Born-Again Kristian

Two years ago, after nine seasons on NBC's Days of Our Lives, Hope (Kristian Alfonso) tumbled into a vat of acid-presumably never to be seen again. ''They always said the door was open, but even I thought I was dead,'' quips the actress. But Alfonso just resurfaced on Days and really made a splash this season on Fox's Melrose Place in the ongoing role of Lauren, the naughty and haughty Heidi Fleiss-like Hollywood madam. Though her credits include a stint as a Wilhelmina model and as Pilar Ortega Cumson on Falcon Crest from 1988-90, Alfonso is not one to rest on her laurels; she recently starred in the USA movie Blindfold: Acts of Obsession, as Shannen Doherty's sister. ''It's an erotic thriller,'' she says, laughing. ''Shannen did all the eroticism. I was just the thrills.''