Something to Scream About

I was pleasantly surprised by this feature which was sent to me by a friend who knows I attend a lot of horror cons. Most of the girls I have met at one or other of these outings. It is amazing how how all of them came off so close to what was my impression of them from meeting them. The best I feel were Judith O Dea & Debbie Rochon. You can feel the sincerity in Judith & the endless energy in Debbie. You get a feel for the genuine niceness of Brinke Stevens who always has time for fans. Ariauna Albright comes across as the knowledgeable actress she is & a real person besides. The honest answers by Felisha Rose show her to be a strong woman & Denise Duff is just a pleasure to listen to. Lilith Stabs lived up to her reputation of not really appearing to appreciate anybody asking her anything & seemed to have her mind in some other galaxy. But apart from her all the others came across as really nice down to earth women who are very approachable & first rate performers. A video worth seeing.

At the very top of my list of "Reasons Why the 80's Sucked" is the emergence of the so-called "scream queen" in low-budget horror and genre movies. While there were obviously always pretty girls in horror movies, before the 1980's they were usually either genuinely talented actresses (like Jamie Lee Curtis, Lynn Lowry, Pamela Franklin, or Edwige Fenech),or even when they were talentless bimbos they were at least not the leads but were only there to take their clothes off and then exit stage left. In the 80's though these talentless bimbos (aka "scream queens") not only became lead actresses, but starred in a glut of bad horror movies that were little more than sorry excuses to get them naked. And while some feminists claimed these woman were exploited victims, the real victims were the pimply-faced, hairy-palmed ceiling painters sequestered in their mothers' basements watching these crap movies (not to mention genuine horror movie enthusiasts like myself).

I felt a little bit a schabenfreude therefore watching this doc. and seeing someone like Julie Strain complaining about how pathetic her career has become. It is a statement on the pathetic state of low-budget genre films that someone as talent-free as her ever had a career to begin with. Most of the other actresses in this documentary are much more upbeat if also much more obscure. Denise Duff, for instance, is very cute and apparently not only stars in crap movies but directs them as well. Interestingly, a couple of the actresses profiled (including the colorfully named Lilith Stabs)don't do nude scenes, which doesn't necessarily mean they are talented or that their movies are any good, but it's interesting. Curiously, this documentary shies away from showing any nude scenes, which is admirable I guess since it makes it a more serious and less exploitative work; still it would have been nice if they had shown some of these actresses nude if for no other reason than it might save some poor slobs from having to sit through their movies.

I also admired the candor of this documentary. This is is the first time, for instance, I've ever heard "scream queens" admit that some of their male fans are stalkers (frankly I can't imagine why anybody BUT a seriously deranged stalker would want to watch some of these movies). It was also fairly non-judgmental--it was not exploitative but also didn't have a feminist ax to grind. It let some of the actresses (like the aforementioned Strain) make an ass of themselves, but it was neither mean-spirited nor was it an advertisement/apology for the whole scream queen phenomenon. Watch this mildly interesting "scream queen" doc., and forget about the "scream queen" movies.

Do we really need to hear the thoughts and feelings on life from a group of females who's claim to fame is merely the fact that they're aesthetically pleasing to the eye and/or know how to scream rather well? In theory no, it shouldn't be that high on the agenda for someone to watch. However in practice, it is an informative watch that any horror fan will want to watch, if not one to actively go out of your way to seek out. True, some of it MAY be, nay IS a tad pretentious (a constant falling of most, if not all feature length documentaries of any stripe).I'd like to say that it was kept to a bare minimum, but that's not the case. However, that being said, as a horror fan, I still found it interesting. Could the subject matter been handled better? That's debatable, but I'm on the side that it all come out well enough.

My Grade: C+

Where I saw it: Showtime

Jason Paul Collum got it right with this one, a documentary probing the scream queen phenomenon that tackles real topics instead of going the easy route with hot tubs and lingering cheesecake shots.

Collum reveals all the actresses interviewed to be intelligent and sensible, something that goes against the popular ideology of the scream queen since the 1980's. Fans should be pleased to see that the public will learn that there's more to their favorite actresses then just good looks - brains too.

Topics range from public perception of their respective personas to enjoyment of the genre that made them famous. Some of the ladies look back on their time with fondness while others seem to have some disdain for where the industry is headed.

Well worth tracking down.

It was very interesting to see how the Scream Queens got their start in the business. Some by accident, and others because it is easier to get in the film business through horror.

One of the most interesting discussions was on nudity and how they dealt with the call for it in the film. Some would not do it, and others saw it as normal. Debbie Rochon gives a great talk on the subject by explaining how natural it is in Europe. I especially liked the point that we need to quit focusing on 19-year-old bodies, as European actresses do nudity at any age.

The subject of money and exploitation comes up frequently. It is apparent that they are not paid well for these roles. As Rochon said, she can do 25 movies in a year and still not pay all her bills.

It is fascinating to share some time with these beauties and listen to what made them what they are today.