with you just so you can see that, you know, you should have a different dream" (laughs)

Here we are a year later, with this inspired, beautiful and fun record, having the time of our lives. All the stars aligned, its been such an incredible experience. It has got its own mission, you know? This incredibly talented tribe of musicians came together. I called [Music Producer and Musician] Chris Goss who is a friend of mine and said "Hey, are you ready to make a white trash record?"

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: (laughs) Yeah, Chris has produced everyone from QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE to STONE TEMPLE PILOTS.

SHAWNEE SMITH: Yeah! He's booked two years in advance but he said he had a 4 to 5 week window coming up in a couple of weeks and said he would love nothing more than go to the recording studio up there in Joshua Tree and would love nothing more than to make this record. So, within two weeks, we hadn't even written a song yet. I had a bunch of songs that I had written a year or two before that. Jerry Cantrell [ALICE IN CHAINS], who plays on the record, took me through the old country records and I was totally re-inspired musically and wrote a whole slew of country songs, well my version of country songs. But I didn't have anything to really do with them so they were just kind of sitting there. I sent them to Chris and he just kind of flipped out over them and said Missi and I should come down to the studio, next thing you know Missi and I start a record label! [URBAN PRAIRIE RECORDS] Chris pulled all of these musicians together and we wrote our first song behind Gram Parsons' memorial at the Joshua Tree. We were making a record together and we hadn't even sung together!

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: Once again, The stars aligning.

SHAWNEE SMITH: I'm telling you, every step of the way. It's crazy! It's like a tribe of sweethearts.

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: Do you have a track that is your favorite or is that like asking a parent which kid is their favorite?

SHAWNEE SMITH: Probably the most highly personal song for me on that record is FRUMPY FLANNEL and then FLOWER IN MY HAIR. One of my favorite lyrics though is from I WISH YOU WERE DEAD. (Starts singing) I know in the end you're gonna wanna be my mother fuckin' friend...

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: (sings back, tries to anyway)..But right now I just wish you were dead.

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR AND SHAWNEE SMITH: (laughs)

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: That is one of my favorite lyrics. It's hard not to love that lyric actually.

SHAWNEE SMITH: I love that Missi Pyle, who had never been in a band, she had played some guitar performing on a sketch comedy thing, you know. But all through this process she would have bouts, every once in awhile of, 'what the heck am I doing!' Like the musicians are literally virtuoso rock musicians, I've had 3 bands and have written a lot of songs and she's like 'I do not belong here'. Meanwhile, there is one of the only songs on the entire record that is 100 percent one songwriter and that is Missi Pyle. That song is I WISH YOU WERE DEAD and I think that is the biggest selling song from the album on iTunes so far (laughs) so I'm like, 'Do you think you belong yet?'

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: I don't know but to me that song feels like the Indigo Girls meet Alanis Morissette.

SHAWNEE SMITH: (laughs)..Maybe more Gilda Radner meets The Rolling Stones, I don't know.

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: (laughs) Yeah, that is actually better.

SHAWNEE SMITH: Also, when we play that song live I play the drums so throw a little Tom Waits in there. I'm not a very good drummer; it just has that sideshow feel. We are just having a ball, we are having a BALL.

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: Well the music is fun, 100% desert rock

SHAWNEE SMITH: Absolutely, the way in which it was made is in the record. It translates and it is so exciting to us that people are getting it. It's translating to people who listen to it and they come to the shows and every rehearsal we have is like a friggin' Sunday church BBQ and a tailgate party after.

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: Have you had the experience of people singing your lyrics back to you?

SHAWNEE SMITH: Well, back to I WISH YOU WERE DEAD, one of our fans recorded himself...

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: Uh-Oh...

SHAWNEE SMITH: (Laughs)...He was singing it and we put it up on YouTube. That IS the highest form of flattery. But hopefully that will start happening; the record just came out, so hopefully that will start happening. The world now is so different; these days people know your songs before they come to the concerts. The universe is different and I am SO excited for that to start happening.

Now we are working on the SMITH AND PYLE show, some form of episodic TV, it depends on how we want to do it. We're not sure how we want to do it yet. Maybe we do an actual episode where we go to a network; we're just kind of exploring. We actually have a lot of footage that we are going to be putting on the SMITH & PYLE website real soon.

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: There are some great behind the scenes film of your Joshua Tree recordings on the URBAN PRAIRIE [Music label started by SMITH & PYLE] MySpace page.

SHAWNEE SMITH: Those are clips we put together for a 10-minute movie

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: Do you find that making music or songwriting is something that consumes you? Do you have periods where you need to write?

SHAWNEE SMITH: Yeah, definitely. Sometimes I will be inspired by one thought. I wrote a song a couple of months ago, I was walking by this beautiful tree and all of these honeybees were lying on the ground, dying. It just struck me, that it was such a beauty and such an honor, the sacrifice. These bees just spend their whole lives working and then when they are done, they (starts to recite lyrics)...lay down to die after a life time of work, so dignified... It just kind of took my breath away and I thought, you know, there's a song in there. It's not finished yet but I see these things a lot, like FLOWER IN MY HEAD or SUGAR. So, sometimes it's an idea, sometimes it's an intense phase or part of life that i'm going through. That's how I work it out.

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: Who are the children we hear on the song THE SHOW?

SHAWNEE SMITH: Those are my kids! Verve and Jakson, I love you mama! That's my daughter singing at the end of ANTHEM.

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: Awwww, that is so sweet.

SHAWNEE SMITH: I know, right? (Sounding very peaceful) Ahhh!

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: Yeah, It's like, come here you!

SHAWNEE SMITH: (laughs) Yes, ahhh! It's like a punch in my gut! Yeah, my kids, ah! I could just eat them up.

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: What has been the response from the fans at the conventions?

SHAWNEE SMITH: People love it! They are so horror centered but Missi came and we played, SMITH AND PYLE is like the party bus, you know? The party train. Or the party BOAT, It's like wherever we go. It's not me by myself or Missi by herself, it's the combination of the two of us that sets off this trail of happy, partying folks. Whether it's a band or people we meet at the conventions for the weekend, Saturday night there is this big gaggle of us going out and finding some bar or club, you know, just laughing, having a good time. It's ok to be happy!

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: What upcoming shows or conventions can we see you at?

SHAWNEE SMITH: Going to Rue Morgue, August 22nd in Toronto. I'm doing the vh1 show [SCREAM QUEENS], focusing on the record and getting OUR show off the ground. There is also October Screamfest, in Orlando, I'll be there.

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: Who shot the photo for the album cover? It is absolutely adorable.

SHAWNEE SMITH: A dear friend of mine, an incredibly talented photographer, Alison Dyer. I met her at the local Starbucks where I live. Missi and I were just waiting for our coffee, I saw her, and said, "Hello, do we know each other? I feel like we should know each other". We exchanged numbers, she looks real rock-n- roll and, we knew a couple of the same musicians, and she said she took pictures. She is a very well known photographer in the rock-n-roll world, dated Jerry Cantrell [who plays on the album] from ALICE IN CHAINS. I mean it's this small circle. It's wild! What would it be called, a vortex? Like this energy is just pulling people where they're meant to be with SUCH a force. It's wild, it's a trip, it's a TRIP. There's some work involved but....

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: What is meant to be is exactly what will happen

SHAWNEE SMITH: Yeah! I really believe the force is with us, for whatever reason.(laughs)

 

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: Can I get off topic and ask you about working with Tobin Bell?

SHAWNEE SMITH: Absolutely

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: Is he intense to work with, methodical?

SHAWNEE SMITH: Yes, he is. Which is why SAW 3 was what it was.

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: Yes.

SHAWNEE SMITH: We really lucked into working with each other because we both kind of have this vicious search for the truth. (Light laughter) It's not even an option for either one of us to feel like a fraud up there [on screen] so we are willing to do whatever it takes to make it, try to give it some sense of reality, emotional reality. When they came to us with the script for SAW 3 it was like this apprentice, student thing. It sounds more cliche then anything but that's not how it looks on screen.

Our rehearsals consisted of 'well how have they [Jigsaw and Amanda] been spending their time since we last left them?'.

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR: I'm so glad you took it in that direction because you really made it work. Such a tragic and perverse but almost beautiful relationship between your characters.

SHAWNEE SMITH: Yes, there are a lot of details that you never see on the screen because it's palpable in the relationship between them. We would walk the streets of Toronto as a part of rehearsal, we would just go for 3 hour walks, up at the cafe, have coffee, talk. Just walk and talk. We figured that's what they did, they shared ideas, you know, worked at stuff and read. They were there for each other.

The first thing when you see Amanda in SAW 3 she's walking in and it was written in the script like the cloaked figure, imposing, all bad ass but I'm like um, im going to come in with a bag of groceries, you know? They're human beings, they gotta eat. We both looked for the humanity in it which was a challenge because they're serial killers, though jigsaw actually doesn't kill anybody himself. But, it was an absolute dream and a real challenge working with him, an honor.

THE FAN GIRL NEXT DOOR : Shawnee thank you so much, I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me.

SHAWNEE SMITH: I appreciate YOU taking the time.

IT'S OK TO BE HAPPY is available now for download at Amazon.com and iTunes

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Larry Fessenden is a name very familiar to horror fans. In his 30 year career Fessenden has been director, actor, producer and writer. His credits include HABIT, WENDIGO, SESSION 9 and BRINGING OUT THE DEAD.

Fessenden's latest film, THE LAST WINTER, is out now on DVD. The film, which stars Ron Perlman (HELLBOY and HELLBOY 2) and James Le Gros (ZODIAC), is a chilling tale that asks the question, "What if mankind only had one season left on Earth?".

Larry kindly took time out of his schedule to talk to House of Horrors.com about THE LAST WINTER, global warming and putting Ron Perlman down an ice hole.


The Fan Girl Next Door: THE LAST WINTER is out now on DVD. Could you tell us a little about it?

Larry Fessenden: The Last Winter is a movie I shot in 2005 in Iceland starring Ron Perlman, James Le Gros and Connie Britton. It is the story of an advance team of oil workers who are preparing to drill in Northern Alaska in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge there. As the story unfolds the radical climate and rising temperatures are causing the winter tundra to melt and unleash a force that is slowly driving the crew mad. Events go from bad to worse and people start dying off.

The Fan Girl Next Door: THE LAST WINTER tackles the subject of global warming and the environment turning against the characters in a horrifying way. Would you call it a "Horror Documentary" of sorts?

Still from THE LAST WINTER

Larry Fessenden: Well, it's in the tradition of science fiction stories which take known facts and build from there. THE LAST WINTER is well researched: the KIK well in the story does indeed exist, and the ice roads that we speak about exist- now they even have their own TV show! The season in which ice roads can be used has shrunk as winters get shorter. The tundra is melting in a lot of Northern locations, and sour gas is a very real hazard on oil rigs, and of course climate change itself is a radical and unpredictable force. So like any sci-fi writer, we took these facts and combined them into a fictional story. I would say what is frightening about THE LAST WINTER is that it could all come true, there could be a sudden collapse. My distributors put a review on the box cover saying "The scariest movie of the year". That's going to piss a lot of people off who don't find the film scary at all, but I think the reviewer was saying that to contemplate the end of the world as we know it IS scary.

The Fan Girl Next Door: You wrote a book called LOW IMPACT FILM MAKING in 1990, which brought to light ways in which movie making could be done with environmental issues in mind. Does it pain you somewhat that almost 20 years later we are still in the process of dealing with the effects of global warming?

Larry Fessenden: I appreciate the question. In my book, among other things I warn against Global Warming. I wrote it in 1990. This doesn't mean It's smart or prescient, it just means I was reading about this stuff and convinced by the evidence at the time. And yes, it is incredibly frustrating to see one's worst fears come true while the dog and pony show in the mainstream media continues to confuse the public and no action is taken. Our car companies have gone bankrupt, Hurricanes have wiped out our cities and towns, floods, drought, the arctic shelf is breaking up in wintertime- but it takes a $4.00 gallon gas for people to even consider a life-style change.

The Fan Girl Next Door: You have a great cast, what was it like to work with Ron Perlman? As a fan I need to ask, Is he as interesting to work with as I think he would be?

Larry Fessenden: Ron was awesome from the start. He's a serious actor but a lot of fun too on set. We had that lucky blend of having a lot of laughs while doing concentrated serious work. I think it meant a lot for Ron to be invited to play a character with some complexity and no makeup. We have gone on to be real pals. He did a second movie that I produced called I SELL THE DEAD right after he'd shot HELLBOY 2. And I got to hang out with him last week when he was #1 at the Box office. But you know he's got a great passion for acting and for the process, it was a real collaboration working with him.

(left to right) James Le Gros, Fessenden and Ron Perlman on the set

The Fan Girl Next Door: What was it like to film in Iceland?

Larry Fessenden: I loved filming in Iceland in the harsh climate and remote area up North. We hired an all-Icelandic crew, headed by a young D.P. G. Magni Agustsson. Everyone knew each other and in fact it was the producer and myself who were the outsiders. But I liked it that way. We won them over with our dedication, and commitment. They were a robust bunch, they knew the weather and the terrain. We would take the 35mm cameras out on ski mobiles into the vast white landscape and set up a shot. These guys could carry a dolly through a blizzard, and they did. Is was an adventure basically. We made a movie with a bunch of Vikings in one of the harshest environments in the world.

The Fan Girl Next Door: Any humorous stories from the set that you could share with our readers?

Larry Fessenden: Everything about making a film is humorous and absurd. One thing that comes to mind is how much we worried about putting Ron into the Ice hole. "Put Perlman in the Ice hole!" (say that 3 times fast). We basically dug a hole in the snow about seven feet deep and filled it with water and covered that with a wax "ice". Then Ron would fall through and be submerged completely in the water. Well we were all very nervous about him freezing and we even postponed the shoot when the temperature was going to be below 0 degrees. But in the end when we did it, the makeup and costume gals made Ron so comfortable, he said he wanted to go again. Honestly the whole shoot was filled with laughs. Check out our "making of" dvd.

The Fan Girl Next Door: In addition to directing THE LAST WINTER you wore many other hats, even producing a song on the film's soundtrack. If you had to choose one creative outlet among the many you have done on this and other films, what would it be?

Larry Fessenden: Well obviously I like directing because you have your hand in everything, and even when you are dependent on other artisans to do the work, you can have a say in how they approach their job. As for the music, I always engage my songwriter friend Tom Laverack to work on my films. He wrote "Running Out of Road" for the movie and I do the saxes and the solo in that song. I guess the only thing I like more than directing is performing, be it a sax solo or an acting role. But you know, performing is very nerve-racking. For me, it never gets any easier. Whereas with directing you can help others do their best work by providing a safety zone in which to be creative.

The Fan Girl Next Door: Do you feel it's actually a hindrance to have more than enough money to make a movie? It sometimes seems the more creative you have to be due to lack of funds, the better the product is.

Larry Fessenden: I have long operated on that principal and I believe in low-budget ingenuity. I also disdain people who want a bigger budget for reasons of status. In this economy, the wise thing to do is spend as little as possible to get what you need. But I can also say that all of my films have suffered in one way or another by budget restraints: There's never enough time, and when you're rushed, some things suffer. And the special effects can suffer as well, both practical and cgi. And you're always out of money when you finally get to the music and mix, two of the most important parts of a film. So I don't know what it would be like to have the right amount of money. I like to be thrifty but not strapped.

The Fan Girl Next Door: You set up Glass Eye Pix in 1985, which is a company that helps independent projects get off the ground. Where do you hope to see independent cinema heading in the future?

Larry Fessenden: Well the problem with indie cinema has always been distribution. You can make a movie pretty cheaply if you're resourceful and dedicated, especially now with video and dv features being accepted. But there are not enough screens to show all the blockbusters and also a well made indie without a star. Now some would say that internet and downloads are the answer, and that probably is the answer. But for my generation that's disappointing because we grew up seeing movies in the theater. At Glass Eye Pix, we've been able to show some of our small movies in the cinema, but that's because we've had great support from theaters like the Laemmles in L.A., Facets in Chicago, The Pioneer and Cinema Village in New York and a whole bunch of others. It's nothing you could count on. So distribution will change as home theaters and downloading gets more viable, and indie films will probably be seen mostly in the home.

The Fan Girl Next Door: What advice would you give to a director just starting out in the business?

Larry Fessenden: Don't make movies to make money or to get famous. It'll never work. Make movies because you can't help yourself. Otherwise, get a paying job.

The Fan Girl Next Door: Is there anyone you haven't worked with yet that you have always to?

Larry Fessenden: Well duh. So many heroes, icons, faves, where would I begin?

The Fan Girl Next Door: What is up next for you?

Larry Fessenden: Trying to get I SELL THE DEAD out there. I'm negotiating with Hollywood on a big film, and planning several smaller ones if all that falls through, which I assume it will.

The Fan Girl Next Door: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions.

Larry Fessenden: Thanks for taking an interest in an indie film.


THE LAST WINTER is now available on DVD at amazon.com

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Although technically not an actual horror film it is dark and scary and cool as hell.  THE DARK KNIGHT very well could end up being the event film of the summer.  I don't know about you but I felt Christian Bale turned in the single best performance as Batman in BATMAN BEGINS and I loved the whole look and feel that Christopher Nolan brought to the series.

So, needless to say I am stoked for the July 15th release of THE DARK KNIGHT and because of that I am going to be bringing you a series of interviews with the cast and crew of the film.

We're going to start off with a round table interview with the films star CHRISTIAN BALE.  It's MP3 format so you can either click on it it and give it a listen or save it and put it on your Ipod or whatever and take it to go.

Check back over the next few days for continued coverage.

CLICK HERE FOR THE INTERVIEW WITH CHRISTIAN BALE.

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