Show me a person who doesn’t want to watch strippers fight werewolves in a scantily-clad battle to the death and I’ll show you a liar. STRIPPERS VS. WEREWOLVES is the latest feature from Black and Blue Films and there’ll be no prizes for guessing the premise… Like ZOMBIE STRIPPERS and SNAKES ON A PLANE before it, STRIPPERS VS. WEREWOLVES does exactly what it says on the tin — or DVD cover — and provides straight-up horror and comedy in equal doses.
THN was lucky enough to steal time away from Charlie Bond, star and producer of the lapdancers-versus-lycans production. Making her feature film debut, the actress and illusionist tells us about her time on set, meeting Freddy Krueger, and her favourite special needs werewolf…
STRIPPERS VS. WEREWOLVES was your first feature film, how was the experience?
The whole thing was a truly amazing experience. I’d never expected to become a professional actress overnight – it was such a chance situation! I’d always loved performance in many forms, I’d been in a couple of shorts for friends, and I’d dabbled in burlesque performances at cabaret nights, but by trade I was actually a professional illusionist and was working at a charity ball one night. I’d actually waived my fee as the organizer had promised to both feed me AND seat me next to Billy Murray [Black and Blue films actor and executive producer], and in those days a free meal was not something I turned down, haha! But of course, I was so excited to perform for Billy, and as I was nervously trying to do card tricks for him –Billy LOVES magic– he started to pour wine into my glass. Being awkward and nervous, I glugged it down gratefully – until Billy looked straight at me and said ‘Um, that’s my glass’. Naturally I was mortified! Then, to my salvation, the most incredible pair of blue eyes peeped out from behind the mocking Billy caught mine, and the man they were attached to smoothly offered me a drink. That man was STRIPPERS VS. WEREWOLVES producer, and my now husband to be, Jonathan Sothcott. After that the conversation flowed — and so did the wine — and Billy offered me a part in STRIPPERS VS. WEREWOLVES . At the end of the evening we all said our goodbyes but not before Jonathan reluctantly hammered a 6” nail up my nose on stage, so I suppose you could say whole thing came about was because I got ‘nailed’ by the producer!
As the shoot went on, the part grew as certain holes in the plot needed filling – after one of the actresses was fired, Simon Philips literally handed me a fresh script with an hour for me to learn new lines and fill in for her. It was very daunting with a lot of pressure, but I’m blessed in that my friend Adele Silva (DOGHOUSE, EMMERDALE) had loads of time for me, and sat in makeup going over my lines with me. Ali Bastian (HOLLYOAKS, THE BILL) was brilliant, too, and we sat setting our lines together for a while. She’s totally nerdy, like me, and we ended up getting nostalgic over old console games! Film sets are like incredibly condensed versions of real life – and the people you work with become like family with their own unique dynamics. I loved coming in and getting to know everyone on a different level to how you would normally meet – It sounds silly but you bond with people so differently when you meet in the makeup room!
Tell us more about the film. What role does your character play in the story?
My character is called Carrie and she’s the hapless club magician (a stretch, right?!). She’s a cheeky ex-stripper that’s done with dancing for a living, and when Jeanette the ‘Madam’ gives her a shot at pursuing her dream of being a magician she discovers that it’s a lot harder than she thought it would be! She provides a little touch of magic right before her sticky end at the hands of Ferris the Werewolf played by Billy Murray who I have to say, was wonderful at guiding me through my first shot at film.
You also worked on STRIPPERS VS. WEREWOLVES as an executive producer. What creative input did you have?
My fiancé and producer Jonathan Sothcott and I spend so much time together, that I ended up being involved in so many different aspects of the production. I was mostly helping with the casting, some admin and financial duties — even a couple of days running the makeup department when we were short staffed over the bank holiday — that Jonathan and fellow producers Simon Phillips and Billy Murray credited me as Executive Producer as a bit of fun. I’m looking forward to being involved in more though – it’s so stressful but so satisfying to see it come together! I’ve also really enjoyed liasing with some great guys from the genre – Namely The Times’ super-suave David Hayles, THN’s own Tom Fordy, and the brilliant Rich, the editor from Scream magazine, who slipped me onto the cover of the latest issue sharing with poster art from Jaws 2 – amazing! It was also an absolute dream to have such coverage in Bizarre, I have always followed the awesome Billy Chainsaw’s film reviews and to call him my buddy now will never sink in. Watch out for his excellent cameo in SvW!
How do your werewolves differ from those seen in other films?
Our werewolves have almost a distinguished feel to them – they treat being cursed with lycanthropy like being in an exclusive boy’s club! They can slip in and out of wolf form with ease, and revel in the slaughter of many gorgeous young girls with complete hedonism!
Were you a horror fan before you started filming?
Absolutely. Not a slasher fan but I’ve a bit of a fetish for old-school hammer films – with those ethereal settings, eerie soundtracks and those saucy females I just don’t think you can compare to modern ‘gritty’ horrors! But they are making a comeback and I know Black and Blue have got a few treats lined up for true horror fans – It’s a very exciting time for horror!
How was working with Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund? Did he offer you any advice?
That man is incredible — he can turn from being the most hilarious and playful raconteur to a terrifying lupine uber villain faster than you can say ‘welcome to prime time’! He’s totally unflappable, and when we posed for a photo shoot together and all chaos was breaking loose around us due to the location being needed back, he simply smiled and whispered to me through his teeth: ‘Just smile, keep gorgeous, let them run around fixing this while we show ‘em who’s pro, and let’s get some hot-as-hell pics that your fella’s gonna love.’ What a guy!
WEREWOLVES VS. STRIPPERS also has a lot of comedy, what was the funniest moment for you on set?
For me, the comic relief throughout the film comes in the form of Barker, the special needs werewolf. Big Joe Egan, who plays him, does so beautifully and really threw himself into the role. He manages to capture the essence of Tarzan, the incredible Hulk and Grimlock the Dinobot all in one, and you can really tell he was having a whale of a time doing it, too.
Was there pole dancing training available for the strippers or did you have to improvise?
There was! We had a great time learning our strengths on the pole – turns out Barbara Nedeljakova and I are ‘climbers’, whereas Ali Bastian is a natural ‘spinner’. All of Ali’s dance training really came into light as she was just so elegant – even in the clear-heeled shoes!
Now you’ve survived it for yourself, what advice would you give to a stripper who finds herself under attack from werewolves?
In lieu of any silver bullets, kick ‘em in the nards and RUN!
What do you have planned next, and what would your ideal acting role be?
I’ve just done a part in a hooligan film with Ricci Harnett and Nick Nevern, which was something a bit different – I’m just finding my feet at the minute! As such an avid horror fan, it’s my dream to join the ranks of Linda Hayden, Katharine Isabelle and Christina Ricci as a ‘Scream Queen’ – the UK has lost it’s prowess for producing such genre-specific talented beauties in recent years and I’d love to really immerse myself in the new wave of British Horror.
STRIPPERS VS. WEREWOLVES is directed by Jonathan Glendening and stars Billy Murray, Robert Englund, Joe Egan, Ali Bastian, Adele Silva, and of course, Charlie Bond. It’s released spring 2012.
