P.J. Soles appeared in two of the most iconic horror films of the 1970s. First, she played a bully who gets her comeuppance in Carrie, then she starred as the totally fun-loving Lynda in Halloween. After her horror work, Soles had the lead role in the hit teen movie Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, and then played opposite Bill Murray in Stripes. She returned to horror in 2005 for a cameo in Rob Zombie’s The Devil’s Rejects, and has since done a few more horror films, like Candy Corn.

Soles was a guest at Creature Feature Weekend, and as the con was wrapping up on Sunday afternoon, she sat down with Scoop to share behind the scenes stories on some of her best known movies.

Scoop: Are you having a good weekend?
P.J. Soles (PJS): Absolutely. This is an awesome Creature Feature Weekend. I love it.

Scoop: Are you a horror fan?
PJS: I don’t really watch horror movies, except the ones I’m in and maybe some friends. So, I’d have to say no. (laughs)

Scoop: Did you read Carrie the novel before filming? What did you think when you first read the script?
PJS: The answer to that is no, I wasn’t a Stephen King fan. That was really the beginning of his streak. When I read the script, there was only one line for my character, Norma, and then when I did get to the book, there was no Norma. So that was kind of confusing. I’m glad that Brian De Palma cast me and my red hat. I made more of Norma than there was for Brian and the writing in the script. I always wondered if Stephen King saw the movie and thought, “Well I didn’t write that girl Norma, but I like her.”

Scoop: She’s a memorable character.
PJS: Because of the red hat! (laughs) That was my hat, and I wore it to the audition, but every time I’d come to the set, Brian would say, “Where’s your hat?” and I’d say, “Okay, I’m getting my hat.” Even with the prom dress. I came out without it and he asked, “Where’s your hat?” and I said, “To the prom?” and he “Norma always wears her hat.”

Scoop: What was it like to film the big prom scene?
PJS: That was awesome. It was a couple of weeks in Culver City Studios. We always had to be there every day, because you never knew when you might be in the background and Brian would pull you in. Sometimes they’d change up certain sequences and how they’re filming. We each had our own dressing room and would hang out around the perimeter of the set up for the prom. It was like going to a real prom, it was exciting. I loved the decorations. It was really a good time until the firehose, of course.

Scoop: I’ve read about the firehose.
PJS: Well, the fire chief didn’t want to man the hose, so the stunt director said he would do it and I guess they turned it on a little fully force than intended. When I turned my head, the full blast of the water went in my ear and broke my eardrum and that really hurt. For about six months, I had minimal pain and I can hear better than ever, so luckily it’s okay. At first, it was pretty scary. That was the last scene. After you see that firehose hit me, I didn’t have anything else to shoot after that, then Norma was out. You can see me wince, that was the moment. I can’t watch that.

Scoop: As far as your film career goes, was that the most brutal thing that happened?
PJS: Oh yeah.

Scoop: What was the most fun thing about filming Halloween?
PJS: I think for me it was getting the chance to play a fun girl like Lynda. She just had so much spunk. She was the cool girl. Laurie was the straight girl, Annie was kind of midway, and Lynda was all out. She actually went with Bob and smoked cigarettes and drank beer. I was not like that as a teenager, so it was a nice fun thing to explore. It’s always fun to be the loudest, the bravest of the girls in the trio. We had such an instant camaraderie. It was like we had always known each other from day one. I loved Debra Hill and John Carpenter, they worked very silently. It was a quiet, intimate, loving set. It was like making a movie with your family. 

Scoop: What was the most challenging part of that movie?
PJS: Walking in those high cork shoes, those platform shoes. I like sandals and flat shoes and at that time I was pretty tall, and they made me even taller. They were kind of hard, especially down the cracked sidewalks of Pasadena. (laughs)

Scoop: Did you get scared filming any scenes?
PJS: No, everybody asks that. In fact, when I’m getting strangled I had to ask Nick Castle to pull harder on the telephone cord because he kept tickling my neck to the point that the first two takes I’m literally laughing. I wish John would show the outtakes. I’m sure I’m laughing very loudly. By the third time I was like, “C’mon, just do it a little harder.” Nick was like, “I don’t want to hurt you.” I said, “You’re not going to hurt me. I can’t die this way!”

Scoop: At what point did you realize Carrie and Halloween had become iconic horror films?
PJS: Well, through the conventions, I guess, and it’s been growing ever since. It’s amazing. It’s so fantastic. It’s like a family thing – they bring their kids and their grandkids. They just keep getting younger and younger. It’s just really amazing. I think it was probably, at least 15 years ago when I started doing conventions and learned the power of one little movie or two little movies. And even my other movies like Rock ‘n’ Roll High School and Stripes. They’re the iconic movies from the ‘70s and ‘80s, much like music is long lasting. The better it is, the longer it lasts, I guess. I’m just honored to be a part of it.

Scoop: Rock ‘n’ Roll High School is such an iconic teen movie. What was it like to film it?
PJS: That was great too, obviously. I was the lead and that was going to be my last teenage role because I’m a lot older than most of the people in these movies. I got a late start. I moved from Manhattan when I was 25, so I was 25 when I did Carrie. A lot of the people who did Carrie were in their early 20s. In Halloween, Jamie [Lee Curtis] was 19 and I was already 27. Big age difference there.

Rock ‘n’ Roll High School was just full of joy, full of energy. Again, a low budget movie, but directed and written by great people. [Director] Allan Arkush had his vision, he had cut trailers for Roger Corman and Roger was giving him his big chance to do a movie with a $300,000 budget. Originally, they wanted Cheap Trick, and Allan said, “No, no it has to be The Ramones.” He gave me a cassette and it was crazy because I’d been listening to the Eagles and Joni Mitchell, all those people and suddenly you put on The Ramones and it sounded like noise to me. Eventually, I realized it was cool and when I saw them do the concert scenes, I was like, “Well, they’re interesting.” I still wasn’t sold on the music. It took me a long time to become a real Ramones fan, but now I am. 

Scoop: What was it like taking on a more adult role for Stripes?
PJS: That was a studio picture, it was awesome. I had just finished another movie, Soggy Bottom, U.S.A., and I flew to Fort Knox, Kentucky for the audition. Then I flew back home. Next day I was on a plane going back out because they had already started filming. Ivan Reitman was a great director, Harold Ramis was wonderful, so funny. Bill [Murray] was what you expected. Bill was a little moody, have to say, but brilliant when we were filming. The kitchen scene – he just led the way and I followed him. In his downtime he just kind of keeps quiet and to himself, but everybody else – John Candy, Harold Ramis, John Larroquette, Judge Reinhold – it was a great group of guys. And we were at a real army base in Fort Knox. It was spectacular.

Scoop: I can image it was fun being on the set with those guys.
PJS: It was, it was really great. And then we had real soldiers there too as extras. For about a week we did the get up at 5 AM and do the run. I did it for a week. Bill said he would do it with me and he lasted about three days. But I kept up for a week. (laughs)

Scoop: The Devil’s Rejects is such a gritty horror movie. Was your scene with Captain Spaulding as intense as it looked?
PJS: Well, you know, you’re making a movie so everything is more in slow motion. There’s a stunt woman when they do that actual hit and the falling down. It was intense in the acting of it and the realism that Sid Haig brought to it. For that part, it was just excellent. Even with the little boy, we started out in a little shop and he’s my son and we’re walking out, Sid interrupts us. Before we did the take I told the little boy, “I’m sure you’re mom told you that this is going to be pretty intense.” And he said, “I know, I know, it’s acting.” But I think when he got in the car and Sid says, “I’m going to kill your whole family” and the boy burst into tears. I think that really got to him. He looked terribly terrified. I looked him up on IMDb and he didn’t act after that, so I think it probably scared him. It was a great day and Rob Zombie was great.

Scoop: Rob Zombie has such a unique aesthetic and I’m curious what it’s like to work with him.
PJS: Well again, he was like John Carpenter in the way that it was a very intimate set, softspoken. He has kind of a cool sense of humor. I found him to be another one of those directors that loves his actors. Some directors use their actors, “You’re my property, this is what I want you to do.” Others let the actors be who they want to be, they found their way to the character and just lets them be. I had brought the CD I had just gotten that week, it was from a band called Local H and had an album called, Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles? Being that Rob was a music guy, I thought I’d give him the CD and hope he likes it. Well, he played it all day long. Whenever there was a break, it was blasting out.

Then at lunch, I’m sitting there and he brings me an armload of posters and photographs for me to sign. And I’m like, “Is this why you hired me?” (laughs) Because Rob likes his retro actors. He always hires the people he watched growing up. So this is the opportunity to work with them. It’s so funny. I had two bites of salad and the rest, I signed photos and posters for Rob Zombie. (laughs)

Scoop: Hey, if I was directing a horror movie, I’d be doing the same thing. I’d be calling you and a bunch of other actors from the great ’70s and ’80s horror movies, like, this is my dream cast.
PJS: (laughs and claps)

Scoop: What do you have coming up?
PJS: I don’t do acting that much anymore, unless it’s a special project. I did Candy Corn a few years back. I really liked the writer-director, Josh Hasty. He pretty much already had the movie in the can, so it was a yes. Sometimes I’ll say yes, but I have to really, really love it because I have four grandkids now. My son lives in Virginia, I live in LA, my daughter’s nearby me. She has two kids, my son has two kids. My next convention is Tidewater Horror Convention and that is actually in Norfolk and that’s where my son lives. So, I’ll be there in a few weeks and I’m very excited to do that one. I’m enjoying meeting and greeting with the fans. It’s always fun also because we get a chance to reunite with our cast members, like John Michael Graham who played Bob. Now I’ve seen him a couple times this year and it’s like, “Yay, old friends reconnecting.”

Scoop: Thank you for talking with me, it was really cool hearing about your career. I’m a big fan, so this was great.
PJS: That’s totally great and wouldn’t we be happy if we could all reunite with Jamie Lee Curtis? Come on Jamie!

To read more about Creature Feature Weekend, jump to our Main Event.