Known for her iconic roles in classic ’80s horror films like Return of the Living Dead, Night of the Demons, and Graduation Day, scream queen Linnea Quigley talks with Horror Geek Life about her favorite roles, the effects of Covid-19 on the film industry, and her new docuseries, Paranormal Truth.
Horror Geek Life: Looking back through your career, you were involved in some classic horror franchises. Return of the Living Dead, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Pumpkinhead, etc. Are there any beloved horror franchises you would have loved to have been involved with back then, or any that you would love to be a part of now?
Linnea Quigley: I would have loved to have been involved with Terminator. I love that movie. That was a really cool franchise. Or Alien, of course. That would have been great and so fun. I don’t even care if I would’ve gotten killed right away or whatever, it just would have been great to have been in that film.
HGL: Most actors not named Sigourney Weaver got killed in those films.
LQ: Yeah, they did! Except the cat. I was so glad in the end when the cat lived. I was like “Oh my god, she doesn’t have the cat yet! Jonesy! Oh my God”. You know, and I thought it was in the cat, that the alien had morphed into the cat or something. The whole time I was like, “Oh no!”.
HGL: We would love to see you in an Alien film, or maybe like a Scream situation?
LQ: Oh yeah, of course! How could I forget that franchise? That would have been fun.
HGL: One commonality with a lot of your films is that they are typically the super-fun popcorn horror movies like Return of the Living Dead or Night of the Demons. Is this something you seek out when accepting roles?
LQ: Yeah, I like the ones that have comedy in them, because with horror there is a lot of comedy in it, like the things you do when you’re scared. I’m not a huge fan of just slashing, I think that gets boring. I like it more when it’s true to life with the comedy of people not knowing what to do.
HGL: That makes sense, especially with Return of the Living Dead arguably being the quintessential horror-comedy film.
LQ: Oh my God, yes. Everybody in that was so funny in their own moments. But, if you think about it, that’s what happens when you get afraid. You do crazy things. You’re like, “Oh my God, what did I do that for?”. You don’t have any control over it, and when guys get scared and they scream, it’s so funny.
HGL: Right, like when James Karen and Thom Mathews don’t know they’re dead and start freaking out.
LQ: That was great. Like what do you do when the paramedics come in and there’s no pulse, no blood pressure, it’s like what do you tell someone when you can’t get temperature or blood pressures on them?
HGL: With so many iconic roles in classic horror films, how does it feel to be completely embraced as a Scream Queen by the horror community?
LQ: It’s so great, because I was a big fan of horror films, so to me, that’s an honor. As a kid, I used to love and watch the scream queens back then, and they didn’t even have a name. It’s great to be something that’s titled. I love it. It’s better than being just an actress. I get a label and I love it! I’m always surprised to be included in such an amazing group of people. I’m always like, “What? That’s so cool!”.
HGL: Is this something you ever thought would happen when doing these films, that people would still be watching and loving them 30-40 years later?
LQ: Oh no, we didn’t even know if they would watch them when they came out. We had no clue. Or, like with some films, they never come out. I’ve got films that I did, they keep saying they’re going to come out, but they were done 25 years ago! It’s crazy.
HGL: Wow! Well, hopefully with some of the streaming and collection services, maybe distribution will be easier, and we’ll get to see those.
LQ: Yes, absolutely!
HGL: What’s the most fun you’ve had with a role?
LQ: Well, the role of Trash was a lot of fun, but I think the most fun I had, because I hadn’t at that point played that many parts like that, was probably Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, where I got to be the tough girl. I had no nudity, and it was so fun. It was like a dream role.
HGL: That’s one of our favorite roles! It’s kind of the first time we get to see you as a front-and-center badass main protagonist. What was the transition like from doing mostly supporting characters to moving over to the lead?
LQ: It was really fun. I mean, I made that little, small transition, which I’m glad, because it was like steppingstones. I did extra work, and I had only supporting roles, so it was just getting bigger and bigger. I was ready for it by that time.
HGL: We’d read that there’s a sequel coming out to Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama. Is that true?
LQ: I don’t know! They keep talking about it. I don’t know if it’s because of Covid. Nobody has come to me and asked me about it, even though they have me in it. It’s very odd. I don’t know what’s going on. Everyone is like, “This is coming out and you’re playing this or that” and I’m like, “I don’t know anything about it yet”. Nobody has said anything. I guess they assume that I’m going to do it.
HGL: Would you be excited to take on the role of Spider again?
LQ: I think so. I’m kind of like one of these people that doesn’t like to screw with perfection. Sequels are always disappointing to me, usually. There’s not that many sequels where you can say, “Oh, that was really good”. Except maybe the Nightmare on Elm Street sequels. A lot of them are really good, but rarely do you get a sequel that’s really good.
HGL: Alien and Terminator!
LQ: That’s true! Those were. But when you get into things like Psycho, there’s so many that are so bad. One of my favorites is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and you can’t redo that one. That original one just had a charm and rawness to it.
HGL: Speaking of Covid, it seems like you’ve been pretty active over the last couple of years. What are some the challenges you’ve faced with dealing with it, and how has that affected your work?
LQ: Well, a lot of things were put on hold. Luckily, I was in New Zealand filming and got back right when Covid was hitting. If had been two weeks earlier, I probably wouldn’t have been able to go over and film. A lot of things got canceled that were set to film. It’s been hard, but people are also making things for the purpose of streaming, and not physical copies, which is kind of bad because I like physical copies, but good for people to watch on streaming platforms.
HGL: With the stuff you’re saying was canceled, was that rescheduled or flat-out canceled?
LQ: Well, they say they’re rescheduling, but once a project loses momentum it’s hard to recover. You’ve got the people that put the funding in, and people can change their minds, so I don’t know.
HGL: Being mostly credited for horror roles, is there another genre you enjoy?
LQ: I’ve done a lot of comedy stuff too. I like comedy. Also, it’d be fun to get into some real crazy drama roles. I like movies that are kind of documentary-type things. I don’t know if you saw it, but Frances about Frances Farmer, stuff like that. That would be really fun to play a real person and their life, or something weird like What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, those types of films. The really off ones.
HGL: Is there anyone in particular you could see yourself playing?
LQ: No, haha. I don’t know who I’d play! That’s a good thing to think about.
HGL: Let’s move on to Linnea Quigley’s Paranormal Truth. We got a chance to check out a few episodes. It’s an upcoming docuseries that you host discussing real-life stories behind vampires, zombies, demons, and the like. Are you typically a fan of shows like this or Unsolved Mysteries?
LQ: I love Unsolved Mysteries, Forensic Files, and true crime. Anything that’s got some truth to it, I’m really into. I’m a nonfiction person.
HGL: Are you a believer in the paranormal?
LQ: Actually, I’m not a believer in the paranormal. Only because I’ve never experienced it. Unless I experience something, I can’t really believe in it. My dad was a doctor, so I have a really scientific type of attitude. It’s like, “well this could be caused by this or that,” and I’m skeptical. I’m not saying it doesn’t exist but I’m skeptical.
HGL: You offer tarot card readings on your website. Does that kind of involve your mixed beliefs on the subject?
LQ: Exactly! It’s more of a belief that everybody has an energy. I believe in people being able to sense things. I think we don’t use our intuition. Animals are amazing. They don’t have these preconceived ideas and they react. They know when an earthquake is going to come, or a tsunami, or whatever. I think that’s something we haven’t really tapped into, since we don’t use as much of our brain or intuition as much. We usually ignore it.
HGL: Relating to Paranormal Truth, over the course of your career, you’ve hosted a lot of horror-themed content. From workout videos to documentaries about films you’re in. Is being a horror-themed show host in the realm of Elvira or Joe Bob Briggs something you could find yourself doing?
LQ: Yeah, I would love to do something like that, because it’s fun! I felt like Robert Stack or something. It’s a different way you present it, and it was really fun. It was different than acting.
HGL: You said you love true crime. Would you focus more on true crime, or horror films, or a blend of the two?
LQ: Actually, now that you mention it, blending true crime with horror would be great, because a lot of horror movies are based on some sort of reality.
HGL: Do you have anything you’d like us to keep an eye out for? Anything you’d like to plug or support?
LQ: Well, I’ve got my Moulin Rouge Animal Rescue here, and that is fun. I have my website. I have Cameo. I do the tarot card readings. There is so much. Buzz Cut is going to come out. Triassic Hunt is out. Appetite for Sin is going to come out, and I’m doing Terror Toons 4 in about three weeks when I get back from all these shows.
HGL: You’re so active. We love to see it!
LQ: I have to be! I’m like a shark, I can’t stop, haha.
HGL: Linnea, we really appreciate you taking the time to meet with Horror Geek Life.
LQ: Thank you. All horror fans are the best. We’re a nice niche, you know? We’re a great clique.
Horror Geek Life would like to thank Linnea Quigley for her time. You can follow Linnea Quigley on Twitter @LinneaQuigley and check out her content at linnea-quigley.com.
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