Current Events > 31 Women of Horror Cinema (Appreciation Topic)

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So_Hajile
10/01/20 10:36:15 PM
#1:


It's October! The weather is cooling, the leaves are turning and it's time to feast upon a diet of horrifying movies filled with suspense, blood and, perhaps, some female flesh. That last bit is what this topic is all about---an appreciation of the women who have appeared in horror cinema! More specifically, 31 actresses. Why that number? Because it equals the number of days in the month. That's right, this topic will have a daily update of 31 beautiful women whose career is defined mostly by the horror genre. Before I get started, here are a few key points for everyone to take note of:

  • This list is in no particular order. #12 is not better or worse than #27. It's not a competition.
  • Have a lady in mind that should be on here? She just might be! That said, don't be upset that you don't see her on the list. There are so many candidates that I simply chose 31 out of a long line of names.
  • What we're all here for---the pictures. Admittedly, the good stuff can't be posted on this forum because it would violate the ToS. Nonetheless, I'll post a small selection of what I can. Feel free to add more. The same goes for actresses that you want to contribute to the topic. Same goes for any movie talk---it's October! Let's talk horror!
  • Never heard of some of these names? It's ok as I'll post a brief bio in a messy stream of consciousness that may make sense. Better yet, I'll also post a selected horror filmography of each actress so if you're inclined to check out some of their work, you have a starting point.
With that said, it's all about having fun. Here we go!


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So_Hajile
10/01/20 10:36:23 PM
#2:


1. Barbara Crampton




American actress who started on daytime soap operas before graduating to the teen sex comedy, Fraternity Vacation. If you've ever wanted to witness Tim Robbins be friends with the annoying dork (Stephen Geoffreys) from 1985's Fright Night as the latter tries to hook up with Amanda Bearse (Marcy from Married with Children), oh man, you just hit pay dirt. More importantly, it's the film debut of Barbara Crampton who dives head first in what the role demands by tossing her clothes off alongside Kathleen Kinmont. Remember Halloween 4 with the busty blonde girl who almost gets nude yet doesn't? Fraternity Vacation rectifies that.

Crampton's next feature is why I chose her for the list. Nudity is one thing, but she goes above and beyond the call of duty in Re-Animator in which she's nearly the recipient of oral loving courtesy of an undead severed head. Few actresses can put that on their resume. On top of being beautiful and charming, Crampton is a decent actress who has become better over time. She's still working these days albeit in more paternal roles.

Selected Horror Filmography:
Re-Animator
From Beyond
Chopping Mall
Youre Next

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So_Hajile
10/02/20 2:37:14 AM
#3:


#2 Edwige Fenech
Italian actress most notable for appearing in a string of giallo films during the 1970s and sex comedies during the 1980s. Don't get your hopes up reading that last part. Italy's sex comedies are not American sex comedies. Imagine Porky's or Private School with high school / college aged horny men getting into wacky hijinks as they try and lose their virginity. Now replace the young guys with overweight, balding middle-aged men who defy all laws of reality by somehow attracting gorgeous women like Edwige Fenech. It's like a fevered dream you have after drinking too much J&B whiskey and watching a marathon of late night reruns of King of Queens.

Speaking of, that cheap tasting whiskey is in nearly every horror / murder / mystery thriller Italy produced in the 1970s. It's to the point you can watch giallos and make a drinking game out of spotting the J&B bottle! Oh, I should explain what a giallo is. Take an American slasher movie but with less visual gore and more mystery elements with an illogical plot and you have a giallo. The term means "yellow" and is derived from the yellow paperbacks featuring murder / mysteries. Like Murder She Wrote but with more breasts and less meddling elderly citizens.

I go into a less-than-stellar giallo expecting three things:
  1. A plot that makes little sense, especially when the killer's identity is revealed. I need to say "huh" or "what" at least three times during the viewing.
  2. J&B whiskey. I'm not sure a giallo exists without a bottle of this somewhere in the background.
  3. Beautiful women.
If I see Edwige Fenech's name in the cast, I know I don't have to worry about point #3. Granted, most of the films she's in are not always the best representation of the genre which makes her contributions all the more welcome as she's game for whatever. Especially in Amuck! and Top Sensation with Rosalba Neri.

These days, Fenech is more of a producer although she still acts a little here and there. Her last notable appearance in horror is a cameo in Hostel 2.



Selected Horror Filmography:
Amuck!
The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh
All the Colors of the Dark
The Case of the Bloody Iris
Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I have the Key
Strip Nude for Your Killer

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MabusIncarnate
10/02/20 2:43:31 AM
#4:


So_Hajile posted...
#2 Edwige Fenech
Italian actress most notable for appearing in a string of giallo films during the 1970s and sex comedies during the 1980s. Don't get your hopes up reading that last part. Italy's sex comedies are not American sex comedies. Imagine Porky's or Private School with high school / college aged horny men getting into wacky hijinks as they try and lose their virginity. Now replace the young guys with overweight, balding middle-aged men who defy all laws of reality by somehow attracting gorgeous women like Edwige Fenech. It's like a fevered dream you have after drinking too much J&B whiskey and watching a marathon of late night reruns of King of Queens.

Speaking of, that cheap tasting whiskey is in nearly every horror / murder / mystery thriller Italy produced in the 1970s. It's to the point you can watch giallos and make a drinking game out of spotting the J&B bottle! Oh, I should explain what a giallo is. Take an American slasher movie but with less visual gore and more mystery elements with an illogical plot and you have a giallo. The term means "yellow" and is derived from the yellow paperbacks featuring murder / mysteries. Like Murder She Wrote but with more breasts and less meddling elderly citizens.

I go into a less-than-stellar giallo expecting three things:
1. A plot that makes little sense, especially when the killer's identity is revealed. I need to say "huh" or "what" at least three times during the viewing.
2. J&B whiskey. I'm not sure a giallo exists without a bottle of this somewhere in the background.
3. Beautiful women.
If I see Edwige Fenech's name in the cast, I know I don't have to worry about point #3. Granted, most of the films she's in are not always the best representation of the genre which makes her contributions all the more welcome as she's game for whatever.

These days, Fenech is more of a producer although she still acts a little here and there. Her last notable appearance in horror is a cameo in Hostel 2.



Selected Horror Filmography:
The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh
All the Colors of the Dark
The Case of the Bloody Iris
Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I have the Key
Strip Nude for Your Killer
She is fire, Hajile you are CE gold

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Returning_CEmen
10/02/20 2:50:08 AM
#5:


Tag
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So_Hajile
10/02/20 3:04:24 AM
#6:


MabusIncarnate posted...
She is fire, Hajile you are CE gold
I had to go back and toss in Amuck! as a recommendation. It's a fun mystery, but the highlight is the amount of skin in that movie between Edwige Fenech, Rosalba Neri and Barbara Bouchet. *chef kiss* Then there's Top Sensation with Rosalba Neri and a goat...but that's not a horror movie so whatever.

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burns112233
10/02/20 3:12:30 AM
#7:


Jamie Lee Curtis

Sigourney Weaver
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MabusIncarnate
10/02/20 3:17:08 AM
#8:


I really need to get over my modern visuals and explore older cinema. Outside of 007, Combat!, and M*A*S*H I really haven't watched a whole lot of older movies or television. I can count how many John Wayne and Clint Eastwood films I have seen on one hand. I never really gave it a fair chance. I legit watch 200+ movies a year and binge at least 15 television series, but I always go for new and modern and write off the classic stuff.

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pfh1001
10/02/20 4:52:26 AM
#9:


Thanks for starting with Barbara Crampton-- that's a nice reminder that I need to watch From Beyond again. Great Lovecraft flick.
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So_Hajile
10/02/20 10:40:49 AM
#10:


MabusIncarnate posted...
I really need to get over my modern visuals and explore older cinema. Outside of 007, Combat!, and M*A*S*H I really haven't watched a whole lot of older movies or television. I can count how many John Wayne and Clint Eastwood films I have seen on one hand. I never really gave it a fair chance. I legit watch 200+ movies a year and binge at least 15 television series, but I always go for new and modern and write off the classic stuff.
I could see you digging giallos. Bizarre plot, beautiful women and plenty of booze. Everyone drinks all the time.

pfh1001 posted...
Thanks for starting with Barbara Crampton-- that's a nice reminder that I need to watch From Beyond again. Great Lovecraft flick.
I just watched it last night! Such a fun movie. I didn't pair it up with Re-Animator though which feels criminal not to.

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IShall_Run_Amok
10/02/20 10:43:28 AM
#11:


All The Colors of the Dark is a beauty of a movie, and Fenech is probably one of the most gorgeous women to ever grace the movie screen.

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So_Hajile
10/03/20 1:09:48 AM
#12:


#3 Gemma Arterton
Modern British actress with a classic look that is relatively fresh in her career and is appearing in most things non-horror other than the upcoming TV show, Black Narcissus. Her biggest films are Quantum of Solace and Prince of Persia, but she earns a spot for her performance in the wonderfully brilliant and masterfully created, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.

Nah, it's all because of Byzantium. One half of a vampire duo trying to live out their days in a hauntingly beautiful tale that reminds me of Interview with the Vampire. That's because it has the same director, Neil Jordan. It's interesting to see how his skills developed in the 18 years since. And as for Arteron, she's no slouch as she holds her own against her screen partner, Saoirse Ronan.

Between Byzantium and Black Narissus, she's someone to keep an eye on.



https://imgur.com/7rWOUOW


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So_Hajile
10/04/20 10:31:49 AM
#13:


#4 Mathilda May




French actress who has over 50 credits to her name but is remembered but for a single role---space vampire. I'm not saying she's what makes Lifeforce a must-see; she's just one more component that takes the move from extreme to whatever level is as high as director Tobe Hooper was at the time.

That's right, Lifeforce is brought upon this world by the man who gave us The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. If Hooper's name wasn't on the credits, nobody would connect him to this cocaine-fueled fever dream of space exploration and apocalyptic calamity wrapped up in explosions that Cannon Films became known for. It's the Death Wish 3 of 80's horror as the movie skirts subtlety by punching the viewer in the face with as many sights and sounds as possible.

The cherry on top is Mathilda May. It's easy to guess what role she plays in the story even without looking at a single still image or poster art. There's no forgetting May's performance and I'm not talking about the acting which is fine. It's her casual stroll through a military base that took me by surprise. Looking back, it isn't a surprise. After all, everything in this movie is dialed up so high that the members of Spinal Tap would blush. Of course, nudity would be one of those components that would also be elevated and I'm not talking about the space sex. Lastly, I would place May's body reveal as one of the top three of the 1980's. That's how much of a recommendation I would give it.

I forgot to put down a selected horror filmography for Gemma Arterton, but I think it's easy to figure out that Byzantium is all for the time being. I also haven't been consistent in any of these posts in the formatting.

Selected Horror Filmography:
Lifeforce.

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IShall_Run_Amok
10/04/20 11:20:41 AM
#14:


I haven't seen any of her other movies, but she was also in Bigas Luna's The Tit and the Moon, which is a great title. Luna also directed the Spanish horror classic Anguish,.which stars Zelda Rubinstein, who played the medium Tangina in the Poltergeist films, the first of which was directed by Tobe Hooper. So we've come full circle.

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BobLoblaw_
10/04/20 11:24:13 AM
#15:


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So_Hajile
10/04/20 8:42:35 PM
#16:


IShall_Run_Amok posted...
I haven't seen any of her other movies, but she was also in Bigas Luna's The Tit and the Moon, which is a great title. Luna also directed the Spanish horror classic Anguish,.which stars Zelda Rubinstein, who played the medium Tangina in the Poltergeist films, the first of which was directed by Tobe Hooper. So we've come full circle.
Surprised Anguish hasn't made the jump to an HD release. I think it's still in print from Blue Underground in the U.S., but nothing in the U.K. as far as I'm aware of. If not Arrow, maybe something 88 Films would go after.

BobLoblaw_ posted...
Great topic
Glad you're enjoying it.

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Ruvan22
10/04/20 8:58:35 PM
#17:


Completely off topic - TC I remember you saying a while back that you worked at a government office... you have a really fun/engaging writing style! I hope it's being put to use there :)
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ssj3vegeta_
10/04/20 9:05:43 PM
#18:


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leebul
10/04/20 9:17:55 PM
#19:


Has Neve Campbell been in enough horror movies to make this list?

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Boombam99
10/04/20 9:20:33 PM
#20:


TC is simply the best, a treasure to this board
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So_Hajile
10/05/20 11:57:23 AM
#21:


#5 Soledad Miranda




Spanish actress and singer whose career blossomed throughout the 1960's and hit its stride at the end of the decade. Two words as to why: Jesus Franco. At some point, anyone that becomes interested in horror made outside of the U.S. comes across Franco. The man directed over 200 films due to churning out multiple movies a year. I'm no mathematician, but if only 1/5 of those are quality then that's incredible.

Most viewers will recoil if you bring up Jesus Franco and assure you he hasn't a single watchable film to his name. I'll admit that I didn't understand Franco's work for the longest time until I discovered he was a jazz musician. That's when it all clicked---the drunken narrative, the camera constantly weaving and bopping around the scene like trying to catch a fly on video and characters making bizarre decisions contrary to how human nature would dictate. It's all part of Franco's attempt at capturing an illogical and elusive beat on film.

Most viewers will agree that Franco had an eye for female talent. He would so enamored with certain actresses, stories would be created to feature them in prominent roles. At some point during production, he would forget the point of the film and use the camera to engage in voyeurism and drag the audience with him. I'm not usually one to complain about seeing beautiful women on film, but I don't need to detailed guide to every curve and entry point of their body. Thanks to Franco, I can close my eyes right now and paint a detailed picture of Lina Romay's butthole. Nobody should have that ability.

That's about as good of a transition as I can make to take the writing over to Soledad Miranda. At the end of the 1960's, she caught the attention of Jesus Franco and became his muse for several films. Miranda has a screen presence I've rarely seen. She Killed in Ecstasy has her playing a fragile victim trying to seduce men. The next moment, it's as if the madness buried deep down exploded to the top and the craziness takes over. This doesn't sound original, but Miranda is one of the few that I find it believable. Vampyros Les*** is a sexier and psychedelic retelling of Dracula with Miranda in the count's role. Miranda looks vulnerable, especially compared to her intended target played by Ewa Stromberg. Then the seductive charm turns on and you can't blame Stromberg's character for giving in the vampire's desires.

In 1970, Miranda has signed a picture deal with a famous German producer and her rise in cinema was about to happen. Tragically, she and her family were in a car accident on August 18th, 1970. Her family survived, but Miranda died hours later in the hospital. The world was given but glimpses of what Soledad Miranda could offer and left fans wondering what may have been.

One of the titles is censored as to not violate the ToS.

Selected Horror Filmography:
Count Dracula (1970)
Vampyros Les***
She Killed in Ecstasy
Nightmares Come at Night

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So_Hajile
10/05/20 11:59:57 AM
#22:


Thanks everyone and I'm glad you're enjoying this. Maybe some of the movies will sound interesting enough to check out during this spooky month.

About my writing, pffft, I don't much of a style or skill these days. It's just my semi-coherent ramblings being tossed onto a keyboard.

About Neve Campbell, well, I won't say if she is or isn't on the list as that would ruin the surprise. I do believe she qualifies by even this topic's guidelines. She's the face of one of the most popular modern horror franchises.

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So_Hajile
10/06/20 9:06:43 AM
#23:


#6 Julianna Guill



https://imgur.com/8iZxYpf
The Friday the 13th franchise has no shortage of women---cute Elizabeth Kaitan in The New Blood, adorable Lexa Doig from Jason X and voluptuous Debi Sue Voorhees in A New Beginning. With twelve films in the series, it can be confusing for first time viewers to remember which actress played what character in whichever movie.

Viewers may not remember Julianna Guills name, but all I have to say is Friday the 13th and stupendous tits and anyone that seen the 2009 remake knows exactly which lovely lady Im referring to. I found the 2009 film to a middling entry into the franchise, but it certainly tries to top certain elements from the other movies.

Case I point is the sex scene. A staple in the series, as well as the slasher genre, its to be expected at this point. Up to this point, the most memorable occurrence is the tent scene from Jason Goes to Hell. While it ends with a bloody penetration, the remake utilizes some of the most absurd dialogue to ever be uttered in a series with enough questionable writing to fill in Crystal Lake itself. Its all the better for it as the sequence becomes a stand-out moment in the entire series for better or worse. Credit must be given to Julianna Guill for providing the material to make this all possible.

Julianna Guill has appeared in numerous other projects since 2009s Friday the 13th including major productions like Captain America: Civil War and a couple of low-rent horror titles, but shell always be known for her astounding, mind-blowing, flawless placement of human anatomy to which the greatest of historys sculptures weep tears of admiration and caused a spoiled frat boy named Trent to become amazed of her perfection. Who am I to argue with the word of Trent?

Selected Horror Filmography:
Friday the 13th (2009)

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So_Hajile
10/07/20 11:15:49 AM
#24:


#7 Barbara Steele




Comfort food is the best. I love a nice, hot bowl of beef stew on a chilly night. When the mood hits just right, nothing can beat it. Gothic horror movies are the same way. Watching characters fight demons, villains stalk-n-slash their victims and the undead digest a pound of flesh like how I do to a blueberry bagel is all fun, but theres something about cozying up on the couch with a blanket and watching some beautiful lady wander around a darkly lit castle or mansion. The shadows created by the dim glow of a candle, creating a void of darkness to which anything may emerge to leap out and at the heroine as she searches for clues to the dwellings disturbing past---chefs kiss---its fantastic.

There is no better embodiment of the Gothic movie genre than British actress Barbara Steele. Although not the first, she is the Queen of Goth in my eyes. She has all requisites you expect: dark hair, pale skin and vampish features. And those eyes. She knows exactly how to use her facial expressions to portray demented and deranged or the haunted victim. In some cases, shes both.

Steele has quite an extensive list of horror credits so heres a quick rundown of my recommendations. Interested in a slow-burn, castle / mansion exploration, chilling tale? Go with Castle of Blood, The Terrible Dr. Hitchcock, An Angel for Satan and Nightmare Castle. If Disney were to ever make a Russian vampiric tale, Id like to think it come out like 1960s Black Sunday. Want to see a parasitical slug crawl into a vagina as a metaphor for sexual relations to which a young James Gunn probably watched and popped his first boner? Shivers has what you need.

The summer heat has subsided, and the faint coolness of fall has taken over. Im patiently waiting for the sun to set and the blackness of night to take over. Tonights menu? Beef stew.

Selected Horror Filmography:
Black Sunday (1960)
Castle of Blood
Terror Creatures
The Long Hair of Death
An Angel for Satan
The Ghost
The Terrible Dr. Hitchcock
Nightmare Castle
Shivers

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ekie
10/07/20 11:22:25 AM
#25:


*is unworthy of this topic*

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IShall_Run_Amok
10/07/20 11:22:32 AM
#26:


Barbara Steele is a legend.

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Gwynevere
10/07/20 11:31:02 AM
#27:


Tag

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So_Hajile
10/07/20 5:50:56 PM
#28:


IShall_Run_Amok posted...
Barbara Steele is a legend.
Just think, if she didn't have an argument with Don Siegel on the Elvis movie Pink Flamingo and ditch the job to move back to England and take on work from foreign productions, Steele's career could have been very different.

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So_Hajile
10/08/20 10:20:23 AM
#29:


#8 Caroline Munro





Its 1977. Some tiny little flick called Star Wars is making a sensation in America and the rest of the world is chomping its collective bit to see this. Its not just a movie; its an experience never before felt. You are a little-known Italian director charged with the task of cashing in on this monumental juggernaut of celluloid. Theres just one problem---you havent seen Star Wars. What do you do?

You watch the trailer a few times, jot down a few notes involving laser swords and spaceships that go PEW PEW along with a young David Hasselhoff and an ominous villain dressed in black that you dont want to meet in a darkened space alley. Thats not enough material to fill an entire feature length film so you also toss in homages to Jason and the Argonauts. What if it needs that last little oomph? That little missing element that reaches out and grabs the viewers of 1978 by their untrimmed balls? You cast the lead character with a former Bond girl and have her dressed in a bikini---correction, a space bikini. And thus the recipe of success known as Starcrash is born to limited box office. Because it's Italian.

I would say this is where British actress Caroline Munro makes her debut, but by 1978 shes already got her genre resume in order. Where did she get her start? Like many beautiful English actors, with Hammer Studios. Munro was vamping it up with as much sexuality as the next buxom lady as a victim of Dracula in the psychedelic Dracula A.D. 1972 along with Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter and later with a more subdued and supporting role in I Dont Want to Live. It has one of the most memorable posters with a creature that is part fetus part hand clutching a pair of scissors. Now thats an abortion topic!

My first exposure to Munro is like two sides of the same coin all in one evening. I had watched the adventure film The Golden Voyage of Sinbad in which she just oozes sex appeal and not in a sleazy way. Theres nothing dark or dreary about Sinbad so to follow it up with 1980s Maniac was quite a filthy surprise. Munro plays the innocent girl so its not as if her image became tarnished. Its that Maniac is one of those I need to shower experiences. Its a fantastic, low-budget psycho-sexual invitation to the disturbed filled with grime and sweat. I havent even talked about some of Tom Savinis greatest gore effects that explode onto the screen.

Because this ties into Caroline Munro as she stars in it, Im going to take this moment to briefly mention Slaughter High. Its a British take on the American slasher complete with what England thinks Murica high schools were like. Class reunions held on dilapidated rundown boarding houses that substitute as a high school in the middle of nowhere, foreign accents changing to some bizarro version of where-the-hell-USA, and a very obvious 37-year-old Caroline Munro portrays a senior high schooler. That doesnt even tackle the facilities within the school or the British assuming America has the same custom about April Fools Day ending at noon. There are so many baffling choices. It must be how other countries feel when Hollywood make-believes their customs and traditions and gets it all wrong.

Selected Horror Filmography:
I Dont Want to Live
Dracula A.D. 1972
Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter
Maniac (1980)
Slaughter High
Dont Open Till Christmas
Faceless

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#30
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So_Hajile
10/08/20 12:12:10 PM
#31:


tote_all posted...
dat sex scene tho
Memorable for all kinds of reasons.

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So_Hajile
10/09/20 8:02:00 AM
#32:


#9 P.J. Soles



https://imgur.com/XgJcOD1
There are horror films that get under your skin. They make you question if thats a figure in the darkness of the corner of your room or if its your imagination. Other movies dare you to unpack the taboo themes theyre loaded with, to push you into forbidden territories in an effort to make you squirm. Then there are the fun, surface level, no thinking required body count flicks. These are the movies in which audiences find excitement in watching the cast whittled down to but a handful. They contain all different archetypes---jocks, nerds, and the girl next door. Each has a specific purpose to fulfill.

Enter the bimbo. Shes fast to drink, slow to think, quick to fuck and unlikely to duck. Shes only interested in having a good time. Clothes are optional. For many male audiences hoping for the full B&B treatment (blood and boobs), the bimbo is essential to the experience. Ever watch a PG-13 slasher? Its like a neutered dog. Its less than what it could be. Although if a PG-13 horror movie brings in enough cash, it spawns imitators and sequels. A neutered dog is a bad analogy. Lets move on to the star of today.

Here comes P.J. Soles in the role of Lynda in the classic 1978 slasher, Halloween, to show everyone how the bimbo character is done. Halloween is the template of slasher movies that would follow in its wake. Its the blueprints of the kind of films that would litter the 1980s and after. Sure, little tweaks here and there would be added like an emphasis on gore but its still the same playbook. The character of Lynda hasnt changed. Shes a high school girl only interested in getting laid by a guy named Bob who drives the most boring van during the height when it was somehow cool to drive a van. Lynda drinks, she smokes, has awkward sex and uses the word totally to the point it becomes a catchphrase. Shes Gretchen but with bell bottoms and Billy Beer. Thats so fetch. The bimbo character is still the same: smoke, drink and show off some skin and become some boys first glimpse into the glory of the female body.

I know Soles is more known to some as Norma from 1976s Carrie. I get it. That red hat just draws you in like the little girl from Schindlers List. You cant help but not to look. If Im being honest, my favorite character played by Soles is Riff Randell in Rock N Roll High School. Thats my feel-good movie. No matter the kind of day Ive had, I can watch it and, instantly, my existence becomes better. Dey Young is partly the reason why. The other is hearing Dee Dee Ramone utter the only line the writers felt he could handle---Alright, pizza! Its the equivalent of God appearing before you and explaining the meaning of reality. It must be how Einstein felt when solving the equivalence between mass and energy. Totally.

Selected Horror Filmography:
Carrie (1976)
Halloween (1978)
Blood Bath
The Devils Rejects

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So_Hajile
10/09/20 8:02:37 AM
#33:


P.J. Soles married Dennis Quad in 1978. Heres the two together with Jamie Lee Curtis at the wrap party for Halloween. The two eventually divorced in 1983.


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Vicious_Dios
10/09/20 8:06:28 AM
#34:


October topic is tragically missing Elvira.

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Gwynevere
10/09/20 8:32:02 AM
#35:


Edwige Fenech is my favorite so far

The lewds are

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So_Hajile
10/09/20 3:06:02 PM
#36:


Vicious_Dios posted...
October topic is tragically missing Elvira.
It's not over yet. She may appear.

Gwynevere posted...
Edwige Fenech is my favorite so far

The lewds are
If Edwige Fenech is in the horror movie, I think you're guaranteed to see nudity. I can't think of too many examples in which she keeps her clothes on.

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So_Hajile
10/10/20 8:51:08 AM
#37:


#10 Valerie Leon





Boris Karloff. Lon Chaney, Jr. Christopher Lee. The henchman from Hard Target. The Mummy has had a steady stream of guys wrapped up in bandages ever since 1932. The backstory is often about a priest who gets caught exploring catacombs he shouldnt be. The punishment is eternal damnation as a security guard for a society long since gone. Ever see Lady Terminator where the witch has a snake in her vagina? Im thinking thats a better preventive method to stop even the horniest of men from breaking the no-no rule with nobility rather than keep out sign.

The Mummy was a boys club until 1971s Blood from the Mummys Tomb in which the world received its most voluptuous Egyptian undead in the form of Valerie Leon. The mummy is really the spirit of an Egyptian queen possessing a young girl who uses her to revive her dead carcass. The key point to take away from this is that the creative team thought long and hard above covering up Leons body in traditional wrappings and decided to show as much of the hills and valleys of Egypt as they could. Civilizations are more enriched because of this. It was the wisest of decisions to ever be made.

Valerie is fine in the role as a spirit taking control of a hot and nubile young body and seducing her way to reincarnation. If you sit and watch Hammer Studios Mummy series in order, this is a nice shake-up to the formula; more so if youre familiar with the Universal series. Outside of the terribly inept Queen Kong, Leon isnt known for much more to the world than having parts in The Spy Who Loved Me and Never Say Never Again and to British audiences familiar with the Carry On series.

Thats ok as Leons legacy as the sexiest female Mummy lives on and was only recently challenged in 2017 by Sofia Boutella in, yet another, The Mummy. Whether or not Leons crown was snatched away is a matter of debate in which only the worlds most serious of scholars would dare tackle.

Selected Horror Filmography:
Blood from the Mummys Tomb

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pfh1001
10/11/20 5:42:41 AM
#38:


You have great taste in classic ladies. Keep up the great work!
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So_Hajile
10/11/20 11:17:00 AM
#39:


#11 Danielle Harris




Child characters can be the worst. Remember Seven from Married with Children? At least the show tried to right its wrong by saying he went missing and was never found. Children in horror movies had a higher survival rate. I don't blame the actors so much because they're just giving what's expected of them---cuteness. So darn cute and sweet that it's like diabetes in human form. Show of hands from those that was hoping Dakota Fanning's character would be vaporized by the aliens in War of the Worlds.

Kids in slasher movies sounds like a terrible mixture. In a genre in which the main attraction is seeing how much blood the human contains, you know the children are safe. At least from any onscreen violence. They won't be making the highlight reel.

Danielle Harris as Jamie Lloyd in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers is a massive exception. She's not only capable, but she delivers just enough sympathy that the audience doesn't turn on her. Harris is easily one of, if not the, biggest strengths the sequels have. In the case of Halloween 5, about the only thing the movie has going for it. She's also great as the sarcastic young sister of Christina Applegate in Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead.

Like what happens to all of us, Harris grew up. She swapped out the cute factor for an improvement in her acting capability. Say what you want about Rob Zombie's Halloween and its sequel, and there's plenty to say, her portrayal of Annie Brackett is the kind of stuff you don't normally see. Ok, more so in the sequel as the 2007 film is just 30-year-old her playing a horny high school senior. The follow-up has her supporting character succeeding where the main heroine, Laurie (Scout Taylor Compton), falls and smacks her face on the concrete. Both women survive a brutal night of tragedy. Both are physically and mentally scarred. Annie's character tries to cope by putting on a happy face, but is obviously troubled underneath. That's understandable and likeable. Laurie decides to be an edge lord who draws pentagrams on her bedroom door. Because pentagrams can create portals. A door is a portal. Get it? Get it?! Cut my life into pieces! This is my last resort!!

Sigh. Harris's Annie is more subdued with glimpses into her mental state coming through her acting. Not all of her work is like that. She took over the lead role from Tamara Feldman in Hatchet. It's a slasher movie that pays homage to the films of the 80's before doing so became an entire subgenre. It's campy and bloody and it can scratch that itch if you're looking for an entertaining slice-n-dice romp through the Louisiana swamps. The series is fine, but nothing that Harris has to already stretch her craft for. That describes most of her work, unfortunately. There's talent there, but it feels wasted.

There is a notable exception with 2010's Stake Land. It's the Walking Dead meets I Am Legend where zombies are switched out with vampires. Sounds like an easy cash grab except the movie premiered before the famous zombie tv show. Harris plays a young woman carrying a child in an apocalyptic world. Sounds like 2020.

Maybe Danielle Harris will get another opportunity to do something a little more character driven. She does have a bit part in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as the pregnant woman at the ranch. Maybe that's the key---Harris and children. If she can't turn back time like Cher, then the next best thing is to have a baby growing inside of her.

Selected Horror Filmography:
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
Hatchet 2
Stake Land
Urban Legend
Tom Holland's Twisted Tales

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So_Hajile
10/11/20 7:13:10 PM
#40:


pfh1001 posted...
You have great taste in classic ladies. Keep up the great work!
Thanks and hope you enjoy the topic.

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So_Hajile
10/12/20 11:26:14 AM
#41:


#12 Frances Raines





Remember that time you discovered an offbeat, unknown music artist? It was like snorting pop rocks, achieving enlightenment, and the opening of your third eye resulting in the world looking like an episode of The Brak Show in the style of Aeon Flux. And you wanted the rest of humanity to share in this delight. Family, friends, neighbors, strangers, that guy always hanging around the gas station on Tuesday mornings insisting he needs change so he can somehow drive 70 miles away to visit a family member who suffered a serious medical condition yet it seemingly occurs to them every single week on the exact same day.you tell everyone of this miracle until it reaches the point of all existence ignoring your pleas to listen. You just want to enrich their lives.

Thats how I feel about Disconnected with Frances Raines. If her resume is the music album, it's the best song on there. Niece of Claude Raines, the Invisible Man himself, Frances isnt merely the star of Disconnected. No, shes the Elmers glue that holds the DIY production together. Shes not just cute in that girl-next-door appeal, but her acting is believable in a way that feels too good for B movies yet strangely at home.

Before going more into Disconnected, I must ramble about how I even came across it. It all started with the Women in Prison genre. Good times were had, especially the material from Jack Hill like The Big Bird Cage and The Big Doll House. The 80s productions became sleazier with Chained Heat and the like. Still, I needed more. Like an 80s yuppie hitting the end of a cocaine trail on the stomach of a $1000 escort, I thought I went to the brink with Jess Francos 99 Women yet I wanted another fix soon after.

Thats where director / writer Tim Kincaid and his $3.50 budget productions came into my life with Bad Girls Dormitory. Bad acting with shoddy direction in a cliched story. I immediately watched the second feature on the DVD I had containing Kincaids Riot on 42nd St. Same results. During these viewings I did notice a cute girl in brief roles with little to do but bounce her terrible 1986 hairstyle in the air with confidence. I thought nothing of it and went on to check out Kincaids alien rape movie appropriately titled Breeders. This time, the cute girl had more to do. By that I mean exercise in the nude for over two minutes in a movie with a runtime of barely 77 minutes. Its the highlight of the movie. Thats when I made the all important decision to see everything else in Raines filmography of 7 credits.

The slasher nerd that I am should have been properly introduced to Raines through the North Carolina-lensed hack-n-slash movie, The Mutilator. Too bad it took until 2016 for it to receive a DVD / BD release. Just a circumstance of living in the U.S. It doesnt matter as the wrongs were eventually righted. Better yet was the release of Disconnected in 2017.

The story has finally come full circle. If David Lynch traded in a portion of his talent for the ability to capture wood paneling in all its glory, you get an idea of Disconnected. Raines portrays twin sisters. A serial killer stumbles into their lives with the charm of a Twitch streamer fanatic. Things happen and by halfway through the story, its just one of the sisters left alone in her apartment as she loses her sanity while a phone constantly rings. On the other end of it are voices of those that have supposedly died. Raines sells it hard. I feel so bad for this young lady surrounded by movie posters and Groucho Marx dolls. Its also a shame her grip on reality falters and it becomes difficult to distinguish the truth from the ongoing nightmare. Did I mention the events may be a prank by a malevolent being? Its all over the place and it shouldnt work, but it defies the odds. Only lately has it been rescued from total obscurity, Disconnected and Frances Raines is far from being embraced by the world. It's a step.

Selected Horror Filmography:
Disconnected
The Mutilator
Breeders

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IShall_Run_Amok
10/12/20 11:31:46 AM
#42:


The Mutilator was my first slasher movie. Pretty cool stuff. I love that it starts out like a giallo or something, then evolves into a cheesy teen comedy, theme song and all, and then becomes the really gruesome slasher we know and "love".

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So_Hajile
10/12/20 4:28:40 PM
#43:


IShall_Run_Amok posted...
The Mutilator was my first slasher movie. Pretty cool stuff. I love that it starts out like a giallo or something, then evolves into a cheesy teen comedy, theme song and all, and then becomes the really gruesome slasher we know and "love".
Wow, that's a solid entry to pop your slasher cherry.

Yes! That opening song is so out of place, it's fantastic:
https://youtu.be/KyVjIZU-jI8
The first time I saw it, I thought maybe it would play out more like a teen sex comedy. I'd love to have a "teen comedy" edit of the movie to accompany the more gruesome version we have.

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So_Hajile
10/13/20 11:20:29 AM
#44:


#13 Sigourney Weaver




Name any hard-nosed, gun toting, take no nonsense woman in an action / horror hybrid from the past 30 plus years and you can thank Sigourney Weavers Ellen Ripley for leading the charge. That isnt to say there werent capable leading women in horror movies before. Most just didnt do so while making the guys look incompetent.

Alien and Aliens. Which is the better of the two? Both are great movies and for different reasons. Im skipping that discussion as this is a celebration of the woman headlining those stories. Its all about Ripley when it comes to the franchise.

1979s Alien. Its been a hot topic about why Ripley needed to strip down in the finale. A confident, capable woman is reduced to a shirt and panties. To demean her and make the audience see her as a sexual object is often the argument for this. I see it a different way. The nightmare is over or so Ripley believes. The adventure is done, the ordeal passed. Its the end of a very long day. Ripley gets ready for bed (cryo-sleep) and gets comfortable. What she doesnt know is theres an intruder in her house (the xenomorph). Hes about to strike when she least suspects it. Im referring to it as a he because, cmon, that thing is a phallic symbol used to penetrate its victims. Its a walking sex act much like Ron Jeremy.oh, thats unfortunate timing. The scene is all about seeing Ripley at her most vulnerable, when her guard is down, and she believes she is safe. A fear many women understand.

The end of Alien, while offering a purpose to its setup, didnt do much to influence future filmmakers. Here comes the loud and brash sequel to make everyone take notice. Women are often recognized as having to lose some of their feminine identity and adopt a more masculine approach to survive horror movies. Think of Barbara in 1990s Night of the Living Dead. The question in film theory is if a woman can somehow retain her total amount of femininity while taking on masculine qualities and maintain a balance if it can even be achieved. Ellen Ripley shows it can be done. The finale of the movie has the quintessential image as Ripley holds a young girl, who she looks upon as a daughter, in one arm while brandishing a military weapon in the other. BAM! Movie character magic was created and copied ever since. Usually to lesser results

What if these movies had someone other than Sigourney Weaver as Ripley? I dont have enough imagination to fill the role with someone else. It doesnt feel right. Theres just something believable about Weavers looks as they convey sensuality with toughness. I truly believe Weaver could pick up a gun and start firing bullets at walking erection monsters who explode at the touch of a bullet much like Ron Jeremys balls when performing in one of his hundreds of fil.dang. Too soon.

Lets not forget Ghostbusters. Ok, and Ghostbusters II. Its tough for an actor to hold their own against Bill Murray but she does it. Hey, remember that scene in Ghostbusters when Ron Jeremy is in the crowd when the containment unit exploded just likewow. Never mind. Im done.

Selected Horror Filmography:
Alien
Aliens
Ghostbusters
Snow White: A Tale of Terror
Cabin in the Woods

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ekie
10/13/20 2:16:06 PM
#45:


Interesting, traditionally she wouldn't be considered a scream Queen but it fits

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So_Hajile
10/14/20 9:54:44 AM
#46:


#14Linnea Quigley




How many actresses can you name who has pushed a tube of lipstick into her nipple, battled an imp in a bowling alley, and burned calories by aerobicizing with zombies? There's just one answer---Linnea Quigley.

Thats only a small taste of the wild roles that has made up Linnea Quigleys 167 credited titles. She may have started in the 70s, but Quigley ruled the VHS tapes you would find when perusing the aisles of your local video store in the decades to follow. You could catch her in Night of the Demons on the big screen and then rent a copy of Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers later that evening. Shes as 80s as hair metal, hot pink, and blow.

Thats not even touching upon the cameos involving just her breasts. Keep an eye out on the souls of Freddys victims clawing to get out during the climax of A Nightmare on Elm St. 4: The Dream Master. That pair of perky tits poking through Kruegers skin? Yep, thats Linnea Quigleys contribution. Shes like the delicious sprinkles you get on your sundae. You already have the ice cream so adding in bits of confectionery delights isnt going to completely change the dessert but adds that touch of extra attention to the overall package. With boobs. That magical component which is expected to be in every B horror movie.

More often than not, with Quigley, you get the acting talent to match the production budget. Her dialogue recitals are over the top and not in the ham and cheese sandwich way that Vincent Price could pull off. The best display of acting is in Savage Streets as the mute sister to Linda Blair who is traumatized after being raped. Based on that alone, you would think youre watching a master of her craft in the early stages. Nobody got the memo to not let her talk.

Its fine as the scripts for Nightmare Sisters or Creepozoids arent exactly begging for top tier talent. If anything, through some bizarre sense of cosmic balance, Linnea Quigley enforces the material shes in. She doesn't feel out of place as a woman possessed or brandishing a chainsaw. This isnt like when A-list actor falls from the graces of the Hollywood Gods and is forced to take on work that is beneath their caliber for a quick paycheck. Shes right at home with rubbery monsters, buckets of blood, gravestone dancing, and gratuitous shower scenes that only develop some guys boner more so than the plot.

Selected Horror Filmography:
Night of the Demons (1988)
Return of the Living Dead
Graduation Day
Fatal Games
Silent Night, Deadly Night
Sorority Girls in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama

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#47
Post #47 was unavailable or deleted.
ekie
10/14/20 5:29:49 PM
#48:


Godnorgosh posted...
It seems like you're going for sexualized model types here, but you can't have a list of notable women in horror movies without Shelley Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie.

Weaver proves otherwise.
Besides. Most horror flicks came with a side of nudity back then.

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garan
10/14/20 5:38:23 PM
#49:


Anti-sex whiners are the worst type of CEmen.
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So_Hajile
10/14/20 10:13:19 PM
#50:


Godnorgosh posted...
It seems like you're going for sexualized model types here, but you can't have a list of notable women in horror movies without Shelley Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie.
They're all in memorable, iconic roles. However, the list is a scant 31 and will miss out on people's favorites or their own picks. That said, I'm not saying none of those women will appear either.

Also, I was thinking about adding a clue to the next day's entry. I'm not sure it really matters. Readers only have to wait but a day to find out the latest actress. I'm not even sure there are enough people to even bother making up clues for. There's also the issue with how terrible I am about such things without making them too easy.

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