The Silver Screen Oasis

In another thread, it was mentioned that Mae Clarke is best remembered for the ol’ grapefruit in the face, which, no doubt, she is. But I commented that I remember her best as the original “bride” of Frankenstein. Coupling that thread with the thread on the 10 Silent Screen Beauties, I figured I’d start my first thread on the top 10 Scream Queen Beauties.

Yvette Vickers--Attack of the 50 foot Woman/Attack of the Giant Leeches (the first, and only, celebrity I ever wrote as a kid. She sent me a beautiful signed photo.)

Fay Wray--King Kong (I was distraught when I learned my lovely Ann Darrow was wearing a wig. I since got over it.)

Barbara Steele--Black Sunday/Pit and the Pendulum (The eyes say it all. Anyone know which movie had her hair covering half her face throughout? Scared me quite a bit as a kid.)

Ingrid Pitt--Vampire Lovers/Countess Dracula (I’d be a vampire if Ingrid visited me)

Madge Bellamy--White Zombie (Holy smokes, is she hot!)

Evelyn Ankers--The Wolf Man/Son of Dracula/Ghost of Frankenstein (Great looking, great actress plus she’s also in Abbott and Costello’s Hold That Ghost!)

Mae Clarke--Frankenstein (One of the strong women in Universal horror. She’s the one that convinces Victor and the Barron to go to the lab in the first place.)

Gloria Holden--Dracula’s Daughter (Creepy, spooky, eerie, and captivatingly beautiful)

Jane Adams-House of Dracula (the cutest Hunchback in cinema!)

P.J. Soles--Halloween (nobody can resist P.J., not even Michael Myers...)

Honorable mentions:
Ilona Massey--Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (it’s the accent, I think)

Gloria Stuart--The Old Dark House (Titanic? We don’t need no stinkin’ Titanic....)

A couple that got my attention as a youth...and still do:

Julie Adams: Creature from the Black Lagoon (when she's swimming and the Gill Man lurks below...oh, my)

Terry Moore: Mighty Joe Young (not Fay Wray, but Mighty Joe wasn't Kong either)

I would vote for Valerie Hobson, who was Elizabeth in "Bride of Frankenstein" and the wife of Henry Hull in "Werewolf of London." I think her performance in "Werewolf" is very good.

If 1970s Giallo Scream Queens count, I'd add Edwige Fenech (The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh) and Barbara Bouchet (Don't Torture a Duckling).

-Stephen

ChiO:

I heartily agree about Julie Adams. The Creature From the Black Lagoon is one of the few Universal classics that can still make me jump, probably because I’m so busy watching Ms. Adams...

Terry Moore reminded me too much of my sister. Like Joe, I was “bigger”, but I still had to do whatever she told me to.

MikeBSG:

I was thinking about Ms. Hobson, but she doesn’t have much to do in Bride of Frankenstein. I completely forgot she was in Werewolf, and you are right, she is good.

Stephen:

I must confess, I haven’t heard of either Edwige Fenech or Barbara Bouchet but after a quick google image search all I can say is “oooo la la.” Do you recommend the films you listed? Are they available on DVD?

The two best Fenech films are The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh and Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key, and I believe both are currently on DVD.

For Bouchet, it's Amuck, The Red Queen Kills Seven Times and the previously mentioned Don't Torture a Duckling.

Another beauty is the gorgeous Pilar Velasquez, whom you can see in Black Candles (a.k.a. Evil Eye, a.k.a. Malocchio).

-Stephen

I'd have to cast my votes for Anne Gwynne ("The Black Cat", "Black Friday", "House of Frankenstein", etc.) and the recently-passed and gorgeous Hazel Court (need I mention her many genre offerings?)

MichiganJ wrote:

Barbara Steele--Black Sunday/Pit and the Pendulum (The eyes say it all. Anyone know which movie had her hair covering half her face throughout? Scared me quite a bit as a kid.)

I believe it's THE LONG HAIR OF DEATH, aka I LUNGHI CAPELLI DELLA MORTE, from 1964, and yes, it is available on DVD.

I agree with Barbara Steele, she scared me in the film "Black Sunday" (La Maschera del demonio) 1960. I hid behind the theater seats during most of the film as a kid. Directed by Mario Bava.





Bill

You know I pretty much stopped watching horror movies at the end of the 50's, but . . . this is truly a question where I would appreciate an answer -- Wasn't Jamie Curtis' scream used in several movies when the victim was off screen? I seem to remember her saying so, or someone mentioning it. I think the movie was Halloween.

Anne

Anne:

Jamie Lee Curtis did scream quite a lot in Halloween, and since she does have a very distinctive scream, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was “lifted” and used in other movies. Fay Wray’s screams from King Kong are used in any number of films that she doesn’t appear in.

Nightwalker:

Thank you so much. I believe The Long Hair of Death was the film that kept me up the night I watched it on Creature Features while staying at my grandparents house. I’ve placed an order for it and can’t wait to see it again.

ratfan:

Ah, yes Anne Gwynne...I remember her best in Abbott and Costello’s Ride ‘em Cowboy. I’d forgotten she was in the Dracula section of House of Frankenstein. Speaking of HOF, what about Elena Verdugo? She was pretty, hot too....

Hazel Court, phew! Gorgeous just doesn’t cut it...

Stephen:
I also put on order Don’t Torture a Duckling (the name alone meant it was a must)
It looks like the two Fenech film’s you recommend are out of print (and therefore, pretty pricey), but I have a good Used DVD shop nearby and will keep my eyes open. Thanks .

--Kevin

Fay Wray deserves a good mention as Number One, but only Una O'Connor was doing it over and over in a variety of top horror films from the '30s on. She starts screaming in 1930's MURDER, spends 1933 screaming in HORSEPLAY and at the foot of her stairs after the Invisible Man "appears", then screams in 1934's STINGAREE, climbs to the top of Frankenstein's burned out windmill and screams in 1935, and keeps screaming until she can only yell out from the witness stand in 1957's WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION, her last film credit.

She's the only one deserving of the Scream Queen title.

I would definitely go with BARBARA STEELE (modern) and EVELYN ANKERS (classic).
In fact, here's Evelyn in a great scene from the fantastic 1943 Universal B horror film THE MAD GHOUL. Whatta set of pipes!!
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Now here's Barbara in CASTLE OF BLOOD (1964). Although in fairness, it should be pointed out that in these Italian films (which were generally shown in dubbed versions) we weren't really hearing Barbara...
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Fay Wray & Julie Adams. Ms Adams is by far the most interesting person in Creature.

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