BtZ19:An Interview with Amy Lynn Best

Hardcore horror fans who follow the independent underground certainly know Ms. Best's name very, very well. A self-made b-movie icon of contemporary times, Amy Lynn Best is (alongside husband Mike Watt and friend Bill Homan) one of the founding partners of Pennsylvania-based guerilla film production company Happy Cloud Pictures, and has starred in, directed, and produced a number of low budget genre gems. Her credits include John Keeyes' critically acclaimed hit AMERICAN NIGHTMARE, as well as EXTERMINATOR CITY, A FEAST OF FLESH, SPLATTER MOVIE: DIRECTOR'S CUT, MARTY JENKINS & THE VAMPIRE BITCHES, WERE-GRRL, DR. HORROR'S EROTIC HOUSE OF IDIOTS, SEVERE INJURIES, THE SPICY SISTERS SLUMBER PARTY, and DEMON DIVAS & THE LANES OF DAMNATION. On top of all that, Ms. Best maintains a noticeable presence both on the internet and the convention scene (in fact, she's one of but a handful of personalities who can always be counted on to appear at the long-running Cinema Wasteland exploitation expo in Strongville, Ohio).

As genre personalities go, Amy Lynn Best has been around for a while, and in that time she's made one helluva name for herself. She's also outlasted more than a few of her so-called "modern day scream queen" peers, proving herself to be a hardworking go-getter who has not just staying power but also a genuine love for what she does. One hopes that her star will only continue to rise with each new release.

In any case, the winsome, witty, wildly wonderful Ms. Best took time out of her workaholic existence cluttered with projects, productions, conventions, and god knows what else... to answer some questions via e-mail about sex, technology, and the tenth anniversary D.V.D. release of the epic microcinema genre mish-mash flesheater flick known as THE RESURRECTION GAME.

So The Resurrection Game just recently became available with a wide release D.V.D. release. Could you give us some background on how the movie came to be, where the ideas behind it came from, what the experience making it was like, and why it took so long to get an easily available, legitimate D.V.D. release?

The biggest reason it took so long is because we shot it on film. This meant having to wait until we had money for film and processing and also shooting around the schedules of ten different people-cast and crew. Add to that equipment break-downs, lab errors, a lead actress moving to Greece requiring an expensive reshoot of her scenes, it took a while. Officially, it was released to DVD in 2006, but we weren't happy with that version, so Mike went back and re-edited from the original neg-to-tape transfer and had Rich Conant clean up the sound.

How would you describe the story of, and the idiosyncratic blend of genres inherent in, The Resurrection Game?

The best way to describe it has been as a zombie-mystery. The zombies are almost completely incidental to the story, but including them was a way to get things moving. It's more fun and more challenging to combine genres, for us at least, and that's something we've stuck with throughout. We made a zombie movie without zombies! We still haven't made a so-called "real" horror movie. Our "sell-out" vampire movie, A FEAST OF FLESH, got turned into a women-empowering lifetime movie with vampires. All I wanted was a "vampires in a brothel" movie! But that's how things wind up. We don't make "normal" movies-not "normal" by most peoples' standards, anyway.

Since The Resurrection Game was made back in the late 1990's, there has been a huge explosion of low budget zombie movies (and big budget ones as well!). Besides the fact that it was made before the modern "Zombie Boom," what do you think makes The Resurrection Game unique? What do you think will help it stand out from the rest of the pack?

The thing I think that makes it stand out are the characters. This is a plot-driven, character-driven movie. It's not just one gore set-piece after another-there aren't even any "zombie feasting" scenes. As I said, the zombies don't have that much to do with the story beyond why they're there. The characters are all strong, they have their own arcs.

Looking back on the movie now, with many more films and many more years of experience under your belt, do you think The Resurrection Game still holds up well?

I'd like to think so. It does to me, but I can't be objective about it any more. Most people who have seen it seem to like it and consider it our "signature" movie.

Now, Happy Cloud Pictures was actually started during the production of The Resurrection Game. Since then Happy Cloud has sort of carved out a little niche for itself in the independent horror scene. What do you think that niche is exactly?

It seems as if we've been described as making "(blank)-horror" movies. Horror movies combined with some other genre. I'm not sure if that's a niche, necessarily, but our tendency to start making a straight horror movie that becomes something else seems to be a trademark of ours.

You've been labeled a modern day "scream queen" by many. What does that mean to you, the title "scream queen," and do you think it does indeed apply to yourself?

I've fought against this label for many years - not that I don't like the term. I just think it's become generic. Actresses don't even have to be in movies any more, they can just show up at conventions with pictures of themselves covered in blood, and declare themselves to be 'scream queens'. I always thought of the title as horror royalty, something you had to earn. That's why I tried to get terms like "Spicy Sister" and "Demon Diva" to catch on. I actually prefer "Demon Diva" as far as my own "label" is concerned. But if people insist on using the term, I'm not going to argue any more.

Do you have any favorite scream queens of yesteryear that you look to as inspiration? Are there any modern day scream queens you like and think have that certain something?

I actually consider there to only be three "real" Scream Queens-Brinke Stevens, Michelle Bauer and Linnea Quigley. They were the ones who really popularized the term because of very specific horror comedy-type roles they were playing. If we're going to use the term to describe horror actresses, I have always admired Debbie Rochon and love working with her. She's become one of our best friends in and out of the industry and she does amazing work. I'm also a big fan and supporter of Jasi Cotton Lanier, Tina Krause and Rachelle Williams.

Different people have different opinions about women in horror, and scream queens in particular. On one hand, there's a definite feminist angle, supporting the idea of strong female characters as heroes, women who can take care of themselves and who don't need some Bruce Campbell or Tom Atkins character running in to save the day. On the other hand, there's also a very strong exploitative element, and even the most independent, self-reliant female characters are typically expected to exhibit high sex appeal, and, obviously, there's rarely an R-rated horror film that comes out on the market that doesn't try to work in some female nudity (regardless of whether it has any place in the story whatsoever). What are your thoughts on these matters? Also, being a woman who seems very strong, intelligent, and independent, yet also seemingly very comfortable with her own sex appeal, do you ever feel the need to explain or reconcile what some people might see as contradictory aspects of your own persona (i.e., some folks seem to believe that a feminist can't/shouldn't be sexy, and vice versa)?

I've always said that a woman is exploiting herself, on her own terms, she is not being exploited. I've never been told that being sexy is wrong, and I don't think that if a woman wants to be sexy that she should be told that is wrong. I also don't judge women, and others, based on one part of them. I try to look at the whole picture. There are many people out there who will only look at one aspect of a person, like looks or dress, and judge them. A woman can be sexy and smart and talented and funny all at the same time. A man too.

I know you have a long, long history with the performing arts, having experience in both dance and live theatre prior to becoming a filmmaker. Did you have an interest or passion for cinema before actually getting into it yourself?

I've loved acting and dancing since I was very young. I started dancing at four-tap, jazz, ballet, I performed in "The Nutcracker" on stage. I did a lot of Shakespeare plays in high school and professional theater as an adult. I also really enjoy the production end of filmmaking. I love being on set with everyone and making the movie come to life. Because I'm a control freak, I also love directing but I'm looking forward to a new project coming up where I'm only acting. Of course, I'll probably end up producing on days I'm not starring.

On a related note, have you always been a horror fan? What got you into the horror genre?

I've always liked horror. One of the first double-features I ever saw, my uncle took me to see The Amityville Horror and Last House on the Left when I was seven. I'd say that has a lot to do with why I like it now.

Obviously, the digital video revolution has made it easier than ever before to pick up a camera and chase the dragon. And with H.D., the quality video available at the consumer level is higher than ever before. But, from an aesthetic viewpoint, which do you prefer: the clean, crisp, inexpensive polish of D.V. or the old school, oft-times grainy grit of 16mm?

From a producer standpoint, I love HD. It keeps costs down and it's easy to use. But from a film lover point of view, I will always love film. I'd love to go back to shooting on film, even though Mike argues with me. I love the look and feel of film. Plus, with film, you have to really know what you're doing. It's more of an art and a science. With digital, you can see what you're going to get through the viewfinder. With film, you have to know how you're lighting a certain thing, how you're going to expose the film, how to load the camera. Not everyone can just show up on a set and start to shoot with film. Not successfully, anyway.

What do you feel are the most important elements of crafting an effective horror piece?

For me, and this is a personal view, I don't get scared by elaborate makeup or extreme torture. Horror to me is psychological and it takes a lot more than a great looking monster to reach that part of me.

Finally, for young women who may just be getting into the horror genre, it can no doubt be difficult at first to find good role models. Sometimes it looks like a steady stream of topless, helpless, underdeveloped, objectified lust objects and body count fodder as far as the eye can see. Obviously, there are strong figures in the genre, but, as I said, for young women who might be new to horror, those figures may be out of sight at first. What advice, or just general thoughts, do you have for these young ladies?

My biggest piece of advice, and I've said this many times, is learning the craft of acting. It takes a lot more than just reading words from a script to be a good actress. If you really want to be an actress, work at it. If you don't care and just want to be famous, you'll get noticed for a while, but talent matters to those who matter.

I hope you folks out there enjoyed reading Ms. Best's responses as much as I enjoyed getting 'em from her. Big boobs come a dime a dozen in the world of low budget b-movies, but finding someone with big boobs and a winning personality is a markedly less effortless task. Amy Lynn Best, however, does indeed have it all: she's smart, funny, kind, and as talented as she is easy on the eyes. If you're still unfamiliar with her work, I suggest you acquaint yourself on the double. Better yet, if you haven't already seen it, take out two birds with one stone by picking up a copy of the newly released RESURRECTION GAME D.V.D. Not only will you get to see some of Ms. Best's earliest contributions to the genre, but you'll also be seeing what I honestly think of as one of the very best independent American zombie movies made since J.R. Bookwalter's landmark magnum opus THE DEAD NEXT DOOR.