” Darlene kicks ass! She needs to face adversity to really come into her own, and when she does, everyone better watch out, ” Arielle Brachfeld (Haunting of Whaley House) talking about her role in the upcoming indie slasher flick Axeman at Cutter’s Creek.
A movie that promises to be filled with gore, fear, blood and a little T&A all the ingredients of a great horror film. The Axeman at Cutter’s Creek will be bringing down the axe upon HorrorHound weekend in Cincinnati, Ohio, March 24th, where the team will be showing select scenes from the film, who will be in attendance the director, writer and co-star of the film Joston Theney along with indie scream queen Elissa Dowling.
I know I for one am dying to see what they have in store for us, in the mean time, I have another gore-lious interview with the beautiful Arielle Brachfeld. Bloody Enjoy!
Horror Society: Now that the blood is spilled on the floor, and the experience is over, what are some of your scariest memories from being on set of the AxeMan at Cutter’s Creek?
Arielle Brachfeld: Ok, this one may be cheating a bit, but I was actually pretty scared riding in the back of Joston’s car with Chantelle Albers to get to the location. Haha! Just kidding! The road trip up to location was actually a blast.
In terms of the film, one of the most terrifying sights I got to partake in was when Scot took up his ax and ran at Joston and I in a scene. Freaking scary.
The other frightening occurrence happened when I wasn’t filming. You gotta understand, in my family food is love. Now I finished up my scenes at around 6 or 7pm, and I’m noticing how cold it’s getting. Joston, Carlos, Ray, and Tiffany, as well as the whole camera and sound department are stuck outside filming, and it’s only getting colder. I take a quick peek at what crafty we have lying around and I realize I have everything I need to whip up some sweet egg and croissant, as well as grilled cheese sandwiches. So I start making them and sending them outside, and they are disappearing FAST. Well the scary part is when I ran out of material to make the sandwiches. You don’t want to face down a hungry, cold, camera crew. That’s fear, my friend.
HS: You play the role of Deputy Darlene Whitfield, what can you tell us about your character and what she know about the local legend of the Axeman?
AB: Darlene kicks ass! She needs to face adversity to really come into her own, and when she does, everyone better watch out. Joston gets strong female characters. It was awesome getting to sit down with him and figure out who this woman is, and the grit she’s made of. I can’t reveal too much, but I can say it was a pleasure playing her.
HS: Now an easy question, what is your favorite horror film and why?
AB: This is an easy question?! Okay, Alien is absolutely one of my favorites because of the amazing heroine, the unending suspense, and the production design and creature effects. The Re-Animator is another favorite because of the outstanding Jeffrey Combs, plus it’s just a fun movie. Finally, Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness. They’re magic.
HS: With each interview, I do with the cast I get more excited about this film, what was it that made you want to be a part of the Axeman At Cutter’s Creek?
AB: The title of the project caught my attention initially. Also, I heard it was filming in Big Bear, so that was a huge plus for me. Then I met Joston and Matthew Gross (who was casting) and I knew I wanted to work with these guys. Joston’s energy is infectious, he’s just a super cool guy. I knew he was putting together an outstanding project, and I wanted to be a part of it.
I’ll let you in on a little secret. I only get super passionate about projects where the characters excite me. Darlene is soooooo exciting!!!
HS: To go back to an earlier question, how much trouble does your character get into?
AB: Nothing she can’t handle :)
HS: There have been reports that the Axeman is a viscous, unremorseful killer, can you confirm that there’s going to be a lot of gruesome murders in the film?
AB: Yes. (The rest of my statement has been redacted for spoiler purposes).
HS: You play a local police Deputy in the film, what kind of preparation did you do to get into the mind set for this role?
AB: I ate a lot of donuts, and got myself a pair of handcuffs. No, I’m just kidding! I already had the handcuffs. Ok, in all seriousness, I had to grow some (figurative) balls. A lot of the characters I normally play are victims, they’re very fragile. Darlene is tough as nails. She wants the fight, the challenge.
HS: What do you think makes a great horror film – atmosphere vs. blood and gore?
AB: I love both for different reasons. It’s a beautiful genre because there is just so much fun stuff to play with!
HS: Scot Pollard is such a nice guy, AKA the Axeman, what was it like working with him on set, and seeing him transform into this murderous, unforgiving, relentless, cold blooded killer?
AB: When we were all just hanging out on set, Scot’s truly one of the coolest, sweetest dudes you’ll ever meet. I’ll admit though, when he stepped into character, I got scared. He knows how to use his physicality to illicit fear, but seeing his eyes go dead and dark was freaking creepy. I personally don’t get scared by people that often. There’s something pretty crazy and cool about Scot’s Axeman.
HS: I’ve so far asked, everyone this question, and they’ve all given nothing by love and support for Director/writer Joston Theney, what was it like working with him on set?
AB: He is a machine!! This project is his baby, and I think he got less sleep than a parent dealing with a newborn. I’m pretty sure he didn’t sleep the entire time I was on set. But, his passion and love for film making was so contagious it made everyone giddy. I didn’t want to stop either. I loved that he knew what he wanted, and trusted his team and actors to get it. I was nervous about playing with him in a scene that he was also directing (that can be disastrous) but as soon as he yelled ‘action’ Joston disappeared and Darren came to life. I think it marks a true talent to be able to slide in and out of directing, acting, and producing effortlessly. He is a film maker that understands the entirety of the art form. Plus, he’s such a sweet, cool guy! He seriously puts everyone else in front of himself. Humility doesn’t cover half of it.
HS: Last and final question, is there anything that I left out, that you are just dying to tell the fans about this film!
AB: First, the entire time I was on set, there were no egos. Do you know how rare that is? I mean, there are a lot of folks who have a ton of great work under their belts, and not a one had an attitude. It was incredible getting to work some of the Scream Queen greats like Brinke, Tiffany, and Elissa. I had the pleasure of working with a few people before Axeman (I’m looking at you Dylan Hobbs and Elissa Dowling!) and one of the many reasons I adore those two is because they have an awesome talent, and no ego about it. It was amazing working on a set where everyone had such talent and no ego.
Secondly, a neat little fact is that the cabin we stayed and shot in is probably haunted.
Finally, GO SEE IT!!! Be sure to check out the film’s official page and like us on Facebook. Give me Facebook love while you’re at it!
I want to thank Arielle Brachfeld for taking the time to do this interview with me, and if you want to know more about the film and follow the birth of a new murderous, unforgiving and relentless killer whom they call the Axeman at Cutter’s Creek then take a gander at their facebook fan page.
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/AxemanAtCuttersCreek/info
Official Teaser Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Gek8LgnN-g
