Horror Favorites – Jamie Bernadette

The new horror-comedy Paranormal Investigations is ready to scare audiences this spooky season, and we grabbed the lead actress Jamie Bernadette to chat to us about what scary movies she loves the most.

Jamie Bernadette is a celebrated actor, writer, director, and producer with over 100 film and television credits. She’s known for starring in genre favorites such as I Spit on Your Grave: Déjà Vu, 4/20 Massacre, and The 6th Friend, for which she received multiple Best Actress awards. Her dramatic work includes The Furnace, which earned international recognition, and the Miramax drama American Satan. Jamie has appeared on network shows like NCIS: New Orleans and Midnight Texas, and she recently completed her directorial debut, The Desecrated Ones.

Staring as Kelsey one of the cast and crew of the hit paranormal reality series Paranormal Investigations she travels to rural North Carolina to film at the infamous Hennesy “Hell” House. What begins as their usual blend of ego, drama, and ghost hunting spirals into genuine chaos as a malevolent force awakens inside the house, stalking the crew and turning their shoot into a fight for survival, as their cameras roll.

Both a darkly funny send-up of paranormal reality television and a chilling found footage nightmare, the footage of their final episode is now being seen for the first time. “It’s not just about scaring people,” said Raymond Wallace, writer and director of Paranormal Investigations. “We wanted to capture the absurdity of reality television colliding with genuine horror. The result is something darkly humorous, where you might laugh because you’re nervous, and then realize the joke has teeth.”

Below Jamie talks about two of her favorite horror films one of which will probably come as no surprise:

“I Spit on Your Grave (1978)—I promise I am not playing favorites here.  I have always loved this movie, long before I ever acted in the sequel.  I think it is a masterpiece.  I love the raw, honest storytelling of the film – that it does not gloss over and minimize the act of rape for fear of losing viewership.  When writer/director Meir Zarchi was searching for music, he couldn’t find any that seemed to work with the story. He then decided that it didn’t need music and I actually believe that not having a soundtrack creates an even more believable, impactful experience.  It feels like you are almost watching the events unfold on what would be a subgenre years later – found footage.  That’s how real the movie feels.  Meir Zarchi made bold choices, taking huge risks, and the film was ridiculed and banned at first, but transitioned over time to become one of the most iconic and important horror films of all time, and deservedly so.

Psycho (1960)—I grew up watching this and other Hitchcock films with my mom even when I was a child and probably should have been watching cartoons instead, but my mom had better taste than that.  It was tough to choose between Psycho and The Birds.  I love both of them.  Ultimately, I chose Psycho because of that shocking twist of an ending and Norman Bates breaking the fourth wall in that unsettling final scene.  I often wonder if these films were the catalyst for my love of horror and if my mom’s passion and appreciation for horror influenced me from such a young age.

Whatever the case may be, I am thankful.  Horror is such a creative genre and I feel very fortunate to have acted in so many and have gone on to produce, write, and direct horror as well.”

Paranormal Investigations trailer