Erin has enjoyed an acting career since she was around 10 years old and as fate would have it, RTSC was set to become her first horror credit. Due to the sometimes grueling schedule and last minute change in her "attempted murder" scene, Erin and I missed each other during the last few days to shoot an "on set interview" for the DVD. But, have no fear, Erin is here now and she's ready to talk camp...
How did you get involved with RETURN? Fate, I suppose, if you believe in that sort of thing. Or maybe just pure luck, really. My manager set up the audition a few weeks before filming was set to begin. They called me back, and back again, and for some reason they ended up casting me. Thank God! What did you think of the script when you first read it? Scary stuff!!
Had you seen the original SLEEPAWAY before shooting and if so, what did you think of it? I went out and bought the original as soon as I got word about the audition…had to be prepared when I met Robert [Hiltzik]! Now, I've always been a fan of horror movies, but I'd never seen anything like Sleepaway Camp. The murder scenes were really out there and especially gruesome. Not to sound sick here, but I really enjoyed it…An incredible mix of suspense and gore, right up my ally! Ha! But really, I knew as soon as I saw the original that I was on board for the sequel. I read that you played Patrick Swayze's daughter in "Black Dog" back in the late 90's, how old were you when you first started acting and how did you get into acting? Oh yes, back in the day! I started as a kid, ten or so years old, and rolled with it when I started landing gigs on soap operas and commercials. My mom and dad played a huge roll in my success; they shuttled me back and forth to the city for auditions on the regular (thanks guys!). "Black Dog" was my first feature. It was big budget and action-packed! Patrick was great to work with, as were the rest of the cast and crew. I’ve been lucky to have such great experiences with all the people I’ve worked with.
What do you have in common with "Karen" and what are your differences? I think Karen truly has a good heart. Despite the fact that she had a big part in tricking Alan, she was the only one who felt guilty after. That poor kid, what they all put him through! Like Karen, I’d feel wretched if I had any part in playing pranks like that! What was your favorite scene to film and why? They were all really cool! Running through the woods screaming my head off…why not! But seriously, my final scene was my ultimate favorite. Noose around my neck and all.
What are some of your fondest and/or unfond memories of working on RETURN? Ummm…unfond…the cold I suppose. As we got closer to winter and were filming lots of nights it was pretty cold. But come on, how could I complain, the whole experience was amazing. I’d do it again and again and again, in minus-degree weather. Just tell me when and where! In the original script, "Karen" was going to be pinned down in the croquet fields and tormented with the large Camp lawnmower. That scene got changed because we had a couple days of rain and needed to be change to something indoors (and it became the basketball hoop hanging). How did you feel about that last minute change? Working on set, things are constantly changing. Just when you finally feel like you’ve got your lines down, they change the entire scene! But I thought the shift was brilliant! We just couldn’t wait any longer for the weather to clear, so there was pressure to come up with an indoor scene…obviously the croquet field/lawnmower situation (clever as it was) was out. I was a little disappointed at first because I thought the idea was so cool, but the hanging scene worked out even better! Would YOU be more likely to befriend a kid like "Alan" or make fun of him? Befriend, for sure. You shouldn’t make fun of anybody!
Have you ever gone to camp and did you enjoy spending almost 2 months at Camp making this movie? Yea, actually, when I was a kid. I went to bible camps a few consecutive summers before high school! Very, very different than my experience on the set of RETURN, I’ll tell ya that much! I enjoyed every last second of it. What did you and your family/friends think of the completed movie? They say they loved it! Haha, I actually have a cousin in St. Louis who was watching it with his buddies and then saw me run on screen. He was shocked…didn’t even know I was in it! I got a laugh out of that. But idk, I get shy watching it with anyone…I watched it for the first time with Michael Werner when it was first release d in November. Then I bought a copy…I watch it almost every night by myself. (fyi, that was a joke.)
How did you feel about the incredibly long post-production period (while Robert wanted to raise more $ to get the CGI effects done the way he wanted)? Did you sometimes question if it would ever come out? I never doubted that it would be released…eventually. So much effort went into making this movie, so I’m happy it’s finally out for the fans. This project is Robert’s baby, and he would accept nothing but perfection from the final product, so I understand why it took so long. I reckon it was worth the wait! How would you feel about RETURNING to Sleepaway Camp again one day? Do you think "Karen" has some unfinished business with Sleepaway Camp? Bring it on! Please! What have you done since RETURN and what are you up to now? Traveling…School…Learning, Living, Loving. I’ve recently relocated to NYC and am enjoying it immensely ;) Anything else you would like to talk about this movie, making this movie, or anything else? Thank you to all the fans. We love you. Looking forward to another summer at camp! Special Thanks to Erin for reliving camp with us!