RAW REVIEW: TALES OF POE

I don't just watch a lot of horror here at the House — I read a hell of a lot of sinister fiction too.
While Stoker and Shelley are quite rightly hailed as writers of legitimate classic novels, to me there are three fathers of modern horror.
The first of these is HP Lovecraft, whose unique, otherworldly, SciFi-influenced writings spawned a whole new genre.
The second is M.R. James, the man whose works are quite simply among the very finest, most atmospheric supernatural tales from the Victorian era, a time in which the ghost story was an art form.
The final one is Edgar Allan Poe. THE master of psychological horror, Poe's Gothic stories of madness, obsession and the macabre are masterpieces.
Several of Poe's works have already been adapted for the big screen, with efforts as widely varied as Roger Corman's The Pit and the Pendulum and the Cat From Hell segment of Tales From The Dark Side.

Now there's another movie to add to the list, and this one adapts not one, nor two, but three of Poe's most famous works. It is the aptly titled Tales of Poe.

A fine theme for an anthology indeed, but could directors Bart Mastronardi and Alan Rowe Kelly do the great man's work justice?

Read on...

TALES OF POE (2014)

Dir: Bart Mastronardi, Alan Rowe Kelly

Starring: Debbie Rochon, Lesleh Donaldson, David Marancik, Alan Rowe Kelly, Desiree Gould, Joe Quick, Michael Varrati, Andrew Glaszek, Randy Jones, Brewster McCall, Douglas Rowan, Amy Lynn Best, Zoe Daelman Chlanda, Susan Adriensen, Jerry Murdock, Cartier Williams, Bette Cassatt, Caroline Williams, Adrienne King, Amy Steel

SPEEDY SYNOPSIS: I'll try not to spoil too much here but continue at your own risk.

Tales of Poe is split into three segments, the first of which is based on The Tell Tale Heart. Set in a mental asylum we follow a new inmate (played by Hickey's House of Horrors fave Rochon) as she is introduced to two fellow patients, the childlike Fritz (Marancik) and tough Evelyn (Donaldson). When pushed as to how she got there, Rochon's Narrator reveals that she was a nurse and was tasked with caring for an elderly star of yesteryear, a silent movie ingenue named Miss Lamarr (Kelly). However, it is just a matter of time before the intense loneliness of the work starts to take a toll on the nurse's sanity — with deadly consequences.

The second segment, The Cask, is based on Poe's The Cask of Amontillado. Wealthy wine mogul, Fortunato Montresor (former Village People musician Jones) is finally marrying his partner, Gogo (Kelly again). However, as the party are joined by an unexpected guest, old friend Marco (McCall), the ailing Fortunato is taken ill… and then the manipulative Gogo's true colours come to light.

The final segment, Dream, is based on Poe's poem of the same now. A far more experimental take on Poe's work, it is largely without dialogue (the only lines spoken are the poem itself) that follows a sick young woman, the Dreamer (Cassatt) who experiences a series of surreal visions as she lies between life and death. These visions feature a host of top actresses including Caroline Williams (who will be familiar to genre fans for her roles in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and 3, Leprechaun 3, Halloween 2 and Hatchet III); Amy Steel (Friday the 13th Part 2 and April Fool's Day) and Adrienne King (Friday the 13th, Friday the 13th Part 2, The Butterfly Room and Silent Night, Deadly Night: The Homecoming).
WOW.

THE BEST BITS (mild spoiler warning): Well obviously one of the very best things about this anthology is the tremendous source material. Poe was a master at telling creepy, fucked up and haunting horror stories that could crawl inside your head and haunt you for days and writers Kelly, Mastronardi and Varrati run with that vibe. Each part of Tales of Poe tells a classic story, but not necessarily in the way you might expect. The writers and directors provide clever twists to these stories, giving them a fresh life while still showing a suitable degree of reverence to the source material. This is wonderfully executed and really helps to hook the audience.
Obviously, like any anthology some segments are stronger than others, but this is one particular film where I imagine there'll be quite a lot of debate as to which is the best or weakest segment. There's a huge amount of room for personal taste and, as each segment has such a different feel to the others, there's plenty to entertain the viewer in one part of the movie, even if they aren't particularly into one of the others.
But let's discuss these segments, shall we? The first, directed by Mastronardi, feels more like your classic old-fashioned horror movie, carried along by a pair of incredible performances and some stellar visuals. I've been a big fan of the the lovely Rochon for some time and I'm going to say this might well be my favourite of her roles yet. She brings boths scariness and sexiness to the role, exuding that trademark toughness she does so well but also hinting at a mental fragility that is ultimately destined to lay everybody low. I've raved more than enough about Rochon before, so let's just say that everything I've said about her in the past holds up here, but even more so. She's fantastic.
I didn't realise just how familiar I was with the supremely talented Alan Rowe Kelly's work prior to watching this movie, but the prolific filmmaker and actor has worked on several films that I'd seen and enjoyed. After seeing him once again in this film (both as Lamarr and Gogo) I shall be looking out for anything else with his name attached. 
One of the cleverest things that the crew did with this tale was to flip the gender roles, making the protagonist and victim female in this version of the tale. It added a whole new side to the story, especially the infamous closing scene of the Narrator's tale in which a nosy policeman investigates.
As well as a compelling take on the story and some awesome performances, this is a visually stunning piece of film. With Argento-esque lighting and cinematography, it looks sumptuous, each scene evoking the mood of damaged Narrator. Of the three tales, this may well have been my favourite, it's that good.
The second has a quirkier, more outlandish feel. With Kelly having a massive part both in front and behind the camera, this feels more showy, more theatrical, with an OTT campness and Grand Guignol feel that I absolutely loved. The story spins The Cask of Amontillado out into a shockingly horrifying melodrama — in the very best sense of the word! It had an air of seminal anthology flick, Creepshow about it and combined its flamboyant characters and some wonderful sound design (especially the way in which Fortunato's haunting whistle shifts from an object of annoyance to utter terror by the end of the segment) and again comes with some extremely strong acting to hold the segment together. McCall is a polished and capable actor and completely nails his role, while Jones' work was a real surprise to me. I'd not seen him act before and had concerns that this could be some wacky stunt casting, but my concerns were misplaced. He was excellent in the role, infusing his character with enough manic energy to keep him entertaining yet never overplaying the role and descending into caricature. It's a difficult balancing act but one that Mr Jones walks with ease. I may not have seen him act before, but after seeing his wonderful work I shall definitely be looking out to see more of him in the future.
Yet as great as McCall and Jones are, the MVP of this segment is the truly incredible Kelly. He was pretty damn good in first part of the film, in this he's an utter revelation. Cold, calculating, oozing with a smooth charm and cold hatefulness in equal measure, Kelly is just brilliant. Bravo!

The final segment, Dream, may prove to be the most divisive. Obviously the Allstar cast is impressive and each actor accounts for themselves to their usual incredible standard. Visually it is mesmerising, combining some quite beautiful locations and sets with quality, confident camerawork. It has an arthouse feel, a riot of colour and shade, rife with symbolism. 

I praised the cinematography earlier and it's worth reiterating that Azmi Mert Erdem, Bart Mastronardi and Dominick Sivilli hit a high standard in all three segments of this movie. This is not a particularly high budgeted film but this crew, along with Kelly's inspired production design, ensure that it always looks marvellous. Kudos.

THE WORST BITS (mild spoiler warning): There has been a tidal wave of overwhelmingly positive reviews for Tales of Poe. While a lot of this praise is certainly due, I'm not sure that it's entirely deserving of the hype it has received. Perhaps this hype raised my expectations impossibly high, but the fact is that the film is not entirely without issues.
While the stars are all excellent, some of the supporting players are noticeably weaker than their more established colleagues. I suppose that's only to be expected when you manage to assemble a cast this talented.

Often anthology films feel overly long. I really do believe that horror works best in short sharp shocks building tension then springing its scares before the fear can wear off or fade. As many anthologies try to squeeze in five or more tales the runtime ends up padded. When I saw that Tales of Poe consisted of just three stories I breathed a sigh of relief, confident that the movie would be a punchy affair. Alas, despite this comparatively small number of stories, it still clocks in at close to two hours long.

This isn't necessarily an overly long runtime for a horror movie but it wasn't helped by the fact that it felt like each segment could easily have lost anywhere from 10-15 minutes without cutting anything too important.

Unfortunately I found this to be especially true of the Dream segment. While its brave attempt to deliver something a little different to the usual horror fare is certainly to be applauded, there were a couple of points at which it definitely felt like it was dragging rather than building towards any particular goal. I'm sure there will be plenty of viewers who will call Dream one of the greatest anthology segments they've ever seen (it is certainly one of the most imaginative), but alas it didn't quite tick every box for me.

But then that's the wonderful thing about true art — it provokes thought, discussion and debate. In this regard Dream, and Tales of Poe as a whole, is a resounding success.

THE VERDICT: Despite plenty of imagination, style and talent Tales of Poe is not the miracle that some reviews are painting it out to be. However, for precisely those reasons, it is a very, very good one. Thought-provoking and well-made, it is a feast for the eyes with a sterling cast and some real wit and imagination. If you're a fan of Poe (and what Horror fan isn't?), this is an easy recommendation. However, if you're unfamiliar with the great man's work you could do a hell of a lot worse to familiarise yourself than starting here. Either way, if you find yourself with the chance to watch Tales of Poe, you should do so — pronto.
To find out more about how you can catch the film, head to its official Facebook page. Give it a Like while you're there too, these guys deserve it!

If you haven’t already, do please check out and like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the Internet so you don’t have to! Alternatively, follow me on twitter: The House@HickeysHorrors

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.

RAW REVIEW: SICK: SURVIVE THE NIGHT

So, Zombies are still 'in' then.

With The Walking Dead continuing to draw a massive audience, I'm not expecting the zombie craze to go anywhere soon.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing — anything that brings our genre to a wider audience is to be applauded. The fact is zombies are so popular because they are a bloody good horror device. The storytelling potential with zombies is great, the problem is too many people cashing in on the trend are happy to rehash what we've seen before (namely Romero's first three seminal Dead flicks) rather than tell a new and original tale.

Last week saw the release of Ryan Andrews' SICK.

Is this a film that breathes fresh life into the undead? Or just another resurrection of a mouldy old corpse? Read on...

SICK: SURVIVE THE NIGHT (2012)

Dir: Ryan M. Andrews 

Starring: Christina Aceto, Richard Roy Sutton, Robert Nolan, Jennifer Polansky, Debbie Rochon, Sandra DaCosta, Ryan Barrett, Devin Upham, Breanne TeBoekhorst, Cengis H Fehmi

SPEEDY SYNOPSIS: I'll try not to spoil too much here but continue at your own risk.

A deadly virus has ravaged the earth. The infected have become ravenous predators, shuffling and mindless until they catch a scent of prey, than swiftly becoming brain-eating killing machines. Society has collapsed — aside from a few government bases that act as safe zones, the world is overcome. 

A few scavengers, known as Vultures, survive in this mess, sweeping for food, clothes, medicines, weapons — anything that can help in the day to day battle for survival.

In one government base, Dr Leigh Rozetta (Aceto) is working towards finding a cure. Aided by her tough assistant (and former vulture) Claudia (Polansky) the task seems fruitless, even if video contact with her colleague Dr Fehmi (the great Rochon) suggests headway is being made. Under increasing pressure from the overbearing armed forces troops in the base, Rozetta decides to head out into the world beyond her base and return to her parents' home.

Meanwhile a group of vultures led by the shrewd McKay (Hickey's House of Horrors fave Nolan) and including tough and jaded Seph (Sutton) are heading out on a routine sweep. These characters are due to collide under terrifying circumstances. The only question is: who will survive the night?

THE BEST BITS (minor spoiling warning): One of SICK's strongest points is how unpredictable it is. Taking a pretty cliched set-up (small group of survivors holed up in an isolated home surrounded by the undead while tensions summer within) it twists and turns along some routes that I really never saw coming. Whatever events you feel sure will occur later in the story are swiftly tugged out from under your feet.

Characters have arcs you can't possibly predict and deaths occur in an order you'd never guess. This is refreshing to see, I can guarantee that a major studio would have never shown the guts to make some of the decisions that Andrews et al have in this film.
This is a grim, dark story. It is almost unrelentingly horrifying and rarely shows a light at the end of the tunnel. It carries some serious gut-punches that will definitely hit you hard. This is not a feel-good film, but this is rarely a feel-good genre. I mean this in the very best way, SICK: Survive the Night is a HORROR film.

The dense plot is also used to explain the nature of the infected more — there is very much a scientific explanation for a lot of the zombies' behaviour. Andrews and his writing partner Chris Cull have clearly put a lot of thought into fully realising this grin world they have created. Andrews has said that he and Cull envision SICK as part of a trilogy and there is definitely scope to continue and expand upon this story.

The film is comparatively low-budget (as so many indies in the genre are), but Abdrews and his cinematographer Michael Jari Davidson do a pretty good job with what they have at their disposal to keep the film looking polished with some great shots that clearly show some love towards the films of Romero.

The Sick are a little different too, combining the classic shuffling zombie with today's 28 Days Later-inspired fast-moving and ferocious infected. The make-up effects are simple but nicely done, eerie black veins and lots of dripping brownish blood. It's a shame the now ubiquitous pale-blue/white contacts make another appearance, but I'm prepared to let that slide.

Of course it's no good having a great and well-realised world and a quirky story if the actors aren't up to the task of bringing it to life. One of SICK’s big strengths is that the infected themselves are almost a backdrop to the far more human story taking place about trust, survival and the relationships of our ragtag band of leads. This requires that they all hit their mark. Thankfully there are some very strong performances to be had here. Those who've read my reviews of both Worm and Familiar will know how impressed I've been by Robert Nolan and once again, he rocks. He's one hell of an actor and he's fast making a big fan here. Once again, well done, sir!

Of course he's joined by another of my genre favourites, scream queen legend Debbie Rochon and she is marvellous as always. Much like her turn in Phobia, she’s clearly having a blast but this time she’s afforded a fair bit more screen time.
It’s not just the big-names that account themselves well — I was impressed by Sutton who showed a great range in his role of Seph and Aceto had some fantastic moments. I’ll be looking out for both of them in the future.

THE WORST BITS (mild spoiler warning): Basically, SICK: Survive the Night is a zombie movie. For a lot of you hardcore fans, that will be an instant no-no. The over-exposed nature of the undead epidemic film will mean that a lot of you won’t be prepared to sit through another hour and a half of bickering survivors, waves of brain-eaters and the crumbling of civilisation. SICK takes some risks and adds some nice twists to the story, but the basic premise is one we’ve seen a lot. If you’ve had enough of carnivorous corpses, this one could leave you cold.

It is to be applauded by trying something different by focusing on the characters rather than the zombies, but that isn’t actually that different nowadays. In fact, most recent low-budget zombie movies tend to do this, probably because it saves on a crippling effects budget.

Speaking of effects, those of you looking for plentiful gore will be disappointed here. This isn’t a film about spilled guts, gallons of blood and grisly wounds. I’d argue that is most certainly not the point of SICK, but there is VERY little of the mucky stuff on display, so if that is what gets you going with an undead caper, you’re out of luck.

Also, while earlier on I praised the unpredictable writing, one of the side effects of this is that some very interesting characters who you expect a lot more from get less screentime than perhaps they should. This was especially true of Polansky’s Claudia, who felt a little wasted. She was given a clear arc, a glimpse of gratuitous nudity and an under-developed lesbian sub-plot, but hardly any time to do much with it. I also would have LOVED to see more of the vulture group’s knife-throwing bad ass (Fehmi). Perhaps one of the other SICK trilogy of films will give us some more of them? Fingers crossed.
Also, while I praised the leads, alas not every member of the cast was quite up to the lofty standards of the likes of Rochon and Nolan. This is often the case with low-budget horror — an expensive star often appears alongside some decidedly lower-rent actors and proceed to show them up along the way. Luckily the main culprits of this were limited to very little screen time and it isn’t an issue in too many scenes.
Finally, speaking of Rochon and Nolan, I was gutted to see that though don’t get to share any scenes. Oh man! Looks like I’ll have to wait to see two of my favourites rocking it onscreen together. Are you listening out there horror filmmakers? Somebody make it so!

VERDICT: I enjoyed SICK: Survive the Night a lot, but it won’t be for everyone. It is an unashamed zombie flick. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any stretch, but it takes a tried and tested formula and gives it some nice tweaks here and there to keep it interesting. I’m going to recommend the flick, and not just to completist fans who’ll snap up anything with Ms Rochon in.
It looks good, it sounds good, there’s a top-drawer cast and an interesting and unpredictable story in a well-realised world. What more are you after? Count me in for any sequels too, I’d love to see what else Andrews and his crew have waiting for us.
The film is available now through most major stockists, so be sure to check it out. Also, why not check out the movie’s Facebook page? Give it a Like too, especially if you want to Ryan’s trilogy vision come to fruition!

If you haven’t already, do please check out and like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the Internet so you don’t have to!
Alternatively, follow me on twitter: The House @HickeysHorrors

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.

RAW REVIEW: AXE TO GRIND

In less than one month Midnight Releasing's Axe to Grind will go on sale.

I actually watched the film, starring scream queen legend Debbie Rochon as, um, a scream legend called Debbie(!) some time ago, but now is the moment of truth.

Could the movie possibly match up to that wonderful title and the clever meta premise of a disgruntled old-school horror actress gone bad?

Read on...

AXE TO GRIND (2015)

Dir: Matt Zettell

Starring: Debbie Rochon, Guy Torry, Matthew James Gulbranson, Paula LaBaredas, Michelle Tomlinson, Dani Thompson, Adrian Quihuis, Tony Van Halle, Kelsey Zukowski

SPEEDY SYNOPSIS: I’ll try not to spoil too much here, but read on at your own risk.

Following a flashback in which a teen girl is covers that Horror star Debbie Wilkins (Rochon) has been dumped by her long-term partner and film producer Peter Burgess (Gulbranson) for a younger starlet - and to make matters worse he's now cast aside his former muse for younger leading ladies in his pictures. Debbie is not impressed.

Later, Debbie turns up unannounced at the abandoned hospital in which Peter's latest horror flick, Bayou Butcher is being shot by in-demand young director Eddie Wilcox (Torry) and starring a gaggle of nubile pretty young things: bitchy blonde Delilah (LaBaredas), busty Brit (Thompson) and rough, tough Cheryl (Tomlinson). Debbie claims she has a role in the movie and is there on Burgess' behalf.

Despite initial misgivings the crew accept Debbie's story and prepare to start filming. Soon Debbie befriends the creepy, axe-collecting caretaker Norman (Quihuis) and sets about settling her differences with those who have wronged her.

But what fate has befallen Peter... and what fate awaits Debbie's next targets?

BEST BITS (mild spoiler warning): This is probably the easiest decision I'll make in some time — Debbie Rochon. Recently I wrote a Sinister Six piece on top scream queens and Rochon featured on the list. I strongly praised her acting ability and once again, she is fantastic. A classy performer, she completely owns her role and is sympathetic and frightening in equal measure.

There is a hell of a lot of eye candy in this film (as attractive casts go, this one is right up there — a strong selling point in itself to some!), yet it is Debbie Rochon who commands the viewers' attention.

Excellent work from an excellent actress.

Of course, she isn't the only cast member to impress. I was a big fan of Quihuis's turn as Norman, his Perkins-like performance was suitably over-the-top and great fun. I also want to praise Tomlinson and also the very cute Zukowski as the young Debbie. Great work ladies!

I particularly loved the clever premise of the film — the self-aware story (a horror movie starring a celebrated scream queen that covers the making of a horror movie) offers Scream-like entertainment levels. It pokes some gentle fun at the industry, depicting those involved in the filmmaking process as a dysfunctional group of misfits and prima donnas. Tongues are well and truly lodged in cheeks at times and the bleak humour often hits the spot. As an aside, I loved the throwaway line explaining why a movie called Bayou Butcher is being filmed in an abandoned inner-city hospital. A simple gag that really made me chuckle!
The non-linear storyline also really spices up the film, throwing numerous flashbacks into the mix that build towards a quite surprising twist in the latter stages of the flick. I’m a sucker for this kind of thing and loved the way that the very talented Zettell used them.
Zettell’s work is definitely worth some discussion. Axe to Grind is wonderfully shot, it’s capably filmed, edited and presented and driven by an assured hand and clear vision. Well done, sir.

Finally, kudos must go to whoever actually tracked down a genuine abandoned hospital as a filming location. Sets can only be dressed so well, especially with a limited budget, so finding this creepy setting was a real coup. It is brilliantly utilised and makes for some excellent set pieces and atmosphere.

WORST BITS (mild spoiler warning): I think the biggest problem I had with Axe to Grind was that it often failed to fulfil its own potential. The premise really does lend itself to some incredible satire, not just of the movie industry but of the nature of fame and vanity among those who perform for a living. The film does touch on these but never offers the level of cutting examination it could.

The film also has the potential to be a high-camp grindhouse romp, full of bad-taste humour and horribly OTT poetic murder sequences. Unfortunately, after some superb splatter effects in the flashback sequence, the remaining kills are surprisingly gore-free. There are a few moments in which the film gets close to attaining those levels of camp fun, plus some decidedly dark revelations later on in the script, but this is actually where Axe to Grind has most of its comic misfires. A case in point would be the partying scene on the cast’s first night in the hospital. The one-liners are a bit stilted and the characters just prove a little irritating during a sequence which feels like it drags on for far too long. It isn't helped by the stereotypical writing for Torry’s Wilcox. He‘s a talented guy but I felt like some of the dialogue penned for him really hindered his performance. Oh well, c’est la vie.
Actually, while we’re discussing the acting it is worth mentioning the double-edged sword that is landing an actress with Rochon’s ability — much like Bill Oberts Jr’s work in Deadly Revisions, she is constantly firing on all cylinders so her co-stars need to be on top of their game at all times to hang with her. Sadly, every now and then a couple of cast members don’t quite match up to Rochon’s admittedly very lofty heights. However, this isn’t a problem that ruins your enjoyment of the film and it feels a little rude to find faults with the film because one of the cast is so brilliant!
Finally, the incredible location could have lent itself to a legitimately frightening horror move. The set is atmospheric but rarely if ever truly scares. Perhaps that is Axe to Grind’s only true flaw — it could be so many things, yet by trying to be too many at once it never quite hits its true potential in any one field.

VERDICT: I may have come across as quite harsh while critiquing Axe to Grind and feel it is important to state that it is most definitely NOT a bad movie. When you add in the delightfully camp and clever premise, the impressive set and the always wonderful Debbie Rochon, you get a film that is more than worth your time and money. I’d actually love to see a sequel (and the film offers several routes which sequels could take) that continues the story while addressing the few issues in this film. 
In short, I recommend Axe to Grind as a great fun movie, one that offers humour, frights and plenty of great moments and quotable, witty dialogue. It won't win any oscars, but it will earn plenty of fans. What more can a low budget genre flick wish for?

Axe to Grind will be released on 3rd February, so do check it out. While you’re waiting, visit the official Facebook page, give it a like and help spread the word. These guys and girls definitely deserve our support.

If you haven’t already, do please check out and like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. Alternatively, follow me on Twitter (@HickeysHorrors). It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the Internet so you don’t have to!

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.

FEATURE: SINISTER SIX: SMASHING SCREAM QUEENS

With this week’s announcement that the wonderful Jamie Lee Curtis is heading back to her horror roots for Fox TV’s new horror-comedy, aptly titled Scream Queens, I thought it was time to check out some more of the genre’s iconic leading ladies.

From the slasher heyday of the late 70s-early 80s to today’s horror efforts, this doesn’t contain every single actress who deserves the title of Scream Queen, but it does contain some of the very best…

1: P.J. SOLES

(Carrie, Halloween, The Butterfly Room, The Devil’s Rejects)

One of Curtis’ Halloween co-stars, P.J. Soles’s Lynda fared less fortunately than Laurie Strode. Not just content with being ‘the one that went topless’ in Carpenter’s slasher classic, Soles also has a role in genre must-see, Carrie too! If that weren’t enough, in more recent years Soles has returned to horror with a string of roles. ‘FANTASTIC’.

2: LINNEA QUIGLEY

(Return of the Living Dead, Night of the Demons, Creepozoids, Sorority Babes at the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, Silent Night Deadly Night, Pumpkinhead 2)

Ms Quigley is pretty much a living legend to me. Starring in dozens of cult-classics that will be all-too familiar to my fellow children of the Eighties, Quigley is one of the greatest and most prolific scream queens of all time. Known for her serious acting chops and willingness to bare her well-honed bod (she even released a horror work out tape!), Linnea was one of the first names on this list.

3: DEBBIE ROCHON

(Tromeo and Juliet, Santa Claws, Bleed, Terror Firmer, Dorchester’s Revenge: The Return of Crinoline Head)

Equally prolific in her horror and cult film appearances, the feisty and tough Rochon became a mainstay of Troma films during the Nineties. Completely and utterly embracing her role as a horror icon, Rochon has appeared in dozens of horror films and a quick look at her imdb page shows PLENTY more on the way. A genuinely great actress, she elevates films just through appearing in them. Ms Rochon, I salute you.

4: NEVE CAMPBELL

(The Craft, Scream, Scream II, Scream III, Scream IV)

While the quantity of Neve Campbell’s horror output can’t touch that of Quigley, Soles or Rochon, the importance of her work cannot be understated. As the lead star in Scream, the film that single-handedly resurrected the horror genre in 1996, she became a superstar scream queen. A talented actress, she became the face of one of the biggest horror franchises of all time and earned a place on this list.

5: BARBARA CRAMPTON

(Re-Animator, From Beyond, Castle Freak, You’re Next, Chopping Mall, Lords of Salem)

Clearly a firm favourite with director Stuart Gordon, Barbara Crampton has appeared in a number of his films, not least of which the ever-popular (and awesome), Re-Animator. Along with roles in Gordon's Lovecraftian From Beyond and Castle Freak, Crampton also appeared in campy-classic Chopping Mall. Furthermore, she has returned to the genre in recent years, notably in Adam Wingard's superb You're Next. Vivacious and clearly game to get her hands (and other body parts) dirty, Crampton is a top drawer Scream Queen.

6: DANIELLE HARRIS

(Halloween 4, Halloween 5, Hatchet 2, Hatchet 3, Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2, See No Evil 2, Urban Legends, Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet, Halloween 2007, Stake Land)

Danielle Harris is THE reigning Scream Queen today. Don’t believe me? Look at that filmography. After appearing in the original Halloween franchise, Harris took a short break rom horror before returning with a bang. She took over the lead role in both of the Hatchet sequels, the lead in the Soska sisters’ See No Evil 2, returned to Halloween franchise in Rob Zombie’s remakes and is appearing in genre film after genre film. The pretty, pint-sized sparkplug is EVERYTHING that a modern scream queen should be, showing an impressive versatility in her roles and terrific pride in the genre. Danielle is not just the top reigning Scream Queen, she is one of the best ever.

So, any thoughts on the list? Can you think of any surprising additions?

Feel free to drop any comments below.

If you haven’t already, do please check out and like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the internet so you don’t have to!

I hope you enjoyed your stay.