Pulp Features

Jennifer Rouse is an actor, musician, model, and an associate producer. Her acting credits include appearances in television’s The Wire, The West Wing, and The District. She played the role of “Ice Cream Girl” in the Redfield Arts / Planet X production Chainsaw Sally. She also played the lead female of director Dan Poole’s most recent fan-film Last Call.

And she has kindly agreed to take a moment out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions from Dale Pierce.

Dale: First, give the readers a brief introduction of who you are and what you do.
Jennifer: I guess you could say I wear many hats as far as the film industry goes. My main career is film acting, but I also produce and musically score films.

Dale: Do you have a webpage for yourself?
Jennifer: I do have a personal website (www.jenniferrouse.com) that I try to keep updated as best I can with information about what projects I am working on, conventions and film festivals that I will be attending etc.

If you are an actor, it helps out a great deal to have your own site. First of all, it serves as an online resume for casting directors and filmmakers to learn more about you. They have a fast route to finding out what your experience is and what you look like. It also serves as a great promotional tool in that you basically have global access to promoting your work.

Dale: Did you study acting anyplace or just step into the indy film world and learn from experience?
Jennifer: I started out performing music when I was very young which helped me a lot with being in front of an audience. I majored in music in college for the first two years, then I switched to psychology. The psychology training actually helped out a lot when I started acting. It helps to understand people’s motivations for certain things when you are building a character.

I’ve taken acting classes as well. I believe that no matter how experienced or inexperienced you are as an actor, you should keep training.

Dale: Perhaps you could list and talk about the plots for some of your films?
Jennifer: My most recent film is “The Death Of Poe”. I played the role of “Mrs. Moran” the wife of the doctor who took care of Poe during his final days. The film is about the last week of Edgar Allan Poe’s life. He was
traveling from Richmond to New York by steamboat and he stopped off in Baltimore, Maryland. He never made it to New York and was found in a gutter and taken to the hospital several days after arriving in Baltimore. It’s a bizarre journey of what possibly could have happened to him in his last week. Mark Redfield plays Poe and directed it. He is a dead ringer for him in this film. I think it will have a wide appeal, from the gothic to the classic horror fans.

“Terror In The Tropics” is an homage to the films of Poverty Row from the 1930’s and 40’s. Half of it is new footage, mixed with old footage from public domain films like “The Devil Bat” and “The Most Dangerous Game”. It was written and directed by Sue Svehla from Midnight Marquee. I play a reporter named Rosalind Darrow. Sue named the characters after either actors or characters from that era. “Rosalind” came from Rosalind Russell of “His Girl Friday” and “Darrow”, of course, came from Fay Wray’s Character in “King Kong”.

In “Chainsaw Sally” I played the role of “The Ice Cream Girl”. That is a wild film. It was written and directed by JimmyO Burril and “Sally” is played by April Monique Burril. It’s a twisted, slasher comedy about a girl who witnessed the brutal death of her parents at a young age and has to raise herself and her little brother Ruby on her own. They live in a trailer in the woods on the property that her parents rented. Sally and Ruby are pretty much educated by what they watch on television and in horror films, which they love. They grow up learning that the good guys always win and the bad guys always die. It’s more complex than that though. It has to deal with protecting your family and loved ones. So when a land developer wants to turn the property that they live on into condos and retail stores, Sally and Ruby don’t like that one bit. It’s cool because we had Gunnar Hansen from the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” as Sally’s dad and director Herschell Gordon Lewis, known as “The Godfather of Gore”, as Mr. Gordon, the Hardware store owner that sells Sally all of her “tools”. I think Chainsaw Sally is the first film that Herschell has ever been an actor in.

Dale: Some people see you as an indy scream queen. Do you see yourself as such?
Jennifer: I guess I can see how some people think of me as a scream queen. In actuality, I’ve only done one film, Chainsaw Sally , that could be considered a “Scream Queen” role. Most of the projects that I’ve acted in I’ve played more dramatic or comedic roles. The films that I’ve worked on are just now starting to screen or be released on DVD, so I think people may change their opinion when they see me in “The Death Of Poe” and such.

Dale: Do you make it to the various indy conventions or festivals very often?
Jennifer: I do try to make it to most of the conventions and festivals in the mid-atlantic area and occasionally I’ll get to one in California. Although, I’ve been pretty busy this year and have had to miss a lot of them. It’s great because at the conventions you really get a one-on-one meeting with the fans. I really enjoy going to them, although sometimes it can be very tiring. It’s also great to meet the other celebs that are there.

Dale: Is there any new film being negotiated now or about to be shot now with you?
Jennifer: Well, Chainsaw Sally has a few distribution offers that are being negotiated now. There should be an announcement very soon about when that will be released.

Terror In The Tropics is scheduled to be released on January 31, 2006 through Alpha New Cinema. You can order it now on www.oldies.com.

For The Death Of Poe, Redfield Arts is planning to premiere it in Baltimore, Maryland on January 18th at The Charles Theater followed by screenings in Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Richmond, Virginia soon
after that. They are all cities where Edgar Allan Poe lived during his life. I believe it’s scheduled to be released sometime in March of 2006. You can get all of the details about it at www.redfieldarts.com.

Dale: What kind of director do you prefer to work with, someone who is demanding and spells everything out for you or someone who listens to a good deal of your impressions and input?
Jennifer: I like a director who knows what they want out of a performance and can give me as much input upfront as possible. It makes me more confident about their grasp of the script and their vision of the film. I mean, of course I still do research to develop the character and make her my own. I always read the whole script, if possible, to see how my character fits into the story. But if the director knows what they want, it saves a lot of time when we are actually shooting. Most directors, I’ve found, are open to minor suggestions but I think a good director should know and have planned what they are going for.

Dale: Has the shift from VHS to DVD created more of a demand for indy films?
Jennifer: I’m not sure it has created more of a demand for indy films but I know it has given much more access to them. Technology has changed so much in the last 5 to 10 years. More and more people can afford to buy the equipment to make their own films. So, now the filmmakers who are really genuinely talented but who may not have the access or ability to raise several hundred thousand or millions of dollars for a film can afford to make them.

Dale: Do you prefer the horror genre or any other genre for yourself?
Jennifer: I guess my favorite genres are horror, crime and science fiction. I’m really interested in psychology and human behavior so if I’m watching a horror or crime movie I always try to get inside the head of the killer or criminal to understand why they are doing what they are doing. I also love supernatural and sci-fi movies because it makes you think about the un-explained or unknown.

Dale: What are your interests outside of film?
Jennifer: I really like all kinds of design. Graphic, interior, and clothing design specifically. I’ve designed a few websites and artwork for several films. I really enjoy it. As for the clothing and interior design, I’ve never
done it professionally but I keep up with the latest trends and designers. I’m really into the designs of Donatella Versace. It’s amazing how she can make women look so beautiful with the shape of her clothing designs. She really held up the standard of the Versace line after the murder of her brother Gianni. What a shame that was. He was such a brilliant designer.

Dale: Any interesting stories to tell about encounters or mishaps while filming?
Jennifer: The only story that I have is when Martin Sheen saved me from being hit by a car while filming an episode of “The West Wing”. It’s really no big deal but, I was working as a “Secret Service Agent” on the show, walking “The President” down the street next to his limo. On one of the takes the driver pulled out and wasn’t paying attention and almost hit me! Martin grabbed me and pulled me out of the way. Other than that, my filming adventures have been pretty normal.

Dale: Of the films you have done,which one stands out, do you think, as the best?
Jennifer: It’s hard to say because I don’t want to favor any of the filmmakers that I’ve worked with. I enjoy all of the films that I’ve worked on. I really think “The Death Of Poe” is going to be a great film. I’ve only seen parts of the edited cut but it’s really coming out nice. There really isn’t anything out there like it.

Dale: On the other hand, what one do you think has gotten you the most attention or would it be the same answer?
Jennifer: I think playing “The Ice Cream Girl” in Chainsaw Sally has probably gotten me the most attention. It’s a hot role with some fantastic scenes. I don’t want to give anything away, but, one specific scene of her and Sally always gets the biggest laughs from audiences. It’s a very dark quirky comedy/horror film.

Dale: Anything else you would like to touch on?
Jennifer: I would also like to mention that I’m doing the music score for “The Death Of Poe”. It’s my first full score for a film. I’ve done some smaller things like industrials and such so this is a new challenge for me. I think it’s coming out well though. I’ve received some great feedback from other people involved in the film.

Dale: Closing comments?
Jennifer:I would like to say that if you have a real passion for something, be it acting, directing or whatever, go for it and don’t give up. Life is short and if you really enjoy it you should make it a part of your life.

I had some skeptics when I went into the film industry, but now they’ve come around after they’ve seen the things that I’ve accomplished by sticking with it.

Twenty year old Katie Bullock originally trained to be a hotel manager. But after meeting a movie director friend of a friend, stumbled into acting and modelling. At that point she realized that hotel management wasn’t what she wanted to do and started persuing her acting career.

And now, with a string of films and a couple of music videos under her belt, she has agreed to talk to Dale Pierce about acting, directing, producing… and web design.

Dale: Give everyone a greeting and just tell them who you are.
Katie: Hi my name is Katie Bullock… Director, producer, actress, model, real estate agent…. WHEW!

Dale: What is the url for your website?
Katie: I have 3 websites… www.katiebullock.com (personal site), www.dramatizedentertainment.com (production site) and thornmovie.com

Dale: Now did I get it right, that you also design websites and did your own?
Katie: Yes very true all of my websites are designed and the html written by ME!

Dale: Aside from film, you have also done some music videos?
Katie: I have done two, I think: Dysillusioned- Bed of Roses and 13 Even - Shackles

Dale: You have done several indy horror films. What would be your favorite?
Katie: I would have to say that Thorn was my favorite… I mean a friend of mine (Mark) and I came up with the concept wrote the script and directed it… it will always be a part of me

Dale: Perhaps we can quickly go through the films you’ve worked on so far, starting with Tears of Blood.
Katie: Jessica- the girl I played - is a typical perfect girl - straight A’s, rockstar boyfriend who just proposed and a great best friend, Caroline. Jess and her boyfriend Tom just leave the prom when they are attacked. She is murdered and he is left for dead and with a broken heart. The only one who knows what really happen on that horrible night is Caroline and she wasnt even there…

Possessions was an awesome script about these two best friends who were warned not to go into an abandoned warehouse and decide to throw a party there anyway one by one they become posessed and murder their friends.

Dysillusioned was a short film written by Mark Goles about a rockstar who is heavily into drugs, sex and alcohol and how he looses everything including his wife because of it.

Thorn is my baby. Thorn (thurisaz) is an ancient rune known to possess its victim at birth. Unfortunatly for Stephanie (me) and her friends, the Mark Of Thorn has been unleashed in the shape of a mass murderer. As Stephanie’s friends start piling up one by one, she looks to her friend Steve for help. As time runs out on her friends lives, they realize with the help of Vinnie Inra and Detective Randeer the danger of the symbol that has haunted Steve since birth.

Chickenhead is a comedy. It is just filled with typical racial humor– for instance I act as a “white girl trying to be black”– hopefully no one takes offence to that the writer is black!!!!

Saber-Trailer is a sci fi film with some comedy in it. I was supposed to be in the movie but i was pregnant during filming but I landed a spot in the trailer months before it was shot.

Happy Hour was about a young child who was abused my his mother and became a murderer.

Dale: Any future films planned right now?
Katie: YES!! I am doing a film with Michael Bruneio and an awesome script! The title for the film isn’t yet set in stone but we are going to start shooting after the new year.

Dale: Did you study acting or get into the indie film scene without formal training and learn as you went along?
Katie: No training at all. I was doing it for fun and decided I loved it

Dale: Many indie films have a cult following among fans, it seems. Do you ever attend fan conventions or indy filmfests yourself?
Katie: I had attended one in April of 2004 - Frightvision in Akron, Ohio

Dale: What are your interests outside of film?
Katie: Well i am a real estate agent… I have a 3 month old son who is my life… I like partying, shopping, working out, dancing, spending time with my family. I’ll try anything at least once.

Dale: Are there any coworkers you really think are exceptionally talented?
Katie: Too many to name!

Dale: Is horror your favorite genre or just where the most opportunities in indie film seem to lie?
Katie: Definitely my favourite genre to watch and a lot og fun to act in, but I would like to do a dramatic role just so everyone knew I could do it.

Dale: Anything else you would like to touch on?
Katie: Did i mention the film i am doing in the beginning of the year??? should be AWESOME

Dale: Closing comments?
Katie: I just want to thank everyone who has supported what i have been trying to do .. all those who have helped me along the way to learn and understand — Mark, Jim, Mike, Chris— PS i miss you guys…

Apprehensive Films represents an era of film forgotten, a pre-MPAA era, a pre politically correct era, an era before people became afraid to make a statement through cinematic exploitation.

With new films moving into production, old one’s filing through the late-night movie circuit, Apprehensive Films and its comrades march forward with determination. Bringing blood, sex, violence, drugs and a slew of other exploitative values to the silver screen.

Their view is that real movies are shot on 8, 16, and 35mm film, not video, and they are moving forward with these mediums and no others unless the project fits another medium (think Slashers or The Blair Witch Project). With each frame of celluloid they expose, they push their films into darker, more controversial, thought provoking and dangerous territory.

And the Creator of the Apprehensive films empire, Jonathan Morken, has kindly taken a moment to speak to Dale Pierce.

Dale: When did you create Apprehensive Studios?
Jonathan: Apprehensive Studios is a division of Apprehensive Films. Apprehensive Films was established in 1997 and Apprehensive Studios came about this past year, 2004. Apprehensive Studios is a freelance post production house. Apprehensive Films is a full production company that focuses on horror and exploitation films and recently music videos.

Dale: You mainly produced short films but have also been hoping to expand into features later?
Jonathan: Yes, we’re actually prepping a feature right now called The Late Night Horror Show. It’s an anthology movie and Nicholas Grabowsky (author of the Halloween 4 novelization) will be writing and directing one of the segments. Making his directorial debut, Grabowsky’s segment is titled Cutting Edges. I’m producing the entire project and directing one segment. It’s going to be shot on 16mm.

Dale: Cemetery Pogo was just released. What is it about?
Jonathan: Cemetery Pogo is a music video for the punk rock band The Secretions. The video was shot on 16mm negative and is a tribute to punk rock horror films like Return of The Living Dead and Killer Clowns From Outer Space. The plot of the video is about kids partying and having sex in a cemetery. And a few partyers are a little more lively than others.

We put Cemetery Pogo out on a limited edition of 100 discs, we still have about thirty left and it’s available on our website. The video has just been picked up for wider distribution in Europe. It’s going to be a special feature on the European Edition of Punk Rock Holocaust. It will also be available on our follow up disc to Heart Full of Napalm, a new compilation due out in spring 2006 called Anti-social.

Dale: You also did a short called Heart Full of Napalm?
Jonathan: Actually Heart Full of Napalm is our first release a compilation disc of four shorts and a bunch of special feature. It contains Nwar, Cessation Resolution Nouvelle, Sublime Depravity and Bible: The Movie. It’s available currently on our website.

Dale: Bible The Movie, definitely not a religious short?
Jonathan: Bible: The Movie is a short I shot with Keith Lowell Jensen, he wrote and directed it. It’s an animated short poking fun at The Last Supper and Jesus’ birth. Jensen is currently working with Apprehensive Studios on a feature length documentary about pan handling, it should be wrapped shooting at the end of this year. Check out the film’s blog.

Dale: I take it you don’t believe in Christianity by the plot of the film?
Jonathan: Well, Jensen is a self proclaimed Atheist and I’m definitely not a religious person, although I do believe there is some greater power. I believe organized religions are just successful cults.

Dale: Have you ever tried to get the church people to boycott or complain about this piece of work as it could gain you a great deal of press, I’d think?
Jonathan: We’ve never gone out and tried to get church goers to specifically boycott a film, but we’ve had some people who are opposed to what we’re doing and have been quite vocal about it.

When we were doing our casting call for Nwar, a certain actress in town read the script and e-mailed a bunch of casting directors in town and said we were making a porn and trying to take advantage of young women. In a few days a mass e-mail had basically saturated the Sacramento acting pool about our “porno film.” We welcomed the publicity, we were still able to choose from quite a few qualified actresses and the fuss ended up coming out in an article in the Sacramento News and Review right before the premiere. The premiere sold out.

Dale: Any other shorts that I am forgetting that you would like to talk about?
Jonathan: Sublime Depravity is probably our most notorious film. It’s rarely screened and always talked about. It’s a mock-snuff film I shot on Super-8mm, it’s very disturbing. We’ve only had the opportunity to exhibit three times and each time multiple people walk out. It’s available on the Heart Full of Napalm disc.

Dale: You seem to gear toward shock value in your short films. Is this true?
Jonathan: Oh yeah. I grew up watching movies like Nightmare on Elm Street, Night of the Demons and Kingdom of the Spiders. I eventually graduated to movies like City of the Living Dead, Cannibal Ferox and Requiem For a Dream. So you can see where it all comes from.

Dale: Have these films been run at any short film festivals or the like?
Jonathan: Not really, I look at festivals as a sort of vanity press. I don’t see the logic in sending off a check for sixty bucks for a rejection letter. The festival circuit is full of politics. Fuck that noise. If I know someone who’s put a festival together and they’re cool I’ll submit, but otherwise I pass.

I’ve been putting on my own shows for three years. I’ll book the venue, book opening bands or other shorts. I’ve been selling out our shows and grabbing the midnight movie crowd. The crowd that enjoys our stuff, not the wine and cheese crowd.

Dale: Do you prefer the horror genre outright or just like to look into filming anything uncanny, but not pure horror?
Jonathan: Horror is my main squeeze, but if the content is really amazing I’ll do a lot of other things. I just finished co-writing a feature script called Johnny Lost and the Burnouts. It’s a teen comedy for adults. Rock N Roll High School meets Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Dale: Have there been casting calls for your films or do you just draw from a group of friends and associates to fill the spots?
Jonathan: Both.

Dale: Did you study film making anywhere or just learn on your own?
Jonathan: I started out in high school when I got an internship at a local cable station. From there I went on to work for United Paramount Networks Ch. 31, BMW Films, RSA USA, American Movie Channel, Speed Channel, Lean Angle Television, The Travelers Channel, just to name a few. Most were on a per project basis. So all my training has been on set.

Dale: Aside from films, what are your other interests?
Jonathan: I’m really into exotic animals. I have Brazilian Pink Salmon Birdeater, a tarantula that can get a leg span of thirteen inches. My girlfriend and I design custom vivariums. Check out our webpage.

Dale: Future films in the making?
Jonathan: The Late Night Horror Show. A feature length anthology film.

Dale: Do you plan to make the film conventions or fanfests in 2006?
Jonathan: The Conventions are great. I had a booth Fangoria in Burbank and the Star Struck Convention this year. I’m planning on definitely returning to both of those and hopefully a few more.

Dale: Any interesting behind the scenes stories during filming you would like to talk about?
Jonathan: We designed an effect for the short film Scalped we did a while back. It involved using pig fat as human skin and slicing through it with a knife and running a blood tube behind it. It looked so good, you’d actually see the skin split and then the blood seep out, way better than the old bleeding knife technique. It only cost about $5.00. But it didn’t make it into the final cut of the film, but we’ll use the technique down the road.

Dale: Anything else you would like to touch on?
Jonathan: I would just like to thank you for giving “under the radar” filmmakers an avenue to help reach more fans.

Dale: Closing comments?
Jonathan: If any aspiring filmmakers are reading this, just keep on keeping on. I’ve been pursuing filmmaking seriously for eight years and I’m still not quite there. It’s a constant struggle, so don’t forget to stop once in a while and look back at what you’ve accomplished as it will be a lot. I’ve been in Fangoria and met the editor Tony Timpone, I’ve stood in and doubled for Clive Owen, I gave Eli Roth my Heart Full of Napalm DVD in person, I met the love of my life on set, I’ve worked on more projects than I can remember and I’m writing this right now.