In this retrospective I pay homage to the girls who made the formative years of a fledgling horror fan so utterly memorable and while not all get a mention, they are so numerous; you can bet they all passed through my mind as I wrote (one of them even follows me on Twitter and you can’t begin to imagine how excited that made me!) Here then, in no particular order, are the girls...
As a forty-six year old English fan of all things horror, I was obviously raised on a diet of Hammer films. What makes Hammer so special? (See my previous article, Hammer – A History of Brilliance) Undoubtedly the period costumes, gothic settings and, of course, the ultimate horror icons Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, made the films so memorable for a period of over thirty years. But one equally important ingredient defined those films too; the Hammer glamour. A whole host of girls, some talented actresses, some not, but all of them stunning, contributed to the enduring popularity of Hammer. In this retrospective I pay homage to the girls who made the formative years of a fledgling horror fan so utterly memorable and while not all get a mention, they are so numerous; you can bet they all passed through my mind as I wrote (one of them even follows me on Twitter and you can’t begin to imagine how excited that made me!) Here then, in no particular order, are the girls... 1. INGRID PITT Ingrid was born in Poland on 21st November 1937 and as a child during WWII was interned in a Nazi concentration camp. Surviving this she eventually grew up in East Berlin from where she escaped in 1962 by swimming across the River Spree. Initially appearing in low-budget films in Spain, Ingrid was cast in 1968 in Where Eagles Dare alongside Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. Despite only appearing in two Hammer films during its ‘Golden Era’ (The Vampire Lovers and Countess Dracula) Ingrid is felt by many fans to be THE Hammer girl. Post-Hammer, Ingrid appeared in The Wicker Man and then worked as a writer. She died on 23rd November 2010 after suffering from a heart condition for several years.
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Dark Horse (2014) with cult actor and writer Tobin BellCharles Agron! Horror Central's very own L.A. Gore talks |
1957 saw the release by Hammer of their first color horror film, The Curse of Frankenstein, and like so many that followed, as well as being written by Jimmy Sangster, it was also shot in technicolor and praised for its visual style. It was also the first of many horror films starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, two actors who became synonymous with Hammer. Lee was outstanding as the monster (despite the seemingly unenviable task of following in Boris Karloff’s iconic footsteps) proving, as he did so many times subsequently, that he had incredible physical presence and Cushing was impeccable as ever in his role as Baron Frankenstein; living up to his later nickname ‘the gentleman of horror’. |
Compiling a list of horrors most noteworthy scream queens is no easy feat. To include every talented woman that I have had the honor of witnessing on the silver screen would take an entire encyclopedia volume. So, instead of giving you the official list that you might have expected to see when you clicked on this article, I have instead opted to go entirely on opinion. The women featured here are based on my favorite and most influential horror movies. So, without further hesitation, here we go. My top five scream queens I would love to make scream.
5. ASHLEY LAURENCE
To me, Hellraiser always took it a step further than some of the other popular horror franchises. The series explored the world between pleasure and pain, and in some cases blurred the lines between the two extremes to show us that sometimes they were one in the same. The ancient battle between good and evil was exemplified in modern times as the ongoing battle of Kirsty Cotton vs. The Cenobites.
Kirsty is the modern example of a strong-willed independent woman. To have survived the events with her stepmother and Uncle Frank in the first film is a feat in and of itself, but to wake up in a psychiatric hospital and inevitably explore the labyrinths of hell itself in another encounter with the cenobites would be enough to make anybody give up on life. She eventually gets married, survives a horrific car accident, is presumed dead, and faces the cenobites yet again to offer Pinhead five souls in exchange for her own. To make matters even more tragic, four of the souls are women who are sleeping with her husband; the fifth is someone who is planning on killing Kirsty.
Kirsty Cotton is a tragic character, yet in each film she seems to still carry a “glass half full” mentality. Not to mention, Ashley Laurence is just beautiful to behold- and her innocent look (beautifully rendered by simple facial expressions), even after all she has been through, is just flat out sexy. If Hellseeker is the last time we will see Ashley Laurence portray Kirsty, then at least she went out with a fight.
Kirsty Cotton is a tragic character, yet in each film she seems to still carry a “glass half full” mentality. Not to mention, Ashley Laurence is just beautiful to behold- and her innocent look (beautifully rendered by simple facial expressions), even after all she has been through, is just flat out sexy. If Hellseeker is the last time we will see Ashley Laurence portray Kirsty, then at least she went out with a fight.
I'm sure there are plenty of Trekkies out there who would scoff at the notion or claim to have noticed all of these actors in their resume building roles on various adaptions of the Gene Roddenberry classic... I'd be willing to bet they didn't. Although some of the following actors grew a career from their small and often forgettable characters on their respective Star Trek series', some already had substantial fame and outside of a way to make ends meet, had no real purpose on the television series beyond another check on the bucket list or a one off joke.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE HORROR MOVIE |
Nosferatu (1922) Though not the first (that was actually the two minute long The Devil’s Castle in 1896), Nosferatu for me, set a foundation for future horror movies. Not only is it beautifully made with an almost dreamlike quality, but the vampire Nosferatu/Count Orlok (based so closely on Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula that it was the subject of much legal wrangling) is truly monstrous. Today’s sparkly vampires could take a leaf from his book. The scene where Nosferatu’s elongated shadow is climbing the stairs and reaches out for the bedroom door handle with his clawed hand being particularly chilling. Nosferatu was the first, and in my view still the best, vampire movie ever made and set a high standard for future horror movies. It's sheer quality, its deliciously dark, Gothic feel and its ability to scare without explicit violence or blood being seen, enabled the horror genre to really take off. |
In the world of today where art and viral imagery is as transmitted like an intellectual currency in itself, there are those whom have taken their art to a peculiar medium. Possibly created out of sheer boredom or the never seen hilarity that would ensue when that money was given to someone who would appreciate the characters depicted, one thing is for sure.... It might be illegal to deface money, but it is certainly worth all the laughter in the shadow of the chance that an authority figure will have definitive proof you performed the dastardly deed in question.
These are without a doubt some of the FUNNIEST examples of defaced money of all time.
These are without a doubt some of the FUNNIEST examples of defaced money of all time.
One off Harry Potter humor for the win...
Too soon?
The Human Race (2013) follows 80 confused people from all walks of life after they are plucked from their everyday lives to participate in a race to stay alive. Each participant in this competition of life or death hears their own voice in their heads telling them the rules of a game being played in an unknown location, 'If you are lapped twice, you die. If you step off the path, you die. If you touch the grass, you will die. Race... or die.' The struggle to survive and determine what brought these doomed people together for this contest of futility will prove exhausting and lethal.
In the slew of films depicting a group of unrelated individuals forced into the ever-present battle to the death, there has been many of noteworthy films. From Battle Royal to the new Hunger Games Franchise inspired by the novels of the same name, a niche is being carved from the genre that is oddly pleasant to watch. It is in the vein of such films that The Human Race makes it's presence known as a unique and inventive stab at the horror premise where seeming everything has become redundant.
What I found separated The Human Race from similar films that preceded it, was an incomparable cinematic brilliance and perhaps the most rounded group of actors I've ever seen in an independent horror film. Taking the lead and showing that “handicap” is a misnomer is Eddie McGee. Former Big Brother winner and inspiration to those whom have followed his career, McGee's role solidifies him as a role model for fellow amputees and industry newcomers alike.
In the slew of films depicting a group of unrelated individuals forced into the ever-present battle to the death, there has been many of noteworthy films. From Battle Royal to the new Hunger Games Franchise inspired by the novels of the same name, a niche is being carved from the genre that is oddly pleasant to watch. It is in the vein of such films that The Human Race makes it's presence known as a unique and inventive stab at the horror premise where seeming everything has become redundant.
What I found separated The Human Race from similar films that preceded it, was an incomparable cinematic brilliance and perhaps the most rounded group of actors I've ever seen in an independent horror film. Taking the lead and showing that “handicap” is a misnomer is Eddie McGee. Former Big Brother winner and inspiration to those whom have followed his career, McGee's role solidifies him as a role model for fellow amputees and industry newcomers alike.