Invasion of the Scream Queens

Invasion of the Scream Queens (1992)

*** (out of 4)

Donald Farmer directed this early documentary that features interviews with several women who make their careers appearing in exploitation and horror movies. Michelle Bauer, Janus Blythe, Marya Gant, Ruth Collins, Martine Beswick, Melissa Moore, Elizabeth Kaitan, Deborah Stern and Brinke Stevens are among the ladies who are interviewed for the documentary.

If you're a fan of the various direct-to-VHS titles that were so popular back in the 1980's then you'll certainly enjoy this documentary even though there's no question that it appears to have been filmed on a very cheap camera. What makes this film work is the fact that there are interviews with some lesser known actresses so it's great getting to hear their stories. There have been several documentaries on Scream Queens that came after this and they are actually much better but there's still something about this one that makes it worth watching.

All of the actresses interviewed talk about the same subjects, which include their first movie, their thoughts on acting in these types of films, the subject of nudity and just random thoughts on horror movies. As I said, there have been better made documentaries since this was released but this one remains entertaining because it does feature interviews with ladies who are lesser known today and who aren't seen in the future movies.

I recently purchased a copy of this video and it was incredible, all these ladies are fun to watch and listen to. Mary Woronov is the best of them all, followed very closely by Janus Blythe. The way they talk to the camera these two ladies make you laugh with their stories as if you were actually face to face with them... Also Michelle Bauer and Elizabeth Kaitan look lovely.

Women who have made a career out of starring in the B horror and science fiction genres are interviewed, and clips and trailers from their films are shown.

Who better to get such a record from than Donald Farmer, who has directed a plethora of B-movies of his own? We have Michelle Bauer explaining how she broke into B-movies through Fred Olen Ray and David DeCouteau. DeCouteau is also featured and looks much younger than one might expect. The names Jim Wynorski and Roger Corman are, of course, tossed around, though neither appear here.

Brinke Stevens says she looked like a werewolf before they filed her teeth. She expresses a real love for science fiction and Hammer horror, which is a joy to hear. The legendary Mary Woronov is great, as she has probably been the most successful, coming from the ranks of Andy Warhol and going everywhere since then. (Does she have an autobiography? She should.) Talk of Allan Arkush, Joe Dante, Roger Corman...

Even lesser-known actresses discuss their careers with plenty of behind-the-scenes tales of how B-movies are made. Seeing Janus Blythe, "Ruby" from "The Hills Have Eyes", is a special treat, as she seemingly has not done many interviews or conventions. Elizabeth Kaitan from "Friday the 13th Part VII" was also a new face for me.

"Soul Taker", which was later lampooned by "Mystery Science Theater 3000", is given a fair presentation. In fact, it almost seems as if it was a precursor for the "Final Destination" franchise. Maybe it is time to give this dud another look.

Unfortunately, the film seems to be a VHS transfer and uses lots of low grade footage. Whether a better quality version of the interviews could be made or not is unknown, but certainly many of the films featured have since been released in better-looking versions and could have been edited into this new release.

This should be viewed as a companion piece to Jason Paul Collum's "Screaming in High Heels". Collum's is the superior film, and has the added benefit of featuring Linnea Quigley, but together these might be a one-two punch. This has plenty of interview footage from the scream queen era, whereas Collum's film is much more after the fact. No one who is interested in the B-movies of the 1980s should go without seeing this.