Horror movies comprise a huge slice of the worldwide box office, having grossed over $300,000,000 in 2009. This past weekend, The Academy Awards saluted the genre with a montage and honored horror legend Roger Corman with an Honorary Oscar. Yet, despite its increasing profile and market share, the genre remains remarkably open to casting unknown and up-and-coming actors in large roles.

A few years ago, as I was leaving the ingenue phase of my casting, I began searching for parts of the business that offered the chance to play “act-able” roles (ie, characters pursuing strong objectives rather than functioning as ornamentation or glorified set-dressing) to women of all ages, and I kept coming back to the horror genre. When Sarah and I began Brains, I knew I’d want to find a way to help our readers pursue this work with intelligence, dignity, fun & adventure.

Last fall, serendipity arrived in the form of a Facebook message from actor Kristina Klebe. Kristina and I met years ago in New York acting in a production of Caryl Churchill’s (ghoulish) play The Skriker. Kristina found Brains through Seth Michael May’s post on audition anxiety and offered her services as a contributor.  In the years since we met, Kristina has gone on to recurring and guest starring roles in several television shows (Criminal Minds, CSI: Miami, Rescue Me) and independent and studio films (She Hate Me, Peter and Vandy, and a recent comedic turn in the upcoming 6 Month Rule, opposite Martin Starr). Her career gained significant momentum when she was cast as Lynda in Rob Zombie’s remake of  Halloween. Kristina also plays the lead in the upcoming horror movie Zone of the Dead. Who better, I thought, to collaborate with on an exploration of working in horror? Two months ago, Kristina and I began working on a documentary short about acting in the genre. We’ll be excerpting  sections of it here in the upcoming months, and we are thrilled to kick things off with an interview with Grace director Paul Solet.

When I arrived in LA I met with manager who said to me, “You have to decide whether you want to be in a horror movie or go to Sundance.” I replied, “I want to be in a horror movie that goes to Sundance.” Mr. Manager laughed. Mr. Manager hadn’t met Mr. Solet. Paul is a wonderfully articulate director and has many great things to say about working in horror and acting and movie industry in general. Paul’s first feature Grace, starring Cabin Fever’s Jordan Ladd and Canadian actor Gabrielle Rose, screened at Sundance in 2009 and is currently available on DVD.

Video Intro by Ryan Kravetz