SplatterTribe: Introduce and compare yourself to some sort of Halloween candy and explain why the comparison... 

 

April: First of all, my name is April Monique Burril.   I'm an artist and an actress - probably best known for my portrayal of psycho-chick, Chainsaw Sally.    I guess my best comparison to Halloween Candy would be any of the mysterious types that only come out for the Halloween season - usually are wrapped in foil with a colorful print of some kind of monster or occasionally a gruesome body part.  Because I try to put myself in colorful, hopefully unusual wrappings that are still pleasant to look at, but not something you see everyday.  And you never really know what flavor you're going to end up with when the wrapping comes off.

 

 

 

 

SplatterTribe: For anyone who does not know who Sally is, please give them a history lesson.

 

April: The character, Chainsaw Sally, began life as a sort of web-based horror-hostess used to promote our live horror-comedy-musical, Silver Scream, which we, at the time, performed onstage with our theatre group, Jamo Alturnative Theatre.  Eventually, we made a film version of Silver Scream to help promote the live act to larger venues. 

 

After the filming was complete, we decided to venture completely into film.  During this time, we'd been continuing playing around with the Chainsaw Sally website.  I was doing reviews, silly little animated killings... not really sure where to go with it, only sure that we had a good character with a growing fanbase and we needed to do something with her.  So, as we searched for the next film project, a Chainsaw Sally movie was the next natural step. 

 

The Chainsaw Sally movie - with the help of cameos from the fabulous Gunnar Hansen and Herschell Gordon Lewis - garnered more love and attention than we ever could have hoped.  Despite it's many flaws (or maybe because of them!), fans seem to really enjoy it.  After a few years, we (at Forbidden Pictures) decided to expand on the story of Chainsaw Sally with The Chainsaw Sally Show - a series we aired, free of charge, on our website and later made available in HD with extras, etc etc...  Now we are gearing up to soon be filming season 2 of The Chainsaw Sally Show!

 

 

 

 

SplatterTribe: What is your chainsaw brand of preference?

 

April: I've used a few different kinds.  The Stihl seems the most reliable so far, but the one I'm currently using is actually kind of a "Franken-saw" - pieced together from several working parts by one of our trusty Forbidden Crew - Dawg.

 

 

 

 

SplatterTribe: If you could use chainsaw on any movie character that has ever been in any movie, who would you use it on and why?

 

April: Hmm.... tough choice... right now, I'll go with the men of Stepford in The Stepford Wives (original).  Bastards.

 

 

 

 

SplatterTribe: Tell us a little about the movie's and other projects you have been in.

 

April: Silver Scream is the first major undertaking I was involved in.  It's a musical, that, throughout the plot, pays homage to many of the great horror films from past to present.  I played several roles in the many years we performed the show, my favorites being one of the brides of Dracula, Vampira (in the Plan 9 number), a demon in the Exorcist piece and one of the Babysitters in the slasher film piece - Babysitter Blues.  I was one of the main dancers in the show, with some singing sprinkled in when needed.

 

Chainsaw Sally was my next film.  I play Sally - a twisted woman who is the librarian for the little town of Porterville, Maryland by day and a chainsaw-wielding cannibalistic maniac by night.  She lives in a small trailer out in the woods with her insane little brother Ruby.  His safety and the secrecy of their living space is of utmost importance to Sally.  Along with making sure the world is rid of all people who get on Sally's nerves.  The film is not strictly horror - but more of a very very black comedy.  Folks die... and get eaten... but it's all in line with Sally's somewhat twisted "code".  Sally always has some kind of reason for those she kills - however  bizarre that reason may be.

 

After a few years of messing around with distribution and investors, Forbidden Pictures ventured into a very different sort of film with The Good Sisters.  This one stars myself and Debbie Rochon as two sisters who come from a long line of witches (not nice Wiccan witches... much darker) and who believe they, along with all their ancestors, have been under constant attack from witch hunters.  The sisters begin to suspect their new and very strange downstairs neighbor in the apartment house they live in, and eventually to suspect everyone else in the building.  So, in order to protect themselves, the sisters resort to dark and drastic measures.  The film is very unlike previous projects in that it's much more of a dramatic exercise in paranoia.  Working with Debbie Rochon was a fantastic experience.  She's such an intense actress and happily embraced all the mystical research we put in to the spells performed in the film.  (Nothing - no chant, no symbol - was made up.  It was all based on occult research.)  I feel working with Debbie really helped me grow as an actress.

The next project was our infamous web-cast, The Chainsaw Sally Show.  It continued the exploits of Sally and Ruby - the cannibalism, the comedy, the carnage....

 

I have since played a couple of small roles with some other filmmakers - a brief cameo as a vampire bride in Dumas - part of the Lovecraft Chronicles by Dark Stone Entertainment.  And a somewhat larger role as Bee, a gun-toting, ass-kicking madam in the desolate world of Post Mortem America 2021 - a film by Cameron Scott.

 

 

 

 

SplatterTribe: If you could pick a villainous partner in crime from any character from any movie, who would be your partner and why?

 

April: I have two that I would find equally delightful...Leatherface - because he's gigantic and relentless, but still holds family dear to his heart.

 

Hannibal Lecter - because he's absolutely brilliant, and, in a much more refined way, has a code similar to Sally's... i.e., he prefers to "eat the rude".  I love that!

 

 

 

 

SplatterTribe: Define the following words as they pertain to you...

 

April: --Music  - a big part of my life.  I grew up singing folk songs with my hippie parents. I fell in love with punk in high school and am still tied up in that affair. I love classical, Irish folk, techno, "world" music, and good ol' rock 'n' roll.  I play a few instruments (guitar, piano, flute, pennywhistle, bones) - nothing at a professional level - just enough to keep myself entertained.

--Entertainment - I love to entertain... and to BE entertained!

--Art - I love every form of art and incorporate as much of it into my life as possible - visual, performing... even martial - all of it.

--Life - I will try to spend mine with as much laughing, loving, and learning as possible.

 

 

 

 

SplatterTribe: OK, with a total of 100% can you break down how much of your life is each of these ratings?...and you could give some details if you would like...

 

April: I suck at math

--G - 0% - I reserve no percentage in G, because though I have a young daughter, I raise her with honesty about any questions she may bring up any subject - including "tough" things like sex, death, drugs or violence.  I think it's a mistake to try and hide too much from young children, but wiser to educate them (without scaring the crap out of them!)

--PG - 20%

--PG-13 - I don't know...  Do we reserve this portion for basic "dealing with other grownups in the normal world?".... hmm, maybe 30% then.

--R - 0 (see nc17)

--NC-17 - 30% - if I do something R-ish, I'm going to take it the rest of the way, thanks.  Balls-to-the-wall, baby!!

--Unrated - 20% - this will be the category for miscellaneous stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else.... really, Unrated can be anything.

 

 

 

 

SplatterTribe: Finish the following sentences for us.

 

April: --If you don't like Sally, you can... stop bitching and watch something else.  Or keep bitching and see who meets you in a dark alley one night with a running saw.

--I cannot stand... bullheaded stupidity.

--There's nothing cooler than... being appreciated for something you've put your heart into.

--What in the...  hell is this question for? 

--I wish I was... filming! So fun!!

--I should have listened when... hmm... tough one.. I have few regrets.   Um.. I  guess when my dance teacher got upset with me for leaving ballet class in the 4th grade?  Yeah, sure... that'll work....

--I just don't understand... why Hollywood is stuck on the remake trend.  It's not like there's a lack of new stories out there.  Tons of new screenwriters and, cripes, doesn't anyone ever go to the library?!  (actually I think the remake trend may be finally winding down.... keep your nipples crossed....)

--I always knew... all those years of Dungeons & Dragons would pay off somehow!  Just consider it the most basic pre-cursor of acting lessons. ;)

--I got no problem admitting... I loved playing D&D!  and still would if I had 8 hours of free time to kill on a regular basis.

--All I need for a good day is... to be in the middle of a film project with all my friends joining in.

--Why do people...  have such trouble communicating and trusting?  Lots can be solved with communication and trust.  And by communication I am NOT talking about emailing, texting, or twittering!

 

 

 

 

SplatterTribe: What comes to mind when you hear the words SplatterTribe?

 

April: A horror film effects crew... possibly ones who've been dropped into the middle of a jungle somewhere and have to rely on their instincts, teamwork, and knowledge of useless horror trivia to survive...

 

 

 

 

SplatterTribe: If I asked you to assemble a 'SplatterTribe' what and who could I expect you to show up with?

 

April: The Forbidden Pictures effects crew and some camping equipment.

 

 

 

 

SplatterTribe: I ask each Miss for a question to ask a future Miss, so this question comes from Miss July Monica Rea Autumn and her question is...

 

--Do you prefer to dominate in the bedroom or are you more likely to take orders? You've got to pick one! And why? 

 

April: I WILL dominate if I CAN dominate, but I prefer to be with someone who has the strength to dominate me.  But they have to really have it.  I don't just hand those reigns over.  You gotta fight for it, otherwise, I'm in charge.

 

 

 

 

SplatterTribe: Do you have a good, random question I can ask a future Miss?

 

April: What kind / color of panties are you wearing right now?

 

 

 

 

SplatterTribe: Do you have a question you would like to ask me?

 

April: see above.

 

(Tribe Note: What the...? Huh? It's bare to the air for me!)

 

 

 

SplatterTribe: If someone was going to make a collectible toy of you, would you want it to be Barbie Doll Style, Voodoo Doll Style, Porcelain Doll Style, Raggedy Anne Style, Blow Up Doll Style or Statue Collectors Style? Also what would it be wearing and what accessories would come with it?

 

April: Either Raggedy Ann style or Statue Collectors.  Either way, it would come with a chainsaw (of course!), a large knife, a straight razor, and possibly a few different stockings.  If Raggedy-style, the weapons would be plush as well.

 

 

 

 

SplatterTribe: Do you believe...

 

April: --in ghosts? yes

--in UFOs? I don't count it out.

--in conspiracy theories? who asked you to ask me that!? Are they listening right now?

--in Sasquatch? see UFO's

--in Zombies? haven't seen any yet.

--that the world will end in 2012? It would surprise the hell outta me.  I once lived with some folks who were solidly convinced the world would end in May 1998... I wonder what they did in June 1998...

--in 2nd chances? always

--in miracles?  of course

--in magic? yes yes yes

--in Karma? yes

--that we landed on the moon? yes

--in reincarnation? yes- it's a possibility anyway

--that dreams mean something? sometimes

--everything you hear? no

--everything you see? no

 

 

 

 

SplatterTribe: What are some Halloween costumes you wore growing up?

 

April: Casper the Friendly Ghost, a genie, a gypsy, a vampire, a pumpkin, a pirate, an alien, Cleopatra, Death, spider Queen, school girl, witch, Chainsaw Sally (it was a fan's party... I felt obligated), a magician (my baby was a sharp-toothed bunny), a female Freddy Krueger, a vampire again (25 years later...)... that's all I can remember right now.

 

 

 

 

SplatterTribe: Do you have any tattoos? If so, what, where and who did it? If not, any plans to? 

 

April: Yes.  I have a moon on my right foot to symbolize Wicca, a Christian fish on my left foot from the days I followed that path ( I intend to get that one expanded to be the Unitarian Universalist chalice and flame) and on my back is a complex image that I drew up.  It's made up of Celtic knotwork, stars, a dragonfly, water drop, crescent moons, and a Cheshire Cat.  It all means something.  It was carved onto me by an old friend named Buz at Bob's Tattoo in Malaga, New Jersey.

 

 

 

 

SplatterTribe: Songwriting time! I'll write the first verse to a song and then you write the next verse...

 

Should you open the door and let me in

Or should you shut it in my face

Will you lay the key to your heart in my hand

Or will I steal it away

 

April: If your life is in my hands,

Will you see it shatter to the floor

Will you cringe from me and cry

Or beg for just one more

 

 

 

 

SplatterTribe: Any closing comments concerning anything you want said, known, printed or shown?

 

April: Just a big thank you to all the fans, friends and family that have been there for us so far!  Any who want to know more can find us at:

 

www.forbiddenpictures.net  

or

www.chainsawsallyshow.com

 

Keep your eyes peeled for the new release of Season 1 of The Chainsaw Sally Show from Troma!