Dr. Mowamba has returned after a long summers nap and is ready to hit us all with another Mowamba Report...this time he truly gives us Hope....Hope Marie Carlton that is, star of numerous b-movies and Playboy Playmate of the month for July 1985!

(Q): You were Playboy Playmate of the month in July 1985. How was it you began working with Playboy?

(A): I was discovered while modeling in Tampa, Florida when I was just 17. My local agency had been contacted by a Playboy photographer while he was shooting in the area and asked if my agent could think of any strong possibilities for a Playmate candidate. I was instantly introduced and in just 5 days was flown to the Chicago studio to shoot my first two covers for Playboy and do my Playmate test shoot. It was so exciting and was a dream come true.

(Q): Were you nervous the first time you did a nude photo shoot?

(A): I can't say it was so much being nervous as I was mostly very excited. I was always very comfortable with nudity even as a younger woman, so it seemed very natural to me. Although the first time the photographer Ken Marcus came at me with a pair of scissors to "trim" my pubic hair, I was a little taken back but after he did such a good job I was totally OK with it! LOL These days the trend is to be completely shaven so that a need for a "trim" is no longer necessary.

(Q): How did you get started in acting?

(A): Immediately after becoming a Playmate I moved to Los Angeles and enrolled myself in several different acting classes. I sought out an agent and I had almost instant success and was cast in my first feature film with fellow Playmate Dona Spears. I did 9 feature films, starring in them and had good significant parts in others, as well as guest starring roles on many television shows.

(Q): Who were some of your influences?

(A): As a young girl I admired Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor as they exuded sex appeal and acting ability combined. There are so many talented actresses in today’s films. I like all the girls in the new Charlie's Angels movies, super fun and sexy!

(Q): Your first horror film was Slaughterhouse Rock. Can you tell us about how you got the role and filming it?

(A): I got the role kind of last minute as the actress they had originally cast was unable to do the film so I auditioned and went into script rehearsal within a couple of days which was great. Once we started filming we shot at the studios where they have filmed many really famous movies that needed a prison cell setting. The studio is in LA and we also shot on location in San Pedro Harbor. I actually went on an in depth tour of Alcatraz so I could really get the feel for the "creepy" side of the prison, and it really is a place that will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. One very bizarre occurrence while filming SHR was when I was being bitten by the ware-wolf. The actor that portrayed the ware-wolf had these realistic wolf teeth on over his teeth and so when he bit into my neck to kill me he actually bit through my prosthetic neck wound into the flesh of my neck! Oh man did that hurt! I wasn't acting at that moment I was screaming in pain as he was ripping into my neck! He felt so badly about it and that bite mark on my neck ended up being pretty bad, as you may know human bites are very serious and this on was! I recovered in a couple of days as the marks subsided. Pretty wild mishap huh?

(Q): You also did A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 The Dream Master around the same time. How did you wind up getting the role?

(A): I got that role because I was actually in the Hollywood Stuntman's Association and was able to do underwater stunts. Since the role meant having to stay under water for an extended period of time and breath from an air tube if necessary it was required for the part as well as being able to portray a hot looking pinup girl!

(Q): Now you were yourself as the model in the poster in water bed death scene. Can you tell us how this scene was filmed?

(A): It was a really cool experience. Although having to spend so much time in the water tank they built under the bedroom was a challenge as I spent over 7 hours under the waterbed to get all the shots they needed. It was a huge tank built under the bed and I would swim in from in front of the headboard outside the room through a hole in the wall and there was a diver in there with underwater cameras to film me and keep an eye on what was happening while I was inside the tank. I had some coughing trouble because they used a really toxic epoxy to water proof the inside of the tank and it was a very strong odor and made it very difficult to hold your breath while sucking in that stinky air, so after several hours of that I had a wicked headache! I have footage of the making of this scene which is really cool to back on with all they work put into that one scene in the movie.

(Q): Now you also were in Slumber Party Massacre III. Had you seen the other films before getting the role of Janine and what did you think of the script when you first read it?

(A): I had not seen any of the previous films in that series but the role was a no brainer. We all got along so well as a cast. All the actors spend so much time together you kind of feel like you’re in a college frat house any way! To be honest with you when I first read the script I though it was a little cheesy but I also though it would be a fun role to try to make something out of for me as an actress. The drill bit on that drill was a trip coming at you let me tell ya!!! LOL

(Q): Do you have any funny stories from when you filmed this movie?

(A): We always spent a lot of time just goofing off between tales or on a break because it is so fun when you’re covered in blood and guts, it is kind of like Halloween every day your working!

(Q): You were also Veronica in Ghoulies III Ghoulies Go To College. Can you tell us a little about filming this movie?

(A): This was just an all out blast while filming. Once again in a college like setting with a fun cast and special effects makeup and a happening young crew. I had a lot of fun while the Ghoulies spied on me as I was dancing in the dorm room. I was voted in a "best ass of the cast" LOL!!!

(Q): Out of all the horror films you did which was your favorite role and why?

(A): I would have to say that Slaughterhouse Rock was because it was the longest filming time of all the movies and we had so much exposure to interesting locations and cast members. I also like the script the most out of all my horror films.

(Q): Are you a fan of horror movies and would you be up for doing another horror movie someday?

(A): It's funny I'm not a huge fan of horror films, at least not the really gory blood and guts kind, but I am a fan of the psychological thriller movies that keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time!

(Q): Do you have any upcoming movies or projects you would like to tell the fans about?

(A): I went and got married at the tender age of 25 and started a family in Southern Utah so that put a complete stop to all my acting as I was no longer in the Hollywood area to have access to auditioning and the industry as a whole. Do I miss it? Absolutely I miss it a great deal. Being an actress was one of the most fun and exciting careers a person can have. You get to do unusual things and meet very interesting people and get paid for it! My friends and my agent said I'd have gone far if I would have stayed in the industry so sometimes looking back I wish I would have chosen to stick with it but I have a wonderful daughter to show for it and she is thinking about acting for herself! Now being a single parent is my role and I love it!

(Q): Thanks so much for doing this interview with me! Is there anything else you would like to say?

(A): Thank you for the opportunity to do your interview and for not forgetting about me after all these years! XOXO Hope Marie Carlton