Words cannot describe my sense of gratitude and outpouring of thanks as I sit here and type this up. I’ve been promoting Paul Tarnopol’s Jersey Shore Massacre ever since it went into post-production. I did it because it’s my job. I did it because I’m a real New Jersey Shore resident myself and after a long summer of being bothered by out-of-towners I figured the movie would be therapeutic. I did it because I was genuinely interested in the movie after the last horror flick Mr. Tarnopol worked on, Girls Gone Dead. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d be invited to the big New York City premiere of Jersey Shore Massacre and never did I think I’d end up interviewing the stars on the red carpet. Well, as you’ll see – it happened and it blew away all my expectations!
After catching a train from Metro Station in New Jersey to New York Penn Station in NYC, I caught a cab and found myself outside the biggest AMC theater I have ever seen. On a side note, I’m glad my best friend, Stephanie, came along with me or I would have gotten lost before I even boarded the train! Sure, I have been to a few independent horror premieres during my almost four year tenure at HorrorSociety.com. But I’ve never done anything this big, anything with this much star power, anything with this much quality. It was intense and after a brief chat with the owners of the house that Jersey Shore Massacre was filmed in, I was ushered inside by the men who produce YouTube’s “Bloodbath & Beyond.” The line was beginning to form outside the theater and fans were eager for some both the opportunity to see a celebrity and to see a great horror film.. For me, though, it was time to start the red carpet!
Jumping ahead for a second here: I had the chance to interview Ronnie Magro from “The Jersey Shore” during the red carpet. I asked him how it felt to see characters on screen that were basically based off of his life and experiences over the last few years. Ronnie described the…situation…as surreal. If the whole production and event felt surreal for him, how do you think I felt when I stepped into line next to the red carpet and saw a place holder with HORROR SOCIETY on it? Not only that, but I was located just a few spots away from huge publications like USA Today and People Magazine. As someone who is trying to make a name for himself in the horror film industry, to see my name surrounded by prominent publications and budding stars was a feeling I’ll always remember, and cherish. I’ll never be able to thank Paul Tarnopol, Teri Tarnopol, and Katrina Wan for that moment in time. But this is about the Jersey Shore Massacre premiere and not me, so let’s get back on topic.
When the red carpet began I was awe struck by how beautiful all the women were. They, of course, look different in the movie because of the characters they’re playing. In real life, stunning and breath-taking don’t even come close to describing how good these ladies looked. They were dressed to impress and looked more like classic models than guidettes. The five girls who posed for photographs and did interviews with the press the most include Danielle Dallacco, Angelica Boccella, Nicole Rutigliano, Christina Scaglione, and Ashley Mitchell. I’m pretty sure I saw Lillo Thomas (1987’s “Wanna Make Love”) and the good ol’ director Paul Tarnopol, but I wasn’t able to grab them due to the chaos and onslaught of photos and questions from other media outlets. I’m fairly certain I saw Richard Christy & Bigfoot from “The Howard Stern Show,” Jersey Shore Massacre cast member John Michael Hastie, and I even got a picture with “Long Island Medium” stud Larry Caputo. It was all a little intimidating for a first timer such as myself, but luckily everyone was so friendly and charming that I began to loosen up a little bit.
So, by this point, I bet you’re wondering who I interviewed? I was lucky enough to nab the following stars: Danielle Dallaco (plays Teresa), Angelica Boccella (plays Dina), Giovanni Roselli (former WWE Superstar who plays Tony), Chris Lazzaro (who plays Freddy), Ron Jeremy (adult film legend who plays Ronny), and Ronnie Magro (real life “Jersey Shore” cast-member). They were all so personable. I only asked a question or two as to not take up too much of their time, and they were more than happy to respond. I also had the opportunity to chat with Big Ang Raiola from “Mob Wives” and “Miami Monkey” on VH1, but our conversation took place off camera. Basically I told her she was the perfect woman. It was at that moment that Jwoww arrived and the crowd of photographers went wild. She’s certainly a break out star even behind the camera. I don’t have the video edited together for all of you readers to view just yet, so keep your eyes peeled for it. You can see my…um…skills…at work! I, unfortunately, did not get a chance to interview Paul or executive producer Jenni “Jwoww” Farley because of time restraints. This only gives me an incentive to ask them for an exclusive HorrorSociety interview! I would definitely love to chat with them now that I’ve seen the movie in its full glory.
Before I knew it the red carpet was over and cast, crew, family members, fans, and the media were packing up and heading to the second floor for the premiere screening of Jersey Shore Massacre. I took the opportunity to sneak onto the red carpet and take some pictures. I wanted to feel important for five seconds! The venue was, as I mentioned, huge and by the time I arrived at the theater for the screening, Jwoww was just finishing her introduction to the movie and then it was go time! The whole theater had been waiting a long time to see the movie and now, there it was! As soon as the camera film starting playing it was a loud round of applause from the audience. I’ll leave my opinions on the movie out for now until I post my official review – which will be positive – however, I will say one thing, my special tickets for being a member of the press were phenomenal. I was high up in the stands and dead center. I was really treated like a VIP last night. Again, I can’t thank everyone enough for the experience.
Remember, my official review and HorrorSociety’s exclusive red carpet interviews video will be coming later on tonight and Thursday. In the meantime, you can pre-order your copy of Jersey Shore Massacre on DVD by clicking here. It comes out a week from today!