Brooke McCarter - Exclusive Interview
Brooke McCarter - Exclusive Interview
The Lost Boys actor talks to Horror.com about his upcoming horror films.
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Staci Layne Wilson / Horror.com: Describe your most interesting, or strange, fan experience in connection to having been in the original Lost Boys movie.
Brooke McCarter: During a Lost Boys reunion at a convention in England, a large family came dressed as all the characters from the movie right down to the youngest as Laddie. They went on to say they made an audio tape of the movie and play it over the house sound system, memorizing and reciting each and every line. I was like, "Wow the vampire Waltons!" In the US Midwest at another convention, a college kid came up to me and said, "Dude, I was you for Halloween". The longevity of the Lost Boys astounds me. It seems as if its passed on from one generation to the next.
SLW: Having been in the "horror world" for years, one would assume you knew Herschell Gordon-Lewis before working with him on his next feature The Uh-Oh Show… so, did you? I'd love to know how the two of you met, and how the role as the host of a deadly game show came about.
Brooke McCarter: Yes, being in a cult classic gives you certain credibility in the horror world, but I dropped out of the biz for 10 years. Packed up my Hollywood existence and moved to Florida. The difference in pace was shocking, but put me in the "space" to get creative again. No agents, managers or studio casting calls. Just craigslist and the remembrance of a dream. It was like starting over again. I met with two talented producers from The Film Ranch, who were respected in south Florida for their horror and sci fi work. They did the casting in a hotel and they had a room setup like an office with camera, long tableland no smiles. They were fans of Lost Boys and Thrashin' (the skateboard movie I did) but certainly didn't let me know it.
I was nervous for the first time in a long time. The role was perfect and I nailed it. I was one of the first actors they saw, but they took 2 months to see people all over Florida. I had forgotten about it and chalked it up to a fun experience getting back into the scene again. Then I got the call, "We sent your tape to the director and he love it, you got the part." "Great, who's the director?" Herschell Gordon Lewis! They made a big deal about this saying this movie will have instant street cred in the horror world. To be embarrassingly honest I did know who he was! (Sorry, Uncle Herschell — love ya!) Straight to the computer, Google! Enter! "HOLY SHIT, I am being directed by the Godfather Of Gore!"
SLW: Is Jackie one of the killers? How much did you get to work in the famous Gordon gore, and what was that like?
Brooke McCarter: My character Jackie, a game show host, is the comic relief in the movie and the master of ceremonies in the gore circus. The unofficial hero of the film. I don't do any killing and pride myself on getting no blood on my fabulous wardrobe, which is set like a cheesy game show from the 70s. Picture a tuxedo someone would have worn to the high school prom in 1971. I was there for every scene and got to see how the "Godfather" works. "Step right up, there's enough blood for EVERYONE!"
SLW: Your next film, Emerging Past, looks as though it’s much more serious and inherently scarier than The Uh-Oh Show. The short teaser trailer is online, but it *is* short — so please, tell us what the movie is about, and who you play.
Brooke McCarter: Going from a comedy to a psychological horror thriller was a nice change of pace, but again my character Dylan is the only sane one in an insane world. He is a newspaper reporter and boozing womanizer (some of you are thinking, that's not so much of a stretch) who is best friends with the lead character Pam, the papers award winning photographer, played brilliantly by Krista Grotte and also a HG Lewis protégé. She is the hottest up and coming scream queen in the biz. The film has many great performances by horror elite like Stephen Geofferies (Fright Night) and Steve Dash (Jason, Friday 13th).
SLW: Emerging Past looks as though it has some really creepy dream or hallucination sequences — the girl with the zipper mouth reminded me of some scenes I’ve seen in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series; do you know if the film’s writer-director Thomas J. Churchill was influenced by those films? What other horror movies would you say it’s comparable to?
Brooke McCarter: Thom Churchill, the Emerging Past director is more old school in his approach to horror filmmaking. He is not influenced by the new genre of films. He told me, "I want to make a film that's a cross between The Exorcist and The Omen". I was told by G Tom Mac, the movie's musical composer and Lost Boys alum (the original singer/songwriter for "Cry Little Sister" the Lost Boys theme song) "This is a showcase for you, mate". I expect big things.
It's been so much fun getting back into acting after so long. It's nice to mature and have more life experience to draw from. Hollywood is such a rat race. It's nice to win the race a couple times and not just keep running with no finish line in sight. Yes, I seem to stay in the horror world, keeping my cult actor status alive. That's fine with me. Horror fans are the best and most loyal in the world.
SLW: When and where will fans be able to see Emerging Past?
Brooke McCarter: The film will be in some major film festivals and is being looked at by some important distribution companies for a release late summer. I will be representing both films as well as signing Lost Boys memorabilia at a lot of conventions and film festivals this year. I'm posting the updates to my website's news page [www.brookemccarter.com] all the time.
SLW: Thanks, Brooke!
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