Katarina Leigh Waters is a pretty busy lady, what with her wrestling career on the rise and all that, so when the opportunity came to pick her brain about her work with Scorpion Releasing on the new Katarina's Nightmare Theater line of horror DVD releases, we here at Rock! Shock! Pop! HQ knew we couldn't pass up that opportunity. With two releases out so far (at the time of this writing cult slasher Final Exam and the Joan Collins/evil midget movie The Devil Within Her have both been released) and more on the way, fans are sure to dig what Katarina and Scorpion are doing. So without further ado, how about I shut up and let the lady do the talking?
-Ian Jane
Rock! Shock! Pop! - So you're best known as a championship wrestler. How does a nice girl like you wind up a queen of the ring? How did you get into wrestling?
Katarina Leigh Waters - How do you know I'm a nice girl..?? I was just a big wrestling fan and decided that I should give it a go myself… found a school… learned all the right moves… and loved it! After that one thing just led to another and here I am TNA Knockouts Champion!! I guess I got very lucky.
R!S!P! - Well, obviously you worked pretty hard to get where you are now. You've competed all over the United States in a few different leagues but also competed on the international circuit. How does the wrestling scene overseas compare to the wrestling scene in North America?
KW - I think the independent circuit is pretty much comparable in both countries… the main difference is that here in the States there are two companies that are big enough that you can actually make a good living working for them, and you get to be on national TV which is, of course, exhilarating.
R!S!P! - When you lived in England, you worked on a film called Welcome To Hell. What was this movie about and what was that experience like? You directed it, right?
KW - I wrote and directed and produced it and unfortunately it never got finished, as we were close to completing the first edit and the hard drive got stolen… I got busy with some other opportunities right after, so I didn't have the time to start again, but the original tapes are still in existence, so I may still get the chance to cut it all together finally. Or I may just re-shoot the whole thing! Which is why I cannot give away the concept/story just yet.
R!S!P! - Understood. You've also done some modeling work. Is this something you plan to do more of in the future? You're very photogenic and the camera obviously loves you.
KW - Most of my 'modeling work' has been limited to wrestling photo shoots really, or getting together with a photographer friend and shooting for fun so… It's not necessarily something I pursue… I enjoy it, but focus more on my main ambitions.
R!S!P! - Well for what it's worth, the camera loves you. You've recently started a new career as a horror hostess for Scorpion Releasing's line of Katarina's Nightmare Theater DVDs, primarily horror and B-films. How did this come about?
KW - Walter Olsen (editor's note - Walter Olsen is the CEO of Scorpion Releasing) found me on IMDB and contacted me from there... he asked me if I would be interested in hosting some movies he was re-releasing on DVD and I said, sure, sounds like fun! And I was right, it is fun, and a lot more challenging and informative than initially anticipated! Which is obviously a bonus too.
R!S!P! - Not content just to do introductions and outro's for the movies, you also participated in the commentary track for the Final Exam DVD. Are you going to be helping out on other supplemental extra features on these releases?
KW - Yes, I have been hosting interviews for AMERICAN NIGHTMARE, HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW, and commentaries for HUMONGOUS, SURVIVOR, SNAPSHOT, DOUBLE EXPOSURE, LA IS MY HOME, AMERICAN NIGHTMARE etc..
KW - I wouldn't have considered myself a big connoisseur of the genre as it were, but I have always enjoyed a good thriller… At first I wasn't sure what to expect and a little apprehensive of watching a bunch of horror films but was pleasantly surprised how the films turned out to be more often than not less slasher and more character driven, slower paced and intense thrillers… I find myself enjoying the research and am getting more and more into it.
R!S!P! - It can definitely get addictive! So far The Devil Within Her and Final Exam have been released, with Humongous, The Carpenter, American Nightmare, The House On Sorority Row and Incubus in the works. Out of these releases, which one is your favorite so far and why?
KW - I think I like American Nightmare because it's a 'whodunnit' kind of thriller as well as a horror and deals with a lot of different social-critical themes… I also liked the way The House on Sorority Row dealt with the issue of guilt and was chuffed that I got to interview Kate McNeil, who played the lead… She is a stunning lady!
R!S!P! - Are there any other releases coming out in the line that haven't been announced yet?
KW - Yes, look out for FANTASIST, WHISPERS, SNAPSHOT, SATAN'S SLAVE, DEVIL'S MEN/TERROR, SURVIVOR, and DOUBLE EXPOSURE!
R!S!P! - Excellent, thanks for the scoop. So fans have got a lot to look forward to in the coming months then. Next question - have your skills as a wrestler come in handy as a horror hostess?
KW - Just in so far as being a wrestler has gotten me used to speaking on camera… that is a great plus, as the camera can be daunting at first, but I am now quite comfortable in front of it. My work as an actress has been similarly handy, and also, of course, has prepared me for memorizing long scripts.
KW - I have completed a short film called Project Guardian (www.project-guardian.com) in which I play the Serpent Queen and that should be released soon… I also have a couple of other acting opportunities in the works, details to follow, so watch out for those!
R!S!P! - Some day I too hope to play a serpent queen! If you could release ONE movie under the Scorpion line, what would it be and why?
KW - Probably… Near Dark. I don't know if it counts as a horror film but… it is almost definitely the best vampire movie ever and one of my favorite films of all time!
R!S!P! - That's a pretty damn respectable pick and it definitely counts. Who comes up with the skits and ideas that you act out before each movie? They're very well done and find that right mix of fun comedy without ever coming across as disrespectful to the films or their fans.
KW - Well thank you, I'm glad you feel that way!
Walt gives me the facts about the films, and I usually come up with the skits at the beginning and also my thoughts of the film at the end of the segments, and I do genuinely enjoy the films and the quality of writing, so to trash them would to me be counterproductive.
R!S!P! - How are the movies that appear in the Katarina's Nightmare Theater line picked - do you have any input into the selection process?
KW - Usually Walter picks them, but sometimes he gives me screeners, and if I like them, then he picks them up!
R!S!P! - Anything else you'd like to mention before signing off?
KW - Yes, I would like to thank everyone for their support and interest which makes it possible for me to live my dreams… please check out my fansite, follow me on twitter everybody, @dawgkilla, and of course, most importantly, buy all the Katarina's Nightmare DVD's! Buy them en masse!!
And when Katarina speaks, you'd better listen! Thanks to Katarina for taking the time out of her schedule to accommodate us, thanks to Walter Olsen for helping to arrange this, and thanks to Alison Jane for making the fancy banner up there at the top of the page.