Some Kind of Hate is currently playing in select theaters. The film tells the story of a group of troubled youths at a counseling camp in the desert who get killed off by a razor-blade-wearing ghost bent on revenge. Actress Grace Phipps stars in the film alongside Ronen Rubinstein, Spencer Breslin, and Sierra McCormick. We spoke with her about horror films and what it was like to survive a slasher movie. Keep an eye out for more great work from Grace Phipps and go check out Some Kind of Hate, playing now.
Relentless bullying has turned Lincoln’s life into a nightmare. But he soon learns the true meaning of terror when he is sent to a remote school for troubled teens and the harassments start all over again. Only this time, someone is watching – a teenage girl named Moira who was driven to suicide by vicious bullying years ago. When Lincoln accidentally summons Moira from the grave, he unleashes a vengeful and unstoppable force on a mission of blood-soaked revenge.
How did you get involved in Some Kind of Hate?
Grace Phipps: I got the script before I took the meeting. It’d had different drafts and a different title and then nothing really happened. Then it showed up in my inbox again and this time it was called Some Kind of Hate and I wondered if this writer and director were into The Misfits. And I think when we sat down I mentioned the reference and nobody else had noticed this.
So I read it and talked with the director for a really long time and met with Ronen and we started rehearsal. It was kind of cool. One of the weird things about being cast in this movie was meeting the roster of people involved.
How was it working with such a diverse cast?
GP: We were out in the desert and we had this cabin we all hung out in. We really didn’t have individual actor spaces. For the most part, if you have an isolated place, it’s sort of nice to have a communal vibe. I had met some of the people in the cast and it was a really fun job actually. It didn’t really feel like there was a lot of non-synergy on set.
Did you guys wind up having a good time shooting the film?
GP: Yeah, definitely. I was talking to Spencer yesterday; I met him on the job and he’s one of my best friends now. I see him all the time and every time I mention him to my mother she has to remind me how handsome he is, which I can agree with. (laughs) I’ve known Sierra for a long time. She had this three-episode arc on Supernatural and she played Lillith, this really evil demon in a beautiful, blonde and angelic child’s body; and it was a performance that my mother and I talked about as being one of the better performances of the whole series.
So, I’d watched her work way back when I was in high school. It was really fun to be able to sit down and work together on this and she was really talented. I can’t really see anybody else in that role.
Are you a fan of horror films and ghost stories?
GP: Yeah, I really am. I’m not super into the torture porn stuff, I just can’t handle it. My dad let me see The Haunting from 1963 way too early in life, and also The Pit and the Pendulum and I’m still haunted by Barbara Steele’s eyes. I really like suspense in movies. I don’t really like rom-coms. But that being said, as an audience member I really like horror films and actress I really like working with fake blood; I think it’s so fun. I love it. It pays really well too. So yeah, I like horror movies.
How was it shooting the scenes with all the fake blood and gore effects?
GP: What was actually really fun about the shooting process was we started with all the dialogue and human contact scenes. My first two days on set were just sitting in various places with Ronen and he’s just so handsome (said like a Michigan native in a Coen brothers film). Make sure to put it in there that I said that with the accent.
Have you gotten to see any reactions to the film during screenings?
GP: I actually only got to go to the Stanley festival. It’s really fun to see the work you did with the people that you know and see the crowd react. I really really liked this movie. I’m happy about it. We had a good time making it. It’s cool.