misty mundae: date. mate. mutilate.

I’ve been gorging myself on all kinds of  indie horror the past few weeks, and most recently Full Moon’s seminal Subspecies series.  Sometimes I don’t give homegrown cinema it’s rightful due, so I wanted to do a piece on some of the standout stars (well, to me, anyway) and wondered who to start with. Curvaceous, witty, and all-around sassy Erin Brown, aka Misty Mundae, came to mind. She’s wrapped me in her clutches on many occasions, with an almost Cristina-Lindberg-esque charm, which keeps you wanting more. Whether, high camp or high art, she’s got a way of (not to sound completely cheesy) ‘making love to the camera’, its almost claustrophobic, yet comforting.  I mean, with distinct classics like Lord of the G-Strings and Shock-O-Rama under your belt, how can you miss the mark?  Actress, model, filmmaker, and former softcore starlet, and now a cult icon. This gorgeous bisexual vegetarian vixen has starred in over 50 low budget indie masterpieces to date.

Brown’s early career was spent with porn film production label Factory 2000, afterwards signing an exclusive contract with E.I. Independent Cinema, under the stage name  Misty Mundae. She dove headfirst into a juicy role in the Columbine tragedy inspired Duck! The Carbine High Massacre, in early 2000, and also wrote, directed, and starred in a remake of Director Nick Phillips’ 1969 softcore classic, Lustful Addiction. She made her way to France for the US/French co-production of Vampire of Notre Dame, which was later peddled very successfully by Seduction Cinema, under the alternate title An Erotic Vampire in Paris.

In late 2003, she began ventured deeper into the horror film industry headlining features for E.I. Independent Cinema’s horror division, Shock-O-Rama Cinema. Some of her best features sprang from that union, such as Splatter Beach, Bite Me!, and Chantal. Frankly, with titles like the ones below, you have to know they’re gems of the highest order! The ‘special effects’ (more like special people effects) makeup in PlayMate of the Apes alone is worth the price of admission.

The following year, Erin released a short film titled Voodoun Blues, direct-to-dvd through Shock-O-Rama Cinema. This feature won Best Short Film on the college filmfest circuit . This B/W 16mm film features a voluptuous black magic maiden performing some malevolent voodoo rituals, seeking retribution from a reclusive ex-lover (Misty Mundae). Her magical motives are ambiguous at best, as the vindictive priestess hexes her victim in dreams, in consciousness, and ultimately in death. It’s extremely avant-garde in feel, featuring a classic retro vibe, and pseudo-expressionistic style. The use of stop-motion cinematography gives the film a surreal look, which gave me the willies. You can purchase it as a DVD-EP from amazon.com, with the following goodies included: Interview with Misty Mundae (August 2004), ‘Making Blues’ – the recording of the Voudon Blues soundtrack, ‘Sour Milk’ – a short film by Joe Miller, ‘Night of the Whorror Hoppers’ – a short film by Katie Bordeaux, Misty Mundae Trailer Reel, and a nifty limited edition Misty Mundae Collectible Postcard.

Erin decided it was time to move on, and sold the ‘Misty Mundae’ name rights to E.I. Independent Cinema, and retired from spicy films to pursue a mainstream acting career. She was recently seen starring opposite Angela Bettis, in an episode of Showtime’s ‘Masters of Horror’ series entitled Sick Girl. A bookish entomologist’s mundame life is changed by the simultaneous arrival of a large, mysterious bug and a torrid affair with a sexy young woman. But when the bizarre insect chooses a shocking place to secretly feed, Sapphic ecstasy turns to infection, mutation and murder. Will these lesbian lovers let a venomous threesome tear them apart, or is the most horrific metamorphosis of all yet to come? A must-see for trash fans, trust.

Erin was so successful in her reach that Sci-Fi Weekly magazine included Misty Mundae on their list of “Living Horror Icons” with the charming subtitle “the ones whose movies you might pay to see or rent, the ones you’d stand in line to shake hands with, or to snag an autograph from”  along with Robert Englund, Linda Blair, Elvira, and Jamie Lee Curtis. With a fully loaded DVD re-release of spandextastic Spiderbabe in the works, be sure to keep your collective peppers peeled!