Television

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Countdown to Carrie: Yvette Mimieux, “Hit Lady” (1974)

Published August 23, 2013 by biggayhorrorfan

(Love it or hate it, the Carrie remake will be upon us in October – thus we celebrate the strong women in horror, science fiction and exploitation with Countdown to Carrie!)

Roarke: “How many women do you suppose make your kind of money?”
Angela: “Tell me something, Roarke. How many men do you suppose make my kind of money?”

Thought of as a purring sex kitten to some, due to her roles in such 60’s fare as Where the Boys Are and The Time Machine, gorgeous Yvette Mimieux decided to take control of her career in the mid-70’s and crafted a fun and powerful vehicle for herself with the television film, Hit Lady (1974).

As sharp shooting Angela deVries, Mimieux combines frivolity and feminism to grand effect here, all while dashing about in personalized Nolan Miller designs. Of course, by the time we meet Angela love has started to melt her cold heart and she finds herself unable to commit to her last kill-for-hire. Thus double crosses and frantic car chases decorate the last act of this quick moving vehicle. Add in a downbeat ending, more fitting for a European indie than a jaunty ABC production, and you have a fizzy cocktail decorated with a ferocious female at the lead.

Mimieux, no stranger to television terrors such as (beloved entries) Snowbeast and Devil Dog: Hound of Hell, is joined here by frequent genre personality Clu Gulager (Return of the Living Dead, Feast, Nightmare on Elm Street 2) who practically radiates slime as her duplicitous boss.

Keenan Wynn (Van Johnson’s gruffer half.)

Even a queer fear angle is provided for via the participation of veteran actor Keenan Wynn (Piranha, The Dark, Hysterical) and the exquisitely handsome Dack Rambo (Nightmare Honeymoon, Good Against Evil) as the artist whom entrances de Vries. Many old school Hollywood biographies make note of Wynn’s bisexuality. In fact, it was rumored that Wynn divorced his wife, Evie, so that she could (happily, it is noted) marry his lover, screen idol Van Johnson.

Meanwhile, shortly before his tragic death in 1994 due to HIV complications, Rambo acknowledged his bisexuality in detailed, heartfelt interview with Soap Opera Weekly.

Rambo – Half naked, fully threatened!

Thankfully, there are always (bittersweet) celluloid memories….

Until the next time SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan – aka – www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan!

Horror, She Wrote with the Divine Meg Foster!

Published July 5, 2013 by biggayhorrorfan

Big Gay Horror Fan well remembers the horror of being kidnapped for his inheritance – — of wrinkled Fantastic Four comic books!

Of course, I could be confusing myself with Tracy Middendorf’s Erin on The Dark Side of the Door episode of Murder, She Wrote (Season 12, Episode 15).

Here Middendorf, best known to terror freaks as the doomed babysitter in Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994) and as a stalked runner in Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct: Lightning (1995), plays a budding editor, who recognizes the specifics of her childhood kidnapping in a famous author’s long awaited novel.

This writer played by Twin Peaks’ Richard Beymer (also of fun n bloody sequel Silent Night, Deadly Night III: Better Watch Out!) also spends some premium episode time romancing a senior editor played by amazing genre icon Meg Foster (They Live, Stepfather II, Welcome to Arrow Beach). Foster is soft spoken yet firm here especially as Beymer betrays her and she learns what plenty of Big Gay Horror Fans already know – men just can’t be trusted.

Before Angela Lansbury’s flinty heroine JB Fletcher uncovers the truths behind Erin’s past, further fun is found watching veteran actress Marcia Strassman (best known for her comedic roles on Welcome Back Kotter and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids) play against type as Erin’s glamorous eventually duplicitous mother.

Meanwhile, 10 years previously, Foster made her first appearance on this seminal series (Joshua Peabody Died Here, Season 2, Episode 2). In one of the premium plots on the show’s best years, Foster is a determined newscaster whose motives might be deeper and darker than they seem. With her seductive eyes and whiskey coated voice, Foster stands out among a genre cast including the late-great Michael Sarrazin (Frankenstein: The True Story, The Reincarnation of Peter Proud), The Addams Family’s John Astin, television heartthrob John Ericson (Charles Band’s possessed car epic Crash!, the seminal Honey West) as the focus of Foster’s investigative rage and cowboy legend, B-Movie regular Chuck Connors (Tourist Trap, Werewolf, Maniac Killer).

Be sure to check back here, often, for more Horror, She Wrote.

Big Gay Horror, meanwhile, is always composing sonnets to Angela Lansbury’s vixen past at http://www.facebook.com/#!/BigGayHorrorFan.

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

The Woman with Gigantor Talent: A Conversation with Just Before Dawn’s Jamie Rose!

Published June 15, 2013 by biggayhorrorfan

Actress-author Jamie Rose burst into the public consciousness with important roles on the nighttime soap Falcon Crest and the exciting cop drama Lady Blue in the 1980’s. Since then, she has maintained a heady pace with roles in films such as Tightrope, (cult classic) Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town and her numerously eclectic appearances on nighttime episodics. But it is her passionate performances in such films as the beloved slasher Just Before Dawn (1981) and the gothic, criminally underrated Playroom (1990) that have, rightly, earned her the admiration of terror titans, worldwide. The exciting, forward thinking Rose, kindly, took a moment at the tail end of the Cinema Wasteland convention (in April 2013) highlighting Just Before Dawn, to talk with Big Gay Horror Fan about theater, the art of acting and her adventures in the limb flung worlds of horror.

BGHF: Hey, Jamie! So, you’ve done several horror films and (a bunch of) crime dramas. I’m just curious, as a woman, how do you deal with your characters being put in violent situations?

Jamie Rose: Well, you’re playing a character and you have certain requirements. If a character is supposed to cry, if a character is supposed to scream – you do it! How do I, as a woman, react to doing the violence? It doesn’t bother me, obviously (laughs) because I did the movies. But, it just depends, as well. There ARE certain things I won’t do. I turn down stuff a lot. I have never done a cigarette or alcohol commercial. I am somebody who – especially at the beginning of my career – made a lot of money doing commercials. I made a decision, because of things that have happened to my friends and family, that I won’t advertise alcohol or advertise cigarettes. I did an episode of Criminal Minds this season that was incredibly violent. But it was amazing writing and a great character. I know an actress who said “I’m a pacifist, so I don’t do that.” I was like, “Really? Do you do Shakespeare?” She said, “Well that’s off screen!”

BGHF: Not always! Like–

Together: (Excitedly) Titus Andronicus!

BGHF: It’s one of my favorites!

Jamie: I saw it in London, man, and it was so gory that people were passing out! Violence has kind of been a part of – I don’t want to say entertainment – it’s been a part of dramatic literature, a part of drama, from the beginning! With Euripides and –

BGHF: Oedipus!

Jamie: Yes!

BGHF: Everyone plucking out eyeballs!

Jamie: In King Lear, the plucking out of Gloucester’s eyes always happens on stage. Ultimately, I understand her position, though. It’s just not mine. I have more problems with gratuitous nudity. That’s something I don’t do. Or I have to really look at a part – like say Just Before Dawn. At the time, I was a kid and it was my first movie and I was so excited. I felt like it was kind of innocent. I don’t have gigantor breasts. It was not a big deal. If it was Europe, that would be nothing. It wouldn’t be considered anything. I wore my underwear. I had smallish breasts. It’s not even a big deal!

BGHF: Well, I love the female body – and I am almost always happy to see it, no matter what. I think it’s gorgeous!

Jamie: Me too! And, also, the male body!

BGHF: (Laughs) Oh, yeah! – I always lament that there is not enough male nudity in films, though.

Jamie: I think it’s trickier with men, though. Okay, now we’re getting a little graphic – but an un-aroused male: not the most exciting thing to look at! (Laughs loudly) Just a hanging, dangling thing!

BGHF: Well, at least, give me a backside, please!

Jamie: (Laughs) Yeah! The stomach is nice, too! But, we are seeing more of it! But even just in the classical sense, I like stuff. I am a huge Gustav Klimt fan. I have some nudes. I love pin-up art. My husband is like “Ah, you love pictures of nude women!” But, I don’t love pictures of nude women like Playboy. I just think certain pin-up art is beautiful. What can I say?

BGHF: I have to admit, I actually get Playboy in the mail. It’s fun for me and I find it beautiful. Besides, who doesn’t want to see, for example, Lindsay Lohan naked? Just to see what it looks like!

Jamie: (Dubiously) Well —

BGHF: (Laughing) Okay, maybe you don’t!

Jamie: Yeah! I think it’s more ascetically based. I actually think she’s a really good actress. I am really sorry what has happened to her. She’s obviously suffering from a disease. Such a talented girl –

BGHF: I think so, too! Do you think it goes back to her starting out so young and the hardships of early fame? You started out as a child, yourself.

Jamie: I started at age 6.

BGHF: It can be such a hard life.

Jamie: I think it’s that. But — I just did a couple guest star things – a Green Acres and a Family Affair. I did some commercials as a kid. So, I didn’t have that high end fame. I was auditioning along with Jodie Foster and stuff. I was that era. But Lindsay was an actual star, at a young age. So, I’m guessing she didn’t have good support. A lot of it, I think it’s what is around you -the value system in your home. I did a movie with The Olsen Twins when they were 15. These girls were dolls! I gotta tell you, these girls were sweethearts! I don’t know too much about their home life. I know there was a divorce, so it couldn’t have been perfect. But, they love each other so much. And they were so there for each other. They were just delightful. But I felt so sorry for them. We were at a resort called the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas and it was a friggin’ blast. There was a water park and a casino. It was really fun! And here they are, 15 year old girls, and they literally could not go outside without getting mobbed! And — worse than the kids, were the parents of the kids. “My daughter loves you!!!” So, they had to stay in their room. They couldn’t be kids. We actually went out, one day, to a little private island. We smuggled them out. It was just the cast. We had jet skies and we gave them a play day. It broke my heart because they were just sweetie-pies. I just have to say that I adored both those girls!

BGHF: And I adore your performances! You have such duality and layers in your work. The first time I went “wow’ was when you played the mother of Shelly Long in the flashback scenes of Voices Within: The Lives of Truddi Chase.

Jamie: That was a good part!

BGHF: Amazing work!

Jamie: That was an intense role!

BGHF: Well, you did such deep work, there. You could see all the layers of what that character went through to bring her to that point in the story. All your training came through.

Jamie: Thank you! I appreciate that.

BGHF: Is that hard to get into those intensely tough places, emotionally?

Jamie: Well, not anymore. It was. Like with Just Before Dawn, it is truly interesting for me to remember that experience. In some scenes, I feel like my work was terrible. I think he (Jeff Lieberman, the director) did a really good job of editing. But for some scenes, I remember, I really struggled. (Motioning to the photos on her table) There are pictures of me, here, crying when I was getting killed. That was just real. That to me, if there is something called talent, was just my talent. My talent was to be able to behave truthfully under imaginary circumstances. That can be taught. I think, though, I actually had some aptitude for that or I wouldn’t have started when I was 6, right? And I’m an acting teacher, too. So, the hardest thing is to take that, what people sometimes call talent – and people maybe have it to different degrees – and strengthen it. As a teacher, the goal is to strip away all the adulthood crap that you’ve learned, so you can return to that state of pure imagination. I would say to my students, like you say to a kid, “We’re playing store! I’m the clerk, you’re the customer. Okay, that’s it! We’re in!” There’s no having to prepare or studying up on store! But then you become an adult and it’s harder to access that. But, now, I’ve been doing it so long and I’m trained. So, some things I don’t need to have my training for and some things I do need to have my training for. One thing I’ll say, too, is the worse the material, the harder it is to act well. When the writing is good that helps – like the situation in Just Before Dawn. Jeff really is a good director and I think that script is really good. So, I just believed it. When that guy is coming at me, I am scared. I just believed the situation. It’s just freaking me out! It’s freaky!

BGHF: Speaking of freaky – Playroom was another fun horror film you acted in. Do you have memories of making that?

Jamie: Of course! (Laughs) I don’t drink so I remember everything! I have to say the funniest thing about that project! So, I get killed by an electric saw, cutting me in half. The saw was cut out of wood. The spokes weren’t even. They obviously drew it by hand. It looked like a cartoon saw, number one! Then, as it came towards me, it wobbled! I called it the little saw that could! And what’s operating the saw? It’s a guy on a stationary bike with a belt attached to the saw. So, it’s this overweight Yugoslavian guy on a stationary bike who is making the saw turn! So, that’s budget filmmaking!

BGHF: Hysterical! I love that story!

Jamie: Another thing – it was Vicky Jensen who did the art production and production design on that movie.

BGHF: Her work was so good! The old school dig site in that film is truly creepy and believable!

Jamie: Hello! Yes! I went to junior high school with her. Well, she went on to co-direct Shrek and directed Shark Tale. She’s still a friend and she’s amazingly talented!

BGHF: That’s amazing. I love hearing about powerful woman, successful across the board, being creative behind the scenes in horror films – which is thought of, traditionally, as such a male ballgame.

Jamie: Yeah, yeah, yeah! And as far as the horror thing, myself, I’m like an old school horror fan. I always used to watch Creature Feature on my local channel. I loved the pre 1970’s, black and white horror. I was addicted to that: The Wolf Man, The Wolf Man Meets Frankenstein. I, also, love the original Frankenstein. All those old movies – even the cheesy ones! I, also, loved Dark Shadows. I was addicted to Dark Shadows! I even became totally obsessed with Elvira in 1980. So much so that when I was on Falcon Crest, which was a top 10 show at the time, I insisted on going to Knott’s Berry Farm – so we could see Elvira’s show. That is how much I loved Elvira! I wanted to be Elvira! I loved her! I thought she was so beautiful and hot with her cleavage and her black hair. I just thought she was the coolest! Then I met her and — she’s a strawberry blonde in real life!

BGHF: There you go!

Jamie: Right on, baby!

BGHF: Too cool! It looks like we need to wrap it up, here, so can you tell us about some of your current or upcoming projects?

Jamie: I had a book published by Penguin Publishers. Shut Up and Dance. I’m an author and I’m really proud of it. I am, also, recurring on Franklin & Bash this season. It’s a really fun show. I, also, did a great episode of Criminal Minds, which I mentioned earlier. It’s kind of a horror movie, in a way. It’s called God Complex. I was the wife of Ray Wise. I highly recommend it. I really like my work in it. It’s kind of like Medea – serious drama! More than anything, though, I am an appreciator, as well! Of reading, writing and – well, not arithmetic! (Laughs) Let’s just say Readin’, writin’ and paintin’!

BGHF: Perfect!

Be sure to keep up with all of Jamie Rose’s exciting projects at http://www.jamierosestudio.com!

Big Gay Horror Fan, meanwhile, is always worshipping all that is freckled and fabulous at http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan!

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

The Backside of Horror: Landon Liboiron in “Hemlock Grove”

Published June 4, 2013 by biggayhorrorfan

Liboiron fires up for The Howling!

The up and coming Landon Liboiron has been going to the wolves since his bespectacled turn in 2011’s The Howling: Reborn. There, as the artistic Will, Liboiron fights against his hairier instincts and the overwhelming power of his seductively villianous mother, played by Ivana Milcevic.

But as the rough hewn gypsy Peter Rumancek in the original Netflix series Hemlock Grove (2013), Liboiron completely accepts his inner werewolf (with the help of scrappy mommy, Lynda, played by the stellar Lili Taylor). Thankfully, for sharp clawed viewers, this has allowed the committed Liboiron to go all ‘David Naughton’ on our behalf as he exposes his butt cheeks in a transformation sequence (early on in the proceedings) and during a seduction scene with the beguiling Penelope Mitchell (a bit later on in the show’s chronology).

Roman and ‘Momma’ watch Peter transform!

Interestingly, as Roman Godfrey, the town’s resident bad boy, actor Bill Skarsgård presents a character whose love for Liboiron’s Rumancek just might go beyond the awkward embraces of bro-mance. Although, the only physical evidence of this is Godfrey-Skarsgård’s anguish at Rumancek’s (seeming) abandoning betrayal at the show’s (13 episode) conclusion.

You can take a look at The Howling: Reborn at:

More information on Hemlock Grove is available at http://www.netflix.com and https://www.facebook.com/HemlockGrove!

Meanwhile, Big Gay Horror Fan is always ripping the hair off his back at http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan.

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

Cinema Wasteland Celebration (featuring Brinke Stevens and Debra DeLiso)!

Published April 4, 2013 by biggayhorrorfan

High school reunion? Forget it! But a reunion of the casts of 1981’s Just Before Dawn and 1982’s Slumber Party Massacre (which has high queer appeal for lesbian author Rita Mae Brown’s script participation , its female director and strong female characters)?!? Big Gay Horror Fan is all for that!

Thankfully, the wicked and wizened powers-that-be at Cinema Wasteland (www.cinemawasteland.com) are holding just such get-togethers over the weekend of April 5th, 2013 in Strongsville, OH. JBD’s Jamie Rose, Chris Lemmon and director Jeff Lieberman will be on hand for signings and screenings while Brinke Stevens, Debra DeLiso, Joseph Johnson and Michael Villella (the original Driller Killer, himself!)will be on hand for SPM.

Of course, Stevens is a horror powerhouse with endless credits in the genre. 1998’s Victoria’s Shadow, one of her little known efforts, is certainly for Brinke fanatics only, but the Stevens on display here is delicious. Stevens has always been incisive in her portrayals involving the dualities of certain characters (see Haunted Fear and Teenage Exorcist) and her Victoria in Victoria’s Shadow is no exception. Bitten by a vampire as a young maiden in the 19th Century, Victoria is reawakened to the modern world with a fervent hunger. Stevens radiates with unrestrained evil as she tears into old men and her old beau’s girlfriend with eye flashing vengeance. A particularly groundbreaking scene features Stevens’ Victoria feeding on a child whom she has strung up, upside down, from a tree. A set piece constructed of skulls in the film’s final moments gives the eternally beautiful Stevens a haunted resting place, as well.

While not as well versed in the antics of terror, Stevens’ Slumber Party co-star Debra DeLiso was the heroine of the ski slope slasher Iced (1988, written by and co-starring fellow SPM guest Johnson) and made a deliciously aggressive appearance on cult television show Sledge Hammer as an extremely athletic, revenge minded member of a satanic cult.

Portraying Angel on the 1987 “State of Sledge” episode (Season 1, Episode 14), DeLiso is an unrepentant, comic delight. Whether slinging around weights, jumping from air vents on top of the series’ regulars or maniacally leading the charge to rescue the cult’s leader played comedian Mark Blankfield (Jekyll and Hyde…Together Again, Dracula: Dead and Loving It), DeLiso is always an eye catching delight.

Be sure to catch up with Stevens, DeLiso (and Big Gay Horror Fan) at this weekend’s Cinema Wasteland!

Meanwhile, Big Gay Horror Fan is always exclaiming the delights of his beloved femmes of terror at https://www.facebook.com/BigGayHorrorFan!

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE!

Horror, She Wrote: Kelli Maroney in Murder, She Wrote’s “Menace, Anyone?”

Published April 2, 2013 by biggayhorrorfan

Big Gay Horror Fan will never forget the humiliation of not hitting one tennis ball in-bounds when he played against that seven armed green monster in high school.

Maroney with Johnson, Hamilton and Russell.

As Cissy Barnes in the giallo plot inspired episode of “Menace, Anyone?” (Season 2, Episode 20) on Murder, She Wrote (focusing on the adventures of mystery writing/accidental detective Jessica Fletcher), genre icon Kelli Maroney (Chopping Mall, Night of the Comet, Servants of Twilight, Gila!) definitely comes out winning, though. Putting her soap opera training (Ryan’s Hope, One Life to Live) to good use here, Maroney plays the manipulative, flirtatious Barnes for all she is worth. A star tennis player, Barnes is always threatening to walk out on her benefactors while dressing outrageous and engaging in sharp banter with her rivals – whom include beloved fellow horror notables like Linda Hamilton (Children of the Corn, King Kong Lives, Terminator) and Betsy Russell (the Saw series, Cheerleader Camp, Camp Fear, Avenging Angel).

A bit more intricately plotted than Jessica Fletcher’s adventures as the series wore on, this prime episode has a very Italian feel (a twisted subplot involving insanity, forced suicide, mixed identity and a missing sister whom may or may not exist) and some moments of Hitchcock inspired suspense (a trespassing detective’s murder features some almost Psycho-like camera work).

This episode is also a cinema lovers delight with television stalwart Dennis Cole (Zombie Death House, Irwin Allen’s Cave-In), golden age idol Van Johnson (Sergio Martino’s Scorpion With Two Tails, Killer Crocodile), 80’s teen sensation Doug McKeon (On Golden Pond, Mischief) and Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) all making appearances, as well. Even Kerrie Sherman (who played the vicious Patti in Greydon Clark’s Satan’s Cheerleaders) shows up as a secretary whom believes she is from Mars! Delicious!

Perhaps, most fun here, though, is watching Maroney enjoying devilishly interacting with Johnson in her opening scene. The two worked together previously on Ryan’s Hope and are obviously have a ball in their comical strategizing.

Maroney who will be appearing April 5- 7th, 2013 at the amazing Cinema Wasteland in Ohio (www.cinemawasteland.com) can always be reached at www.kellimaroney.com.

Meanwhile, Big Gay Horror Fan is always worshipping the treasured vixens of terror at https://www.facebook.com/BigGayHorrorFan!

Be sure to check back often as BGHF, frequently, explores the fright stars that populated Murder, She Wrote with “Horror, She Wrote”!

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

Shark Bait Retro Village: 1981’s The Intruder Within

Published March 16, 2013 by biggayhorrorfan

Every since he was expelled from Mother Superior’s Dungeon of Heathen Delights, Big Gay Horror Fan has been short on inspiration.

Thankfully, televison writer Ed Waters and skilled director Peter Carter (whom also helmed the 1977 backwoods horror and Hal Holbrook starrer Rituals) had plenty of guidance from 1979’s Alien when creating 1981 television film The Intruder Within. Interestingly, this tale of an oil rig crew facing down a toothy, skeletal creature, also, has many elements of John Carpenter’s The Thing remake (a stranded group of blue collar workers being possessed by an unknown creature) which wasn’t released until 1982.

Being a television flick there isn’t a ton of grue, here, and the explanation of the creature’s origins is never quite clear (something about man’s primitive ape form being trapped beneath the sea centuries ago) – but Carter truly has a way with the character actors who decorate this piece. Their grizzled charm along with the crude animatronics and monster suits employed give this enterprise a fun, retro charm of it’s own.

As the head of the rig, television maverick Chad Everett gives this damp and mouthy outing his all. Tears well up in his eyes when contemplating the fate of a female member of the crew, impregnated by the beast. His eulogy for the young man played by Matt Craven (who would face an even nastier demise as ‘shishkebob’ Steve in Happy Birthday to Me the next year) is, also, filled with heart and sorrow, yet Everett is always believable as a man capable of taking on a foreign beast.

Meanwhile, television regular Jennifer Warren brings strength and sass as Everett’s capable partner in crime. Tragically, co-star James Hayden whom plays Harry, the infected crew member who causes the most damage, died not long after making this drilling gem from a heroin overdose. An acolyte of Al Pacino, Hayden was an accomplished stage actor with a bright future. He had just completed a role in Once Upon A Time in America and Pacino (with whom Hayden appeared, in ultimately cut scenes, in notorious gay thriller Cruising) was reportedly devastated by this loss.

Balancing out future tragedy, though, this piece is rife with silly moments. The funniest just may be when the creature emerges fully grown from the above mentioned victim (portrayed with quiet strength by Lynda Mason Green who would go on to headline the War of the Worlds television series)not with blood ripping wails and flesh torn mayhem, but as a gracefully rising spirit.

So, tip your hats to television censors and budget constraints and check out The Intruder Within trailer, below:

And until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

Frightened Angels: Shelley Hack in Blind Fear (1989)

Published March 2, 2013 by biggayhorrorfan

Today Big Gay Horror Fan was able to retrieve the can opener from the crack between the stove and the sink WITHOUT blowing out his back!

But as Erika Breen in 1989’s Blind Fear, former Angel Shelley Hack (The Stepfather, Troll) is able to avoid and set dangerous traps for a trio of murderous bank robbers in a remote and abandoned resort inn – without causing even a tangle in her curly blonde hair. This is particularly skilled because Hack’s Breen is legally blind – hence the scintillating title.

Granted, most of the film’s running time is spent in hide and seek mode, as the dangerous characters played by genre regulars Kim Coates (Red Blooded American Girl, The Club) and Heidi Von Pallekse (Dead Ringers) stalk the increasingly stealthy Breen. But one does experience a strange thrill as Hack discovers how to utilize bear traps and gas stoves to her perilous advantage. The twist ending also elicits a certain thrill, as well.

In the grand category of misleading advertising, though, the Echo Bridge DVD release gives this pulse pounding exercise an ‘R’ rating. But, the frequent though mild violence (and obvious commercial breaks) proves this to be a made-for-television offering with PG intensity, at best!

Be sure to check back often for further looks into the horror credits of Charlie’s favorite gals!

Big Gay Horror Fan is always striking a heavenly pose at http://www.facebook.com/#!/BigGayHorrorFan, as well.

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

Genre Legends in Other Mediums: Kelli Maroney in Celebrity!

Published February 23, 2013 by biggayhorrorfan

Oh, how many days did Big Gay Horror Fan lounge around, wearing nothing but a loose fitting dress shirt, in his boyfriend’s college dorm room? Well – NONE!

Therefore, it’s wonderful that I can live vicariously through Kelli Maroney’s Joanne as seen in the 1984 blockbuster mini-series Celebrity.

Maroney, of course, is beloved by countless terror titans from her roles in such genre flicks as Night of the Comet, Chopping Mall, Not of this Earth and Zero Boys. But her eclectic talent has landed her in a variety projects over the years and Celebrity was a 3 part NBC must see event in the mid-80’s.

Her role as the first girlfriend of leading character Klebar Cantrall, enacted by soap favorite Ben Masters, is brief – encompassing one scene in the first episode, but she fills it with her characteristic spunk and sense of humor.

Celebrity, meanwhile, is noteworthy for its focus on one of national television’s most fully realized gay characters. As portrayed by breathtaking Joseph Bottoms (The Black Hole, Blind Date, Open House, The Intruder Within), Mack Crawford is an athlete-film star in the Rock Hudson mold. Tortured by his natural tendencies due to the story’s era (1950’s – 1970’s), Bottoms also brings a sense of proud defiance and self respect to the role.

Of course, all confident horror fiends can keep up with Maroney’s interesting activities at www.kellimaroney.com.

Big Gay Horror Fan is always on the look-out for proud queers and their ultra-fabulous allies at http://www.facebook.com/#!/BigGayHorrorFan, as well.

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

Gregg Marx: From the Strangler’s Favorite Son to Cole Porter!

Published February 14, 2013 by biggayhorrorfan

Big Gay Horror Fan spent his youth imagining he was a male version of The Young and the Restless’ Nikki, pursued by slobbering, wild eyed psychopaths with swarthy, rescue minded studs in hot pursuit. Then he was attacked by that Shakespeare quoting, green armed arsonist his freshmen year of college and being the dude in distress no longer seemed like such fun!

Meanwhile, multi-talented performer Gregg Marx spent his young adulthood enacting terror stricken plotlines as David Banning on Days of Our Lives (1981-1983). With its Salem Strangler, Salem Slasher and devil possession plotlines, Days proved, without a doubt, the correlation between daytime dramas and horror films.

Now, though, Marx has found success with his true love – singing. On the eve of bringing his tribute to Cole Porter to the Midwest, this genial entertainer agreed to chat about Porter (and his horrific struggles with pain) and his muse, 40’s genre icon Patricia Morison (Calling Dr. Death, Dressed to Kill). Of course, we also engaged in some chatter about his days in Salem when David Banning was the #1 most wanted, for more reasons than one!

BGHF: Hey, Gregg! I know we’re gonna talk about sophisticated stuff, so I’m hoping its okay that I’m not dressed in a tux or what-have-you.

Gregg: You’re not?!?

BGHF: No. I guess I’m a bit too punk rock for that.

Gregg: (laughs) You’re punk rock and we’re talking about Cole Porter!?

BGHF: C’mon! Cole Porter was totally punk! Just like Kurt Weill, Noel Coward and Lorenz Hart – all those guys! Besides, everybody loves Cole Porter!

Gregg: I know! I’ll say I’m doing a Cole Porter show and everybody says, “Oh, I love Cole Porter!” I think it’s obviously an individual thing for everybody. But for me I think, musically, he was brilliant. But, also no one wrote songs the way he wrote songs. The lyric and music together – he was just unique. And I think you’re right – he was a little bit punk for his time. He was breaking boundaries. He was definitely saying things in ways that I’m sure polite society was a little bit taken aback by. So maybe I like that –

BGHF: -The naughtiness?

Gregg: Well, the well dressed renegade, you know. – And the naughtiness, too, yeah. He did it with such class -and panache. This is a digression, but it was really fun for me. I live in LA and a friend of mine is also a singer who has a friend who is very good friends with a woman named Patricia Morison.

BGHF: I love her!

Gregg: You know her?

BGHF: She did tons of genre films in Hollywood in the 30’s and 40’s. Inner Sanctum, Sherlock Holmes, jungle flicks – she’s amazing! From what I gather, Hollywood didn’t quite know what to do with her and Porter kind of gave her a foundation.

Gregg: I knew that she had been Cole Porter’s pick to play on Broadway when they had done Kiss Me Kate. My friend said she’s 97 years old and she is still very vital and asked me if I wanted to meet her. So, we went over for an afternoon. We brought her cookies, which she loved, and we had tea with Patricia Morison! She lives in this high rise in a beautiful building. But I don’t think I looked out the window once because on this table is a picture from Cole Porter autographed to her – and here’s another letter from Cole Porter over there! She brought out these two photo albums when she was with Alfred Drake in Kiss Me Kate and with so and so and this person or that one. She was still stunningly beautiful and it was just literally like opening up a history book. I’ve always thought it would be such fun to hang with Cole Porter and this way I got the next best thing. It was quite extraordinary. I felt like I was literally with a living piece of history! Because she was there, man! It was great.

BGHF: Totally! One thing I found interesting was that due to a tragic accident, Porter lived much of his adult life in immense pain, but he created so much.

Gregg: He wrote over 1000 songs!

BGHF: Of course, they finally amputated the problem leg, later on in his life. I read that Noel Coward saw Porter’s physical relief and thought he would enter into his greatest period of writing. But he never really wrote again. One theory is that his sense of vanity was so crushed that he was unable to create.

Gregg: Who knows what was in his heart? I remember reading when he had that horseback riding accident, the doctors wanted to amputate then – this was a lot earlier in his life – and Linda (his wife) and his friends said absolutely not! It will kill him. It’ll kill his writing. So, they forestalled that and he went through all those years and years of pain and suffering. But, when they actually did, he apparently became literally so depressed – and I think Linda was gone at that point, as well, or no – close, she died after. But, still, I wouldn’t call it vanity. Maybe it was. It certainly seems that the life was taken out of him. Although, I think he kind of rallied, but I don’t think he wrote much at all afterwards – certainly nothing of note after that. The book that I read, a wonderful biography of him, described how people would come over for dinner and he just kind-of retreated into himself, I think. So, who knows? But try to put yourself in that position. Especially for someone who was very vital and — (laughs) who liked having young men to party with! It seems like it was a huge shift in his life that took a lot out of him – including his desire to write.

BGHF: Interesting. So, I know this is probably an impossible question – do you have a song or songs that you like to sing the most by Porter?

Gregg: Wow. There are a number of them. The very first song by Cole Porter that I learned was “Night and Day”. I have a very soft spot for that. Actually, it was a song that I made some breakthroughs as a singer just by tackling the material. So that one is very close to my heart. I, also, love “Just One of Those Things”. I love what he does with it, and so many songs. It’s this combination of wit and beauty and pathos. Also, I’d have to say “In the Still of the Night”. It’s far less jaunty than the others, but is stunningly beautiful – and simple. And deep, in a way, too. Those are three. There’s not one. I always dread it when someone says what’s your favorite —-. Who’s your favorite singer, you know. Well – God! If I were on a desert island who would I want serenading me? Well, okay. I’ll try figuring that one.

BGHF: Maybe you could have Susan Seaforth and Bill Hayes serenading you!

Gregg: (Laughs) Oh, I miss them. I haven’t talked to them in so long.

BGHF: Well, that was my none too subtle way of bringing us into your Days of Our Lives era! In an interview last year Barbara Crampton (Chopping Mall, ReAnimator, From Beyond), who has done tons of soaps and horror films including Days, noted that there was a huge crossover audience between the two genres. I think the time you spent on Days is a perfect example why. David Banning was accused of murder every other month it seems like!

Gregg: (laughs) Yeah, really.

BGHF: So many of the plotlines had horror angles, as well. The Salem Strangler, whom your character was accused of being at one point, especially.

Gregg: Oh, my god, that’s right.

BGHF: So what are your memories of that time? Is there anything that stands out?

Gregg: For me, other than a couple little commercial things I had done, that was my very first job. So, I was learning as I went. That was training on the job! I had not planned to be an actor at all. I had planned to be a lawyer. I sort of shifted gears right out of college. And it all happened relatively quickly. So, I was really soaking up things – hitting my mark, where is the light, where is my camera, what are my lines…It was a great experience, but it was really consuming. And the storylines on soap operas – especially at that time – were pretty preposterous. So, you just kind of had to go with it and learn how to justify it in your character’s and in your own heart and soul and brain. It was also a lot of fun because it certainly wasn’t boring, you know, like you mentioned the Salem Strangler. Also, I remember that not that long before I joined the show Bill and Susan were on the cover of Time Magazine. So, they were really soap opera royalty in a time when soap operas were huge! So, to be swept into that family and that world was really kind of heady. It was very exciting for me – and a little overwhelming at times, too.

BGHF: You worked with some amazing woman on that show, as well: Patty Weaver (Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It!”), Philece Sampler (The Incredible Hulk, live and animated) and poor Brenda Benet (The Terror at 37,000 Feet, countless classic television shows like The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. and I Dream Of Jeannie).

Gregg: So, you really know that time. When Brenda committed suicide that really rocked the world of our show. I don’t know if we ever really totally recovered from it. It was pretty intense. And Philece and I remain friends to this day. I see her every once in awhile. We have a really great friendship. I haven’t seen Patty Weaver in a long time. But we were really, really tight. When you think about it, it was a great time. I ended up enjoying my time on As The World Turns more as an actor because I had the experience of Days and I was more mature as an actor. I was able to work on a level that I hadn’t been able to when I was on Days – just by virtue of experience and time. But, both of them were very extraordinary experiences that I don’t take for granted.

BGHF: Just like we don’t take all the joy you’ve given us for granted, either!

Gregg: Why – thanks!

BGHF: Although, I don’t know if Alex Marshall would agree!

Check out a clip from Day’s Salem Strangler escapades (featuring Marx, Benet and Sampler) here:

Marx, meanwhile, will be in Chicago on February 14th and 15th, 2013 doing his amazing cabaret show at Davenports (www.davenportspianobar.com), 1383 N. Milwaukee. Tickets are $20 with a two drink minimum – with a 2 for 1 being offered on the 14th for Valentine’s Day revelers.

Big Gay Horror is always welcoming handsome accused murderers at http://www.facebook.com/#!/BigGayHorrorFan, as well.

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