Other 60s/70s/80s Notable Horror Actresses









(Top left--Karen Black, Top right--Barbara Steele, Below--Adrienne Barbeau)

In my desire to cover all the 60s/70s/80s horror movie ladies, I thought I’d create a post about ones with certain qualities.

Adrienne Barbeau (64 years old) was the sex symbol of the 70s/80s horror flicks. Many guys in my high school years had her poster on their walls because of her, ah, natural assets. I remember her whisky-sounding husky whisper in “The Fog” most of all, but I believe the pivotal role for Adrienne was in “Swamp Thing,” a movie that went on to have a cult following amongst the nerd boys.“The Fog,” “Escape From New York,” “Swamp Thing,” “Creepshow,” “Two Evil Eyes.”

Karen Black (70 years old) She is one of those actresses who is quirky, strangely asymmetric in the face and eyes that are impossible not to stare into. Her characters could be quite sane then suddenly be quite insane. That kind of unsettled character in a heroine position in horror made her quite exciting and unpredictable. I doubt anyone who saw the movie “Trilogy of Terror” will forget her fight with the hunting doll in her apartment. It’s probably one of the most classic horror scenes of all time. “The Day of the Locust,” “Family Plot,” “Airport 75,” “Trilogy of Terror,” “Burnt Offerings,” “The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver.”

Barbara Steele (71 years old) I would categorize her as the most horror movies done by a single woman. Her heyday was in the 60s, but she was in such an enormous list of horror movies, it’s hard to put them all here, so I’ll write many but not all: “Black Sunday,” “Pit and the Pendulum”, “Rampage of Evil,” “Castle of Blood,” “White Voices,” “The Long Hair of Death,” “Terror-Creatures From the Grave,” “Nightmare Castle, “The Ghost,” “The Maniacs,” “The She-Beast,” “The Crimson Cult,” “Caged Heat,” “Shivers,” “Piranha,” “Silent Scream.” No one ever had such a showing in a wide range of horror movies over a few decades, than this woman did. I didn’t list her as the Scream Queen of the 70s because she was really from the 60s era, but she has earned the title of “Greatest Scream Queen of All Time.”

Comments

  1. DANG! You're thorough! Forgot about Karen Black...she always creeped me out. (And in case you didn't see my reply to your post, I finally figured out how to add your RSS feed in my email so now I know right when you post!) I was trying to come up with some way so I wouldn't miss your posts anymore, because I always enjoy them, but my old system wasn't working...

    Fun posts today! Thanks for the trip down memory lane!!!!

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  2. Hey Autumn, I'm trying to remember a movie from the 70's that I would like to see again, but my memory is very vague. I believe Kim Darby was in it and I think there were these small creatures that lived inside the walls of this house. I think I remember that by the end of the movie these creatures are dragging her by the legs to I don't remember where. Does this sound familiar? I hope you know, so I can look it up. Thanks Sandra

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  3. autumn, i am such a horror movie "virgin", lol! seriously, i've heard of most, but hardly seen any...i guess i don't want to sit inside at ALL until i have no choice, you know? i'll have a lot of movies & books to go thru if there's ever a time i cant go out!

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  4. Loved Karen Black in Trilogy of Terror! :)

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  5. Courtney;
    Yahoo! Glad you're able to keep up with my crazy train :-)

    Sandra;
    It's "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" 1973. Too bad, a few months ago I did a giveaway of movies from my collection and that was one of them. Yeah, it's a classic. I owned it and then someone bought it for me, so I ended up with a spare. I hope to do another giveaway this fall. I'm always updating my movie collection.

    Libby;
    I agree, don't let the dust settle. I love to have scary movies on in the background on my day off when I'm cleaning house or working on my novel--it kind of gives the whole house a creepy feel.

    Becca;
    Trilogy of Terror was one of the children of the 70s favorite memories. They played it on TV a lot. All the stories on it were great, but the Zuni hunting doll--holy moly!

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  6. I have seen many of these ladies movies. Trilogy of Terror still scares me. My brother and many other boys loved Adrienne Barbeau (Maude's daughter) and her girls....silly boys. These ladies and their movies sure bring me back to my youth. Thanks for the memories!

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  7. I agree with Courtney-you are thorough Autmnforest!! I do remember many straight men's reactions to Barbeau's assets:) I absolutely adored Karen Black for some reason -maybe you hit the nail on the head with why with her! geez youve done a lot of updating-will try to get back soon for what i missed-best to you as always!!

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  8. Oh cool! Thanks, you amaze me!

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