Horror Crush: Olga Karlatos

It has been a long time since I have picked a Horror Crush induction or, to be honest, written much of anything. A big part of that is that I have and am going through a very rough time. The passing of my six year old terrier mix, Zoey, who was my absolute everything, has devastated me. I am finding it very hard to cope, but have been feeling the inkling to slowly start writing again has been itching me. A recent revisit of one of my favorite movies, Lucio Fulci's Zombie further cemented this in mind. Or more so, this piece that you are about to read. And, so I wanted to show some love and induct one of that masterpiece's beautiful stars, the stunning Olga Karlatos and make her the next official Horror Crush inductee! 

  

Olga Karlatos was born in Athens, Greece on April 20, 1945. Between the 60s and 70s, she had a short lived music career, in which she sang in both French and Italian. Her acting career began in 1975 in the movie My Friends. 

Her first horror flick came in 1978's Italian movie, Damned in Venice.  Like most of her movies, I haven't seen or really heard about this one before. It's about a kid getting warned about the birth of the Antichrist. In it, she plays a character named Madeline Winters. If you have seen it let me know your thoughts on it and her performance in it, in the comments section below.

Later that same year came Mexican horror movie, Cyclone. This one, I have heard in name but, regardless, never saw it. It is apparently about a crashed plane, and its survivors resorting to cannibalism. Karlatos plays a character named Monica. Again, if you've seen it tell me your thoughts on it in the comments section.

Then in 1979, came her most famous role, Lucio Fulci's classic Zombie (AKA Zombi 2, Zombie Flesh Eaters). After a zombie appears on a boat in New York City and cops shoot into the water, a daughter (Tisa Farrow) and reporter (Ian MacCulloch) go to a island to look for her missing father. There they discover the dead are rising. 

One of Fulci's finest movies, this atmospheric and ultra- gory splatter film fucking rocks. While, essentially a Dawn of the Dead rip-off, it sets itself apart, as it embraces a more supernatural element and feel. It also features explicit gore with excellent make-up FX by Giannetto De Rossi. The flick is drenched in atmosphere with an exciting and rousing climax, thanks to Fulci's excellent directing.

Karlatos plays the wife, Paola, of a Dr. David Menard (Richard Johnson) who was friends with the missing father. Karlatos does a fine job here, as a beautiful wife who knows the horrors that are going and doesn't wanna be there anymore. She also takes a shower, to allow for some nudity, which I assure was absolutely necessary to the plot! This leads to her famous demise, which is the movie's most infamous splatter moment. As a zombie chases her, he grabs her by the hair, and drives her beautiful eye into a large splinter. The scene is audacious, harrowing, and never loses its power, not even in the many  repeated viewings that I have given this classic! She is later devoured, showing us that zombies don't let food go to waste!

In 1984, Karlatos did her final horror film, Murder Rock, which suitably enough was also for Fulci. I have not seen this Giallo, but as a fan of Fulci, and hers, I do want. It deals with the owner of a prestigious New York ballet school teaming up with a male model, as they try solve who is killing students. Karlatos plays a character named Candice and gets top billing in this. That alone make me want to see it even more! Are any of you fans of this Fulci flick? 

 

Also, that year she appeared in what might be her most famous role for mainstream audiences, Purple Rain, in which she played Prince's mom. Her last acting role was in 1986 for an episode of Miami Vice. In 2007, she graduated from Kent University with a law degree, and in 2010 was allowed in the Bermuda Bar Association. Karlatos may long have left the acting world, but she will always be remembered and loved by horror fans. Her role alone in Zombie will forever hold as a part of genre history. And, so with that having been said, it is my honor to official induct the absolutely gorgeous Olga Karlatos into this site's Horror Crushes!