Late Night Classics – Twice Dead

I’m a red blooded American guy that is not ashamed to show his love for the guilty pleasures the horror genre has to offer. All you have to do to catch my attention is have a pretty girl in distress, throw some musical stingers, add a little violence and nudity and I’m game. In 1988, an aberrant little film was released called Twice Dead, it starred Jill Whitlow as a girl whose family inherits an old mansion that is haunted by the spirit of a not too friendly ghost. The restless soul is an old-time stage actor named Tyler Walker, who committed suicide by hanging himself after losing the love of his life to another man. There is the added threat of a street gang who wants the house for themselves.

You are probably saying to yourself I know the name Jill Whitlow. Well, you should, because she was in Weird Science, Porky’s, Mask, and had a butt-kicking role as Cynthia Cronenberg in Fred Dekker’s 1986 classic Night of the Creeps. Only recently did I find out she worked with Roland Emmerich long before he made the big budget spectacles 2012, ID4, and Godzilla. The film is called Ghost Chase, a project that reunited her with Creeps co-star Jason Lively. Jill was sweet enough to grant this scribe an interview about her lost film that is ripe for rediscovery.

Jason Bene: How did you get the part in Twice Dead? Where the filmmakers looking for a certain look for the dual role?

Jill Whitlow: [Laughs] I think they were just looking for the girl next door, which is pretty much what I always play. I play these naive girls and I guess because I have a certain naive personality in real life. I’m the funnest person to pull jokes on because I fall for them all. It kind of stinks in a way because I’m a major target. Of course, I read and interviewed for it, and in the 80′s I was pretty popular in the B-movie era and I got it and it was really cool.

Jason Bene: You’ve always had the girl next door good looks and confidence that makes guys stumble over themselves. Is that easy to project on screen?

Jill Whitlow: Well, thank you. Oh God, that’s a difficult question. It’s not a difficult role to play, it’s not a real meaty character. I will tell you on the flip side of that though, I did an episode of Freddy’s Nightmares [Mother's Day] when it was on TV and I had to play a real sleazebag, very sexual, that girl that lives across the street that justs wants to use this guy and comes on to him sexually and all that. That’s was a little difficult I must say because it was not really what I usually am cast as, so, I guess the naive girl next door is not as juicy as those roles so it is easier to play.

Jason Bene: Your character is sexy and vulnerable but still knows how to take care of herself. She can be seen as the antithesis of women in 80′s horror films. She’s a fighter.

Jill Whitlow: It’s funny that you mention that because that comes out a lot. I had this really nice guy in Canada that I communicated with on a certain level through the website he built for me, it’s the Jill Whitlow fan site, and he turned out to be a really nice guy, a really great friend. When I first realized that it was up on my computer it shocked me because I didn’t know that people actually understood that I was tough, Jason [Lively] had to push my a little bit. I’m telling you I got that flamethrower in my hand and I was just like, “Whoa, this is really cool.” I was like I don’t want to finish shooting, I want to kill another zombie.

Jason Bene: You did partial nudity in Night of the Creeps, and there seemed like there were scenes here that were going that route but didn’t? Was there pressure from the filmmakers to have some?

Jill Whitlow: No, not at all. On the commentary for Night of the Creeps Michael [Felsher] asked me the same question. I’ve never done nudity and in all my contracts I refused to do nudity. In the Creeps contract there was no nudity, but what they wanted me to do was to put on my nightgown and then take my bra off. I thought that doesn’t work, that sounds ridiculous to me. I don’t mind if you guys don’t mind, just don’t show a whole lot and if it’s in good taste I don’t mind. We got together and talked about it and they cleared off the set except for Fred [Dekker] and the cameraman. Jason [Lively] and Steve [Marshall] joked there were hiding under the bed. I didn’t want it to look like I was trying to hide something because when you do that, that’s what it looks like. Your body is your body and I think a woman’s body is a beautiful thing that God created, I’m not saying flaunt it and show it to the world. If something arises like that situation, and it’s done in good taste and in a blink of an eye it’s gone, I didn’t mind it.

Jason Bene: Were you worried about being pigeonholed as a horror actress after doing several genre films in a row?

Jill Whitlow: I wasn’t at all. I did a couple of shows where I played a hooker, then I got a lead role on a show called Tribes [1990] that got cancelled after six months.  It was on FOX and it was one of those new teenage soap operas that was based on pregnancy, drugs and alcohol – all the negatives that a teenager can go through and it wasn’t a whole lot of positives.  I was kind of cast as the big sister of them all and they would come into my restaurant for advice. That was a neat role, that was a really cool role. I wasn’t worried about that at all because I had done such a variety through TV and film.

Jason Bene: [Laughs] The family cat Meow was huge. Did you ever get tired of holding it?

Jill Whitlow: No, I didn’t. He was such a great cat. Of course he was trained and just sat there and cuddled the whole time. He wasn’t that heavy and was really nice. I was very upset when they [punks] tried to kill him. I grew attached to him.

Jason Bene: When the director yells action and you have to look frightened, is that easy to pull off or can it be traumatic?

Jill Whitlow: It’s easy for me. It’s all part of the script, you practice it and read it at home and think of things that frighten you. You block out the camera and things you are supposed to look at and think of something really scary.

Jason Bene: The Tyler house is quite creepy and has an ambience to it, where was it located and how was it filming inside of it?

Jill Whitlow: It was located in East L.A. and it was in shambles, but it was so cool, the feel of the house was like when you walk into an old creepy house that has so much personality. It was a really cool house. As with any set they always had police officers to guard the cast and crew and we were filming in gang [The Bloods] territory. My brother and I walked out with blue shirts so they had to really guard us let some of the people around us know that it’s a film. That was really interesting.

Jason Bene: Any interesting stories about working with Different Strokes star Todd Bridges?

Jill Whitlow: He is so sweet. No stories really, he’s just a really fun guy, a sweetheart. He was very professonal yet joked around on the set alot. I liked him alot, he was really sweet.

Jason Bene: My favorite part of the film is where you set a trap for the gang trying to take over your house with props you created. That looked like alot of fun.

Jill Whitlow: It was fun but of course it’s film and the props were created for me. That was a really fun part of the film, especially because we were all friends and to see them have to fall for the trick was a fun part of the show.

Jason Bene: [Director] Bert L. Dragin only directed two films, Twice Dead and Summer Camp Nightmare. I wonder why he stopped making movies?

Jill Whitlow: Unlike Fred [Dekker] who I became such great friends with and am today. I don’t know what happened to him, I’ve heard stories that he was not really a director, that was not his ambition to direct, he kind of did it as a favor. I don’t think he’s in the industry anymore.

Jason Bene: Twice Dead is stuck in distribution hell and has never been released on DVD, maybe it’s time to get a petition going. I heard Roger Corman owns it and some of his catalog is getting released this year.

Jill Whitlow: Maybe you should start a petition, Jason. There is talk about doing Twice Dead on DVD. Michael Felsher, the guy who produced the DVD for Night of the Creeps told me to get ready because there might be some activity on it.

Jason Bene: Are you a fan of horror films? If so, what are some of your favorites you like to curl up to?

Jill Whitlow: I love horror films! I absolutely love them. The Shining I love. I was really young when I saw The Omen, but I loved it when I saw it and I think I slept with my mom for a year. She put a hold on horror films for a while for me.

Jason Bene: My mom didn’t mind that I watched horror films as a kid, but movies that dealt with Satan weren’t happening.

Jill Whitlow: Ones like that are so mind boggling because it could be real, people can be born with three sixes on their head and be possessed because you’ve heard of it. The one movie that scared me to death was The Strangers with Liv Tyler. I love movies that play with your mind and keep you in suspense. My son has made me watch every single Saw movie that was ever made. He is a huge fan.

Jason Bene: How does he feel about mom being a horror star?

Jill Whitlow: He thinks it’s so cool. He’s 16 now and when I did my fist show in Orlando he came the last day. I think that’s when he first realized mommy did do these movies and people know mom. When I walk into a room and people are like oh my gosh you are Jill Whitlow and my son is like yeah, so. Now I’m the cool mom!

I’d like to thank Jill Whitlow for giving such an awesome interview and look for future retrospectives on Night of The Creeps and Ghost Chase.