*A few months ago I was glancing through my local newspaper, The Coast Star, when I saw an article profiling a horror actress. Imagine my surprise to discover a woman living fifteen minutes from me who enjoyed horror films just as much 
as me! So, I stalked her continuously for months until this one time I caught her in the parking lot late one night and… Just kidding! Actually, as luck would have it, I spoke with a cast member of Julie-Ann Hamolko’s and he was nice enough to forward her my email address. Julie-Ann Hamolko is an awesome actress who has 10 indie film credits to her name, almost all of them being horror related. Julie-Ann is also great with special effects make up. Take a couple minutes out of your day to learn about one of horror’s rising stars. Julie-Ann is very personable and shares a lot of laughs in this interview.
Q: Just to kick things off, why don’t you tell readers a little bit about yourself?
J: Well, I am 26. Born and raised on the Jersey Shore; and people who live here are NOTHING like the idiots on that stupid show. I come from a very loving and supportive family. I blame my older sister Jessica and my mom for my obsession with horror. My sister and I shared a room for along time, and I grew up around posters and music of Marilyn Manson and Korn. My mom liked to play tricks on us on Halloween, and thank God for her doing that because I’d probably be a total wimp and not be living out my true passion of making indie horrors.
The first horror film I ever saw was The Exorcist when I was 12 with my younger cousin Michael and my older sister Jessica. Naturally, it scared the shit out of me. I really got into horror in Jr. High, where my cousin and I tried seeing all top 100 scariest movies on the Rolling Stone Magazine’s list. Then my sister got me into my very, very first acting gig at Six Flags Great Adventure during Fright Fest. I worked as an actor on the hayride for three seasons after that. Luckily for me, I’ve been surrounded by a lot of people who love horror too; except my dad, although he is a proud parent of a little horror movie actress. He won’t see any of my movies lol. Oh well.
Q: You received a lot of your acting training in New Jersey, and most of your career has spawned from films shooting in New Jersey or by New Jersey based companies. How did you manage to tap into the horror resources of New Jersey, which not a lot of people know about?
J: Well, funny thing is my very first film was actually shot in PA. I have gotten most of my roles from craigslist, and one that I had responded to was for the film Terror At Ten Acres. After filming that, it all snowballed into more projects with Graffiti Playhouse Productions. Then other projects came from craigslist or people I met whilst filming with Graffiti Playhouse or Maniac Films.
Q: I see that you’re a special effects artist as well. How far do your skills go? Are you simply a blood and cut kind of girl, or can you do guts, severed limbs, etc?
J: I was actually trained in NYC for Film & TV Makeup, which included special effects. It pretty much spans, zombies, ghouls, guts, blood, prosthetics, etc. I got trained in all of it. I can make a pretty mean zombie! But I do enjoy making cuts, bruises, and making people look like they’re on drugs. ha ha. Which I’d probably have to say is my favorite.
Q: Let’s start going over some of your acting work. Blood Lodge comes to mind first, as it’s the film I’m most excited to see. Can you tell me a little bit about your time on set?
J: Oh wow, Blood Lodge was a ride and a half, both figuratively and literally! We shot Blood Lodge at the Ten Acres Lodge in Stowe, VT, which is about eight hours from where I live in Jersey. In March [Stowe] still had a few feet of snow on the ground! The adventure started last October, I believe, when writer and director Kevin Orosz first spoke about filming out of state. Then rehearsals started, I believe, in November, which was a lot of fun because we got to know the other actors and it made it a lot more comfortable to film.
It was a real experience filming with such a vast group of different people. A lot of the people I shot this movie with, I had worked with on Terror at Ten Acres; and the new people were a lot of fun to work with. We would start shooting at 9pm and wrap at 4 or 5am. Sleep was not in my grasp or anyone else’s that week we shot. We had a lot of interest from the locals, and a ton of them came out to be zombies, which was awesome. We had a few little kid zombies too. It really was an overall amazing experience.
Q: I just posted a story up for Armageddon Ed’s Ticket to Hell. What kind of role do you play in this flick?
J: I play “Red”, who is a cult member, but she’s really not a cult member because she tries warning a few of them to get away before it all goes bad. No one ever listens, though. Typical. Like always, working with Ed McKeever and the others I’ve worked with on this movie, as well as other Graffiti Playhouse movies, is always a really fun time. I love working with Ed. He’s hilarious AND he got the Boondock Saints to give me a hug. Amazing! haha.
Q: Deadly Detour seems like it did pretty well and this looks like it was actually your first big role in a film. Were you nervous to step out on set as a real actress?
J: Deadly Detour was my very first role, ever! I will never forget it. At the time the auditions were, I had just finished training at the NJ School For Dramatic Arts. I did a video audition first, which I did a scene from The Shining. I was told to come in for call backs, and those auditions were about 6-7 hours long, but a total riot! I got the role that day.
I was very nervous because this was my first time in front of the camera, always afraid I was totally going to sssuucckkk. But the director Mike O’Mahony was great. The cast was amazing and made it a really comfortable environment because almost all of us were just starting out, and it was our first film. But it was a freaking blast filming this movie and the ending scene which sells it for everyone, my older sister was in and pretty much totally steals that scene. It’s a fantastic ending.
Q: You appear in a movie called Zombiechrist with Ruby LaRocca, another horror actress from New Jersey. Is there any specific horror actress you look up too?
J: It’s kind of funny. I don’t look up to a lot of actresses. I really like the work of Scout Taylor Compton and Monica Keena, but I look up to a lot of actors like Johnny Depp; who I actually draw a lot of inspiration from when I’m working on a film. Especially the film I am working on now, Daisy Derkins vs. The Bloodthirsty Beast of Barren Pines (Written & Directed by: Mark Mackner). I play “Scarlet”, an eccentric bank robber. I do a lot of ”channeling” of Johnny Depp’s character from Fear & Loathing, just not as extreme because she’s not on drugs, or is she? lol
Q: Do you see yourself staying in the indie horror genre or do you plan on breaking out and doing other roles?
J: I prefer to stay in horror. I’ve done, I think, two or three roles that were not of the horror genre, and I enjoyed those experiences too. I’d like to try comedy, but not that stupid comedy where I’d end up playing “the girlfriend” of the funny guys. I really want to have a bold role in a comedy that the guys always get, like Anna Farris has a lot of bold roles in her comedies. Same goes for horror – I really want to play a killer, just absolutely crazy.
Q: What is in store for you in 2012? Any other projects you’re really excited about?
J: I have just filmed a short film a few weeks back called What They Don’t Know from writer/director Coven Delacruz in association with Maniac Films. I don’t have a lot of short films on my plate, and this one was a lot of fun and I’m really excited to see the finished product. We shot it 8mm style, which I really would like to do more of. I’ll be wrapping Daisy Derkins vs The Bloodthirsty Beast of Barren Pines this month, which is my first “bad girl” role as the villain so I am super amped for that!
Also, this past summer I really stepped out of my comfort zone and played a hooker in Maniac Films newest movie – written, directed and starring Mike O’Mahony – called Sloppy The Psychotic. I think a lot of people will find this movie very entertaining. The body count is crazy. The blood and gore is on point and it’s just chalk full of bloody goodness lol. I’m not sure what 2012 has in store for me. I’’ll be starting up my make up business again. So, 2012 will be split up between my day job, make up, and movies. Busy like always, but my weekends still need to have to be filled with screaming and blood. It’s what I do.
Q: Favorite horror film:
J: This is tough. My top favorites would have to be between Silence of The Lambs and The Devils Rejects. I’m an avid Rob Zombie fan, and I enjoyed his movies including his takes on Halloween 1 & 2. But I still love the originals. I also love Candyman and the Nightmare On Elm Street’s.
*You can follow Julie-Ann on Facebook by clicking here. Who knew that New Jersey was a hub for horror reporters, actresses, and production companies? I wish Julie all the luck in the world, even though she doesn’t need it, and I hope to be viewing some of her films very soon! I hope that her role in Blood Lodge is a good one so I can scream “JERSEY!” obnoxiously when she comes on screen.
Thank you for your time, Julie.
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