Women in Horror Month 2015 Article Series by Mary Parker

Location: http://www.examiner.com/horror-movies-in-st-louis/mary-parker

Date: February 2-28th, 2015

Organizer(s): Mary Parker

Contact: parker.maryk13@gmail.com

Website/Social Media Links: http://www.examiner.com/horror-movies-in-st-louis/mary-parker

Description: A 15-article series highlighting Women in Horror Month.  There will be 2 articles about female directed horror shorts, 3 horror icon articles, and a series of 10 articles focusing on the greatest female performances in horror.

UPDATE:

February 2, 2015- Female Directed Horror: Cargo (2013, Short)

“Upon its release on YouTube as a finalist in Australia’s TropFest 2013, “Cargo” (watch via hyperlink) quickly made the rounds through horror circles for its wit, story, effect, and – its best quality – compassion. Written by Yolanda Ramke, and directed by Ramke and Ben Howling, “Cargo” is the unlikely story of a father’s plan to keep his most precious cargo, his infant daughter, safe during the zombie apocalypse.”  (Read here).

danielle2b79fd4ab6af1e45cb291369111004fdFebruary 3, 2015- Horror Icon: Danielle Harris

There have been plenty of scream queens over the years. Beauties who struggle against horrible odds (usually horrible killers) and triumph against their enemies, these leading ladies have been a horror movie staple from the beginning. They were most prevalent during the 80’s and 90’s slasher film boom, but have (no pun intended) died off as of late. Yet, there is hope! I present to you: Danielle Harris, horror’s reining scream queen (her personal website is even called horrorgal.com!).

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February 4, 2015- Great Female Performance: Bailee Madison

“I was hooked for “Don’t be Afraid of the Dark” from the moment I first heard about it. A Guillermo del Toro-produced horror film about a little girl who get terrorized by a hoard of demon-like critters? YES. And then everyone saw the trailer and it scared them so bad they knew they had to see it.

Thankfully, it was worth it to see it in the theater, because this movie is amazing. When it came out on video I showed it to my parents, and it actually gave my dad nightmares – which is quite a feat. This is one of the most under-appreciated films of the last ten years.”

MaryParkercad1e185da0788992bebdfbe339f70beFebruary 6, 2015- Great Female Performance: Rebecca Hobbs“It pains me to say that not everyone has seen “The Ugly.” This little New Zealand film is quite amazing. But then again, I only became aware of it after watching the compilation video “Boogeymen,” which contained a clip. It took me months to track down a copy, which I had to buy. Luckily, it was not a waste of $15.

 

womeninhorrormonthwom39bd01b51a588b16ecebf9c406ec2089February 9, 2015- Power Duo: Bette Davis and Joan Crawford

“Davis’ Baby Jane is the quintessential female villain for psychological horror films. She is both pitiful and abominable, while also appearing delicate, though we all know she is despicable. Her mental illness is apparent without being overstated, and as the audience we want her to die so her sister’s suffering will stop. The film would not work without Jane (and her marvelous portrayal by Davis). The film’s success led to the birth of the “psycho-biddy” sub-genre of horror/thriller films featuring psychotic older women. (The 50th anniversary Blu-Ray can be bought here.) . In 2003, the character of Baby Jane Hudson was ranked #44 on the American Film Institute’s list of the 50 Best Villains of American Cinema.