Soap Operas

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As The Stab Burns: Loving’s Ava and Kong

Published April 4, 2026 by biggayhorrorfan

Ava (to Kong): It would never work out between us. After all, you’re just a machine!

13 summers after Delia (Randall Edwards) was romanced by a gorilla named Prince Albert on Ryan’s Hope, Loving‘s Ava Rescott (Lisa Peluso) was kidnapped by an amusement park King Kong. This is seeming proof that the writers of ABC’s lowest rated soaps had a definite fascination with RKO Pictures’ most famous hirsute creation. 

This particular homage to Fay Wray occurred while Ava was immersed in a rollicking adventure, involving a multi-million dollar stamp (of all things), with art professor Jeremy Hunter (Jean LeClerc). Thus, throughout July of 1993, the oft-romanced Ava found herself being chased across the country, in trains, taxi cabs and other motorized vehicles, by seasoned criminal Cesar Faison (Anders Hove), a character famous for his many notorious stints on General Hospital. 

The dynamic duo of Ava and Jeremy eventually wound up In Universal Studios Orlando where, fearing for their lives, they donned various disguises as they romped, Hitchcock-like, throughout the grounds.  At one point, as Faison and his favored goon closed in on them, Ava was plucked from her escape by a very amorous, very mechanical Kong. Reasoning that their relationship would never work, the talkative femme fatale was soon dropped back into Jeremy’s arms by the very reluctant robotic beast. 

Resuming the chase, the duo continued to hide in a carhop, were they were impressively treated to musical numbers by colorful dressed workers, among the massive vacationing crowds and even in the Psycho house, where they were momentarily threatened by a Mrs. Bates approximation. 

Gamely, the ultra-handsome LeClerc and Peluso, whose character was the program’s Erica Kane equivalent, proved that even the least watched, although beloved, daytime dramas in that era had lots of money behind them. 

As seeming proof of this, the producers even hired acclaimed cult actress Shirley Stoler to play Faison’s female counterpart in the arc. Among Stoler’s many credits, she was probably best known for playing the vicious murderess in 1970’s acclaimed, documentary-like The Honeymoon Killers. 

Ava (to Jeremy): I’m telling you, King Kong is in love with me!!

Psychotic Women: General Hospital’s Kristina

Published April 18, 2025 by biggayhorrorfan

General Hospital‘s Kristina Corinthos-Davis (Kate Mansi) has been acting like a case study out of House of Psychotic Women in recent episodes of the 62 year running show. That tome, Kier-La Janisse’s emotionally charged exploration of trauma, exposed the nervy, emotionally warped femmes of genre cinema and this longstanding soap character definitely would fit, perfectly, within its pages.

After losing the baby she was carrying last summer, Corinthos-Davis has definitely been at odd ends. The murder of her beloved sister Sam (Kelly Monaco) in the fall furthered that tremulous descent. That the dewily manipulative Ava (Maura West), the person she holds responsible for the death of her child, was still constantly underfoot, demanding cash and excessive favors from her family, provided this beleaguered character’s final push into murderous instability.

Sure that Ava was out to steal her younger sister away from her crime lord father (Maurice Bernard), Kristina cut the brakes to the car that was in her parking spot. Staying true to the dramatics involved with the daytime pedigree, the vehicle actually belonged, instead, to Rick (Rick Hearst), Ava’s lawyer and the father of Kristina’s other sister, Molly (Kristen Vaganos). 

Thankfully, Rick and Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst), his passenger, survived the crash that impetuous act caused, but now Kristina is sure to be driven even further into cascading unpredictability. Lucky (Jonathon Jackson), Elizabeth’s ex-husband and current paramour, quickly realized that she was to blame and Ava and Rick weren’t far behind him.

Now, Ava is blackmailing Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn), Kristina’s mother, and once Molly finds out who injured her beloved parent, worlds are definitely going to be rocked. This will surely keep this nutty heiress in emotional crosshairs for the months to come.

It might even be conceivable that, despite Alexis’ fervent efforts, she winds up in Ferncliff, the serial’s mental institution, bringing even more exploitation goodness to the canvas. Last utilized when the trusting yet gutsy Sasha (Sofia Mattson) was drugged and locked up by the evil Damon Montague, a little misadventure at the hands of an unstable doctor could definitely make Corinthos-Davis redeemable again.

Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

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The Poisonous Whitley King

Published February 25, 2025 by biggayhorrorfan

With an ultramarine noir setting as her backdrop, the deranged Whitley King (Kim Coles) made a sadistically triumphant return to Days of our Lives this February. 

Of course, the cast and crew of Body and Soul, Days‘ soap within a soap, had already been feeling King’s presence for a while. For months, poisoned cupcakes and other dangers have pockmarked their paths due to her handiwork. Poor Bonnie (Judi Evans) even landed at the bottom of an empty elevator shaft due to the former Florence Nightingale’s crazed manipulations.

But that bumpy freefall was just the starter course. Angered at what she considered the desecration of her favorite program, Whitley ultimately laced a potpourri of fake scripts with a deadly chemical, intending to off everyone involved with the show, once and for all. Talk about a special delivery!

This plot devise found everyone from charming, frequently shirtless playboy Alex (Robert Scott Wilson) to wacky diva-in-waiting Hattie (Diedre Hall) near death’s door. Thankfully, the quick-thinking Dr. Sarah Horton (Lindsey Godfrey) realized what was happening and that the hospital had an antidote to reverse the effects of King’s morbid libation. 

Meanwhile, Abe (James Reynolds,) the enterprise’s executive producer, finally cottoned to the fact that it just might be his former kidnapper (see As The Stab Burns: Kim Coles) that could be behind the nefarious happenings at his workplace. Of course, once she realized that not only had her crimes been exposed, but completely thwarted, King, like many a prime villainess before her, fell into a catatonic stupor – with only another sweeps month bonanza seemingly a tonic strong enough to revive her.

Whitley can sleep peacefully for now, though, knowing that her prime objective was reached. Much to many a real-life fan’s relief, Tuesday’s (2/11/25) episode detailed the aftermath of Abe and his co-executive producer Kate (Lauren Koslow) deciding to pull the plug on their rendition of Body and Soul. Fully aware they failed to keep everyone safe, the fictional drama’s fictional drama’s headquarters will now be moving to Los Angeles, leaving many viewers, who felt this tale had long overstayed it’s welcome, very happy that their favorite program is about to move onto other, more traditionally dramatic pastures.

Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

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GH’s Angel of Mercy

Published February 11, 2025 by biggayhorrorfan

I am always down for mysterious killers and rampant cycles of death winding their way throughout the landscapes of my daytime dramas. Obviously, the parallels to the horror films that I love are heavily rooted in those storylines and those types of tales were what drew me to soaps in the first place.

Currently the deviously magnetic Cyrus on General Hospital, as enacted by ever versatile Emmy winner Jeff Kober, is playing angel of mercy in Port Charles by killing off prominent citizens with doses of heart attack causing digitalis.

First off, feisty private eye Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco), one of the show’s longest running heroines, met her end in the late fall of 2024. Dex Heller (Evan Hofer), the star crossed Romeo to teen queen Josslyn Jacks’ (Eden McCoy) Juliet, was the next to suffer an unexpected coronary.

The almost demise of Michael Corinthos (Chad Duell), another of the serial’s legacy characters, brought the fact that a killer was on the loose to light, though. Now, those suspicious of Cyrus are a veritable Rainbow Book Club.

This includes the program’s splintered (yet hopeful) gay couple, (often duplicitous) lab technician Brad (Parry Shen) and the upstanding Dr. Lucas Jones (Van Hansis.) Hospital administrator Portia (Brooke Kerr) is also on the case – even semi-teaming up with Brad, despite her misgivings, hoping to pave the way for more vacancies on the morgue slabs, not less!

Now, even Josslyn, in classic final girl mode, is dancing ever closer to the fire, sniffing around Cyrus’ lodgings, looking for clues. Her escapades last week even brought her into contact with character actor David Ury.

Ury, best known for his roles in latter day Rob Zombie projects like 31, added a bit of exploitation sleaze to the proceedings. As a suspicious slumlord manager, he added a danger factor to the young girl’s escapades, signaling that, despite everyone’s concentrated efforts, more death and destruction might be on the way for the beloved residents of this fictional Midwest burg.

I, for one, couldn’t be more excited.

Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

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Va-Va-Villainess: Carrick Glenn

Published November 9, 2024 by biggayhorrorfan

Before she played quirkily luscious victims in a duo of slasher flicks of varying pedigrees, actress Carrick Glenn paid an interesting visit to psycho street. 

In an effort to boost ratings, The Doctors, a once popular, long running soap opera, began to embrace natural disasters, mad science and unhinged divas in the late ’70s and early ’80s. To that effect, Glenn joined the show as a short-lived character with diminishing mental returns. As Laura Young, a disgraced nursing student, she spent the winter of 1980 terrorizing the program’s longstanding heroine Dr. Maggie Powers (Lydia Bruce). Kidnapping Powers after a tornado wreaked havoc onscreen, Young was determined to prove to the powerful medical administrator that her chops as a caregiver were as keen as her clear-cut fashion sense.

Thus, labored scenes of a perspiring Powers, growing ever nearer to death, pleading with a resolute and ever more delusional Young were a staple that long January. Once discovered by Powers’ concerned friends and family, Laura went the way of most sympathetic nut jobs – the psycho ward. 

Glenn, herself, went onto to delight many a horror fan as Sally in The Burning and Kathy in Girls Nite Out. Girls Nite Out, of course, is an enjoyable romp, where Glenn energetically enacts a typical coed college casualty. The Burning, on the other hand, due to Tom Savini’s special effects and several interesting cinematic angles (including Brian Matthews’ Final Guy), has become something of a modern classic in the genre. Glenn also gives her character discrete depth. Torn between wanting to maintain her virtue while also finding herself intrigued by the thuggish Glazer (Larry Joshua) and his efforts to bed her, Glenn practically vibrates with lusty indecisiveness. Her interactions are always charmingly honest, adding real life layers to an exploitive extravaganza.

Girls, though, turned out to be Glenn’s last major credit. (A short film, according to IMDB, marked her last onscreen appearance) While I managed to track down a pre-The Doctors wedding announcement, surprisingly little other information is available about her online. That several of her major roles are readily available for consumption may be the one saving grace of that tiny mystery. *

*Glenn’s The Doctors episodes are available for viewing at It’s Real Good TV. 

Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

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The Last of Connie

Published October 19, 2024 by biggayhorrorfan

Leave it to Jada (Elia Cantu). She finally got a couple of clues and realized it might be uber-perky Connie (Julie Dove) that was behind all the disappearances and deaths that had been happening in Salem all summer long. Of course, for drama’s sake, Days of our Lives‘ finest detective was always a step or two behind everyone’s favorite, truly demented personal assistant. 

As a capper to her previous crimes, which included murdering Bobby (Blake Berris) and stabbing Rafe (Galen Gering), Connie deposited Melinda (Tina Huang), her long held hostage, in the lower-level vaults of the DiMera Mansion. After confronting Gabi (Cherie Jimenez), her mortal enemy, in that estate’s ostentatious living room, she added her to the cobweb strewn larder. Ever the amateur explosives enthusiast, she then tried to blow both of her captives up with a homemade bomb. 

It was then onto the Brady Pub to eliminate Ava (Tamara Braun). With that bloodthirsty deed ultimately interrupted by the heroic Stefan (Brandon Barash), the demented damsel was finally intercepted by (the now exhausted) Jada and soon sent packing to the luxuriously padded walls of Bay View. 

Overall, a fun, months-long jaunt, accentuated by Dove’s compelling eccentricity, this story’s long-lasting effects seem like they will be centered on the romantic contingent. Gabi now appears to be drawn to EJ (Dan Feuerriegel), the former business rival who saved her from the blast’s deadly effects. This puts Stefan, Gabi’s formerly ardent husband, into the orbit of Ava, the woman he protected and, much to Gabi’s chagrin, previously bedded.

It seems that Connie, whose truest aim was to permanently upend the lives of Gabi and Stefan, achieved her heart torn victory, after all.

Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

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My Sweet Psycho: B & B’s Luna

Published September 14, 2024 by biggayhorrorfan

In the last month or so, the crazily unstoppable Connie (Julie Dove) has murdered Everett/Bobby (Blake Berris) and kidnapped Melinda (Tina Huang) on Days of our Lives. Her reign of terror in Salem, the show’s homebase, has now stretched across the many weeks of summer – and with Rafe (Galen Gering), one of her first victims since returning to the canvas, still recovering from the effects of a coma, it looks like she may be sticking around for a while longer.

In a surprise move, The Bold and the Beautiful entered into the psycho femme sweepstakes at the cliffhanger-end of their Friday, August 23rd episode, as well.  Then, the impossibly sweet Luna (Lisa Yamada) was not only revealed to be a twisted schemer, but a murderous one, as well. Upon discovering Luna kissing Bill (Don Diamont), a man who was assumed to be the young woman’s father for months, the show’s popular anti-heroine Steffy (Jaqueline MacInnes Woods) confronted her — and found herself drugged and locked in a cage. Many viewers, understandably, assumed that they were going to be treated to months of Luna furtively keeping Steffy hostage.

Surprisingly, the Bold scribes worked quickly here. Almost immediately, during her macabre conversations with the desperate Steffy, Luna revealed that she had murdered two men – crimes that she had pinned on her wayward mother Poppy (Romy Park). She was now planning to let Steffy die in the condemned building that she had trapped her in & then eventually convince the macho Bill to marry her. 

Steffy’s devoted husband Finn (Tanner Novlan) proved to have some previously undiscovered Columbo in his blood, though. Almost instantaneously, he figured out what was up and had rescued his bone dry, mighty bedraggled wife within days. After a facedown with her angry Aunt Li (Naomi Matsuda), Luna was arrested and confessed all to her very teary, totally shocked mother. 

Of course, Bold has made a practice of stretching out the storylines of the equally psychotic Sheila over the years. But sadly, weekly previews seem to indicate that Luna may be off the canvas for a while now. Still, the fun of watching Yamada, Matsuda and Park go for broke will linger in fans’ minds for many years to come. The powers-that-be should also be sent notes of appreciation for focusing, so dramatically, on their Asian cast members. It is still a very white, homogenized world on the soap opera format, and it was nice to see a little much needed diversity at play during this very fun, juicily gothic romp.

Let’s hope that there are more such stories on the horizon…and soon!

Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

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The Supreme Reign of Batty Connie

Published July 31, 2024 by biggayhorrorfan

Nothing makes me happier than a femme identifying slasher as the primary character in some ghoul stained epic. Horror has a number of them – with Pamela Voorhees from the original Friday the 13th, naturally, leading the top of the list. More recent additions include the titular subjects in projects like Lisa Frankenstein, Abigail and MaXXXine. These cinematic vixens have been completely unafraid to shed a little blood to get exactly what they want. 

Nicely, soaps have also given us a few of their own twisted ovarian baddies over the past couple years. 

Currently, the legendary Colleen Zenk has been careening her way across Genoa City on The Young and the Restless. After burning down a prison and pushing a recovering alcoholic (played by talented soap hopper Brian Gaskill) into the path of a moving vehicle, her demented Aunt Jordan has wound up with a huge casualty list. On that other network, Alley Mills deservedly won an Emmy for enacting Heather Webber’s latest reign of terror on General Hospital. As the poison wielding The Hook, she carved her way through both day and contract players alike with a Michael Myers sized abandon. 

Days of our Lives has not been idle either. In 2023, comedienne Kim Coles threw a dramatic twist into her resume by playing the murderously delusional Whitley King. King kidnapped the show’s longstanding hero Abe Carver (James Reynolds), nearly killing him and his beloved daughter (Sal Stowers) before she was apprehended. This summer, meanwhile, Julie Dove’s zany Connie Viniski is striking fear into the hearts of male Salemites, in and out of Horton Square. While Connie had made a couple minor appearances previously, recent surprise plot revelations have placed her squarely behind the knife that killed the suave Li (Remington Hoffman) over six months ago. 

Joyfully, her reign of terror has just begun. In order to keep her dastardly secret, Viniski recently stabbed the show’s (hopefully) resilient police commissioner Rafe (Galen Gering) in the back. That this crime took place over an open grave in a cemetery only added to it’s delightful macabre intensity. Now Connie seems to also be targeting Robert Stein (Blake Berris), her wicked co-conspirator, and Gabi (Cherie Jimenez), Rafe’s manipulative businesswoman sister. Of course, Connie is sure to talk over any plans she might make with her favorite conjured entity. The ghost-like apparition of Li is now a permanent resident at her breakfast table.

Importantly, despite her often-delusionary actions, Dove has added an almost chirpy innocence to Connie’s increasingly malevolent personality here. This little something extra has certainly endeared her to audiences – even as the character cuts a swath through the heart of their favored city. In fact, if Dove continues to add this sense of quirky charm to the role, Viniski will certainly become one of the show’s most memorable modern-day villainesses.  

At the very least, the weeks ahead are sure to be sparkly, bloody fun – particularly for those, like me, who relate to the subtle flourishes of insecurity that percolate throughout Viniski’s vengeful exterior!

Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

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Flashback Interview: Catherine Mary Stewart

Published May 6, 2024 by biggayhorrorfan

Often as a journalist, particularly with online pieces, you discover that your writing has been archived or has vanished completely. Thus, I thought it might be fun to, occasionally, revisit some of my favorite work that was done for other publications. The below interview with Catherine Mary Stewart was conducted at a Horror Hound event in the spring of 2010. Originally running on Horror Society’s site, this blast from the past seems as freshly contemporary to me as Stewart, herself.

As an actress, Catherine Mary Stewart has faced down juiced out zombies (Night of the Comet), sexy serial killers (Psychic) and intruders from space, both friendly (The Last Starfighter) and not so friendly (Nightflyers). But her professional beginnings as an actress on soap opera Days of Our Lives were just as scary – and there were no worlds gone wild or dead men named Bernie hanging around either!

“An hour show a day is difficult. My very first day on the set was humiliating. It’s my very first scene as Nurse Kayla Brady and I had to name every single character. I got everybody’s name wrong! Everyone was like, No – I’m Maggie and this is Hope!”

As for the most exciting thing that happened during her short tenure (1982-83) on the beloved soap?

(Laughing) “I lost my virginity to my brother! Josh Taylor was playing Chris Kositchek at the time and I lost my virginity to him. Now he’s back on the soap, playing Roman Brady, Kayla’s brother. So, I lost my virginity to my brother!”

Of course, after her stint on Days, Stewart became known to many horror and science fiction fans for her exemplar, tough as nails work in films such as Dudes and in the very popular, above mentioned films.

“Night of the Comet established me as a strong woman. And, let’s face it, this business is surface and one dimensional, so I got cast as more of a tomboy after that.”

But Stewart did find herself thrown into the occasional glamorous role on such mini-series events as Sins (with Joan Collins), the legendary Hollywood Wives and on the lighthearted, early ’90s attempt at a long running series, Hearts are Wild.

“You know, while I didn’t mind the idea of a steady gig, the character on Hearts Are Wild started out a lot darker. But…it turned into a commercial Love Boat type of thing.”

Darker emotions also played into one of Stewart’s first roles after her familial based hiatus. In 2007, she appeared in a supporting capacity in the horror film based on celebrated novelist Jack Ketchum’s book, The Girl Next Door.  (As many know, the central character, Ruth Chandler, tortures and abuses her young female ward.)

“The Girl Next Door gave me a lot of pause. They wanted me to read for the lead. I just couldn’t. I had to ask myself, Are you scared because it’s challenging? Finally, I decided yes, it’s challenging…but it’s just too tough. This was the movie to get back into it all and I just wanted to get the wheels turning. I did not want to play that part.”

Of course, since those tentative returning moments, Stewart, much to the delight of her ravenous fan base, has not only been working non-stop in film, but has been hitting the convention circuit and has set herself up a home base, not only on the web – http://www.catherinemarystewart.net -, but on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/catherinemarystewart -, as well. She’s also found an emotional connection with many of the viewers of her past celluloid achievements.

“So many young women have claimed I instilled a sense of power in them. I love that! I can’t tell you how much I love that!”

In closing, when asked to use one word to describe Penelope Spheeris, the, yes…powerful and acclaimed director who guided her through the rough terrain of Dudes, Stewart responds:

“Oh, man! She was just so cool! So. Cool! I so wanted to be even half as cool as her!”

Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

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In Remembrance: Bill Hayes

Published February 11, 2024 by biggayhorrorfan

Bill Hayes’ joy in performing was infectious. In fact, this legendary nonagenarian truly seemed happy with whatever bits and pieces that the powers-that-be at Days of our Lives, his creative home for over 5 decades, would give him to perform over the past 15 years. But Hayes, who died at the age of 98 this January, virtually (and literally) glowed with enthusiasm throughout the late fall of 2021. That was when his kind, long standing character Doug was possessed by the devil. Current head writer Ron Carlivati had long wanted to revisit long term heroine Marlena’s late ’90s encounter with the red horn trickster. Thus, when he was finally given the go ahead, he inventively involved one of Salem’s sweetest legacy characters. Hayes was obviously having a blast portraying Doug as he locked his wife Julie in a meat cooler and strategically flirted with townswomen half his age.

Nicely, he was prepped for this sinister undertaking due to his participation in another one of the show’s macabre plotlines – 2003’s Salem Stalker outing. There, Doug, along with other series’ notables like Maggie & Caroline, was “killed” off – supposedly by a brainwashed Marlena. In a grand twist, though, all were revealed to be alive and living in Melaswen (IE: New Salem).

Renowned for his musical proclivities as well as acting, Hayes was recognizable to the general public for his appearances on variety television (Your Show of Shows) and Broadway (Me and Juliet), while his recording of The Ballad of Davy Crockett spent 5 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1955. Most importantly, his decades long partnership with Susan Seaforth Hayes, his loving spouse and frequent co-star, will go down in history as one of the most endearing celebrity romances.

His was a life definitely well led. 

Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

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