[Interview] Tamara Glynn Talks ‘Halloween 5’ (Part 1)

 We’re celebrating this year’s 35th anniversary of Halloween with a fun look back at the entire franchise through the eyes of those who were there, and we’re kicking it off today with the first part of our candid conversation with Tamara Glynn, who inspired a million sexy-devil-ladies to throw on some red horns and fishnets every October for the past two and a half decades as the lovable pitchfork-wielding Samantha Thomas in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers.

We also get to officially announce that Tamara will be appearing at the upcoming 35 Years of Terror Halloween anniversary convention this November, making her the first confirmed special guest of many more to be announced in the coming weeks!

  Read on for Part 1 of our interview with Halloween 5 star Tamara Glynn!

After appearing in episodes of Freddy’s Nightmares, Growing Pains, and Knots Landing, Tamara was in Florida filming the final episode of Miami Vice when she got the call that would change her life at age 18.

“Even being on the set with Don (Johnson) and Phillip Michael (Thomas) and it being the last Miami Vice episode that will ever be shot,” she told us, “I still was thinking about Halloween 5. I still had Michael Myers on the brain.

“I was just giddy and excited, and then low and behold, the call came in. When I saw my mom, I think I just jumped up and down, and she finally told me to calm down or I was going to end up physically injuring myself. I was so excited.”

Halloween 5 was Tamara’s first feature film, and she recalls feeling an istant connection with the character as soon as she read the script.

“Immediately, the first time my eyes looked at the dialogue, something really kind of mystical and magical happened, and Samantha Thomas was born,” she said.

“It’s funny, because as an actor, you learn to not think about the roles that you lost. You go on so many auditions and you hope you get it, but after a few days you kind of forget about it, but that was one role I was keeping my fingers and toes crossed. I was just, ‘Oh my God, I want this. I have to do this. I’m Samantha. I know this girl.’ Something came over me and I knew that I was Samantha. I had never had that kind of feeling about another job before.”

Samantha’s unfortunate death is easily one of the most memorable and popular scenes among fans of Halloween 5, as she valiantly attempts to defend herself against Michael Myers with a rusty old pitchfork, her breasts covered in the blood of her boyfriend who just met his end while having sex with Samantha.

Tamara says she is proud to have had a hand in creating the scene, as her original death as scripted would have been far more boring.

“I approached Dominique (Othenin-Girard, director),” she recalls, “because Samatha was so sweet and innocent. Half the time she’s out in la-la land and then she’s over analyzing things, when it got to the kill scene, I was like, ‘You know, this is what we’ve seen out of her thus far. Here at the end, does she have to die the way it’s written? Yes she’s sweet and innocent and demure, but she’s also got this underlying set of cajones on her, and I think that would certainly translate well on camera, to finally see little ole’ Sammi who’s circuits are on hold, who all the sudden takes the pitchfork out of Spitz’s back and is like ‘Bring it!’

“(Dominique) embraced that with open arms and we did it, and people still remember it 25 years later.”

 So what was the scene originally going to be in the script?

“It was supposed to be just a quick, unexpected kill,” says Tamara. “There was no fighting back. I just wanted to prove a point, because by this time I thought let’s add a little bit of fight to this from Sammi’s point of view.”

After working behind the scenes as a producer in recent years, Glynn is about to come back in front of the camera in a number of films, but they have been pushed back until 2014, due to her demanding schedule and upcoming appearances. Right now she is focusing all of her attention her upcoming Hot Springs Horror Film Festival.

“I want to educate filmmakers,” said Tamara. “I want to give back to the genre that’s been so good to me, and I want to give back to the fans.”

“We’ve gotten film submissions from all over the world, and whenever I get a chance I try to screen some of them, and the talent that’s out there, even from a student level, is just amazing. The creativity brought to the table is just amazing.

“If one filmmaker can take away one ounce of information from this festival and incorporate that into their next project, for me, that is success.

“We’re having panel discussions and special effects workshops. With the people that are coming aboard, it’s just a blessing. What an amazing time it will be.”

Tamara’s mother passed away in February (2013), and she is proud to carry on her mom’s core values that continue to inspire her to give her all in all that she does.

“As precious as this festival is to me,” she said, “I am honored for all that my mom has given me and inpsired me in the past, and I am proud to announce that I am dedicating this festival to her.”

The first ever Hot Springs Horror Film Festival is happening September 26-29 at the Central Theater in Hot Springs, Arkansas. You can learn more about the festival and get the full schedule of events at HotSpringsHorrorFilmFestival.com.

Fans can also look forward to Glynn being a part of the upcoming book Halloween: The Complete Authorized History, which Justin Beahm is writing and is expected to be released in the fall of 2014.

You can click here keep up with the progress of Beahm’s Halloween book at the official facebook page.

Tamara credits Beahm (Halloweenmovies.com, The Halloween Network Youtube Channel, Fangoria, etc.) for getting her back into the spotlight in recent months.

“Last August,” she said, “I bumped into Justin Beahm on Facebook and he rebooted my career with the greatest franchise and fans in the world.”

 Following her own festival, Glynn will make her first appearance in London to serve as a special guest judge at the Misty Moon International Film Festival in October, and then it’s on to the 35 Years of Terror Halloween anniversary convention in California the first weekend of November.

Tamara confirmed exclusively to HalloweenDailyNews.com that she will be among the celebrity guests appearing at 35 Years of Terror.

Be sure to read Part 2 of our interview with Tamara Glynn here!