Something to Scream About

J.R. Bookwalter's Tempe Entertainment scares up this documentary tapping the experiences of several horror starlets (aka 'Scream Queens'). Brinke Stevens (a scream queen in her own right) is mistress of ceremonies that includes interviews with: Julie Strain (Penthouse Pet, Heavy Metal 2000), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Debbie Rochon (Dead & Rotting), Judith O'Dea (the original Night of the Living Dead), Denice Duff (Subspecies 2 + 3) and a few others.

Although it isn't a detailed study of the iconic screen scream queen (say that 6 times fast) 'Something' do a pretty decent job portraying the mantel from the actresses' perspectives and experiences. Not strictly a 'talking head' piece it's peppered with clips, footage and photos. Most of the usual topics are addressed: nudity, violence and the inevitable effect the genre has on 'normal' people. 'Scream' is a solid view for the fanboy in all of us.

Do we really need to hear the thoughts and feelings on life from a group of females who's claim to fame is merely the fact that they're aesthetically pleasing to the eye and/or know how to scream rather well? In theory no, it shouldn't be that high on the agenda for someone to watch. However in practice, it is an informative watch that any horror fan will want to watch, if not one to actively go out of your way to seek out. True, some of it MAY be, nay IS a tad pretentious (a constant falling of most, if not all feature length documentaries of any stripe).I'd like to say that it was kept to a bare minimum, but that's not the case. However, that being said, as a horror fan, I still found it interesting. Could the subject matter been handled better? That's debatable, but I'm on the side that it all come out well enough.

My Grade: C+

Where I saw it: Showtime

At the very top of my list of "Reasons Why the 80's Sucked" is the emergence of the so-called "scream queen" in low-budget horror and genre movies. While there were obviously always pretty girls in horror movies, before the 1980's they were usually either genuinely talented actresses (like Jamie Lee Curtis, Lynn Lowry, Pamela Franklin, or Edwige Fenech),or even when they were talentless bimbos they were at least not the leads but were only there to take their clothes off and then exit stage left. In the 80's though these talentless bimbos (aka "scream queens") not only became lead actresses, but starred in a glut of bad horror movies that were little more than sorry excuses to get them naked. And while some feminists claimed these woman were exploited victims, the real victims were the pimply-faced, hairy-palmed ceiling painters sequestered in their mothers' basements watching these crap movies (not to mention genuine horror movie enthusiasts like myself).

I felt a little bit a schabenfreude therefore watching this doc. and seeing someone like Julie Strain complaining about how pathetic her career has become. It is a statement on the pathetic state of low-budget genre films that someone as talent-free as her ever had a career to begin with. Most of the other actresses in this documentary are much more upbeat if also much more obscure. Denise Duff, for instance, is very cute and apparently not only stars in crap movies but directs them as well. Interestingly, a couple of the actresses profiled (including the colorfully named Lilith Stabs)don't do nude scenes, which doesn't necessarily mean they are talented or that their movies are any good, but it's interesting. Curiously, this documentary shies away from showing any nude scenes, which is admirable I guess since it makes it a more serious and less exploitative work; still it would have been nice if they had shown some of these actresses nude if for no other reason than it might save some poor slobs from having to sit through their movies.

I also admired the candor of this documentary. This is is the first time, for instance, I've ever heard "scream queens" admit that some of their male fans are stalkers (frankly I can't imagine why anybody BUT a seriously deranged stalker would want to watch some of these movies). It was also fairly non-judgmental--it was not exploitative but also didn't have a feminist ax to grind. It let some of the actresses (like the aforementioned Strain) make an ass of themselves, but it was neither mean-spirited nor was it an advertisement/apology for the whole scream queen phenomenon. Watch this mildly interesting "scream queen" doc., and forget about the "scream queen" movies.

This is a documentary that was recommended to me via the algorithms on Tubi. I also didn't realize that I saw it streaming on Screambox as well. What made me pull the trigger is that while watching another doc and this one was brought. Brinke Stevens is the host here as well and it is made by Tempe Entertainment, who also did the Shock Cinema series.

What I like about this documentary even more than the ones I keep referencing is that they have an interesting grouping of scream queens to talk about their experiences getting into making movies, things they've gone through both good and bad while working as well as a vibe of where they think things will go. This last one is more about their individual careers, or at the least, what they're willing to do for it.

We get the likes of Debbie Rochon, Julie Strain, Judith O'Dea, Ariauna Albright, Brandi Burkett, Debra De Liso, Denice Duff, Felissa Rose and Lilith Stabe. Like I've already said, it is interesting to have a cross section like this because Rochon has done upwards of almost 300 films as of writing this. She refuses to do nudity. Then you have Strain who acknowledges she's not a good actor and didn't have the training, but she had no issues with getting naked. That is something I love here is just hearing how all these women were able to work like they have. Some feel they've been taken advantage of, or at least stood up to people that tried to. It is both inspiring and other times heartbreaking.

I'll then finish out with talking about the filmmaking techniques. I did like that this starts with giving us the different topics that will be covered. It then is edited where we'll jump between the different actors, sometimes mirroring similar experiences where others will be the opposite. It does make it feel jumbled at times. There is footage edited in to help show things they're saying, that's a good touch. It just falls a bit short. Still worth a watch if you're a horror fan and interested in learning more about what goes into being a scream queen.

My Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Something to Scream About (2003)

*** (out of 4)

Brinke Stevens hosts this documentary that takes a look at various Scream Queens as we hear their stories on how they got into the business, their thoughts on what is required of them, their fans and of course their thoughts on the films themselves. Those interviewed include Stevens, Julie Strain, Judith O'Dea, Lilith Stabs, Debra DeLiso and Felissa Rose.

If you're a fan of these Scream Queens then you'll certainly want to check this documentary out. Running just over a hour, the documentary does a pretty good job at covering a wide range of topics including the stuff I mentioned but also that subject of nudity, which is one major thing that runs through a lot of horror movies.

The film features some fun interviews including the stuff with Rose and O'Dea who are of course best known for their roles in SLEEPAWAY CAMP and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Both of them tell some great stories about seeing those films for the first time as well as what they did after those movies.

The film certainly would have been better had it been a bit more detailed. At just 65-minutes the film is obviously rather short and to the point but a bit more details would have been nice. Even with that said, the film is still very much worth watching if you're a fan of the actresses.