Last week, FANGORIA hosted a Los Angeles screening of SPIDERS 3D (opening in theaters this Friday), and we caught up with star Christa Campbell, who gave us the scoop on filming with giant arachnids.

Campbell plays Rachel, a health department worker who teams with her estranged husband, MTA official Jason (Patrick Muldoon) to stop a giant spider invasion of New York, in the Tibor Takacs-directed film. It’s the latest in a string of genre roles for the actress, also including the 2001 MANIACS movies, DRIVE ANGRY and the remakes of DAY OF THE DEAD and THE WICKER MAN. She was also an executive producer on this year’s TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D.

FANGORIA: How did you become involved with SPIDERS?

CHRISTA CAMPBELL: Tibor and I have worked together on a few other films [among them MANSQUITO and KRAKEN: TENTACLES OF THE DEEP], and when SPIDERS was being talked about, he asked me if I would play Rachel. I read the script and loved it, so I was immediately in.

FANG: Do you have a fear of spiders in real life?

CAMPBELL: Yes, yes, yes! I said to myself when I first came on SPIDERS, “OK, you’re doing a spider movie—get over it already.” But then, thankfully, I learned that the spiders were going to be CG, so I was immediately relieved.

FANG: Can you tell us a little about where the SPIDERS was filmed?

CAMPBELL: It was shot in Bulgaria at Nu Boyana Film Studios, which is like three times the size of Paramount, just to give you an idea. We used the New York set there, which was like four city blocks inside a massive studio. It was a fantastic location.

FANG: What was it like shooting in 3D?

CAMPBELL: You know, people always ask if it’s different to work with 3D, and I really think that for the actors, there isn’t much of a difference. Maybe for the DP there is, but for the actors, it’s pretty much all the same. The biggest challenge was doing my own stunts, but I loved every minute of it.

FANG: What was it like dealing with the nonexistent digital creatures?

CAMPBELL: It’s actually pretty easy; they tell you where your eyeline is and how big the spider is and all that, so it’s just like playing when you’re a kid. But now, you’re just delivering off-camera lines to something that isn’t actually there, which can be interesting.

FANG: You’ve worked with Tibor Takacs on a number of projects now. Can you discuss why you work so well together?

CAMPBELL: Tibor and I have a great shorthand; he knows how to shoot me, and knows he can ask me to jump off a building, crash a car or dive into below-zero waters, and I will always do it. I love to push myself and to be pushed, and working with Tibor on SPIDERS was great as always.

FANG: What are you upcoming projects? 

CAMPBELL: I have STRAIGHT A’s coming out in March, which I executive-produced and stars Ryan Phillippe, Luke Wilson and Anna Paquin; I have a role in it as well. And I’m in THE ICEMAN, which is coming out in May and stars Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, Chris Evans and James Franco.

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