Felissa Rose | |
---|---|
Born | Felissa Rose Esposito May 23, 1969 New York City, U.S. |
Other names | Felissa Rose Esposito Miller |
Alma mater | New York University |
Occupation(s) | Actress, producer |
Years active | 1982–present |
Spouse | |
Children | 3 |
Website | felissarose.com |
Felissa Rose Esposito (born May 23, 1969), better known as simply Felissa Rose, is an American actress and producer. Rose has amassed over 150 film credits, and is best known for her work in the horror genre, for which she is recognized as a "scream queen". [1] [2]
Rose made her film debut as Angela Baker in the cult horror film Sleepaway Camp (1983), which established her as a horror icon. [3] She reprised the role in the 2008 sequel Return to Sleepaway Camp . Her other horror roles include Elsa Lansing in Silent Night, Zombie Night (2009), Mother in The Perfect House (2012), Rachel Steele in Camp Dread (2014), Angela Freeman in Death House (2018), Kathleen in Victor Crowley (2018), Ms. Crowell in Bloody Summer Camp (2022), and Ms. Principe in Terrifier 2 (2022). Rose continues to make regular appearances on The Joe Bob Briggs Show, The Last Drive-In on Shudder, and appeared in The Boulet Brothers's Halfway to Halloween special in 2023.
In 2016, Rose produced a number of music videos for the metal band Slayer. [2]
Felissa Rose Esposito was born on May 23, 1969 in Greenwich Village in New York City and raised in Syosset on Long Island. [4] [5] Rose graduated from Syosset High School [4] and later earned a degree from New York University.
Rose made her debut film appearance in the 1983 horror film Sleepaway Camp , in which she plays Angela Baker. [6] She later said of the film, "It was such a big part of my childhood. It's really hard to look at it objectively. On opening night I went to the theater with all my friends and watched it for the first time with a public audience. It was the best feeling. The energy in the theater was intense. People were really freaked out by the ending. I felt really good about the film." [7]
After appearing in Sleepaway Camp, she made some more sporadic appearances in a few films and television series, including the 1993 romantic comedy film The Night We Never Met and an episode of the short-lived 1998 television series Prey . In 1999, she was contacted by Jeff Hayes, who operates the official Sleepaway Camp website, via a letter in the mail asking her to do an interview for the website and gauge her interest in doing a new Sleepaway Camp sequel. Shortly thereafter, Hayes met with Rose in New York.
She has since returned to cinema and has appeared in such films as Zombiegeddon (2003), Nikos (2003), and Sludge (2005). She has also appeared in two films by New Jersey filmmaker Dante Tomaselli: Horror (2002) and Satan's Playground (2005). [8] In addition Felissa co-hosted the 2005 Village Halloween Parade in New York City with fellow scream queens Debbie Rochon and Raine Brown. [9] She also had a cameo role in the sequel to the 2008 Sleepaway Camp sequel Return to Sleepaway Camp . In the sequel, she reprises the role of Angela Baker. [10] The movie had a straight to DVD release on November 4, 2008. She also appears in Hotdog Casserole, written and directed by Chris Raab, as the mother in a dysfunctional family. [11] Rose starred in a role as Mother in the segment "Dinner Guest" in the anthology horror film, The Perfect House. [12] She also portrayed forensic pathologist Amy Short in the thriller Poe . [13]
In 2016, Felissa starred in the paranormal horror film Family Possessions, written and directed by Tommy Faircloth. The film also starred Mark Patton. In May 2017, she helped produce and acted in the horror film Death House . That same year, she appeared in Victor Crowley . In November 2022, Rose worked with Shelley Duvall on the film The Forest Hills .
Rose lives in California with her husband, former CKY singer/guitarist Deron Miller, and their two daughters, Bianca Rose (born 2005) and Lola Marue (born 2007), and son Thomas Carver (born 2009). Rose and Miller were co-stars in Dave Campfield's 2008 horror comedy Caesar and Otto's Summer Camp Massacre .
Year | Film | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1983 | Sleepaway Camp | Angela / Peter Baker | ||
1993 | The Night We Never Met | Young Girl | Uncredited | [7] |
1995 | Get with a Safe Food Attitude | 2-B Mom Rapper | ||
2002 | Horror | Art Therapist | [7] | |
2003 | Zombiegeddon | Melissa | Direct-to-video | [7] |
Corpses Are Forever | Gina Matthews | [7] | ||
Nikos the Impaler | Sandra Kane | [7] [14] | ||
2005 | Cerebral Print: The Secret Files | Carolyn the M.I.L.F. / Tiffany | ||
Slaughter Party | Tara | Direct-to-video | ||
Dead Serious | Susan Rosario | |||
2006 | Evil Ever After | Neighbor | Direct-to-video | |
Satan's Playground | Donna Bruno | [7] | ||
Under Surveillance | Heidi Broonen | [7] | ||
2007 | Sludge | Sandra | ||
Trite This Way | Narrator | |||
2008 | Return to Sleepaway Camp | Angela Baker / Sheriff Jerry | ||
Zombie Killers: Elephant's Graveyard | Lia | [15] | ||
2009 | Silent Night, Zombie Night | Elsa Lansing | ||
Caesar and Otto's Summer Camp Massacre | Angela Baker / Carrie | |||
2010 | Dahmer vs. Gacy | Joanie Farana | [16] | |
2012 | Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor | Angela Baker | Archive footage | |
Caesar and Otto's Deadly Xmas | ||||
2014 | Camp Dread | Rachel Steele | ||
2015 | Caesar and Otto's Paranormal Halloween | Lakota | ||
2016 | 2 Jennifer | Jennifer Smith | ||
2017 | Death House | Dr. Angela Freeman | ||
2018 | Victor Crowley | Kathleen | ||
Family Possessions | Susan | |||
Rootwood | Laura Benott | |||
2020 | A Nun's Curse | Sister Monday | [17] | |
2021 | Bloody Summer Camp | Ms. Crowell | [18] | |
2022 | How to Kill Your Roommates and Get Away With It | Agent Denver | ||
ShadowMarsh | Jill | |||
Shriekshow | Gloria | |||
Mike & Fred vs The Dead | Mom | |||
The Spirit Board Sessions | Unknown | |||
Terrifier 2 | Ms. Principe | [3] | ||
2023 | Craving | Les | [18] | |
The Omicron Killer | Edie Schaefer / Necromancer | |||
The New Hands | Dr. Pretorius | |||
The Forest Hills | Dr. Gonzales | |||
Go Away | Aunt Mary | [19] [20] | ||
2024 | Stream | Donna | [21] [22] [23] |
Year | Film | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | NYC Halloween Parade | Host | Television film | |
2009 | His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th | Herself | Documentary | |
2019 | The Boulet Brothers' Dragula | Herself | Guest judge | [6] [24] |
2024 | Meat the Carvers | Delores Carver |
Sleepaway Camp is a 1983 American slasher film written and directed by Robert Hiltzik, and starring Felissa Rose, Katherine Kamhi, Paul DeAngelo, Mike Kellin, and Christopher Collet. The original entry in the Sleepaway Camp film series, it focuses on serial killings which occur at a summer camp for teenagers.
Deanna Wallace, also known as Dee Wallace Stone, is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Mary Taylor in the 1982 blockbuster science fiction film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
Return to Sleepaway Camp is a 2008 American slasher film written and directed by Robert Hiltzik. The fourth film in the Sleepaway Camp film series and first film released direct-to-video, it is a direct sequel to Sleepaway Camp (1983), while ignoring the events of Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988) and Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (1989). The film features Felissa Rose reprising her role as Angela Baker from the first film, following her recasting in the previous sequels, and Isaac Hayes in a posthumous cameo role as camp chef Charlie.
Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland is a 1989 American slasher film and the third installment in the Sleepaway Camp film series. Written by Fritz Gordon and directed by Michael A. Simpson, it stars Pamela Springsteen as Angela, Tracy Griffith, Mark Oliver, and Michael J. Pollard. Taking place one year after the events in the previous film, it again follows the same transgender serial killer, Angela, who is targeting more teenagers at another summer camp.
Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers is a 1988 American slasher film written by Fritz Gordon and directed by Michael A. Simpson. It is the second installment in the Sleepaway Camp film series, and stars Pamela Springsteen as Angela, and Renée Estevez. The film takes place five years after the events of the original, and features serial killer Angela, working as a counselor, murdering misbehaving teenagers at another summer camp.
Thomas Mathews is an American actor best known for his role as Tommy Jarvis in the Friday the 13th franchise—in particular Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)—and Freddy in The Return of the Living Dead (1985). His other film roles include Dangerously Close (1986), Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988), and Nemesis (1992).
Sleepaway Camp is an American slasher film series consisting of five films, one of which was not fully completed. The franchise primarily focuses on serial killer Angela Baker and the murders she commits, largely at summer camps.
Pamela Springsteen is an American actress and photographer. She had a short acting career, during which she played the role of serial killer Angela Baker in the cult slasher and comedy horror films Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988) and Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (1989). She had two co-starring roles in the obscure comedies Dixie Lanes (1988), The Gumshoe Kid (1990), and smaller roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), Reckless (1984), and Modern Girls (1986). She is a still photographer in the film and music industry.
Caesar and Otto's Summer Camp Massacre is a 2009 American comedy slasher film and spoof of the Sleepaway Camp film series, starring Dave Campfield, Paul Chomicki, Felissa Rose, Deron Miller, Joe Estevez, Ken Macfarlane and Brinke Stevens and was written and directed by Dave Campfield, the creator of the original Caesar and Otto film.
Death House is a 2017 American horror film written by Gunnar Hansen, who has a cameo in the film, and directed by Harrison Smith. The film features an ensemble cast of horror icons including Kane Hodder, Barbara Crampton, Bill Moseley, Dee Wallace, Tony Todd and Camille Keaton. Originally written by Hansen, the film started as a concept intended to bring as many well known horror actors together as possible. This is Hansen's final film performance, as it was released two years after his death. The film is also the final film performance of Cody Longo before his death in 2023.
The Boulet Brothers' Dragula is an American reality competition television series produced by Boulet Brothers Productions, hosted by the Boulet Brothers. The series originally aired on YouTube and has aired on Netflix in the United States, OUTtv in Canada, and Amazon Prime in the United Kingdom and Australia. Starting with season 4, the series moved to Shudder in all territories. The series will become a Shudder exclusive, with all seasons being hosted on the platform.
Terrifier is a 2016 American independent slasher film written and directed by Damien Leone. The film stars Jenna Kanell, Samantha Scaffidi, David Howard Thornton, and Catherine Corcoran. The plot centers on partygoer Tara Heyes (Kanell) and her sister Victoria (Scaffidi), who become targets of the enigmatic serial killer known only as Art the Clown (Thornton) on Halloween night.
Desiree Joan Gould was an American actress. She was known for her role as Aunt Martha in the 1983 slasher film Sleepaway Camp.
The Hatchet film series consists of American slasher horror films developed from original characters created by Adam Green; including four feature length films. The plot primarily focuses on the unintentional encounters of innocent civilians, with the living urban legend of deformed hermit Victor Crowley and the character's violent murders.
Terrifier 2 is a 2022 American supernatural slasher film written, directed, edited and produced by Damien Leone. A sequel to Terrifier (2016), it is the second film centered solely around Art the Clown and third feature-length film to feature the character. It is the second installment in the Terrifier franchise. It includes the return of David Howard Thornton and Samantha Scaffidi, who portrayed Art the Clown and Victoria Heyes, respectively, in the first film, and stars Lauren LaVera, Elliott Fullam, Sarah Voigt, Kailey Hyman and Casey Hartnett. The plot follows Art's resurrection and pursuit of teenage Sienna Shaw (LaVera), who discovers that she is destined to defeat him and wields the only weapon that can stop him, and her younger brother Jonathan (Fullam) on Halloween night—a year after the events of the first film.
The Boulet Brothers are drag artists, television personalities, writers, producers and modern day horror hosts. They were featured on the cover of Fangoria as "Horror's New Icons" in 2022. Their projects have included horror themed television shows, music, live nightlife productions, books, movies, and comic books. Since 2016 the Boulet Brothers have produced and starred in the reality competition series The Boulet Brothers' Dragula, which features contestants showcasing dark, horror-themed drag looks.
Stream is a 2024 American slasher horror film co-produced, co-written and directed by Michael Leavy. It stars Charles Edwin Powell, Danielle Harris, Jeffrey Combs, Dee Wallace, Tim Reid, Mark Holton, Felissa Rose, Tony Todd, Daniel Roebuck, Dave Sheridan, Terry Alexander, Damian Maffei, Bill Moseley and David Howard Thornton. Several producers and crew members for Stream, including director Leavy, were previously involved with the productions of the 2016 film Terrifier and its sequel Terrifier 2, as well as upcoming Terrifier 3.
Lauren LaVera is an American actress, stunt performer and martial artist. She is primarily known for being the leading actress in several horror films. LaVera has received accolades for her performances, such as a Fangoria Chainsaw Award.
Go Away is a 2023 American slasher film written and directed by David Kerr, and starring Thom Mathews, Tuesday Knight, Felissa Rose, and Robert Mukes. The film centers around a family reunion at a remote house in the woods that is interrupted by a group of masked intruders.
The fifth season of The Boulet Brothers' Dragula premiered on 31 October 2023 on AMC+ and Shudder. The season was confirmed by Shudder on 7 December 2021.