| It's a classic
set-up...a Wolf Man, a moon...and a Scream Queen! No horror film worth its fangs is
without a lovely lady whose lung power often outmatches of menace of the monster. In
fact, when it comes to their timeless contribution to the fright film, we say...
By RON WAITE (Note: Ron Waite was a fan and contributor to the classic and original Famous Monsters Of Filmland magazine from the beginning (1958). He began working for the famous Forrest J Ackerman in in 1978 and left in 1983. Ron maintains an active correspondence with fans and professionals alike the world over. You can read his earlier article on his "Famous Monsters Memories" here. All photos, unless otherwise noted, are by the author.) The term "Scream Queen" is relatively new, but the ladies have been around since the beginnings of motion pictures. Today’s youth oriented audience is tuned in to Neve Campbell, Sarah Michelle Geller, Courtney Cox, Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Love Hewitt. Most of them have three names, are attractive and very slim and of course, rough and tough, no nonsense females who will kick butt at the drop of a hat. Of course, these modern femme fatales owe a debt of gratitude to the likes of Lil Dagover who faced the dreadful somnambulist in The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari, the silent German classic of 1919. Of course, poor Lil could not scream, it being a silent movie and all. But the audience got the point. Then there was Brigitte Helm, the young freedom fighter who’s alter ego became the robotrix Maria in the Fritz Lang classic Metropolis. The first true Scream Queen was Fay Wray who let loose her vocal chords (even though the screams were dubbed by a professional screamer) in movies like King Kong and Mystery Of The Wax Museum with Lionel Atwill. Through the Forties and Fifties and on into the Sixties, each generation had their favorite new Scream Queen. They had to be young and beautiful, in terrible peril, had to be rescued by the handsome hero and most importantly had to scream. Loudly and often. The Forties had its share of such women but Evelyn Ankers stands out as the most popular. She, after all, had to face Lon Chaney in The Wolf Man.
In the Fifties, America was changing. The movies reflected that change and women were now scientists and astronauts and weren’t apt to scream as often. They faced giant ants, went to the moon and Mars, ran from radioactive grasshoppers and 3D horrors. Actress Julie Adams happened upon The Creature From The Black Lagoon and became a popular star throughout the era. And before Sigourney Weaver became the sole survivor who outwits the Alien (1979), Jane Fonda was a tough, albeit sexy warrior in Barbarella (1968). There was surely a new breed of superwoman emerging and they paved the way for today’s Scream Queens. Many films feature screams in their titles. Films like And Now The Screaming Starts with Stephanie Beacham, Scream (1983)--no, not the one we’re all familiar with. This turkey was so bad it’s mostly forgotten today, starring Ethan Wayne (John’s son) and set in a western ghost town--the new Scream trilogy, Scream and Scream Again, Screamers (with Jennifer Rubin), Scream Of Fear (with Susan Strasberg), the infamous Scream, Blacula, Scream with Pam Grier and even I Wake Up Screaming with Betty Grable and Carole Landis. The Seventies, Eighties, and Nineties all produced new Scream Queens and the list is lengthy and impressive with the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis, PJ Soles, Linnea Quigley, Caroline Munro, Camille Keaton, Barbara Crampton, Rainbeaux Smith, Mary Woronov, Michelle Bauer, Sybil Danning, Elvira, Bobbie Bresee, Brinke Stevens, and many more. And, working as I did for Forrest J Ackerman and Famous Monsters Of Filmland, I had the honor of meeting many of these beauties and I can share some of my experiences now. Linnea Quigley, for example, was one of the most prolific actresses of her time, appearing in dozens of low budget horror films. Her experiences on Return Of The Living Dead, one of my personal favorites, could fill a book. By a strange twist of fate or coincidence I discovered that the chiropractor I used to go to in "the Valley" was, in fact, her father! He eventually retired and moved to Florida around 1992.
Camille Keaton, the grandniece of silent comedy star Buster Keaton, who starred in I Spit On Your Grave, proved to be a very sweet, very nice young lady. The movie has sickened people, critics hated it, but it remains even now a powerful piece of film, very disturbing, and it holds up today. Sadly she dropped out of acting and moved on to other pursuits. I had several conversations with her and hoped that she’d continue acting. Barbara Crampton is so beautiful in person words can’t describe her. She was really hot and fans followed her career and remember her best for movies like H.P. Lovecraft’s Re-Animator and From Beyond. She played on the TV soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful for a while and has since moved on. I met Jenny Agutter thanks to director John Landis. He would constantly bring people to Forry Ackerman's Ackermansion and we’d give them the royal tour. Jenny was a delightful person whom I liked immediately. Her cute British accent, her wonderful smile, her friendly attitude. She has an impressive film career with over 50 movies and TV shows under her belt including American Werewolf In London, Logan’s Run and Amazon Women On The Moon. She’s still active and working. Her latest effort is Mrs. Waterbury in the TV movie The Railway Children. Jenny was born in Taunton, England, on December 20, 1952 so greetings are in order.
Meeting Ann Robinson was a real treat for me. When I was young I saw War Of The Worlds and immediately fell in love with the movie and Ann. It was always one of my favorite films and to date I’ve seen it in excess of 200 times. Ann was actually pretty busy back in 1953, not only saving the world from Martians but appearing in The Glass Wall and the Jack Webb feature Dragnet. She’s been on TV for years, appeared in a number of movies and again I have to say she’s a beautiful woman in person. She attended Forry’s birthday bash and her laughter was outstanding. She’s good natured and fun-loving and that was evident one balmy Hollywood night when several of us took a ride in her El Dorado convertible, singing and being silly through the streets and freeways of Los Angeles. At a Christmas party at Ann's home she was the perfect hostess and everyone had a wonderful time. I brought my brother along who was visiting from New Jersey and next to meeting The Tall Man, Angus Scrimm, from Phantasm, I think this delighted him more than anything. Plus having Brinke Stevens sit on his lap and take pictures with him didn’t hurt. On one memorable evening I went to her home with Brian Forbes, an FM assistant and friend, and in the days before video cameras, I brought along a movie camera and we recreated scenes from her Martian escapades. Brian brought a prop arm from Forry’s collection and we filmed many scenes and took lots of stills. Ann likes Coca-Cola a lot and has an actual Coke machine in her kitchen. She also favors Fig Newtons and I didn’t get the joke until she explained that the fig Newton reminds her of a Martian war machine. Hmmm, never noticed that before. I met Hammer Scream Queen Martine Beswick a few times and she, too, was very nice. Sometimes when you meet certain people in person they’re not exactly like they look on film. But seeing Martine was a real eye opener for me. Another dazzling beauty, her dark features and piercing eyes. Incredibly nice and willing to discuss anything, unlike certain actresses who shall remain nameless. Martine had an impressive career as well including parts in Thunderball, One Million Years BC, Prehistoric Women, Dr. Jekyll And Sister Hyde, and many more.
Bobbie Bresee became a cult favorite with movies like Mausoleum and Surf Nazis Must Die but the person behind the persona is a far cry from the parts she plays on screen. Well educated, beautiful beyond belief, a devoted wife, she plays the piano, and is well educated and informed. Bobbie has remained a good friend for nearly 20 years. Her husband, Frank, is a lucky man indeed. Bobbie favors white, her favorite color. She’d look good in anything. She often stopped by the Ackermansion and one day when she arrived no one was home but me and I used the opportunity to take some candid photos. She attended several functions and discussed her movies and was proud of what she did. She loves horror films and likes the play the nasty characters. However, on Mausoleum, she had a terrible reaction to all the heavy makeup appliances and was in pain for a long time. In a recent letter I received from her I told her I was more or less "out of the business" these days. Back in the FM period I had my share of stalkers and "loonies" as I like to call them, even though I was really nobody as far as the magazine was concerned. And she told me that one of the reasons she dropped out of the business was because of…yes, the loonies! And they’re out there. Just check out Bobbie Bresee on the Net and see some of the sites that come up. I met Barbara Steele briefly but had the chance to say, "Thanks a lot, Ms. Steele!" to which she replied, "For what?" And I answered, "For scaring the hell out of me with Black Sunday." She laughed. "Thank you," she said. "I did my job." Not only in that movie, but Pit And The Pendulum and so many others. She was like the Queen of Scream Queens. Held the title for years. I wish I had gotten to know her better but on two occasions she was only in this country a short time. I did have a pleasant and enjoyable conversation with Cassandra Peterson, AKA Elvira at the Ackermansion. Her show had hit Los Angeles like an earthquake. It was the talk of the town. The ratings were high and the local newspapers and critics were praising it. I have to admit now, we all overdid it when she came to visit. Taking pictures, asking for autographs, the tour of the museum, the interview, but she remained open and willing to discuss her career and life. I learned that she got the job really as a fluke. Local TV station KHJ had wanted to bring back Vampira, a popular horror host from the Fifties (she starred in Ed Wood’s Plan 9 From Outer Space) but negotiations broke down and Cassandra got the part.
Cassandra is from Manhattan, Kansas, was raised in Colorado and eventually made it to LA. She told me she’s always been a horror fan and then we hit it off with two things she said. First, her birthday is September 17th, same as mine. And the movie that scared her the most was House On Haunted Hill. I didn’t sleep for weeks after seeing that back in 1958. And, as if that weren’t enough, she loves low budget horror films the best, as I do. She doesn’t go in for the slasher movies and didn’t care for the likes of Halloween or Friday The 13th. She said she did like the newer version of the film Cat People because, in her words, "cats did the killing and it was more real." Naturally, we had to ask about that dress she wears as Elvira. She told us that makeup took up to 1-1/2 hours including getting into her costume, which was based on a Playboy bunny outfit with wires. It was very tight and very uncomfortable but we all like the results. One of the things that impressed me about her is her red hair. Without the makeup and voice you’d never know her if you saw her on the street, and that was fine with her. Today she’s still going strong, looks better than ever, and produces a line of video products, music, books, Elvira merchandise and is strongly into animal rights. Brinke Stevens was and is a Scream Queen extraordinare. Her stunning good looks, capture anyone’s attention and I’m happy to say that she, too, has remained a dear and close friend. We stay in touch as much as possible. She’s a horror and sci fi fan and became one at an early age. She’s always been fascinated by alien life and research. She’s no dim-witted bimbo, either. She attended San Diego State University and has a Masters Degree. This very intelligent actress has gone from marine biologist to model to actress to writer/producer and is still very active in the movie industry. She’s made numerous low budget horror flicks and has a huge following. She’s appeared in movies like Star 80 to Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-a-rama. She was Evila for a short time for the new Monsterland magazine. But to me she’s always been Charlene, her real name, and a dear friend. She’s an amazing woman and one I’m proud to know. Hail to the Scream Queens! Thanks, Ron! You certainly have known your share of Scream Queens, both past and present. It's good to know that, despite all the changes in what we see on the screen these days, some things don't change. Article copyright © Ron Waite |
