Andrew E’s: Uncovering a New Scream Queen?

With an ever-growing number of people joining the horror aristocracy as scream queens, I have been hunting for a new one.

Without searching far I believe I have found one. Though the title of this article alludes that I have discovered a new scream queen (i have) but actually I have found one from times gone by.

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JOAN CRAWFORD! Now I know what you are thinking  –  Joan Crawford, really?  I know she is known the world over as one of the all-time greatest classic Hollywood screen actresses of the bygone era. But with many accolades to her name (some admirable and some not), they do include an Academy Award. It seems strange that the crown of a scream queen doesn’t appear to of ever been bestowed upon Miss Crawford.

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Where is the evidence you say? 

Joan Crawford first ventured into the horror world in the 1952 horror/thriller “Sudden Fear” the film centered around an ambitious actor who plants himself into the life of a wealthy middle-aged playwright and marries her, he plots with his mistress to murder her.

Almost a decade later Joan Crawford starred in the 1962 horror film “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane” which became a monstrous hit. Rumor has it that due to Crawfords age (in an agest Hollywood) her casting opportunities were limited due to her being in her late 50’s. It is said Joan sourced the material herself and begged a former director and friend to direct the film. The film was such a hit it was nominated for an academy award. The film’s plot is that of a former child star who torments her paraplegic sister (Joan) in their decaying Hollywood mansion and the film haunted audiences across the globe.

Whilst we celebrate the title Scream Queen today – Hollywood coined a different phrase back then. The heavily derogatory term chosen for actresses in horror movies was “Hag Movies”. The term ‘‘Hag Movie” is a colloquial term for a subgenre of the horror/thriller movie that features a formerly-glamorous older woman who has become mentally unbalanced and terrorizes those around her.

After the monstrous success of Baby Jane (and the famous feud between Joan and co-star Bette Davis), Joan was back in the limelight and wanted to work. This is where Joan racks up some serious horror credentials. Studios who previously wouldn’t cast Joan due to her age were jumping at the chance to replicate the success of Baby Jane by casting Joan in further “Hag Movies”.

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In 1964 Joan appeared in the horror “Straight-Jacket”. After a twenty-year stay at an asylum for a double murder, a mother returns to her estranged daughter where suspicions arise about her behavior. The film was another commercial success for the studio who produced it. 

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In 1965 Universal Studios produced “I Saw What You Did” the storyline was focused on teenagers Libby and Kit innocently spending an evening making random prank calls. The calls lead to murderous consequences. It was reported that Joan was paid $50,000 for only four days working on the picture.

Following 3 financially successful horror films (Hag Movies – if your of that time) it wasn’t long before Joan was at the helm of another horror film in 1967 called “Berserk”. The film’s premise is: A scheming circus owner finds her authority challenged when the show is targeted by a vicious killer.

Even after the success of this string of movies, Joan struggled to grab another major movie role. Joan began appearing on a variety of television shows. Joan grabbed another horror credit by appearing on the television series “Night Gallary” the show ran from 1969 – 1973 which was a weekly horror series telling individual tales each week. Joan appeared in one episode called “The Cemetery/Eyes/The Escape Route” in 1969.

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In 1970 Joan took on what was to be her final ever film role in the horror creature feature “TROG”. Joan played a sympathetic anthropologist who tries to communicate with a primitive troglodyte who is found living in a local cave. TROG was a British made film and was the last film Joan appeared in before her death 7 years later aged 71.

With TROG being Joan’s last film I think we can now agree Joan Crawford is a scream queen champion ready to reign. We will never know if this is a title she would have been proud to earn, I believe if Joan was alive today audiences could have gone on to see her in many more horror films.  I have no doubt she would be one of the ultimate horror queens and a bonified member of our prestigious royal family.

Have I convinced you?

The article was written by GRUEMONKEYS Andrew E.