!["Confessions of a Scream Queen"](http://www.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/large_lightbox/hash/1c/fc/1cfca5c3762932020d9db16f85a55d7b.jpg ""Confessions of a Scream Queen"")
Scream Queen. We've all heard the term. But, if it's one that you are aware of, but you're not too sure what the definition is, well, here you go. According to Wikipedia:
- A scream queen is 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. Fay Wray is noted as the first scream queen, while Jamie Lee Curtis is noted as a woman who helped revive the scream queen title with her performance in the popular slasher film Halloween.
Writer, actor and radio talk show host Matt Beckoff decided what better a subject matter for his book than the topic of scream queens. Matt set out to interview 15 of the most legendary actresses to ever appear in horror movies. The ladies who Matt interviews represent nine decades of horror movies.
You'll learn so many tricks of the trade, secrets and facts about not only the horror genre, but also about what all goes into being a movie star, as well as some fantastic personal stories, told by the gifted actresses themselves. The ladies tell their own personal tales of how they got their start in the motion picture business, some of the perils and hurdles that actresses of their time had to deal with and they let the reader in on stories that you may not have ever known about.
In Matt's book, some of the tales you will hear about are as follows:
- What it was like for Carla Laemmle, growing up at Universal Studios, a self-contained city that was constructed by her uncle, the founder of Universal, Carl Laemmle, as well as what it was like working on the set of the original "Dracula".
- How Elena Verdugo's, star of "House of Frankenstein", family will forever be linked to Burbank, California, and what it was like for her, as a young girl, to work along side of one of the all-time greats, Lon Chaney Jr..
- What role did Kathleen Hughes lose out on to Marilyn Monroe?
- What was it like for Judith O'Dea to star in the legendary zombie film, "Night of the Living Dead"?
- Why Karen Black claims that she never appeared in any horror films.
- Ingrid Pitt tells the tale of the intense weather on location while filming "The Wicker Man".
- Marilyn Burns tells Matt about all of the true life horror stories that she encountered while filming "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre".
- Is Dee Wallace, star of many horror films, a fan of the genre?
Also interviewed in the book are:
- Lupita Tovar - (1931 Spanish language version of "Dracula".)
- Janet Ann Gallow - (1942's "The Ghost of Frankenstein")
- Colleen Gray - (1960's "The Leech Woman")
- Jessica Harper - (Dario Argento's "Suspiria")
- Betsy Palmer - ("Friday the 13th")
- P.J. Soles - ("Halloween", "Carrie", "The Devil's Rejects")
- Adrienne Barbeau - ("The Fog", "Creepshow")
As well as the afore mentioned:
- Judith O'Dea - (1968's "Night of the Living Dead")
- Carla Laemmle - (1931's "Dracula")
- Dee Wallace - ("The Howling", "The Hills Have Eyes", "Cujo")
- Kathleen Hughes - ("It Came From Outer Space")
- Karen Black - (Alfred Hitchcock's final film, "Family Plot", Rob Zombie's "House of 1000 Corpses")
- Marilyn Burns - ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "Helter Skelter")
- Elena Verdugo - ("House of Frankenstein")
The interviews in this book are some of the most honest, open and truthful interviews ever done. Matt asks all of the right questions, and these wonderful ladies give honest and, quite often, emotional answers. For me, the two interviews that standout the most are that of Marilyn Burns and Karen Black.
The tales of all of the nightmares that went into making the original "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" are legendary, but in Matt's book, you have the chance to learn what was true and what wasn't, coming straight from the actress who starred as Sally, Marilyn Burns. And the Karen Black interview? Well, you'll have to read it for yourself, but I'll just say that Ms. Black is brutally honest about her feelings on many subjects, from whether or not she should have been nominated for an Academy Award, to what she felt about Rob Zombie's decision to take the Mother Firefly character, the character she had played in "House of 1000 Corpses", in a whole new direction. Her interview is unquestionably the most controversial of the entire book. And you MUST read it!
Whether you're a fan of horror movies, or just a fan of classic Hollywood cinema, you will love this book. It is a fun and extremely informative look inside the lives of 15 of the greatest women to ever star in a horror movie. The book is packed full of great stories as well as fantastic photos, both then and now, of these incredible ladies of horror!
"Confessions Of A Scream Queen" earns 5 out of 5 stars and is highly recommended to anyone who loves horror or any fan of cinema. You will laugh, cry and be moved by what these ladies are willing to share with their fans.
To purchase your very own copy of the book, visit this link below:
Click here to order "Confessions of a Scream Queen"
Check out Matt Beckoff's radio show, "The Beckoff Show" by clicking HERE.
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