Bonnie's humble beginnings are a lot like mine actually. She's a huge fan of all things horror, and she has her own little blog where she shares her passion of horror with the internet. There are many of us women in the horror scene who have a passion beyond just watching movies. Some of us want to leave a little mark on the industry we love with our art, films, production skills and even performances. But where Bonnie may be a humble, horrific fan, her vampire persona HAKK is WYLDE. She just wants everyone to find their inner vamp. HAKK WYLDE is taking Montreal by storm with her shows at the Mascara & Popcorn Film Festival https://www.facebook.com/Mascaraandpopcorn, and Bonnie herself has already been in one short film. What other aspirations does this sultry vampiress have in store? I thought I'd ask HAKK WYLDE...

So, what caused your vampiric transformation into Hakk Wylde? Bonnie wouldn’t mind if you told us the story now would she?

When I look back I realize that Hakk and all things Vampiric have followed me since a very young age. I grew up across from an ancient New England graveyard and by the age of 9 I was already spending way too much time relaxing and reading there. At night I would sometimes ask myself silly questions like, “If I invite a vampire into my home in my mind, does that count as a proper invitation?” Silly but deep stuff for a 9 yr old. But Hakk was unleashed in full only after my father passed in 2010. I have a lot of unresolved issues with my father, one of them being that he never recognized me as an artist. They say that when someone close to you passes you may find yourself doing the things they always wanted you to do…or you may feel that you ‘absorb’ some of their personality. With my father passing I did feel like I absorbed even more of his Extreme personality…but in contrast I finally felt the freedom to be fully Me while being faced with my own mortality. He was only 68…and I have no children of my own. I began to dive even deeper into my horror fixation. I took on the writer’s name Hakk Wylde and wrote a few horror reviews. Then I did a few photo shoots with a local photographer, Joyce “Miss Crime Scene” Cepeda (www.facebook.com/MissCrimeScenePhotography ). I had always wanted to do a photo shoot, cosplay or otherwise, so I figured I finally owed it to myself. The first shoot we did was a Catwoman cosplay shoot but the second shoot, with my freshly fabricated fangs by Horror Show Jack, was a Vampire shoot. It didn’t take me long to realize that this…WAS Hakk. Fierce, opinionated, and darkly and unapologetically feminine. I will forever be indebted to Joyce for helping me unearth her. Then things just happened. The organizer of Mascara & Popcorn events in Montreal, Florence Touliatos, noticed me on Facebook and invited me to “come out of the coffin” at a M&P Body Horror Event in 2014. It’s just taken off from there. Catwoman Shoot: http://tinyurl.com/mr6vf5z

Hakk Shoot: http://tinyurl.com/k2yjw5d

Who are some of your inspirations other than vampires?

Well, I can cheat here and still say Vampira, since she was a satire-driven, misunderstood Vamp character from the 50’s and not truly a Vampire… ;) but I am also very inspired by the Dalai Lama. He has a knack for connecting emotion to truth in a way we can understand and follow to become better Human Beings. I may be an aggression-prone vampire, but that doesn’t mean I don’t need to grow as person. ;)

How long have you been haunting the grounds of Mascara & Popcorn film festival? What drew you to the majestic land of Montreal and that festival in particular? (I miss Montreal so badly. Poutine and smoked meat as far as my little Canadian arteries can harden...)

My first appearance at a Mascara and Popcorn event was in April, 2014. My Vampire photo shoot was shown as a slide show with music (I found the self-deprecating tone of Type O Negative to fit perfectly) then I sauntered out from behind stage with a bloody heart and thanked the crowd for attending…https://vimeo.com/91893356

I had lived in Montreal from 2006 to 2009 while my husband was a Senior Game Designer at Eidos Montreal so I was familiar with the city and eager to get back to the fashion and extreme dark romance that is Montreal! Hakk was a great reason to dress up and knock ‘em dead. At home, Bonnie can be often found in a fluffy pink bathrobe, a bun in her hair and glasses ;)

What is a HAKK WYLDE Performance like?

All my Hakk performances have differed so far but they are always very sensually charged I find. Whereas I wear my heart on my sleeve as Bonnie (but you must earn it), Hakk wears her sexuality on her sleeve, so to speak…but you must also earn it. The last Hakk performance was in October 2014 with THE Richard Cardinal, a fetish icon in Montreal and star of upcoming director Patricia Chica’s lauded introspective and artistic thriller shorts CERAMIC TANGO and SERPENT’S LULLABY. He played his alter ego, Charmless Charlie, a REPO-sort of Paris Hilton character that is addicted to plastic surgery so much that he cannot see what he has become. We dance and power play to IN THIS MOMENT’S song “Sick Like Me”. I felt it was fitting. Two misfits of sex, horror and glamor coming together. We had a great time with it.https://vimeo.com/109409265

Have you met (or drank from) any cool people at the festival? Seen some good films?

Hakk is very well behaved while at festivals. *wink* I make sure to feed her ahead of time so we have a few hours to play safely. My husband and I did make fast friends with director Jill Sixx (CALL GIRL) last year though so it was very exciting to see her do something with the Soska Twins on ABC’s of Death 2 and the PSAs for February and Women in Horror Month. I also have Mascara and Popcorn to thank for my continued friendship with director Patricia Chica, makeup and effects mogul Stephanie Miramontes, Richard Cardinal, local performers Holy Scar, Velma Candyass, and many many others. Special love going out to horror director Nadine L’Esperance and her sick and twisted mind (see her short film, PETS NOT ALLOWED). Mascara And Popcorn also screened the astonishing short film, LA TABLE, written and directed by Izabel Grondin. Amazing.

I can see HAKK WYLDE becoming a horror hostess. Got any plans for her to do some other performances?

Plans are in motion for a possible…‘nurturing’ performance at Mascara & Popsorn’s Body Horror Contest this April and we may see Hakk show up in a Montreal music video this summer! I also have a couple more vampire photo shoots in the works…one that will test my own limitations as well as Hakk’s but it is too early to say too much. As far as being a horror hostess I am total game if you can deal with my sarcasm and dark comedy. Offers? LOL

You've already let Bonnie be in a short film. Must have been exciting to be in your first flick! Wanna talk about it a bit?

Yeah. She (Bonnie, me? Damn this is getting confusing, Queenie. LOL) set up a few shots for Montreal director Jerome Cloutier using story board for his introspective and trippy-dark short ZARATOZOM. I had no idea what the story was about so I just took multiple takes with different deliveries, letting him choose what he liked and edit the final piece together. It was a lot fun and he chose my favorite take for the very end so I’m happy. This spring I will be filming IN FULL CRY with him as well as DEMON PARTY: THE DEVIL’S MUSIC Part 2 this summer (where I get to do a demonic dance!). I can’t wait! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf0Nlc0NnPg

You've participated in the HORROR MOVIE MARATHON MADNESS before too. In fact, you were on my team last year when I was judge of the VIDEO NASTIES theme. That was pretty brutal. How would you describe our little group to new people who might wanna join?

I LOVE the people in THE HORROR MOVIE MARATHON MADESS! I really hope I have enough time to partake again this year. So many diverse views but everyone is very accepting of others and it’s a great way to expand your horror knowledge into the crevices that have thus evaded you. If it sounds like fun to you to watch horror movies ALL OCTOBER long and talk with others about it…NONSTOP…then this group is for you!

You also are on the FRIGHT METER AWARDS committee me and many others. How important do you think awards ceremonies like this are to people in the industry?

I think they are very important. It’s all about getting the word out. How can an award hurt that? I really hope the Fright Meter Awards will one day grow into the “Oscars” of horror that it wants to be. There are a lot of talented people working to make this happen and awards have already been given out to Jen and Sylvia Soska for AMERICAN MARY and even to Jessica Cameron!

I love those guys too! Got any plans for more acting? More neck biting? More shenanigans? (Also, if it involves shenanigans, totally call me up. You might need a demon to help you out of a jam.)

I am also currently attached to a dark thriller by Francis Xavier (POE). I should be filming my scene in Los Angeles by this summer. Always neck biting and shenanigans, my love! This year I am planning on attacking the Montreal Comic-con again (See last year’s pics here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.781792671878027.1073741847.100001419042068&type=1&l=c3ebc8fbf9 ) and I am set to work with Horror Show Jack Fang Smith (www.facebook.com/HorrorShowJackFangSmith) at Rock n’ Shock in Worcester, MA in October as one of his dark dental assistants. I’m very excited. Come join us and get re-Fanged, Queenie!

I KNOW! My werewolf fangs are not what they should be. I make due with doing things the Troma way. ;)

I gotta ask, if you had to pick ONE vampire, who do you think is the best vampire of all time?

In books, Lestat. Very glad to see Anne Rice coming to her senses on that after a long hiatus. *cough* ;)
And cinematically I would say Gary Oldman in Coppola’s DRACULA. He perfectly balanced the rat-like nature with the innate sexuality and allure of the vampire. I swoon every time.

Thanks for joining me HAKK WYLDE! I can see big and bloody things coming in your future. Happy Halloween! (Cuz everyday is fucking Halloween in the Gory Kingdom of Kweeny!) Feel free to pimp out any links you'd like us to check out of your work.