By MICHAEL GINGOLD
Busy genre actress Tiffany Shepis, seen just last month on the big screen in Adam Green’s VICTOR CROWLEY (pictured), has a few more features on her horizon, and gave RUE MORGUE some exclusive words about them.
Beginning production today is KILLER KATE, a horror/comedy directed by Elliot Feld from a script he wrote with Daniel Moya. The cast also includes Danielle Burgess, Larry Cedar and Alexandra Feld, the latter of whom also produces with David Feld, Lawrence Feld and Jesse Pruett. “KILLER KATE is about a bachelorette party being held in a woodsy cabin that the girls found on a home-sharing app,” Shepis tells us. “I play Christine, a member of a different family who are not so happy about this gathering and the place they’ve chosen to hold it. She’s crazy but faithful to her family, and more than happy to break up the party. She will do anything—even kill—to keep the family together. Christine is wild, funny and mean—typecasting?” Shepis laughs.
The actress recently wrapped STAR LIGHT, which reunited her with THE NIGHT WATCHMEN and THE VIOLENT KIND director Mitchell Altieri and producer Jeffrey Allard. That film, she says, “is about Dylan [newcomer Cameron Johnson], a teen whose life is turned upside down when his pop-star obsession shows up and needs his help. Little does he know the star is on the run from some baaaaaad dudes. I play Dorothy, Dylan’s mom, who only wants the best for her kid. His unhealthy fixation on his pop-star crush does not sit well with her.
“Dorothy was a fun character to play, because she has many levels,” Shepis continues. “Her exterior is a bit trashy and mean, but on the inside, she’s sad, lonely and just wants to create a different world for her sad, lonely kid.” Scout Taylor-Compton (HALLOWEEN) co-stars.
Next up for Shepis after that is Tyler Russell’s TEXAS COTTON, which she describes as “a fun comedy/mystery set in a small Texas town. I play Deputy Boozer, and the script had me laughing out loud. It’s not a horror film, but it’s filled with genre names like Lew Temple [THE WALKING DEAD, THE DEVIL’S REJECTS], George Hardy [TROLL 2], Gene Jones [THE SACRAMENT, DEMENTIA] and even cameos by Jeb and Jessica Robertson of DUCK DYNASTY. I always say that ‘horror actors’ can do much more than scream or scare you. If you meet most guests at those conventions, you’ll find that they’re usually pretty funny, so to me, it’s perfect to cast them in a comedy.”
Regarding VICTOR CROWLEY, in which she plays part of a moviemaking team working on a project about the eponymous villain who become his victims, Shepis says, “Shooting a movie in secret with all the big mouths of horror was no easy task! Adam Green was a blast to work for, and now being officially part of the HATCHET Army is really freaking cool.
“It’s great getting roles that are all so different from each other,” Shepis adds, “from a sweet film-crew girl with a secret in VICTOR CROWLEY to a misunderstood mom in STAR LIGHT to a batshit-crazy murderer in KILLER KATE and then a funny Southern deputy in TEXAS COTTON. It’s gonna be a fun year!”
