It is that time of year again. Halloween is right around the corner and that means Hollywood will be releasing a slew of horror films to feed the appetites of horror fans.
One film that is getting a lot of buzz right now is Hell Fest. The movie, directed by Gregory Plotkin, is about a masked serial killer turns a horror-themed amusement park into his own personal playground, terrorizing a group of friends while the rest of the patrons believe that it is all part of the show.
One of the stars of the film is the multi-talented Reign Edwards. The Maryland born actress is already making a name for herself and carving out her own path in the industry. She was nominated three consecutive years for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series for her work on The Bold and the Beautiful. Fans may also know her for her work on the current FX hit series Snowfall.
We sit down with Reign to talk about her current movie Hell Fest, what it was like working with the cast and where there any real scares while on set!
Pop Culture Principle – What was it about the script for Hell Fest that made you sign on to the project?
Reign Edwards – What attracted me to Hell Fest was the story of going to a theme park with haunted mazes. I had literally just gone to Netherworld in Atlanta for the first time about a month before I got the audition and surprisingly loved it! It was really a fun experience with all of my friends.
Pop Culture Principle – Can you tell us a bit about your character Brooke and how she fits in to the overall story of Hell Fest?
Reign Edwards – My character, Brooke, is amongst this group of friends and is really the thread that links everyone together. She’s the friend out of the group that just wants everyone to have a good time! She’s funny, wild, and sweet. I hope that everyone enjoys her in the film!
Pop Culture Principle – What is one similarity and one difference between your character Brooke and you personally?
Reign Edwards – Similarity is that we both tease our friends which is fun to do. Definitely crack jokes when I’m with my friends. The difference is Brooke seems like she goes to horror-themed parks all the time where this is my second year going.
Pop Culture Principle – The cast is filled with some great young actors. Can you tell us what it was like on set working with these actors?
Reign Edwards – Fun times. A really sweet and caring group of people who really enjoy what they do. As actors they really wanted to make this movie a film people could enjoy.
Pop Culture Principle – Acting veteran Tony Todd is also part of the cast. He’s a legend when it comes to the horror genre. Did you get a chance to work with him and if so, what was that like?
Reign Edwards – Yes I did get the opportunity to work with him. He was super kind to me and all the other cast members. We were able to spend time with him when we were filming a scene and it was really cool.
Pop Culture Principle – Why do you think there is and always has been a huge appetite for these types of movies?
Reign Edwards – It’s the adrenaline, its the suspense of not knowing. You know that everyone is not going to survive so you’re trying to figure out who the killer is and what is his next move. Along with that you are getting scared in the process.
Pop Culture Principle – Where there any scares while working on set that you can talk about?
Reign Edwards – Yes indeed. There are many scenes where you will see my true scared reaction. I remember this one time where we did several takes of pretending something would pop out at us. Greg (the director) randomly shot one take with real rigs popping out at us and we were not told ahead of time. It was great, I was genuinely yelling.
Pop Culture Principle – Why should people go and see Hell Fest?
Reign Edwards – It’s an ode to the classics!!! You have the masked killer. I think it will take people back to the way the classic slasher movies use to look but also have a modern spin on what it is like going to horror-themed parks today.
Pop Culture Principle – Any other upcoming projects you can tell us about?
Reign Edwards – You can catch up on Snowfall season one and two on FXNow for my character Melody! You can also look forward to the premiere of MacGyver season three, which also comes out September 28th, for my character Leanna! And that’s all I’m allowed to share right now, thank you!!
A big thank you to Reign Edwards for talking with us! Her movie Hell Fest is currently in theaters around the country. Make sure you take the time to check out the movie and support this talented actress. If you would like to keep up with all of Reign’s latest news and projects, you can follow her official Twitter and Instagram accounts @reignedwards.
**Main photo courtesy of Carlos Lopez**
**Hell Fest photos courtesy of Jackson Lee Davis**