Black Devil Doll's Heather Murphy!

Anyone keeping up on current events in the horror genre has either heard about or witnessed the eye-popping, hilarious trailers for Shawn Lewis' (rottoncotton.com) "Black Devil Doll." The movie promises to scar the mind while chronicling the exploits of a black militant deathrow inmate possessing the body of a Willie Tyler-ish Lester dummy!



I had the fortune of recently catching up with one of the lead stars, horror aficionado/femme fatale Heather Murphy. We talked about the status of modern horror, her days as a fledgling horror fanatic, and what it's like to film a love scene with a wise-cracking, whitey-hatin' wooden terror.

Rogues Gallery: I know you've been part of the horror scene for quite some time (didn't you run a Night of the Demons fansite years back?). How did you get into the horror genre, was there one particular moment when you fell in love with it?



Heather Murphy: I fell in love with the horror genre when I was 4 years old! I watched parts of "Day of the Dead" with my Dad & Uncle Bob. I vividly remember Bub and my dad explaining to me that he was a "good guy". It never scared me because I was too young to understand what was going on. Then a year later he let me watch "The Re-Animator" with him, as well as "Creepshow". I grew up on those movies as a kid. It was awesome! Thats where my love for horror began. As for Night of the Demons, I did create a fansite many, many moons ago! Its still stands, but hasn't been updated in quite a while. My good friend Andrew at pretty-scary.net interviewed me about it: Pretty Scary Interview


RG: Speaking of Night of the Demons, what are your thoughts about it being remade, and what do you think of the latest slew of remakes coming out?

HM: Remakes generally piss me off. However, I'm curious to see what they do with Night of the Demons. I think it's one of those movies that if executed properly, has SO much potential to kick ass. Unfortunately though, most directors just dont "GET IT" and they usually fuck up the movie. But I talked with (remake writer/director) Adam Gierasch briefly and I actually felt pretty good about it! I have faith he will do the film justice. We shall see!



RG: Was Black Devil Doll your second foray into acting?

HM: This was my first feature film and starring role. It was an amazing experience! I had worked with (director/editor) Jon (Lewis) a year before on a short he made called "The Dream Audition." I was topless in that, so the transition into "Black Devil Doll" was fairly comfortable for me- as I'm sure you can see...there is lots of nakedness ;)

RG: I have never seen (2004's) "Shower of Blood." I read that you played a "ghoul" in that one. What was your experience working on that film?



HM: This is kinda funny, a lot of people ask me about this. That's actually an error on IMDB's part- I was never in "Shower of Blood". But I figure what the hell? Just leave it up there for the shits n' giggles...of course now the cat is out of the bag!

RG: Yeah, might as well let it ride! How did Shawn approach you with the idea for the film?

HM: We were all friends prior. I did some modeling for Rotten Cotton back in 2006 and thats how everything started.



I always kept in touch with the guys. They told me they were making a movie and asked if I'd be interested in reading the script. Shawn gave me a basic run-down on what it was about, which pretty much sold me- how can you go wrong with a killer black puppet exploitation horror film?! So of course after I read the script, I jumped onboard. The rest is history!

RG: Did he already have you in mind when he wrote the script, and give you liberty to run with the character?

HM: You know I'm actually not sure how that originated, you'll have to ask him. When they sent me the script I did notice the characters name was "Heather", but that could have just been an uber-huge coincidence (haha). After I read the script, I had a pretty good idea of how I wanted to play her. They wanted us to be "over the top" and kinda air-headish. So I just took that and ran with it. Jon was great with direction.

RG: What was it like on a typical day of shooting? Are the cast and crew as outrageous as they seem?



HM: It was a fun set! The crew made it fun, of course. All the guys were funny as hell. I remember laughing- a lot! But the actual work was... WORK! I have an immense respect for actors now because its not only physically exhausting but mentally draining as well. A typical day of shooting was lots of standing around, doing take after take. I remember it being extremely hot..everyone was sweating like pigs. And I remember Natasha (Talonz's) boobs.



I remember touching Natasha's boobs :) OH and Mitch (Mayes, writer) made us bomb-ass sandwiches everyday! We shot a lot of the movie in his house.

RG: She must get that alot! Was there a lot of improvisation going on? Seems like it would be pretty challenging to keep it together considering your co-star is an ex-Black Panther/puppet! What were those love scenes like?



HM: I actually stuck to the script as much as humanly possible! I'm weird about improv, I kinda have this improv-phobia, if you will- which dates back to my experience in jr. high drama class. I HATED that class! We had to do a lot of improv and I was so shy back then, it was embarrassing and ultimately scarred me for life I think! Ahhhh yes, the love scenes! How does one even begin to explain? I got fucked by a puppet!!! It was definitely an interesting experience, to say the least. The guys were SUPER professional about privacy and keeping it a closed set for my love scenes. I ended up showing more nudity then I originally intended- but it's not something I'm tripping over. If anything I can look back on this when im 80 and laugh!

RG: Tell us about your character, aptly named "Heather." How does she get tangled up with this Black Devil Doll?

HM: Heather is a sweet...kinda naive girl who plays with a Ouija board one night and conjures up the soul of a black militant prisoner- freshly executed on death row for murder and rape. He possesses a ventriloquist doll and magically transforms into what is Mubia! They have a wild, crazy love affair but thats not all that happens! All kinds of crazy, fucked up shit transpires but you'll have to see the movie cause I can't give it away :)

RG: How has the crowd reaction been thus far?

HM: It has been extremely positive! We've had a lot of press all over the internet and in magazines. Everyone is stoked to see the film- the trailer and clips were a hit. I think it will do really well because theres NOTHING out there like it. It will easily become a cult classic and I'm happy to be part of it.

RG: Have the conventions and screenings gone pretty well? Did you meet a lot of colorful weirdos and characters at the Fangoria Convention last year? Are they drawn to a film like Black Devil Doll? LOL

HM: I'd say the conventions were pretty successful for the most part. It's hard to promote something thats not finished, which is what we did last year at Fango. But a lot of people stopped by the table to show support. I even sold a few autographs. It was a good effort. We'll be back at Fango again this year- film intact! So I think socks will be rocked. As for weirdos and characters at conventions- well, aren't we all weirdos and characters? I know I am. I'm a total pervert who loves horror and I say that proudly :)



We want EVERYONE to see the film, but its the weirdos and perverts that will I think probably get the most fun out it. Promoting Black Devil Doll at conventions like Fangoria has been a success because that is our core audience right there.

RG: Amen from a self-professed, card-carrying weirdo and pervert! So what does the future hold for Heather Murphy (any interest in continuing on with the acting)?



HM: Thats a good question! I'm one of those people who like to accomplish one particular task and then move on to the next, so I'm not really sure if I'll stick with it or move on. There is definitely an interest in acting, that's for sure. I would love to do more cheesy horror stuff and if I could make a living off it that would be a bonus. At some point in the near future I'll be getting my website up, so stay tuned for that!

RG: Any final words to all us horror geeks out there?

HM: Well it's all you fellow horror geeks who help keep movies like this alive! So if puppet sex, 70's blaxploitation, exploitation, violence, rape, sex, gore, naked chicks and horror are of ANY interest to you, then please be sure to check our movie and support independent cinema! The west coast premiere is in Los Angeles at New Beverly Cinema on April 17th at midnight :) You can visit our website for all the info.: www.blackdevildoll.com


RG: Thanks for taking the time, Heather. Can't wait to see the movie!