"It’s insane. I’ve seen it and I just sat there on the edge of my seat and I was there filming it and I know what’s going on! I know what’s coming next! But the scares and the gores are just so nasty in this one. It’ll rock your world."- Jessica Stroup
Despite having to wake up early on a Saturday morning for the New York City Comic Convention, young actresses Daniella Alonso and Jessica Stroup were in high spirits about talking about their new movie, “The Hills Have Eyes 2.” Alonso and Stroup, both having done independent horror films earlier in their careers, star as National Guard soldiers who fall prey to mountain mutants while out in the desert on a training mission.
We talked to Stroup and Alonso briefly as the film’s co-writer and producer, mastermind Wes Craven, was talking to a group of reporters complementing the stars.
Q: How did you two get involved with this film?
JESSICA: How did I get involved? You know what? It’s a funny story. I was filming something for CBS called “Vampire Bats.” The director of that [movie] knew the directors and got me in the door and I read for [“The Hills Have Eyes 2”]. It’s funny because they wanted a blonde and as you can see, I’m not so it took a few reads and meetings to convince them that I was their girl.
DANIELA: My agent basically just sent it to me and said, “It’s a Wes Craven film” and I auditioned and got it.
Q: You two aren’t new to the horror genre are you?
JESSICA: No, it’s not. I’ve had quiet a few. (Laughs) I’ve had a couple of independent horror films. They’re all scary in their own way but this is the biggest one.
DANIELA: I was in one called “Snoop Dogg’s House of Horror” and I have “Wrong Turn 2” coming up.
Q: Are you fans of the horror genre?
JESSICA: I loved “Pet Semetary.” I loved the “Scream” movies, obviously. Anything that’s crazy. The one last year, the first one, I loved too.
DANIELA: I’m a huge fan of that stuff. I feel like it’s a little more freeing. It’s less stress and everyone is there to have a good time and get people scared. It’s a great energy. I grew up watching “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Scream.”
Q: It seems like you two get banged up in this movie…
JESSICA: Totally. It’s funny because half of it is action and half of it is horror. This, every day for three and a half months, we were just running around in Morocco, yelling and screaming and covered in blood. It starts out quick at the beginning and keeps going with the horror and action.
DANIELA: It was rough at first. We kind of all got used to it eventually but you have 30 tons of gear on, helmet and weapons and you’re running up and down cliffs and mountains in the desert.
Q: Was that tough?
DANIELA: There would be days where you would have to lift your head up first in order to get out of bed or else your body wasn’t going to get up.
Q: Can you talk about the characters you two play?
JESSICA: My character is Amber. She’s a young national guard coming in and there’s some possible love connections in there. She’s got a really good arc because at the beginning, she’s a girl’s girl and you see her walk in, take shape and really become a person. I liked the strong force she has in herself to save her [friends].
DANIELA: I play Missy Martinez and she’s a young mother. She’s really tough. She’s kind of like the bad ass. She’s not really there to make friends but she’s there to do her job and go home to her son. She makes a little mistake and gets captured.
Q: What was it like working with the rest of the cast?
JESSICA: Oh my God, I loved it. The people were amazing. I think we were representing 37 countries or something like that. But you’re filming a horror movie in these extreme conditions and it adds to everything.
DANIELA: They were great. We had so much fun. The first week we were there, it was all just military training so we all bonded. We almost passed out and that kind of thing. We all stayed at the same hotel and we all hit it off.
Q: So does this one outdo all the other horror films you have done?
JESSICA: It’s insane. I’ve seen it and I just sat there on the edge of my seat and I was there filming it and I know what’s going on! I know what’s coming next! But the scares and the gores are just so nasty in this one. It’ll rock your world.
"The Hills Have Eyes 2" is now playing in theaters everywhere.