Jaimie Alexander
Jaimie Alexander (born Jaimie Tarbush; March 12, 1984) is an American actress best known for portraying Jessi on the TV series Kyle XY and Sif in the 2011 superhero film Thor.
In 2006, she had her first lead role in the horror film Rest Stop where she portrayed ‘Nicole Carrow’, a girl who escapes from home and goes on a trip with her boyfriend, which is unexpectedly interrupted at a rest stop by a deranged serial killer. In 2007, she had her second lead role, also in a horror film, Hallowed Ground, in which she played ‘Elizabeth Chambers’, a girl stranded in a small town inhabited by a sect that plans to use her as a vessel for the rebirth of their founder.
Her most famous part so far was that of ‘Jessi’ on the ABC Family television show Kyle XY. She portrays a girl with superhuman powers who is trying to find her way in the world, with increasing cooperation and eventual romance with her male counterpart Kyle.
She portrayed the warrior god, Sif in the live-action superhero film, Thor, directed by Kenneth Branagh, released in May 2011.
Ali Larter
Alison Elizabeth “Ali” Larter (born February 28, 1976) is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing the dual roles of Niki Sanders and Tracy Strauss on the NBC science fiction drama ‘Heroes’ as well as her roles in several horror films.
Born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey; she attended Carusi Middle School and later graduated from Cherry Hill High School West during her time as a model. Larter began her modelling career at the age of 14 when a modelling scout discovered her on the street and was asked to star in a Phillies commercial, this led to a modelling contract with the prestigious Ford Modeling Agency in New York. Larter subsequently skipped her senior year to model in Australia, Italy and Japan.
While modelling in Italy, Larter met fellow model and aspiring actress Amy Smart and the two “became instant friends”, according to Larter. A modelling job later took her to Los Angeles, whilst there, she decided to take acting classes with Smart.
Larter’s screen debut came in the 1999 film ‘Varsity Blues’, followed by the horror films ‘House on Haunted Hill’, the movie was panned by critics, but grossed $15 million on its opening weekend and went on to earn over $40 million overall. This was followed by ‘Final Destination’.
Larter starred as one of the main characters, Clear Rivers, in the teen supernatural horror film; the movie’s premise followed several teenagers who survive a plane crash but are stalked and killed by death itself. Final Destination made $112 million by the end of its theatrical run which ensured 4 sequels! She reprised her role as Clear Rivers in the immediate sequel ‘Final Destination 2.’
Larter moved back to Los Angeles in 2005. Her first audition was for the NBC science-fiction television series ‘Heroes’. Larter played the characters of Niki Sanders, who suffered from dissociative identity disorder, and Tracy Strauss. Larter’s initial character Niki Sanders, was a wife, mother, and a former internet stripper from Las Vegas who exhibits superhuman strength and alternate personalities who go by the names of Jessica and Gina. The series collected a number of accolades in its first season including a Peoples Choice Award and nominations from the Emmy and Golden Globes.
Larter achieved wider fame after her portrayal of video game heroine Claire Redfield in the successful Resident Evil franchise, co-starring in the films, ‘Resident Evil: Extinction’ and ‘Resident Evil: Afterlife’.
The latter movie was not well received by critics with the Philadelphia Enquirer stating the movie “lacks the humanity – interesting characters, funny one-liners – that made its predecessors enjoyable B-movies.” The movie was an international success nonetheless, earning $296 million worldwide and becoming Larter’s highest grossing picture to date
Caroline Munro
Caroline Munro (born 16 January 1949) is an English actress and model known for her many appearances in horror, science fiction and action films of the 1970s and 1980s.
According to Munro, her career took off in 1966 when her mother and photographer friend entered some headshots of her to Britain’s The Evening News “Face of the Year” contest. This led to modelling chores, her first job being for Vogue magazine at the age of 17. She moved to London to pursue top modelling jobs and became a major cover girl for fashion and TV advertisements while there. 1969 proved to be a good year for Munro, because it was then that she began a lucrative 10 year relationship with Lamb’s Navy Rum. Her image was plastered all over the country, and this would eventually lead to her next big break.
1971 saw her appear alongside Vincent Price in ‘The Abominable Dr. Phibes’, playing the deceased Mrs. Victoria Regina Phibes. She would reprise the role in the sequel, ‘Dr. Phibes Rises Again’ in 1972. Her first film for Hammer proved to be something of a turning point in her career. It was during the making of ‘Dracula AD 1972’ that she decided from this film onward she was a full-fledged actress. Up until then, she had always considered herself to be a model who did some acting on the side. Munro completed her contract for Hammer with ‘Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter’ in 1974.
Munro has the distinction of being the only actor ever signed to a long-term contract by Hammer Films. She would later turn down the lead female roles in Hammer’s ‘Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde’, ‘Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell’, and the unmade ‘Vampirella’ because they required nudity.
Director Brian Clemens later helped her get the role of Margiana, the slave girl in ‘The Golden Voyage of Sinbad’ (1974). Other appearances during this time included ‘I Don’t Want to be Born’ (1975) with Joan Collins, and ‘At the Earth’s Core’ (1976) with Peter Cushing and Doug McClure. She appeared also as Tammy, a nursing employee of a sinister health farm, in “The Angels of Death” (1977).
In 1977, Munro turned down the opportunity to play villainess Ursa in ‘Superman’ in favor of what would become her most celebrated film appearance, the ill-fated helicopter pilot Naomi in the Bond film ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’, who seductively winks at Bond while trying to gun him down from her helicopter. In her role as Naomi, she holds the distinction of being the first woman ever undeniably killed by James Bond.
Munro continued to work in numerous British and European horror and science fiction films throughout the 1970s and 1980s, most notably ‘Starcrash’ (1979) with David Hasselhoff and Christopher Plummer.
Munro’s career continued to thrive in slasher and Eurotrash productions. Her first film shot on American soil was the William Lustig production ‘Maniac’ (1980). This was soon followed by the “multi-award winning, shot during the Cannes Film Festival” shocker ‘The Last Horror Film’ (1982) (directed by David Winters), in which she was reunited with her Maniac co-star Joe Spinell. She also had a cameo role in the cult classic slasher ‘Don’t Open ‘Til Christmas’ as a singer (1984), ‘Slaughter High’ (1986), ‘Howl of the Devil’ (1987), and Jess Franco’s ‘Faceless’ (1988). She reteamed with Starcrash director, Luigi Cozzi, for ‘Il Gatto nero’ in 1989. This would be Caroline’s last major film appearance.
Dee Wallace
Dee Wallace (born Deanna Bowers on December 14, 1948), also known as Dee Wallace-Stone, is an American actress and comedienne who was born in Kansas City, Kansas. She is perhaps best known for her roles in several popular films. These include a starring role as Elliot’s mother in the Steven Spielberg film ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ (1982), her most widely seen role. She also played key roles in popular cult films ‘The Hills Have Eyes’ (1977) about a family on a road trip who become stranded in the Nevada desert, and are hunted by a clan of deformed cannibals in the surrounding hills. ‘The Howling’ (1981), a werewolf-themed horror film directed by Joe Dante. Based on the novel of the same name by Gary Brandner; ‘Critters’ (1986), the remake of ‘The Stepford Wives’ in 1975 and Dudley Moore’s breakout hit ’10’ (1979). In total, Wallace has appeared in more than 85 films.
Wallace appeared in the television series ‘Together We Stand’ (1986 — 1987) and the syndicated ‘The New Lassie’ (1989 — 1992). In the latter series, she appeared with her husband Christopher Stone, with whom she also co-starred in the Stephen King adaptation ‘Cujo’ (1983) and Joe Dante’s werewolf flick ‘The Howling’ (1981).
Wallace remains primarily known for her horror roles. She has appeared at many horror film conventions and has a reputation for being very kind and generous with her many admirers and fans. She has also opened an acting studio to mentor young actors. Her husband died suddenly in 1995 of a heart attack while she was in New Zealand filming the Peter Jackson comedy-horror ‘The Frighteners’. Coincidentally The Frighteners told the story of a series of bizarre, inexplicable heart attack-related deaths.
Wallace starred in Rob Zombie’s re-imagining of ‘Halloween’ (2007); Wallace played Cynthia Strode, Laurie Strode’s adoptive mother. In 2009, she played the role of Nancy Dooly, Vincent’s mother in ‘The Mother of Invention’ and featured in ‘The House of the Devil’. She has appeared in many horror films over the last few decades: ‘Popcorn’ and ‘Alligator 2: The Mutation’ (both 1981), ‘Headspace’ and ‘Voodoo Moon’ (both 2005), and the horror-thriller ‘Sebastian’ (2010).
Dee is currently shooting Rob Zombie’s ‘The Lords of Salem’ and it has recently been announced that she will feature in the eighth season of ‘The Office’ as the mother of Andy Bernard, in the episode “Garden Party”.
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis (born November 22, 1958) is an American actress and author. Born in Santa Monica, California, to actor Tony Curtis and actress Janet Leigh. Although she was initially known as a “scream queen” because of her starring roles in several horror films early in her career, such as ‘Halloween’, ‘The Fog’, ‘Prom Night’ and ‘Terror Train’, Curtis has since compiled a body of work that spans many genres, and has won BAFTA and Golden Globe awards. Her 1998 book, Today I Feel Silly, and Other Moods That Make My Day, made the best-seller list in The New York Times. Curtis is a blogger for The Huffington Post online newspaper. She is married to actor, screenwriter, and director Christopher Guest.
Curtis’s film debut occurred in John Carpenter’s classic 1978 horror film ‘Halloween’, in which she played the lead role of Laurie Strode. The film was a major box-office success and became the highest grossing independent film of its time, earning accolades as a classic horror film. Curtis was subsequently cast in several horror films, garnering her the title, “scream queen“.
Her next film was the horror film, ‘The Fog’, which was helmed by Halloween director John Carpenter. The film opened in February 1980 to mixed reviews but strong box office, further cementing Curtis as a horror film starlet. Her next film, ‘Prom Night’, was a low-budget Canadian slasher film released in July 1980. The film, for which she earned a Genie Award nomination for Best Performance by a Foreign Actress, was similar in style to Halloween, yet received negative reviews which marked it as a disposable entry in the then-popular “slasher film” genre.
That year, Curtis also starred in ‘Terror Train’, which opened in October and met with a negative reviews akin to Prom Night. Both films performed only moderately well at the box office. Curtis had a similar function in both films – the main character whose friends are murdered, and is practically the only protagonist to survive. Film critic Roger Ebert, who had given negative reviews to all three of Curtis’ 1980 films, said that Curtis “is to the current horror film glut what Christopher Lee was to the last one-or Boris Karloff was in the 1930s”. Curtis later appeared in ‘Halloween II’, ‘Halloween H20: 20 Years Later’ and ‘Halloween: Resurrection’, as well as giving an uncredited voice role in the awful ‘Halloween III: Season of the Witch’.
Her role in 1983’s ‘Trading Places’ helped Curtis shed her horror queen image, and garnered her a BAFTA Award as best supporting actress. 1988’s massive hit ‘A Fish Called Wanda’ showcased her as a comedic actress; she was nominated for a BAFTA as best leading actress. She won a Golden Globe for her work in 1994’s ‘True Lies’. Her recent film roles include Disney’s ‘Freaky Friday’ (2003), opposite Lindsay Lohan, for which she was nominated for another Golden Globe.
In October 2006, Curtis told Access Hollywood that she had closed the book on her acting career to focus on her family. She returned to acting after being cast in June 2007 in Disney’s live-action-animated film, ‘Beverly Hills Chihuahua and the 2010 comedy film ‘You Again’, opposite Kristen Bell and Sigourney Weaver.
Ingrid Pitt
Ingrid Pitt (21 November 1937 – 23 November 2010) was an actress best known for her work in horror films of the 1960s and 1970s. Pitt was born Ingoushka Petrov in Warsaw, Poland to a German father of Russian descent and a Polish Jewish mother. During World War II she and her family were imprisoned in a concentration camp.
In the early 1960s Pitt was a member of the prestigious Berliner Ensemble, under the guidance of Bertolt Brecht’s widow Helene Weigel. In 1965 she made her film debut in ‘Doctor Zhivago’, playing a minor role. In 1968 she co-starred in the low budget science fiction film The Omegans and in the same year played “Heidi” in ‘Where Eagles Dare’ (1968) opposite Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood.
It was her work with Hammer Film Productions that elevated her to cult figure status. She starred as “Carmilla/Mircalla” in ‘The Vampire Lovers’ (1970), and played the title role in ‘Countess Dracula’ (1971), a film based on the legends around Countess Elizabeth Bathory. Pitt also appeared in the Amicus horror anthology film ‘The House That Dripped Blood’ (1971) and had a small part in the film ‘The Wicker Man’ (1973).
During the 1980s, Pitt returned to roles in mainstream films and on television. Her role as Fraulein Baum in the 1981 BBC Playhouse Unity, who is denounced as a Jew by Unity Mitford (played byLesley-Anne Down, who had played her daughter in Countess Dracula), was uncomfortably close to her real-life experiences.
Her popularity with horror film buffs saw her in demand for guest appearances at horror conventions and film festivals. Other films Pitt has appeared in outside the horror genre are: ‘Who Dares Wins’, (aka The Final Option), ‘Wild Geese II’, and ‘Hanna’s War’. Generally cast as a ‘baddie’, she usually manages to get killed horribly at the end of the final reel. “Being the anti-hero is great – they are always roles you can get your teeth into.”
It was at this time that the theatre world also beckoned. Pitt founded her own theatrical touring company and starred in successful productions of Dial M for Murder, Duty Free (aka Don’t Bother to Dress), and Woman of Straw. She also appeared in many TV shows in the UK and US – Ironside, Dundee and the Culhane, Doctor Who (The Time Monster, Warriors of the Deep), and Smiley’s People.
Pitt made her return to the big screen in the 2000 production The Asylum. The film starred Colin Baker and Patrick Mower, and was directed by John Stewart. In 2003, Pitt voiced the role of “Lady Violator” in Renga Media’s production ‘Dominator’. The film was the UK’s first CGI animated film.
After a period of illness, Pitt returned to the screen in 2006 for the Hammer Films-Mario Bava tribute, ‘Sea of Dust’. In 1998, Pitt narrated Cradle of Filth’s “Cruelty and the Beast” album, although her narration was done strictly in-character as the Countess she portrayed in Countess Dracula.
Pitt died in a south London hospital on 23 November 2010, a few days after collapsing, and two days after her 73rd birthday. Seven months before she died, Pitt finished narration for “Ingrid Pitt: Beyond the Forest,” an animated short film on her experience in the Holocaust, a project that had been in the works for five years. Character design and storyboards were created by two-time Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Bill Plymton. The film is directed by Kevin Sean Michaels; and drawn by 10-year-old animator, Perry Chen.
Britt Ekland
Britt-Marie Ekland (born 6 October 1942) is a Swedish actress and Scream Queen. She is best known for her roles as Bond Girl ‘Mary Goodnight’ in ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ (1974), and in the British cult films, ‘Get Carter’ (1971) and ‘The Wicker man’ (1973) as well as her marriage to actor Peter Sellers, and her high-profile social life. Other notable (I use the term loosely) horror flicks to feature Britt are: ‘Night Hair Child’ (1971), ‘Asylum’ (1972), ‘The Monster Club’ (1980) and ‘Satan’s Mistress’ (1982). Click on the image above for shots from The Man with the Golden Gun and The Wicker Man.
Sheri Moon Zombie
Sheri Lyn Skurkis (born September 26, 1970) is an American actress and fashion designer. She legally changed her name to Sheri Moon and later Sheri Moon Zombie after she married her longtime boyfriend Rob Zombie. She is a modern day Scream Queen.
Moon was raised in Connecticut. After graduation she moved to California; however she soon found herself moving between homes in both states to attend school and seek work. On October 31, 2002 she married musician and film director Rob Zombie after almost 13 years of dating. The two were introduced by mutual friends at a concert in New Haven, Connecticut.
But Moon found herself preoccupied going on tour with Zombie. When Zombie’s band White Zombie disbanded, Zombie became a solo artist, taking Moon on as a dancer where she also choreographed routines and created costumes for the tour.
Moon has appeared in eleven of Zombie’s solo music videos and an additional four previous to that when he fronted White Zombie. She most famously starred in the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari-themed music video “Living Dead Girl”. Moon has graced the cover of the single for “Living Dead Girl” (1998), Zombie’s remix album American Made Music to Strip by (1999), and the cover of the single for “Demon Speeding”.
In 2003, Moon co-starred in her husband’s first feature film, ‘House of 1000 Corpses’ as Vera-Ellen “Baby” Firefly, but previous to that, she claims that she had never had aspirations of becoming an actress. As Moon explains her character in that film, “Baby is the angelic-looking bait to get the victims.” The film was not received well by many critics, including James Brundage of popular website film critic who claimed that it was “too highbrow to be a good cheap horror movie, too lowbrow to be satire, and too boring to bear the value of the ticket.” The film saw some expansion in later weeks and ultimately grossed $16.8 million worldwide, which was successful based on its $7 million production budget.
In 2004, she had a brief appearance in the Tobe Hooper film ‘Toolbox Murders’ starring Angela Bettis, the only film she has been in not directed by Zombie.
Moon reprised her role as Baby Firefly in the 2005 sequel to House of 1000 Corpses, titled ‘The Devil’s Rejects’ (2005). The Devil’s Rejects was financially successful, recouping its roughly $7 million budget during its opening weekend, going on to earn over $16 million and better received by critics than its predecessor. Critic Roger Ebert gave the film three out of a possible four stars. Ebert wrote, “If you are a hardened horror movie fan capable of appreciating skill and wit in the service of the deliberately disgusting, ‘The Devil’s Rejects’ may exercise a certain strange charm.” Moon was awarded Spike TV’s Scream Awards award for “Most Vile Villain” alongside co-stars Haig, Moseley and Leslie Easterbrook for their portrayal of the Firefly family.
Moon designed a clothing line, Total Skull, which debuted at the end of May 2006. She explains, “The phrase “total skull” to me means awesome, rad, the best of the best.”
In 2007, Moon starred in a short faux trailer segment for the film “Grindhouse: . She appeared in the segment directed by Zombie titled ‘Werewolf Women of the SS’ as Eva Krupp. She also appeared in her husband’s version of the 1978 classic ‘Halloween’ (2007), playing Deborah Myers, the mother of serial killer Michael Myers. It currently stands as the highest grossing overall film in the Halloween franchise. Moon reprised her character in the sequel Halloween II, which was released on August 28, 2009.
Moon provides the voice for the character of Suzi X in the animated film ‘The Haubted World of El Superbeasto’ (2009), written and produced by her husband Zombie. In 2010, she guest-starred on the series CSI: Miami in the episode “L.A.,” which was directed by her husband. She will next be seen in the Zombie directed movie, ‘Lords of Salem’.
Melissa George
Melissa George was born on 6th August, 1976, in Perth, Western Australia. Although she was initially well known for her role in Australian daytime soap, Home and Away, George has carved out a career as a modern day scream queen.
Her feature film debut was in the Alex Proyas neo-noir science fiction feature ‘Dark City’ (1998). She was subsequently cast in supporting roles in the films ‘The Limey’ (1999) and the David Lynch thriller ‘Mulholland Drive’ (2001). She then featured in several TV shows and had a substantail part in ‘Alias’.
However her first major role was as Kathy Lutz in the remake of ‘The Amityville Horror’ (2005), with Ryan Reynolds. Re-telling the allegedly true story of the Lutz family, who moved into their dream home at 112 Ocean Avenue on the waterfront in Amityville. Almost immediately, the family is plagued by a series of unexplained and apparently supernatural happenings. The film was not well received by critics or fans of the original, but George came out of it well and the movie was a major success at the worldwide box office, grossing over $108 million.
She followed Amityville Horror with the Clive Owen thriller ‘Derailed’ (2005) and the thriller ‘Turistas’ (2006), which featured six young tourists in Brazil, who after a party wake up to find that they’ve been robbed. They all end up captured by organ thieves… An okay b-movie that caused controversy in Brazil due to it’s “biased image of the country”. She then starred in British horror ‘WAZ’ (2007) as a cop on the trail of a sicko serial killer.
George then co-starred with Josh Hartnett in the vampire flick, ’30 Days of night’ (2007) aboutthe horrors inflicked on an Alaskan town beset by vampires as it enters into a thirty-day long polar night. Review.
George returned to television in 2008 in the HBO half-hour drama ‘In Treatment’, co-starring Gabriel Byrne and Dianne Weist. For her performance in the show, she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress – Series or Television Film.
Melissa also received the lead role in the Australian-British mystery thriller by Chris Smith titled ‘Triangle’ (2009) for which she garnered critical acclaim for her starring role.The film – focused primarily on Melissa’s character, who is trapped in a time loop of repetition – opened to positive reviews. Critic Nigel Floyd of Time Out stated that “Melissa George’s fearless, credible performance grounds the madness in a moving emotional reality, even as her sanity is lost at sea.” Review
Next up, she’ll be seen in the thriller ‘A Lonely Place to Die’. A British thriller about five mountaineers who discover a young Serbian girl buried alive in the Scottish Highlands. They face dangerous terrain and become caught up in a terrifying game of cat and mouse with the kidnappers as they try to get the girl to safety.
Terror Hotties
More ‘Scream Queen’ action, check out Terror Hotties’
Scream Queens
There are a slew of new young actresses who are carving out careers in the horror genre. But are any of them capable of carrying off the title of ‘Scream Queen’… probably not but it’s worth a look… even just as an excuse to post a few hot images.
If we go back further and look to include the likes of Fay Wray from ‘King Kong’, Hitchcock leading ladies Janet Leigh and Tippi Hedren, and the Hammer girls then this article will meander. So for the sake of sanity I’ll stick to the period from the late 70’s to present day. Oh, rules: they have to be primarily well known for their work in the horror genre, so that excludes actresses such as Naomi Watts (The Ring 1 & 2) and Michelle Pfeiffer (Wolf and What LiesBeneath) as they are more well known for other fare. It was difficult to exclude Sissy Spacek from ‘Carrie’ (she also appeared in The Ring 2 and An American Haunting) but is an Oscar winner for more serious movies. It was also a difficult decision to leave out Mia Farrow as her turn in ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ was exceptional and although she is creepy in the remake of ‘The Omen’ she’s not as good as Billie Whitelaw in the original… so she’s out.
I also left out actresses known only for one series of movies like Sigourney Weaver in the ‘Alien’ series, especially as only the first movie in that series could classify as horror. I used the same rationale for excluding Courtney Cox and Neve Campbell, as in horror they’re basically only known for the ‘Scream’ series. Does anyone really remember Campbell for ‘The Craft’..? Awful.
Nancy Allen featured in ‘Carrie’, ‘Dressed To Kill’, ‘Blow Out’ and ‘Robocop’. P.J. Soles also in ‘Carrie’, ‘Halloween 2’ and recently a cameo in ‘The Devils Rejects’. Adrienne King and Heather Langenkamp set the standard for scream queens taking a stand and fighting back in ‘Friday the 13th’ and ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’; however they’re only really known for their roles in those movies.
According to Lloyd Kaufman, shameless self-promoting head of Troma Studios, a scream queen “is more than just crying and having ketchup thrown on you”.
So who should be on the list? Obviously Jamie Lee Curtis, if you have to ask then you really haven’t been watching any of the late 70’s/early 80’s classic slasher flicks. Even if she’d only ever appeared in the original ‘Halloween’ (1978), that movie alone would have been enough to secure her place on the list. Add to that classic the likes of ‘The Fog’, ‘Prom Night’ and the Halloween sequels ‘Halloween 2’, ‘Halloween H20’ and ‘Resurrection’, and it’s obvious that Jamie Lee Curtis deserves her place on the list… at the top.
Linnea Quiqley is an obvious choice; she is best known for her role in ‘Return of the Living Dead’ (1985) 
which featured her fantastic nude romp on a gravestone. She has been in so many horror flicks, too numerous to mention; most notably ‘Silent Night, Deadly Night’, ‘Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers’, ‘Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master’ and both the original and remake of ‘Night of the Demons’.
Dee Wallace featured in ‘The Hills Have Eyes’ (1977), ‘The Howling’ (1981), ‘Cujo’ (1983), ‘Critters’ (1986), and numerous others, as well as the re-imagining of ‘Halloween’ and the forthcoming ‘Lords of Salem’. Debbie Rochon starred in dozens of Troma horror films throughout the 90’s and was even voted by Draculina magazine as “Scream Queen of the Decade”, she has to be on the list.
The current crop is headed by Danielle Harris who has featured in four ‘Halloween’ movies, ‘Hatchet 2’, ‘Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet’, ‘Stakeland’ and unfortunately ‘Left for Dead’. Then there’s Sarah Michelle Gellar from ‘Buffy’, ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’, ‘Scream 2’, ‘The Grudge’ and sequel. Shawnee Smith of the ‘Saw’ series, ‘Grudge 3’ and the ’30 Days of Night’ TV series. MelissaGeorge from the remake of ‘The Amityville Horror’, ’30 Days of Night’ and ‘Triangle’. Amber Heard, excellent as the lead in‘All the Boys Love Mandy Lane’, ‘The Ward’ and ‘And Soon The Darkness’. Odette Yustman fr
om ‘The Unborn’ and ‘And Soon The Darkness’. Sheri Moon Zombie of ‘House of 1000 Corpses’, ‘The Devils Rejects’, ‘Toolbox Murders’ and the remakes of ‘Halloween’ and the sequel. Danielle Panabaker for ‘The Ward’ and remakes of ‘Friday the 13th’, ‘The Crazies’ and ‘Pirahna 3D’. Scout Taylor-Compton for the ‘Halloween’ remakes, however she made the awful ‘April fool’s Day’. Christina Ricci for ‘Sleepy Hollow’, ‘The Gathering’, ‘Cursed’ and ‘After.Life’ (I know those last two are awful but at least they’re in the genre). Ali Larter from ‘House on Haunted Hill’ and the ‘Final Destination’ and ‘Resident Evil’ series.
Of the current crop who I haven’t considered, Jennifer Love Hewitt, as the ‘I know What You Did Last Summer’ movies are it as far as horror is concerned, she’s known more for the execrable Ghost Whisperer, and the woeful Paris Hilton, because, well, she’s rubbish at everything.
So, who makes the top 10 list…? 1. Jamie Lee Curtis. 2. Linnea Quiqley. 3. Debbie Rochon. 4. Dee Wallace. 5. Shawnee Smith. 6. Amber Heard. 7. Sheri Moon Zombie. 8. Danielle Harris. 9. Melissa George. 10. Sarah Michelle Gellar. And Kate Beckinsale… because it’s my list and I think she’s hot!
P. J. Soles
P. J. Soles (born Pamela Jayne Hardon; July 17, 1950) is an American actress, best known for her roles as Lynda van der Klok in ‘Halloween’ (1978), Norma Watson in ‘Carrie’ (1976), Riff Randell in ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll High School’ (1979) and as Bill Murrays girlfriend in ‘Stripes’ (1981)..
Soles was born in Frankfurt, Germany to an American mother and Dutch father. Her father worked for an international insurance company so the family moved around to places sucah as Morocco, Venzuela and Belgium. When she moved to manhattan, New York she began acting in commercials and auditioned for a role in Brian De Palma’s Carrie. She secured a minor role in that as well as minor cult flicks, ‘Blood Bath’ (1976) and the John Travolta TV movie ‘The Boy in the Plastic Bubble’ (1976).
She followed those up with a role in High School Athletic movie ‘Our Winning Season’ (1978) on the set of which she met and married Dennis Quaid. Later that year she played one of the supporting roles in the classic ‘Halloween’ (1978), as the final victim of Michael Myers. Allegedly, director John Carpenter wanted her for his film after seeing her in Carrie. He wrote the part of Lynda especially for her because of the way she said the word “totally”.
Soles then starred in the Roger Corman produced ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll High School’ (1979) with the Ramones. Set in the fictional Vince Lombardi High School which keeps losing principals to nervous breakdowns because of the students’ love of rock ‘n’ roll and their disregard for education. Their leader, Riff Randall (P.J. Soles), is the biggest Ramones fan at Vince Lombardi High School. She waits in line for three days to get tickets to see the band, hoping to meet lead singer Joey Ramone so she can give him a song she wrote for the band, “Rock N’ Roll High School.”
When Principal Togar (Mary Woonov) takes her ticket away, Riff and her best friend Kate Rambeau (Dey Young) have to find another way to meet their heroes—by winning a radio contest. When Miss Togar and a group of parents attempt to burn a pile of rock records, the students take over the high school, joined by the Ramones, who are made honorary students. When the police are summoned and demand that the students evacuate the building, they do so, which leads to a quite literal explosive finale. Soles has a singing credit for a second version of the title song on the movie’s soundtrack.
Soles featured in the slasher documentary ‘Terror in the Aisles’ (1984) and a slew of ‘B’ movies throughout the 80’s and 90’s. She had a cameo in Rob Zombie’s ‘The Devil’s Rejects’ (2005). She’s been a regular on the convention circuit for years and is one of my favourite scream queens; happy birthday P.J. (Extended Scream Queen article coming next week).
Janet Leigh
Janet Leigh (July 6, 1927 – October 3, 2004), born Jeanette Helen Morrison, was an American actress; former wife of actor Tony Curtis from June 1951 to September 1962 and the mother of Kelly Curtis and more famously, actress Jamie Lee Curtis.
Discovered by actress Norma Shearer, Leigh secured a contract with MGM and began her film career in the late 1940s. She made her film debut in the big budget film ‘The Romance of Rosy Ridge’ in 1947, as the romantic interest of Van Johnson’s character. During the shooting, Leigh’s name was first changed to ‘Jeanette Reames’, then to ‘Janet Leigh’ and finally back to her birth name ‘Jeanette Morrison’, because ‘Janet Leigh’ resembled Vivien Leigh too much. However, Johnson did not like the name and it was finally changed back to ‘Janet Leigh’.
In late 1948, Leigh was hailed the ‘No. 1 glamor girl’ of Hollywood, although known for her polite, generous and down-to-earth persona. She proved versatile, starring in films as diverse as the baseball farce ‘Angels in the Outfield’ (1951), ‘Scaramouche’ (1952) and the tense western ‘The Naked Spur’ (1953) and notably the title role in the musical comedy ‘My Sister Eileen’.
She also featured in the Orson Welles film-noir classic ‘Touch of Evil’ (1958) before appearing in one of my all-time Top 1o favourite movies, Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ (1960).
In Psycho, Leigh featured as the morally ambiguous Marion Crane who hides out at a secluded motel after embezzling money from her employer. There she meets the motel’s disturbed owner and manager, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). The movie features the now iconic shower murder scene. Although not in the movie after the first reel, the image of Leigh’s Marion is forever indelibly imprinted in my mind. She received a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the classic movie.
Leigh had starring roles in many other films, including ‘The Manchurian Candidate’ (1962) with Frank Sinatra and the 1963 musical ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ based on the hit Broadway show.She also appeared in two horror films with her daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis, playing a major role in John Carpenter’s ‘The Fog’ (1980), and making a brief appearance in ‘Halloween H20: 20 Years Later’ (1998). She co-starred with third husband Tony Curtis in five films, ‘Houdini’ (1953), ‘The Black Shield of Falworth’ (1954), the excellent ‘The Vikings’ (1958), ‘The Perfect Furlough’ (1959) and ‘Who Was That Lady?’ (1960).
Leigh is also the author of four books. Her first, the memoir “There Really Was a Hollywood”, was a NY Times bestseller. This was followed by the novels “House of Destiny” and “The Dream Factory”, and the non-fiction book “Psycho: Behind the Scenes of the Classic Thriller”. Interestingly, daughter Jamie Lee Curtis is also an actress and popular author.
She served on the board of directors of the Motion Picture and Television Foundation, a medical-services provider for actors. Leigh was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Califirnia on May 14, 2004. Leigh died at her home on October 3, 2004, after a heart attack.
Nancy Allen
Nancy Allen was born today, June 24, 1950. Allen began an acting and modelling career as a child, and from the mid-1970s appeared in small film roles, most notably in ‘The Last Detail’ (1974) with Jack Nicholson. A pivotal supporting role in ‘Carrie’ (1976) brought her recognition, and after marrying the director Brian De Palma, she appeared in several of his films, including ‘Home Movies’ (1980) with Kirk Douglas, as Liz Blake in ‘Dressed to Kill’ (1980) with Michael Caine, and as Sally Bedina in the under-rated ‘Blow Out’ (1981) opposite John Travolta.
Although, she received a Razzie nomination for her performance as Liz Blake, a prosperous call girl who dabbles in the stock market, in the murder/horror film Dressed to Kill, Allen was also nominated for a Golden Globe for ‘New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture-Female’. Known for taking risky roles in the 1970s and 1980s, she played prostitutes several times, participating in racy sex scenes or appearing nude… she was a big hit in the 80’s home video boom!
She followed ‘Strange Invaders’ (1983) with ‘The Philadelphia Experiment’ (1984), opposite Michael Pare. For her role in the latter, Allen was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actress. She also hosted the documentary ‘Terror in the Aisles’ (1984), which presents clips from various horror features, including Dressed to Kill and Carrie. Allen played the police officer Anne Lewis in the classic ‘Robocop’ (1987) opposite Peter Weller in the title role. The film, which was the Hollywood debut of director Paul Verhoeven, did extremely well at the box office. Allen was nominated for another Saturn Award for Best Actress.
Her subsequent films include ‘Poltergeist 3’ (1988), ‘Out of Sight’ (1998) and the ‘Robocop’ sequels 2 & 3. Allen is a staunch environmentalist and is the Executive Director of the weSPARK Cancer Support Center.
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