The Horror Revolution: Thanks so much for taking the time for an interview, I really appreciate it! My interviews always start with the same question: What's your favorite scary movie, what movie scared you the most, and why?
Raine Brown: Honestly, I don't like most scary movies. Monsters and senseless violence don't really scare me. They disturb me greatly, but more gross and uncomfortable feelings ….not really scary. But the movie that I have seen most recently, and that I can say really scared me something silly, was this indie movie, Antiviral, directed by Brandon Cronenberg. I'm not gonna give you a plot summary, but the movie has so many good themes and subtle and not so subtle undertones. Just the whole story and atmosphere. I swear, after I watched, I Iiterally curled up into a ball on the floor on a pillow for like a half an hour. My whole system needed to detox for a bit. I remember feeling so freaked, just trapped in my head and nonverbal. I was a nut bag mess! Haha, It was a powerful experience. So well done or maybe I just had PMS? THR: You worked with Marcus Koch on 100 Tears, he's one of my personal favorites in the special effects department. What was it like working with him, and around so much blood and guts? RB: He is so awesome. Such a talented and gentle soul. He is so good at what he does, so creative, and really loves his work. He is soft spoken, but smart and funny. I smile when I think of him. Blood and Guts, ahh they don't bother me, just part of the job. Now chicken in a can….that's another story! THR: You did a beautiful job portraying a psychopath (and I'm assuming that you're not in real life, here's hoping). Is it easier, or more difficult, to play a character so far removed from your normal life? Do you find your character's attitude seeping into your normal life at all? RB: Haha! Why thank you! That's a pretty good assumption, but hey you never know! Honestly, for easier or not, it really all depends on the script. Sometimes the fact that the character is so out there, you can just grab onto an energy and let go. That's kinda what happened with Christine, she is so extreme and crazy, I was able to find her wavelength, so to speak, and then knowing her story, could just let the second to second interactions overtake thoughts, and her steer the ride. Though, sometimes more regular characters are easier, because you can just relax into the motivation of the scene, you don't have to necessarily add on another specific character layer. I do tend to enjoy the more extremes, I think I have more fun with them. I don't really seem to have difficulty separating the characters with my real life, fortunately! Especially one that is so crazy, it really does not relate to me and my world so I can kinda shake it off. I think the characters with more subtle emotional lives that are very intense can take more time. Usually a few days of being a ghost after shooting, meaning wandering around in a daze, and usually I am back to me.
THR: You've been in a ton of different movies, in a bunch of different genres. What genre is your favorite to watch? To act in? RB: Man! I don't know if I have a favorite genera! I really love good stories with interesting characters, usually something quirky in the world. Horror has been so amazing, since in the horror genre I have been able to do horror comedy, horror drama, horror action etc! You get so many opportunities to do so many different characters because the genre is wide open. I think generally I like more indie movies with lots of dialogue. Some of my favorites have been Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Black Swan, Blue Valentine. However, I am totally jelly that I am not playing The Mother of Dragons in Game of Thrones! I would crazy rock that! Haha! However, I would have to make Jon Snow my king! Oh excuse me, I have just returned from my fan geeking! THR: What's your favorite movie that you've been in so far? RB: I never can answer this question! I really love each movie for different reasons! I think I generally think of them first by the Character I got to experience and then the other things second. They are like my babies and I have lived with these characters and they sort of have become my friends! I mean some of mine that I can list are I Heart U because I helped develop the script and produced. No Rest because I directed and produced and really love the story. 100 Tears is defintely up there for the fun I had with that character. I also always think of Sculpture, Barricade, Geek Wars, Gallery of Fears, Brain Cell... so many others… I swear I answer this question differently each time. These are just ones that came to my mind first.
THR: What's going on with you now? Any new projects you can share about? RB: There are a few things in development, but I'm not ready to say. The last little while has been a regrouping period for me. So much has happened in the recent past, some really good and some not so much. But at this time I find I have gained a new perspective by stepping back a bit and finding a few new outlets for my creative voice. I am looking forward to exploring what happens next and see where it takes me! THR: Being a Scream Queen must be so cool. What's your favorite thing about being an actress? On the flip side, have you ever experienced a "crazy fan?" RB: It's cool. I don't get too into the Scream Queen thing, I'm an actress first and that is where my passion is. I really don't want one genre to define my work. However, when I am called Scream Queen, that's awesome. I am flattered! Best thing is really getting to work creatively with other creative people to bring something to life and really tell a story and experience walking in other people's shoes. Not too many crazy fan stories! Just really cool people who have enjoyed films I have been in and have been wonderful enough to take a minute to share with me that they appreciated what I did! All that other stuff, I don't really get too deep into noticing! THR: 100 Tears was brutal, earning an NC-17 rating despite having absolutely no nudity, and no explicit sex of any kind. When you go into a project like that, that promises insane amounts of violence, does it concern you about how it'll come across? Or do you, as fans who might watch the movie would, believe that you'll be in for a crazy ride? RB: Yeah! It's crazy violent. That is something that I don't worry about too much. To me, it's a story, pretend, and so extreme that I don't really think it is something real. I guess I typically focus on what the character is doing, even if it is pulling out someone's gut with a crowbar, and her motivation for doing that, she is bat shite crazy. I try not to judge how it will come across. I think anything is fair game in a film if it promotes the character and story. And these are violent characters with crazy stories. It was a trippy experience watching 100 Tears in a theater at a screening with lots of people watching for the first time. Spoiler alert…. but when my character gets creamed by the car at the end…the audience yelled and applauded! It was a crazy surreal moment. They were applauding my death, but not mine, Christine's. It was wonky to wrap my head around! Then I loved it! I think an actor has done their job when you're a villain and the audience applauds your death. It's just kinda weird to experience it in person! THR: And finally, there are 30,240,000 slices of pizza eaten in America every day (I did the math.) How many slices of pizza would you eat in one sitting if no one was watching you? RB: That's a lot of pizza! You are one kooky dude, haha! Hum…I usually have 2. 3 is no problem but I refrain. 4 would be a lot, but if I there wasn't any consequences, I could probably push it to 5! Pizza is my jam! THR: Thanks so much once again for taking the time to talk to me, I really appreciate it. RB: No problem!
