He DOES Own a Shirt!

Regular readers will remember this young man from two previous posts here and here. While researching the real topic of this evening's post, I came across the following video in which our young actor appears actually rather sane, and wears a shirt:

But who I really want to talk about tonight is Amy Walker, an actress, singer and teacher with some truly remarkable talent. Here she is singing "Over the Rainbow" as Judy Garland through the ages. It's truly amazing:

And here she is singing "Poor Unfortunate Souls" from The Little Mermaid:

Oh, how she makes me want to direct her. Amy's first big YouTube video was "21 Accents in a Row," in which she proceeds to demonstrate exactly what is advertised. You can see more of her work here. Amy, please come act for me!

More, anon.
Prospero

On Acting

What a ridiculous profession, acting is! Honestly, when you think about it, it's totally unnatural. More like a genetic disorder, really. I mean, people get paid to stand up in front of a group of people (all of whom have usually paid and want to be there) and they pretend to be people they're not, telling a story that is usually completely untrue. And here's the kicker: by buying your ticket and paying to see me pretend to be someone else, you are also agreeing to believe me as I lie to you for two or more hours. And worse yet, we're both happy because of it. What? What the hell kind of B.S. contract is that?

But it's been that way for millenia. The first recorded professional actors were ancient Greeks taking part in religious ritual plays to please the gods (a phenomena we still see in modern Passion Plays and religious theme parks). When the poets got hold of playwrighting, everything changed and it became about much more than just honoring the gods, but in telling great stories. And it's been that way ever since.

Actors have been both praised and reviled throughout history and it was only in the early 20th Century that it started to become a respectable (if not still suspect) profession. There are dozens of styles of acting. There's classical British acting, "method" acting (after the Stanislavsky Method). There are those who use the techniques of more modern teachers like Strassberg and Meisner. Personally, I'm what some people call a "combination actor." I take bits from here and bits from there (sometimes more from one than another, depending on the play) and use all them together. I've been lucky enough to include both ancient, classical and modern theatre styles on my resume. and find myself a more well-rounded performer for it. And a better director.

Sunday, I am taking part in another Directors' Panel at my Alma Mater. The last one in which I took part was about scene analysis. This time we're doing an audition and headshot seminar, advising student actors on improving their audition skills and getting the best results from a photo shoot. I love working with young actors, because they aren't afraid to take risks on stage and stretch and play parts they might not otherwise have gotten to play. I'll be holding my own auditions in a few weeks, so Sunday morning may well prove educational for me, as well.

You're bored, I can tell. More on movies in my next post, I promise. And maybe even a "The Gayest Thing You'll See" post. They're secretly my favorites.

More, anon.
Prospero

Best Performances in a Fantasy Film

Fantasy, as previously discussed, can encompass a wide range of characters, worlds, powers and superpowers. They can be light and funny, or dark and deadly serious. The best Fantasy films are the ones tha take us away from the real world, even if only for a few hours, and make us believe in their universes' rules. And the best of those feature all kinds of wonderful performances from some pretty terrific actors. I have to warn you that there are no clear winners here. So, in no particular order, my choices for Best Performances in a Fantasy Film:

object width="425" height="344">Arguably Tim Burton’s second best film (Ed Wood retains that title), Edward Scissorhands is the ultimate outsider movie. When peppy suburban Avon lady Peg (the always delightful Dianne Weist) finds Edward (Depp) living alone in the ruins of a creepy mansion, she brings him home and sets about introducing him to society. Edward soon becomes a neighborhood celebrity, designing garden topiaries and cutting custom coiffures. Along the way, he falls in love with Peg's daughter, Kim (Winona Ryder). Through a series of misadventures, naïve Edward is turned upon by the very folks who embraced him and he retreats back where he started, living alone with his art. Depp barely says 20 words in this movie, but his eyes say it all, and we can’t help but fall in love with sad, soulful Edward.

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Michelle Pfieffer for Batman Returns:

Talk about sex appeal! Putting an entirely new spin on the role, Pfieffer is simply electrifying as Catwoman in Tim Burton’s 1992 sequel to Batman. Sporting an S&M-inspired pleather suit complete with steel claws and whip, Pfieffer imbues Selina Kyle/Catwoman with the same conflicted qualities of her lover/nemesis, Bruce Wayne/Batman, making her one o fthe most fscinating characters in the franchise. Plus, ya gotta love all that duality! Sexy, funny and over-the-top, Pfieffer’s take on the iconic villainess manages to make us all forget about Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt.

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Christian Bale for The Prestige:

The always amazing Christopher Nolan directed this period piece about rival magicians who will go to almost any lengths to create the world’s greatest illusion. It’s a fascinating tale of revenge and jealousy and real magic and features a terrific little cameo by David Bowie as “mad scientist” Nikolai Tesla. But it’s the performances of it’s two leading men that really make this picture. Hugh Jackman (X-Men) is the man obsessed with learning his rival’s trick, and Christian Bale (The Dark Knight) is the rival with a secret he’ll never reveal, even if it means losing his life. The first time I saw this film, my sympathies went to Jackman’s character. But a second viewing found me changing my mind (not something I do often, when it comes to movies). Bale has been known to piss me off (American Psycho) but his performance here is so subtly nuanced, one can’t help but admire his skill as one of modern film’s best actors.

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Judy Garland for The Wizard of Oz:

Bizarrely, that clip was the best quality I could find, despite the somewhat distracting subtitles (which I believe may be Portuguese – please correct me if you know better). Who today didn’t grow up with The Wizard of Oz? When I was a kid, it was on CBS once a year, usually around Easter, and it was a huge treat to which my sister and I both looked forward every year (yeah, yeah… get the “Friend of Dorothy” jokes out of the way, now). This film is iconic across cultures and nearly every American child has seen it dozens, if not hundreds, of times. Garland was really too old for the part, and a second choice at that (can you imagine Shirley Temple? Yeuch!), but she made the role her own. Watching The Wizard of Oz is seeing Garland before all the bad stuff happened and her personal optimism shines through to Dorothy Gale, the little girl from Kansas who is whisked away to a magical world so unlike her own. Certainly an apt allegory for the life of Frances Gumm, herself.

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Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight:

Too much has been said, already. The performance speaks for itself.

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Michelle Pfieffer for Stardust:

Pfieffer makes this list again because of her hilarious performance as the witch Lamia in the big screen version of Neil Gaimon’s fairy tale for grown-ups. Once beautiful, the vain Lamia and her sisters have become whithered hags, subsisting on the last bits of the heart of a long-ago fallen star. When another star (Clare Danes) falls, Lamia takes the last of the heart and restores herself in an effort to catch her. The catch is, every time Lamia uses her magic, she ages a little bit. And Pfieffer is clearly enjoying herself here, reacting to every liver spot and sagging boob to hilarious effect. A terrific comedic performance that deserves recognition.

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Michael Clarke Duncan for The Green Mile:

Frank Darabount (The Shawshank Redemption; The Mist) is one of the few directors who (along with DePalma and Reiner) has actually managed to successfully translate the works of Stephen King to the screen. The Green Mile is one of the few movies that makes me cry every single time I see it, and that’s because of the amazing performance of Mr. Duncan as John Coffey; the gigantic, gentle and child-like miracle worker wrongly convicted of murder. Surrounded by some top notch talent such as Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, Michael Morse, Michael Jeter, Patricia Clarkson and Sam Rockwell (that’s quite a pedigreed cast, folks) Duncan more than holds his own. The scene where he watches Fred and Ginger dancing gets me every time and I can't ever watch (SPOILER ALERT) the execution scene without sobbing like a little girl.

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Amy Adams for Enchanted:

Disney finally got around to poking fun at themselves with this delightful 2007 romp about a cartoon princess banished to the real world by an evil witch. The concept is cute, but it wouldn’t have worked at all without Ms Adams pitch-perfect performance as the ultimate Disney Princess, Giselle. She gets cockroaches and sewer rats to help her clean a dirty apartment and breaks into song at the drop of a hat, much to Patrick Dempsey’s consternation. Delightful stuff made all the more so thanks to the delightful Amy Adams. I dare you to watch this movie and not smile.

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Gene Wilder for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory:

Author Roald Dahl despised the 1971 version of his novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, least of all because it was financed by a candy company looking for a new way to market chocolates. Directed by Mel Stuart (his only “hit”), the movie changed the title, added weird, early 70’s pop-culture references and, as dark as some folks think it was, wasn’t nearly as dark in tone as the book. The one thing it had going for it was a balls-out go-for-broke performance by a true comedic genius. If for no other roles (and there are so many), Gene Wilder will be remembered for his neurotic mad-scientist in Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein and the pan-polar chocolatier Willy Wonka. Tim Burton’s 2005 version certainly came closer in tone and story to the book and Johnny Depp’s performance is, without a doubt, weirder. But Wilder’s iconic portrayal in the original is the reason this film holds up 37 years after it was made.

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Honorable Mentions:

Sean Astin in The Lord of the Rings. We all know Frodo never would have made it to Mordor without Sam. Their ‘bromance’ is thoroughly believable thanks to Astin’s performance .

Christopher Reeve in Superman: The Movie. We believed a man could fly (and steal our hearts) when Reeve smiled that amazing smile as saved the world (and his lady love). Sigh…

Tim Curry in Legend. Curry, nearly unrecognizable beneath what must be fifty pounds or more of latex and fiberglass, is the embodiment of evil as Darkness, who plans to kill the last unicorn and banish light from the world forever. I have yet to see the Director’s Cut with the original Jerry Goldsmith score, but Curry (even with his voice electronically enhanced) easily gives this Ridley Scott oddity its most memorable performance.

Susan Sarandon in Enchanted. Clearly having the time of her life, Sarandon plays both the animated and real-world versions of the evil queen Narissa in hilariously full scene-chomping mode.

Andy Serkis in The Lord of the Rings and King Kong. Serkis redefines physical acting with his astonishing stop-motion performances in Peter Jackson's fantasy epics.

Child Actors

I'm not always a fan of child actors; they're usually too precocious for my taste. But every once in a while, there is a kid who stands out and makes you take notice. For example, I really love Tatum O'Neal's performance in Peter Bogdanovich's hilarious grifter comedy Paper Moon. She's spot on as a young orphan who may or may not be the biological daughter of Ryan O'Neal's conman Bible salesman. She won an Oscar for the role (and deserved it).

But I'm always a sucker for kids in peril or kids who survive the horrors to which their adult co-stars always seem to fall prey. And since I love Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy movies more than most other genres, this blog is about The Best Performances by a Child Actor in a Horror/Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movie. So, without further ado, here are my choices, in no particular order:

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Patty McCormack for The Bad Seed:

In the 1950's, genetics was a relatively new science, and the debate bewteen Nature vs. Nurture was truly in its infancy. In his then terrifying play, Maxwell Anderson explored the concept in a sordid little tale about a seemingly perfect little girl who was actaully a sociopathic killer who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. Reprising her stage role for director Mervin LeRoy's (The Wizard of Oz) 1956 adaptation, Patty McCormack is absolutely chilling as Rhoda Penmark, the bilogical granddaughter of serial killer Bessie Denker. After she kills a classmate for his penmanship medal, Rhoda's mother begins to suspect her daughter may well be a "Bad Seed" and as events unfold, soon becomes sure of it. In the original stage version, Rhoda's mom succumbs to a self-inflicted gunshot wound, while murderous Rhoda survives her mother's murder attempt. In the film, restricted by the still enforced Hayes Code, Rhoda gets her just desserts.

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Henry Thomas for E.T.:

I had a film teacher who said he hated Steven Spielberg's work because it was "emotionally manipulative." I thought, 'Well, isn't that the point?' And of course, it is. A good artist is always able to manipulate an emotional response to his work, regardless of his medium. In his 1982 fantasy E.T., Spielberg found the perfect kid to push our emotional buttons in young Henry Thomas, a lonely boy befriended by a lonely alien. We laughed; we cried and our hearts leapt for joy when Elliot and ET soared across the moon. Reportedly, Spielberg used all kinds of off-screen tricks to get his young actors (including very young star-in-bloom, Drew Barrymore) to react the way he wanted. But who cares how he got those amazing performances? The fact is, he did and they remain indeliably etched into movie fans' psyches.

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Carrie Henn for Aliens:

James Cameron (Titanic; The Terminator) made this uber-exciting sequel to Alien a filmic rollercoaster ride and turned actress Sigourney Weaver into a household name with his action-packed tale of futuristic Marines battling a horde of acid-blooded beasties on a far-away planet. Ms Henn, as the only survivor of a human colony decimated by the chest-bursting creatures, gives one hell of a performance in her one and only film. She even has the movie's best and most chilling line: "They mostly come out at night... mostly." Who didn't choke up when she wrapped herself around Ripley and cried "Mommy!"? And how sad were we that director David Fincher killed her off in Alien3?

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Fairuza Balk for Return to Oz:

Often derided as "dark" and "frightening," (though you'll never hear me complain about those adjectives when it comes to film), Disney's Wizard of Oz sequel is sadly given short-shrift by those who love the Judy Garland classic. Director Walter Murch's 1985 film is far more faithful to the L. Frank Baum originals than it's musical predecessor and features an astonishing performance from young Fairuza Balk, who is probably best known for the underrated horror film The Craft. Fearing young Dorothy is suffering from a psychological disorder, Aunt Em (Piper Laurie) takes her to see a psychiatrist (Nicol Williams) who is about to apply shock therapy when a sudden storm knocks out the electrcity and allows Dorothy to return to the land of Oz, where she must free Princess Ozma from the witch Mombi's (Jean Marsh) prison. Young Ms Balk is the perfect antithesis to Garland's Dorothy, and her performance is nearly flawless in this much under-appreciated film.

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Heather O'Roarke for Poltergeist:

Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) directed this Spielberg-produced ghost story about a typical surbaban family's encounter with the supernatural. When their daughetr Carol-Ann is snatched into the otherword, Steven and Diane Freeling (Craig T. Nelson and Jobeth Wiliams) will go to any lengths to bring her back. Fraught with urban legends surrounding the deaths of several of its stars (including Ms. O'Rourke and co-star Dominique Dunne), Poltergiest remains one of the few films I can see over and over and never get sick of. In fact, we've seen it so many times that both my sister and I can tell you exactly what's happening just by listening to the film's score. But it is O'Rourke's plaintiff cry of "No more" towards the end of the movie that gets me every time. A terrific performance by an actress whose young life was cut much too short.

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Dakota Fanning for War of the Worlds:

Horror's Greatest Performances (Part II)

Sure, Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor for Silence of the Lambs (even though he actually appears in less than twenty minutes of the film), but more often than not, AMPAS ignores the performances of actors in horror movies. Truth be told, by most standards, modern horror movies are usually pretty bad. Ridiculous plots, hackneyed dialog and ham-fisted acting abound. Though occasionally, a bright moment shines through. Here then, are my picks for Best Performance by an Actor in a Horror Movie:

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Lon Chaney for The Phantom of the Opera:

In 1925, the film industry was still in its infancy and one of it's biggest stars was the incomparable Lon Chaney, known as "The Man of a Thousand Faces." Chaney would go to great lengths and endure actual pain to create some of his remarkable makeup effects. And none was so effective as his version of Erik, the disfigured genius who haunts the Paris Opera and loves it's newest star, Christine. Even without the use of his voice, Chaney manages to convey the extraordinary pain of unrequited love and the societal ostracism of the disfigured. A truly moving performance.

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Peter Lorre for M:

In 1931, German Expressionist Fritz Lang (Metropolis) made what may well be his most controversial film, M. It is the story of a schizophrenic child-murderer Hans Beckert (Lorre) and the Berlin Police's efforts to catch him. Eventually the Mob, intimidated and angered by the increased police activity, put a hit out on the killer and manage to mark him with the titular "M" on his shoulder, so that he can be tracked and caught. An unpleasant subject and a most unpleasant character, Beckert is made human by Lorre's terrifically tortured performance. Lorre would later go on to fame in American films such as Arsenic and Old Lace and Casablanca, but it is M (only his third film) which forever cemented Lorre's acting acumen.

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Jeff Goldblum for The Fly:

Not posting a clip here, because it would be the same one I used for Geena Davis. Goldblum, a decidedly quirky actor who appeared in minor roles in such films as Buckaroo Banzai and The Big Chill, finally came into his own in Cronenberg's amazing film. At the peak of his physical prowess and surrounded by an amazing supporting cast, Goldblum imbues inventor Seth Brundle with an endearing humanity that enables the viewer to be both sympathetic to and horrified by his plight.

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Vincent Price for Theatre of Blood:

Price, a classically trained actor who found a niche for himself in horror films in the 50's and 60's, never really got the recognition he deserved. In Theatre of Blood he plays Edward Lionheart, a Shakespearean actor constantly derided by critics as a ham. After he loses out on yet another Critics Circle award, Lionheart commits suicide in front of the critics, by leaping from their penthouse party into the Thames. Soon thereafter, the critics start turning up dead, killed in the manners described in any number of Shakespeare's plays. Surrounded by a veritable "Who's Who" of British character actors (including an often-disguised Diana Rigg as Lionheart's daughter and Price's future second wife, Coral Browne), Price is a wonder in this tale of depravity and revenge. Added bonus: the number of literary and theatrical jokes in this movie are almost countless. A stage production of the film recently played in London, though I have always thought the material was ripe for a musical adaptation.

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David Naughton for An American Werewolf in London:

Naughton, best known for a series of Dr. Pepper commercials in the late 70's, plays David Kesslar, an American student bitten by a werewolf on the Scottish moors while back-packing with his friend, Jack (Griffin Dunne). Chosen by director John Landis mostly because "he had to look good naked" (and boy, does he look good naked), Naughton's performance as the both physically and psychologically tortured David is helped along by makeup FX genius Rick Baker's amazing transformation scene, wherein we get to see the pain of turning into a werewolf firsthand. And the scene where David calls home to talk to his family always brings a lump to my throat.

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Keith Gordon for Christine:

Gordon, previously known as the vengeful son from Brian DePalma's Dressed to Kill, is just amazing here as young nerd Arnie Cunningham who buys the titular evil car in director John Carpenter's adaption of the Stephen King novel. Gordon's transformation from mousy nerd to possessed cool killer is nothing short of amazing, and hardly serviced by the above clip.

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Willem Dafoe for Shadow of the Vampire:

Released in 1922, Nosferatu was director F.W. Murnau's unauthorized version of Dracula and almost never saw the light of day, thanks to a lawsuit brought by Stoker's widow. Actor Max Schreck (a name later parodied in Tim Burton's Batman Returns) plays Count Orloff, a thinly disguised version of Count Dracula. Schreck wore prosthetic ears, fangs and fingers and terrorized audiences world-wide. This 2001 movie tells the tale of that movie's filming, but supposes that Schreck was an actual vampire. Dafoe, known for playing quirky and ecclectic characters in films ranging from The Last Temptation of Christ to Wild at Heart and Spider Man, plays Schreck as a chilling and horrifying beast who preys on fellow crew and cast members without regard for their importance to the production, much to Murnau's (the always amazing John Malkovitch) dismay.

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Jason Miller for The Exorcist:

How does one write about what is possibly the single most overrated horror movie of all time (see my previous entry on overrated movies) without mentioning the extraordinary performance of Jason Miller as the tortured priest, Father Karras? In doubt of his faith and feeling exceptional guilt over committing his mother to an old-age home, Miller's Karras is a man on the verge. As both a priest and a psychiatrist, Karras is forced to confront his own personal demons while assisting with the exorcism of young Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair). His final act of faith (allowing the demon to posses him in order to free the child) is both moving and horrific. Miller should have gone on to greater work. Sadly, the late actor was reduced to accepting small TV roles and parts in Z grade horror films before his untimely death in 2001

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And the Best Performance by an Actor in Horror Movie goes to:

Jeff Goldblum in The Fly. Both protagonist and antagonist, Goldblum's Seth Brundle manages to be both sympathetic and horrific in David Cronenberg's allegorical tale of AIDS, cancer and science gone wrong. Like many of Cronenberg's characters, Brundle is a victim of his own genius, trapped in situation he had no idea might be possible - horrified and fascinated at the same time. This is the only horror movie that can elicit tears from me, every time I see it. Devastating.

Horror's Greatest Performances (Part I)

When it comes to accolades, actors in horror films are usually given short shrift. The genre is dismissed as juvenile and unworthy of attention, despite the fact that many actors have been nominated (and several have won) Academy Awards for them. Still, many of these performances go sadly unpraised. Uuntil now. Part I of this two-part entry is about the Best Performances by an Actress in a Horror Movie. Full disclosure: some of the images embedded below may be disturbing, but are certainly worth watching for the terrific performances.

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And the nominees are:

Kathy Bates for Misery:

Bates won an Oscar for her performance as Annie Wilkes, crazed "Number One Fan" of novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) in one of the few actually good adaptations of a Stephen King novel. As a King fan, I am always happy when a movie gets one of his works right, and this Rob Reiner (Stand By Me) directed thriller is one of the best. Bates' performance is both terrifying and fascinating at the same time. A consumate stage actress, Bates went on to build a film career based almost on this performance alone. Scary stuff.

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Piper Laurie for Carrie:

Laurie made a name for herself in the late 50's on live TV shows like "Westinghouse Theatre" and "Playhouse 90." Her go-for-broke performance earned her an Oscar nomination for Brian DePalma's 1976 adaptation of King's first novel. Tthe film remains one of the best King movies, and Piper Laurie's Margaret White is a character indelibly and iconically etched into the American psyche. A magnificent performance.

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Beatrice Straight for Poltergeist:

Steven Spielberg produced (his hands are all over it, in fact) this thriller from director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), about a suburban family's brush with the supernatural. When daughter Carol Anne (Heather O'Rouke) disappears into the netherworld, her parents (Craig T. Nelson and Jobeth Williams*) contact a team of parapsychologists led by Dr. Lesh (Straight). An already accomplished actress with an Oscar nomination for Network under her belt, one might wonder what Straight is doing in a horror movie (albeit a very good horror movie). Good actors can move smoothly between and among genres almost effortlessly. Staright's performance here is strong, committed and genuine. In other hands, the role would have been silly. In hers, it's like 'buttah.' And truth be told, her performance in Poltergeist even had an influence on a stage performance of my own, as the psychiatrist in a college production of Equus.

*More about Willams, later.

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Geena Davis for The Fly:

Wow! Talk about powerful! The above scene never fails to make me cry. Davis plays Veronica "Ronnie" Quiafe, a reporter for the Canadian version of (now defunct) science "Omni." While attending an inventors' convention, she meets Dr. Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum in another amazing performance to be discussed in Part II). a brilliant physicist who suffers from motion sickness and has invented a teleportation machineo he never has to ride in a car again. The two quickly bond and a romance is about to bloom when Brundle makes a critical error: sending himself between the "telepods" along with an univited housefly. Confused, the machine splices Brundle's genes with the fly's, creating a monster. Davis' emotional investment in the role is simply astounding and her omission from Oscar nomination is further proof of the Academy's prejudice against horror movies.

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Naomi Watts for King Kong:

Previously known as Nicole Kidman's BFF and "that chick from The Ring," Watts is astounding in Peter Jackson's 2005 remake of the classic monster movie. Her almost silent performance, done mostly in front of a green-screen, is nothing short of a marvel. Every thought and every emotion is writ wide on her face. I can't imagine another modern actress so perfectly cast as the apple of the big ape's eye. Another Oscar oversight.

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Sadie Frost for Bram Stoker's Dracula:

Barely glimpsed in the above trailer, Ms. Frost gives the single best performance in Francis Ford Coppola's over-the-top version of the gothic horror classic. Her interpretation of Mina's best friend Lucy, flirtatious and tortured, is the best in any of the story's many film versions. Forget Keanu Reeve's ridiculous miscasting as Jonathan Harker (not to mention accent) and Anthony Hopkins' scenery chewing as Van Helsing. Sadie Frost is without a doubt the best thing in the whole movie.

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Jobeth Williams for Poltergeist:

As housewife Diane Freeling, JoBeth Williams personifies the early-80's mom. She smokes pot with her balding realtor hubby (Craig T. Nelson) and keeps her family on schedule; oversees the contractors installing the family swimming pool; officiates at pet funerals gets excited by self-stacking chairs and mysterious cold spots. But when her children are in danger, Diane will go literally anywhere to save and protect them. Williams, a fine actress in any genre, embues Diane with the kind of strength every mother hopes she has when it comes to protecting her family, even if it means tavelling to hell and back.

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Julie Harris for The Haunting (1963):

My pick for the scariest movie ever, Robert Wise's adaptation of Shirley Jackson's novel The Haunting of Hill House is absolutely terrifying, all without the use of blood, dismemberment or cannibalism. Harris plays the personally haunted Nell, a psychic who was psychologically tortured by an over-bearing invalid mother. Nell finds a strange affinity for the tormented spirits trapped in the mansion she has been invited to invesigate along as a member of a team assemled by a noted parapsychologist. In a performance that never fails to give chills, Harris manages to be both sympathetic and pathetic, and we understand her need to belong to someone, anyone, even if that someone is only the ghost of a charismatic monster.

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And my pick for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Horror Movie is:

Geena Davis in The Fly. No other actress on this list evinces the visceral response in me that Davis does in The Fly. One of cinema's great, underrated performances of all time. The Fly is a movie I can see again and again and never grow tired of. Cronenberg, Davis, Goldblum and company are at the top of their games here. I'm not ashamed to admit that there are quite a few movies that can make me cry. The Fly is the only horror movie that can and that is entirely the fault of Davis' amazing acting. There really is such a thing as a good horror movie, and The Fly proves it.

An Acting Break-Through

My Henry... my beautiful, beautiful Henry had an amazing break-through tonight in his Act III breakdown monologue. I was so happy, I ran backstage to meet him as he came off, pulled him aside and kissed him. I knew he could do it. I was so proud, I had to blog and crow about it. I thank the gods for the day this amazing and fearless young actor came into my life three years ago. Bravisimo!