The Next Generation of Scream Queens?
From USAtoday.com
Scream Queen- An actress who has become associated with horror films, either through an appearance in a notable entry in the genre, as a frequent victim, or through constant appearances as the female protagonist. USA Today has recently posted those they are ?claiming? to be the next generation of Scream Queens. However, these young ?damsels-in-distress? haven?t really paid their dues like our classic Scream Queens such as Brinke Stevens, Linnea Quigley, Michelle Bauer, and of course Jamie Lee Curtis.
According to USA Today, the rise in horror films in theaters and on DVD ? particularly the slasher variety ? has given birth to a new generation of "scream queens."
These attractive young damsels-in-distress are the cinematic descendents of Jamie Lee Curtis, who launched her career in 1978 with the cult classic Halloween, and Sarah Michelle Gellar, who went from slaying vampires on TV to a succession of girl-meets-ghoul fare, from I Know What You Did Last Summer to The Grudge and The Return.
But their lineage dates back way before that, to such legendary queens of horror as Soledad Miranda, Barbara Shelley and Julie Ege of Hammer Studios fame.
"Women screaming in terror has been a Hollywood mainstay ? even when films were silent," says film historian George Feltenstein, senior vice president of theatrical catalog marketing at Warner Home Video.
Many of the new scream queens are veterans of TV series who want to break into movies and find horror an easy entry. The booming direct-to-video arena is particularly fertile ground. "There's a built-in fan base for the genre, so it becomes a great platform to get exposure," says Bill Clark of Starz Home Entertainment, which releases up to 30 direct-to-video and TV horror films a year, including Showtime's Masters of Horror.
Scream Queens of the Next Generation:
Sheri Moon, 36
Recent horror films: Grindhouse (2007), The Devil's Rejects (2005), Toolbox Murders (2004), House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
Andrea Bogart, 27
Recent horror films: Axe (2006), Dark Ride (2006), Dark Wolf (2003
Jaimie Alexander, 23
Recent thrillers: The Other Side (2006), Rest Stop (2006)
Mercedes McNab, 27
Recent horror films: Hatchet (2006)
Tiffany Shepis, 27
Recent horror films: Abominable (2006), Corpses (2004), Home Sick (2004), Bloody Murder 2 (2003), Death Factory (2002)
Cerina Vincent, 28
Recent thrillers: Toxic (2007), Seven Mummies (2006), It Waits (2005), Intermedio (2005), Murder-Set-Pieces (2004), Cabin Fever (2002).
