Best known to terror fiends for her door melding appearance in A Nightmare on Elm Street, the versatile Ronee Blakley proved why she earned an Academy Award nomination (for her subtly anguished Barbara Jean in Robert Altman’s Nashville) with her layered work as Cassie Pines in The False Prophet, a first season episode of the acclaimed anthology series Tales of the Darkside.
Arriving at a bus station in a small Texas town, the spiritually obsessed Pines tells the counter woman how her advisor informed her that she would find her true love that day. After the roadside employee unveils Horace X, an astrological fortune machine, Pines soon finds herself in a bind. Horace X urges her to remain at the desolate stop while Pines is eager to continue on her journey. The arrival of a handsome preacher (a magnetic Justin Deas) complicates matters further. As Pines and the stranger find themselves compelled towards each other, Horace X, shockingly, reveals his jealous nature.
Working with frazzled energy and a sweet sense of natural comedy, Blakley’s Pines wouldn’t be out of place in a latter day Tennessee Williams’ production. Blakley makes her truly endearing whether she is frantically consulting her tea leaves or, breathlessly, informing a newfound companion that she only travels with quarters so she is on the ready for any fortune telling devices. It is, ultimately, compelling and truly enjoyable work, a testament to Blakely’s multiple skills as a performer.
Be sure to keep up with all of Blakely’s projects and activities at http://www.roneeblakley.com.
Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!
Big Gay Horror Fan 