Interview With Allison Egan, Star Of ‘Thrust!’

One of my most anticipated indie horror flicks this year is Victor Bonacore’s feature length film, Thrust! I am always down for something sleazy, grimy, and bloody. Fresh off it’s premiere, Thrust! promises to bring all of that and more.

Thrust! “follows two lovers, Aloe and Vera, living in a girl gang ruled dystopian society, on a quest to kill Dirtbag Mike.”

Anything with a character named “Dirtbag” anything will always pique my interest.

To celebrate the film, I chatted with star Allison Egan about the film, what she wanted to bring to her character, why she loves horror, and more!

**All photos by Brooklyn Ewing**

PopHorror: What intrigued you about Thrust! and made you want to be a part of the project?

Allison Egan: I know that Victor [Bonacore – director] and I had tried working together in the past, and some issues came up for me personally, and I was unable to work on the project. This was years ago, probably about 6-7 years ago now. We remained friends and always said we would like to work together. Then last year—early last year—he messaged me about playing a much smaller role than I ended up having in this movie Thrust! He sent me the script, and I read the lines for the character he wanted me to play, and I thought it was great. I thought it was very funny, and very bright, and very well written.

Some issues came up with casting. I was fully prepared to play this other role when he messaged me out of the blue and said, “Hey, so I know we had discussed you playing this part.” Meanwhile, he had already bought me roller skates and stuff for my costume, and he’s like, “But Erin [Brown] and I wondered if you wanted to play the second lead alongside her.” Initially, I wanted to say, “Yes,” right away, but I was like, “That’s a lot more filming, and I’ll have to check and see if this is going to work for me.” Finagling a few things around and figuring stuff out for my daughter for the summer, I got back to him pretty quickly. I was all on board to play the role. The script is just very funny, and it’s very sweet, actually. It’s gross, and it’s funny, but it’s also very heartwarming in a lot of ways.

PopHorror: I’m glad that it worked out for you, and you got an even better part than you had anticipated.

Allison Egan: Oh, yeah. Absolutely. 

PopHorror: That’s awesome.

Allison Egan: Yes!

PopHorror: Was there anything that you were adamant about bringing to your character?

Allison Egan: I would say probably an air of toughness, but also gentleness. I feel like she’s tough with all the other characters in the movie, but with her lover, it’s very sweet and it’s very soft. I kind of wanted to emulate that. Tough, strong, scary, badass, and then like a very sweet, romantic relationship. 

PopHorror: What is your creative process to prepare for shooting?

Allison Egan: I would say that I liked to go into it open-minded because you can’t be completely stuck to and in love with the script that you’re given, because it is going to change. So I like to have a rough idea, or a loose idea, of the script as is, but you never want to get too attached to things. So many things change during filming, whether it be the lines, costumes, makeup, or how we’re approaching different scenes. You might have an idea in your head like, “Oh, I’m going to say this line this way. I’m going to deliver this particular performance in this way,” and you could be way off base. I would say I was definitely open minded. Also, I watched some tough girl movies and stuff like that. Some apocalyptic movies, just to sort of get in the vibe of it. Kind of have that Warriors, Mad Max, I Spit on Your Grave feel. 

PopHorror: What is it that draws you to horror?

Allison Egan: You know, that’s a really good question. I think when I was kid, I was really drawn to it. I was actually joking about this last night with my boyfriend that when I was a kid, my mom did not let me watch horror movies or even stuff like The Simpsons. Then when my parents got divorced, my dad bought my love by taking me to the video store and letting me rent whatever horror movies I wanted, and I immediately fell in love with everything. I don’t know, I think it’s kind of for me almost… Obviously like any other movie, it’s going to take you out of whatever reality you’re living in, but to me, it’s almost like a calming thing. I can sit down and watch an incredibly brutal film, and that’s how I take a load off. That’s how I relax. I’m going to watch something extremely disturbing, and it makes me feel at ease, I guess.

PopHorror: I am the same way. It was my sister that took me to the video store and let me rent whatever I wanted, and she’s the one who showed me my first horror movie.

Allison Egan: Oh, that’s great!

PopHorror: But to this day, she still asks me what got me into horror and I’m like, “Um, you did. You showed me Poltergeist II when I was like seven.”

Allison Egan: Right? “It’s actually you who did it!”

PopHorror: She says, “I don’t remember that. I don’t think I would have shown that to a child.” Well, you did.

Allison Egan: That’s so funny!

PopHorror: She also took me to my first haunted house. I find so often that it’s the people whose parents would not let them watch horror are the ones who are now making horror movies, or they’re the ones like us, who watch them to unload and relax. I think it makes us appreciate them a little bit more.

Allison Egan: Yeah, I would definitely agree with that.

PopHorror: I love how that works out.

Allison Egan: I remember when I was in junior high, and I went to Catholic elementary school. When I switched over to a regular junior high school, I made friends with some girls, and I remember going to a sleepover at my friend Shelly’s house, and we were like, “Let’s watch a movie!” Her parents had Silence of the Lambs. Of course, nobody who was at the sleepover had ever seen it, so we were like, “Let’s watch this.” And that didn’t go over well. It got worse because the following weekend, we walked to a video store, and I convinced them to rent The Exorcist.

PopHorror: That is awesome!

Allison Egan: After that weekend, I was no longer allowed to stay the night at her house. I will never forget that.

PopHorror: Oh no! What is up next for you?

Allison Egan: That’s a good question. I’ve had a few people here and there reach out to me, and when I first started doing this, I would just be like, “Sure!” And I would sign onto whatever project someone would give me. And now I would say I’m a little bit pickier. I’m like, “Who am I working with? Who’s on board for this? Can I see the script first?” So there’s a couple of people who have reached out to me, and it’s kind of a matter of logistics like travel and stuff like that. But just to keep doing what I’m doing.

I think a lot of people have a delusion when they start making small movies or indie movies or B-horror are like, “This is going to catapult me to fame!” I definitely don’t have that delusion. I like staying small. I like the idea of doing schlocky silly stuff like exploitation, horror, whatever. I’m going to try to keep it in the realm of that. I don’t have any delusions that I’m going to be the next Jamie Lee Curtis or anything.

PopHorror: I just have one last question for you today. What is your favorite scary movie?

Allison Egan: I’m going to go classic. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Thank you so much, Allison, for taking the time to speak with us. Keep an eye out for Thrust!, coming soon.