Following my post about the queen of 70s horror, I'm giving you two more wonderful 70s horror actresses to follow, as I call them, "The Princesses of 70s Horror."
Carol Lynley,67 years old.
Movies:
“Weekend of Terror”
“Beware! The Blob”
“The Poseidon Adventure”
“The Elevator”
“Death Stalk”
“Flood”
“The Shuttered Room”
TV:
Mannix
Night Stalker
Night Gallery
The Sixth Sense
Great Mysteries
The Magician
The Evil Touch
Thriller
Quincy, M.E.
Fantasy Island
Kojak
The Love Boat
Carol Lynley is the second woman I think of when I recall 70s horror movies (just after the “Queen” Pamela Franklin - in my last post). Whereas Franklin was intense in the 70s, Carol was also into the 60s horror, spilling into the 70s decade. She, too, had the huge blue eyes and delicate features that made her seem quite child-like. She was the ideal candidate for movies about women being stalked and tormented because of her extremely feminine and delicate manners and cultured speaking voice being an ideal counterpoint to a rough and angry male character. One of my favorite horror movies for made-for-tv was “The Shuttered Room” from 1967. Admittedly, it was no hit when television aired it and was easily overlooked. In fact, I never saw it until it was reshown well into the 70s. Although I admit to an intense crush on one of the leads in this movie (Oliver Reed), the setting, the plot, and the ambiance of this movie was such that it became one of my favorites. Whenever I feel like a movie with a spooky house, strange locals on a New England isolated island, and maybe the suave Gig Young, this is the movie for me.
Jamie Lee Curtis, 50 years old
Movies:
“Halloween”
“Halloween II”
“The Fog”
“Prom Night”
“Terror Train”
“Escape from New York”
TV:
Quincy, M.E.
The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Series
Columbo
Charlie’s Angels
The Love Boat
Whereas Ms. Lynley was from the 60/70s horror (suspense/disaster) era, Ms. Curtis was part of the 70s/80s (stalker/slasher) horror era. She’s probably the single most recognized 70s horror actress of all time. Anyone should be proud of that title alone, but admittedly she went on to do an impressive body of work (many of them without screaming or running away, well, except maybe "True Lies."). Once again, her appeal was one of an innocent good girl who gets put into a bad situation and has to find her inner warrior woman. She'll always be remembered as Laurie Strode from "Halloween," but I personally liked Ms. Curtis best in "Prom Night."
Both of these women have left an impressive trail of horror from the 70s that will withstand the test of time as classic works that started the genre into the mega-industry it is today.