Award-winning actress Honey Lauren, known for her roles in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Wives of the Skies, and “Deadwood,” and seventy-five other projects, sat down with us to talk about her role in the supernatural indie film Sweet Taste of Souls which is out now on streaming services.
Directed by Terry Ross, the film follows four struggling band members who stop at a lonely roadside cafe for a slice of pie they find themselves imprisoned in the deranged cafe owner’s (Honey Lauren) bizarre art collection and must battle a sinister force with an appetite for souls.
Horror Fuel: “If you will tell our readers about Sweet Taste of Souls?”
Honey Lauren: “Sweet Taste of Souls is a horror feature. It takes place in a small mountain town in California. It’s about these kids who are in a band and they stop at this pie shop, which I own. Throughout her life, terrible things have happened to her. She has become what one might call evil. She traps people in pictures for years. The band has to find a way out of her trap in the photo. The ending definitely leaves it open for a sequel.
They did a beautiful job, the filmmakers. The writer, director, and producers are all lovely people and are great to work with.”
Horror Fuel: “What is your favorite memory from filming?
Honey Lauren: “I really enjoyed working with one particular actor, Thom Mulligan. When I got there, he was the first person I got to work with. He really set the tone and standard for what we were doing. He’s such a good actor. Working with him is such a fond memory. We’re still in close contact and we want to work together again. That was the very first day. I just love him. I’m so glad that I got to know him and work with him. It was really fun. We had several scenes together. There was one scene, we didn’t know how seductive it would become [laughter]. He did a great job. We all stayed in a big house together which is crazy. It was a big mountain house. Everybody stayed together. It was like a bigger summer camp. There were many fun nights.”
Horror Fuel: “That sounds like a lot of fun. Where did you draw from for your character?”
Honey Lauren: “That’s a good question. I mean, I feel like everything that I do comes from a place of reality. But I’m an actress who does things in the moment. I certainly have had bizarre moments in my life and deep sadness, I had to go in with that in mind.
Even though there is a good bit of horror, there is so much comedy that we embraced. But there is a great deal of sadness in this story with this character. Going there I was not comfortable but by going there it had to happen for this character to come out properly. I went through a lot of emotions on set.”
Horror Fuel: “How does your character Ellinore put her victims in the pictures?”
Honey Lauren: “There is a magic quality to it. She does have a camera. It’s all never fully explained. She is able to download the pictures from her camera to the picture form, right? And once she’s put them in a frame the people are trapped. They get disappeared from their lives. There is an evil quality to it. There’s another character in the movie that I do voice work for. It’s like the house is talking to her. You think her pet bird is talking to her, but it’s not. There is an evil that lives there, in this place.
Cherry pie is a big piece of the story. My character is famous for her pies. She’s got a pie shop and people come in but don’t come out.
The producer ended up filming in this town called Julian that is actually famous for its pies. When they wrote the script they had no intention of doing that, but it’s great. If you go to Julian, California, you’ll see for or five pie shops on every corner, for real. They are famous for it. We were able to get one of the pie shops to film the movie in. It’s pretty amazing. The director, Terry Ross, actually lived in that mountain town where we shot it, so the pie place is real.”
Horror Fuel: “Awesome! Who doesn’t love pie? What would you like to see the audience learn from the film?”
Honey Lauren: “I just hope that they have a really good time, but there are a lot of good messages in there. With my character Ellinore there’s a lot about the domestic violence she’s experienced, her abuse, and how she got where she is. If even one person sees it as a message to get out of their situation that they are in, that would be amazing. I’m not sure if that was the main purpose of the movie.”
Horror Fuel: “That’s an important message to get across. I think the statistics are that one in three women will experience domestic abuse. That’s horrific to think about.”
Honey Lauren: “I think people will understand and not come to hate her for what she does. They will see that this character came from a terrible place. She uses her sexuality to get what she needs because she doesn’t know any other way. It’s always worked for her. But the film is really striking. F. Scott Mudgett really did a good job with the writing on that.”
Horror Fuel: “Speaking of sexuality, you had a hot role in the vampire movie of all vampire movies, Bram Stoker’s Dracula.”
Honey Lauren: “That was my second real job.”
Horror Fuel: “What was it like being on that set?”
Honey Lauren: “It was really fun. It’s a big-budget film. When we shot Dracula it was shot in the studio. It was a real old school studio and it was huge. It was so much fun to shoot in there. They were so kind to us on every level. I had once where they painted me, completely airbrushed my body to look like a snake. That was challenging I remember when it was over there were like five ladies helping me to get the paint off in a big bathtub on the studio lot. There were so kind to me because after all day in paint you can start feeling a little freaky. I had been in that makeup for twelve hours. I was starting to get a little freaked out. I don’t know why, but there is something about the paint that drives you crazy. But it was a great experience. It’s such a high profile film. Coppola was such a kind man, his whole family is kind. They’re such good people. We all had so much fun.”
Horror Fuel: “I can’t even imagine being a part of a film like that. And it’s fantastic that you had such a good experience. I hear so many Hollywood horror stories, it’s refreshing to hear that everyone involved with Dracula are good people.
Have you already found your next project?”
Honey Lauren: “I have two films coming out. One is called Lyla which is a thriller coming out in 2021. The other – I worked with Paul McCarthy, a wonderful artist who makes lots of features. It’s called Night Vader. I don’t know if you know his work but it a war on the mind. And the film I’m shooting is a western. It’s exciting!”
Horror Fuel: “You’ve been busy then. I look forward to seeing your new films.”
Honey Lauren: “Thank you. I have another that was just released on Video On Demand called Wives of the Skies, set in the 1960s. It won about forty film awards. It’s more of a comedy but it features the Japanese art of binding. It’s a really fun piece that takes place in the sky.”
Horror Fuel: “Awesome!”
Follow Honey Lauren on Facebook and Instagram for more on this talented actress who I must say was a pleasure to talk with. Sweet Taste of Souls is out now on digital and streaming platforms.
