You can't imagine how excited I was when I finally received Sally Mattison's answers to my questions for this interview. The director of SPM 3 was very nice to do this interview... Again, many thanks go out to Sally!
Q: What prompted you to direct SPM 3?
A: It was what was offered to me. I'd been on staff with Concorde-New Horizons
for a couple years, and I had told Roger Corman that I wanted to direct. One
day he suddenly asked if I wanted to direct Slumber Party Massacre III, and I
said, gulp, yes!
Q: SPM 3 was originally titled "Stab in the Dark." What influenced the
title change?
A: I guess it was easier for Concorde-New Horizons to sell it with a
recognizable name.
Q: Keely Christian is one of the more sought-after actresses from SPM 3. Do
you know what she's doing these days?
A: No, I don't, but I hope she's doing really well. I think she's really
talented, and she was delightful to work with.
Q: What is your opinion on all of the SPM films being made by women?
You, along with all of the others, did a fine job on the series.
A: First of all, thanks for the compliment. All the SPM films were directed by
women because Roger Corman thought that a female director would have more
insight into teenage girl slumber parties than a male director would. I'm
not sure how true that theory was -- given that my slumber party days ended
in about 3rd grade -- but directing opportunities for women are still hard to
come by and thus much appreciated. I should also credit Roger for hiring
lots of women in all sorts of jobs, from running his studio to working as
producers, writers, and directors.
Q: Did you enjoy working for Roger Corman, the man responsible for
countless B-movies?
A: It was fantastic experience. I earned credits on 20+ movies in three years.
Roger would make certain decisions himself but also would leave a lot up to
those of us working for him, so it was learning by doing.
Q: Do you have any funny stories/recollections from the filming of SPM
3?
A: Filming the volleyball game scene was pretty ridiculous because, as it turned
out, only one of the actors was any good at volleyball. We had to shoot a
lot of footage and cobble the scene together out of random shots. I don't
remember any other funny stories.
Q: Do you personally enjoy the horror movie genre? If so, what are some
of your favorite films?
A: I'm really not a horror movie buff. I do appreciate a good suspense movie,
like almost anything by Hitchcock. I nearly jumped out of my chair during
one scene in "The Sixth Sense". I like it better when the scary stuff is
implied rather than shown.
Q: My online friend, Joe, wants to know if any of the cast members were
difficult to work with?
A: I'd put two of them in the slightly difficult category -- nothing dramatic
like stomping around the set. I'm not going to name any names on this
question. Overall, though, the cast was very fun and easy to work with.
Q: The songs you wrote and performed in SPM 3, "Hold Your Fire" and
"Pale Imitation," have very catchy tunes. Do you still sing these days?
A: Thanks! I've put songwriting and singing on the back burner the last few
years and I'm dying to get back into it. It's definitely time to get back
into the studio.
Q: What are some other films you've worked on?
A: Welcome to Oblivion
Last Stand at Lang Mei
Edgar Allen Poe's Masque of the Red Death
Streets
Full Fathom Five
Overexposed
Silk II
Blood Fist
Heroes Stand Alone
The Art Of Murder
The New Gladiators
Wizards Of The Lost Kingdom II
Circle Of Fear
Play Murder For Me
Hollywood Boulevard II
The Haunting of Morella
Crime Zone
Two To Tango
Nam Angels
Kleptomania
plus some documentaries, a TV show, some commercials.
Q: Do you have any clue as to why extra scenes are on the SPM 3 DVD?
Were they originally intended to be cut out of the original release?
A: I haven't seen the DVD and can't compare it with the film that was released.
The first cut of the film ran short, so we shot an extra scene and added it
in -- the scene where Maria gets killed. I believe that version was what was
released theatrically and on video.
Q: Did SPM 3 receive a theatrical release? Do you know if any of the
previous installments did?
A: SPM 3 did indeed have a theatrical release. It reached #35 on the Variety
box office charts. I don't know if the previous installments were
theatrically released but I would assume they were.
Q: Can you point out any noticeable goofs in SPM 3?
A: There were a few. I remember there was a continuity mistake having to do
with the "House for Sale" sign stuck into the ground in the scene when
Michael gets killed. The weather changed while we were shooting the Weirdo
on the beach, so the lighting isn't consistent. Also, there was an ongoing
struggle to make the blood on the actors' costumes stay consistent.
Q: What was it like working with Maria Ford?
A: Maria is incredibly sweet and a real trooper. I had already worked with her
on numerous other Concorde-New Horizons movies when I cast her in SPM 3.
Q: There are a few lines spoken by Ken in SPM 3 that my online friend,
Joe, and I don't understand. When Ken's trying to break the door open,
is he saying "I'm kicking you!," "You can't keep me out," or something
else? Then, when he's battering Susie, is he saying "fight, don't fight"
or something else? Also, just as he's about to find Susie after killing
Maria, he says something that starts out "Now where are you..."
A: When Ken's trying to break the door open, he's saying "You can't keep me
out!" When he spots Susie, he says "You did this." When he's hitting her,
he's saying "Don't fight!" Then he says "You'll do as I say."
Q: Do you know if there's any way to obtain any of the songs from the
film?
A: Not the complete songs -- there's no soundtrack that I know of. You could
contact Concorde and suggest that they put one out!
Q: Do you have any promotional material left over from the film? If
so, could you scan me some pictures to use for the site? If you can't, I
completely understand since you're such a busy person.
A: Sorry, I can't.
Q: Also, I was wondering if you could scan the script cover for SPM 3
or even send excerpts or transcribe it for me? Also, it would be way
cool to have a copy of the script if that were possible.
A: Sorry again, but I don't have anything I can send you.
Q: Have you ever watched the "Slumber Party Massacre" or "Sorority
House Massacre" movies?
A: I watched the first two Slumber Party Massacre movies when I was preparing to
direct number three. I haven't seen the Sorority House Massacre movies.
Q: Do you know why Melissa Moore and Stacia Zhivago (actresses from
"Sorority House Massacre 2") are featured in stills on the back of the
video/DVD covers for SPM 3?
A: No specific reason that I know of, just a marketing decision.
Q: What is your profession like these days, working with Clean Air
Council and entertainment law with Bernard M. Resnick, your
husband?
A: It's very diverse, as you can imagine. Part of the week I'm working to keep
the air clean, and the other part of the week I'm representing people in the
entertainment field -- musicians and filmmakers and artists and such. Check
out www.bernardresnick.com to see the variety of cool clients we represent.
I love getting to meet and work with so many different people. I'm very
lucky.
Thank you extremely much for answering my questions, Sally. I hope you
enjoyed my website and everything.
It was a pleasure. Thanks for your enthusiasm!
Bernard M. Resnick - Attorney at Law
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