Felissa Rose talks to Macabre Daily at Necromantic Brew Co.'s Dismember to Remember!
A good Dismember, had by all.
Long Island, New York is recognized for many things. We’re the home of Billy Joel, third-wave emo, and the people who actually claimed to believe George Santos. One of our numerous exports is the infamous slasher film “Sleepaway Camp.” While the film shot in upstate New York, the cast and crew primarily hailed from Long Island, as did their accents, including the star of the film, Felissa Rose. Interviewing Rose on Long Island is almost like interviewing Elvis in Graceland. If there was ever a place to talk to the scream queen, it would be at Farmingdale, New York’s Necromantic Brew Co. Earlier this month, the brewery hosted an event featuring Rose and the hilarious Dave Sheridan as they hung out, signed autographs, played drinking games, and provided commentary for “Victor Crowley,” “Scary Movie,” and for its 40th anniversary, “Sleepaway Camp.” I highly recommend “Sleepaway Camp” with live commentary from Felissa Rose, just for the record.
Macabre Daily: What’s your Long island origin story and how did it lead you to “Sleepaway Camp?”
Felissa Rose: I was born in New York City. My family moved to the Woodbury/Syosset area of Long Island and they currently reside in Oyster Bay. Being here has brought up so much emotion because I love Long Island. I was raised here, I went to Syosset High School and I have such a great affinity and love for the people here. I always say there's nothing like playing on home turf! [Laughs].
I spoke with Jeff Hayes, author of the new book about the making of the film, and it’s still so odd to think it’s 40 years old. Can you recall your first impressions of Robert Hiltzik, this 25-year-old kid making a horror movie?
So I was 12 in early May of 1982. I got the audition from a local manager, Goodwin & McGovern. I think they were in Bethpage. They called and said they had a horror movie audition for me. I had to go to NYU, where [Robert] was a student. All the actors would sit in the hallway and the producer Michele called us in. Michele was his girlfriend and they eventually got married. We met with Robert, and he was the kindest, sweetest, most loving person. I felt so comfortable immediately. He had me just stare and then eat a candy bar. I walked out saying “wow, I think I got that!” I just felt this wonderful connection with him. I got a callback with the producers, and then they cast me in September. I think we started filming like two weeks later. I missed the first part of eighth grade, but I had a great time meeting the rest of the cast for rehearsal.
Jane Krakowski was cast as Judy before Karen Fields. Did you ever meet her before she bowed out?
Yes, at the [script] reading. It was myself, Christopher Collet (“Paul”), Jonathan Tiersten (“Ricky”) and Jane Krakowski, who was reading as Judy. I remember the four of us sitting around the table with Robert and we read the script.
She and I loved each other. We're both kind of fiery, like firecrackers. We thought it was gonna be so fun to go to camp together, but then I think she just got [another part], and so her career was on a different trajectory. But we had the fantastic and fabulous Karen Fields, who to me, is the greatest O.G. bitch ever!
Absolutely. You can’t picture anyone else in that role.
You cannot ask someone for a better performance! It's odd, because she is the antithesis of that character. She's this beautiful, lovely, quiet person, who can turn on this unbelievably brutal bitch! It’s fantastic. [Laughs].
Just a Karen Fields appreciation post.
“Sleepaway Camp” is unique compared to a lot of slashers at the time. Most slashers, though we love them, were really just about killing and special effects, but this film also has a coming-of-age sweetness to it. Not many horror films are dedicated to the director’s mother.
“A real doer.” Yes, of course.
And we see Angela in almost in a completely different film until the end. Can you talk about working with Robert to make that “other movie” and throw the audience off?
That's so interesting. I hadn't quite seen it like that, but I agree with you. Again, I was 13, I was in 8th grade, and I was going through puberty. I had a huge crush on Jonathan Tiersten. I didn't even really truly understand the process of filmmaking at the time. It was like, we're all young and we're having parties, and it’s great, and oh yeah, and during the day there's a camera on us. So in my little 13-year-old mind, I was just having the time of my life. How much of it I really understood in terms of the script and my performance, Robert navigated that road tremendously. [He’d say] “this is how you feel at the moment. This is what you’re portraying.” As a child, I understood and tried to convey that. I wanted to do a great job so I would do anything to please him and my other castmates, who were so great and professional. You had the amazing Mike Kellin, Paul D'Angelo, Katherine Kamhi, all these wonderful actors. We were all ages 13 to 18. It wasn’t like “Friday the 13th” where everyone’s in their late 20’s. We were young, we were “New York” and we all [she puts on a NY accent] “talked like this!” We were ourselves, you know?
You definitely feel the Long Island energy. Has anyone ever brought up the idea of making a movie about the making of “Sleepaway Camp?” Like “The Disaster Artist” meets “Wet Hot American Summer?”
No, but that would be so incredibly interesting. I think there's so much life still left in the “Sleepaway Camp” universe. I am interested in telling the story of Aunt Martha, the real villain of the movie. She sets up everything that happens within the story. How are we not finding out who this person is? I'd like to see from her childhood and how she got like that. Desiree Gould, who played her, may she rest in peace, was such a sweet lady and a beautiful person. She’s on screen for no more than five minutes and she gives a freaking awesome performance! She’s the most memorable character in that film. I've seen the best cosplay for Aunt Martha. She's just so yummy and textured and delicious and bigger than life!
From your various podcasts and social media posts, I haven’t found someone who seems to love cons as much as you.
Here's the thing like with conventions. I would hate to just sit here and cry and share my feelings about them, even though that's truly how I feel in my heart. The community is my life, my family. I always say they’re the reunion I want to go to every weekend. I have made my best friends, my forever tribe because of horror conventions. First of all, I'm a huge horror fan, secondly I love to travel. I love experiencing new places. I love people. I’m so thankful that our community has embraced me and embraced the movie.
The connections that I've made are so emotional for me. They sit in my heart. This moment together right now is what we have in this life. We’re not taking stuff with us, but we can take the memory. Like, “oh my God that person made me feel this way” and “this story connected us.” I think the reason we have horror conventions that celebrate these movies is that they bring us back in time. I used to go to my cousin’s house to watch movies we shouldn't watch like “Friday the 13th” and “Texas Chain Saw Massacre” with the covers over our heads. It transcends the moments of seeing the movies. It's the experience of seeing them in the late 70s and early 80s. It was a beautiful time. I was super young and we didn’t have social media. We were really living in and experiencing these moments. That's what the conventions celebrate. Even the younger generation now watch Joe Bob Briggs and Dead Meat James and they're experiencing those moments and realizing “wow, they’re authentic!” They weren't glossy Hollywood movies. They were real, and we can relive them over and over again and celebrate them at these beautiful conventions that I feel so grateful for.
Felissa meeting fans at 2023’s Days of the Dead.
I have friends I met at conventions that are actually coming to [Necromantic] today because we’re now family. And meeting my heroes like Dee Wallace, Barbara Crampton and Thom Matthews…sorry I can just go on and on because I'm so in love with our community. Nothing will ever come between me and my conventions. I was always insecure as a kid, and I needed a place like the community, where we are so embracing and so nonjudgmental and inclusive that I felt like I could lower my shoulders and be me.
Is that how your podcast, “Casualty Friday” started?
Yes! We just started again. We just did two episodes on Friday. Tiffany Shepis and Kane Hodder are my best friends and since we bullshit on the phone for two hours, anyway, we said we gotta do this again! We're bringing so many more stories and so many fun ideas to the podcast, so I hope people enjoy the new remodeled version.
Since they’re showing “Victor Crowley” today, did you have as much fun playing Kathleen in as it appeared?
L-R: Tiffany Shepis, Kane Hodder, and Felissa Rose in a promo for Fangoria’s “Casulaty Friday” podcast.
[Laughs] Oh, I love Adam [Green, writer/director]! Yes, and that was the first time I worked with Dave Sheridan. We've done 37 projects since! Because of “Sleepaway Camp,” I was able to meet people like Damien Leone and work on “Terrifier 2” and “Victor Crowley” and Joe Bob, who has been the biggest supporter of “Sleepaway Camp.” I just did his Jamboree in October, where he showed all four movies in the series. He actually had some of the other cast members there, too, and he left and had me interview them. I don't even wanna get into that, because I’ll start crying, but that was like, the most magical moment of my life.
Interview edited for length and clarity. Special Thanks to Ralph and Andrea from Necromantic Brew Co.
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