Horror Crush: Emma Fitzpatrick

It's time to induct another beautiful and talented lady into Horror Crushes! This time around that honor goes to absolutely stunning Emma Fitzpatrick!

Fitzpatrick was born in Marion, Ohio. She is a multi-talented lady being an actress, producer, and musician. Her first acting role came in 2010, when she appeared in an episode of CSI: NY. But, it's in 2012 that she caught my and many other horror fans attention and hearts with her first genre film.

That movie would be the sequel to the 2009 horror flick The Collector, known as The Collection (2012). In it, the psychotic the Collector (Randall Archer) has slaughtered a bunch of people at a club, taking his one prisoner, as he always does in Elena (Fitzpatrick). Arkin (Josh Stewart), his chosen captive from the first film, escapes, as she is kidnapped. He is soon contacted by her father and his band of mercs, to lead them into a rescue of her. 

This flick adds action to the proceedings, aiming to do what Aliens did to the sci-fi/ horror movie for the torture porn subgenre. And, like that classic, it is the rare superior sequel. The flick is a good looking, stylish splatter flick with some very good and graphic gore. It's well directed by a returning Marcus Dunstan. As the movie opens up with the aforementioned club bloodbath, it kicks ass all way to its tense climax. It's also helped by likable characters and good acting, including a sympathetic turn by Fitzpatrick, We don't want anything to happen to her or our other protagonists. Sadly, we were suppose to get a third and possibly final entry, The Collected, with the cast returning, including Fitzpatrick. But, alas COVID cancellation seems to have killed that. 

I actually met the cast and crew, including Fitzpatrick, back when I was working for Best-Horror-Movies, AKA HorrorFreaks. I was covering their panel at the 2012 edition of New York Comic Con. Sadly, that article got lost when the site closed down, but here is a pick with all of them. 

In 2015, she appeared in the vampire movie Bloodsucking Bastards. I've never seen this one, but I remember hearing about it when it came out. Have you guys seen it? Let me in the comments section. 

She wouldn't return to the horror genre till 2021's feminist horror movie Take Back the Night. And, thanks to her amazing performance, on top of her natural beauty, in that movie that made me decide to write this piece. In it, she plays Jane an artist with a free living and partying lifestyle, who gets brutally assaulted by a monster, as she leaves a party. 

I think it is kinda shitty that until I turned on Shudder this Saturday, I hadn't so much as heard about this movie. The synopsis and the trailer caught my attention, and I decided to give it a look. And, I am so glad that I did. It's powerfully directed by Gia Elliot, as well as being well edited and written. The film is smart, intense, haunting, and, at times, nerve shredding. It works powerfully as an allegory for the trauma, treatment, judgement, and out right horror of what a woman goes through when she's a victim of a sexual assault. Worse even when like Fitzpatrick's character, she is deemed to be a druggie, drunk, and/ or loose, on top of having a mental health history. I do hope that now that it is on Shudder, more will see it. 

Fitzpatrick gives an amazing performance. It's powerful, full pathos and pain. You believe what she is going through, and you feel awful for her. This ranks among my favorite acting roles, I've seen in the last few years.

She most recently appeared in two more horror movies, The Summoned (2022) and Unhuman (2022). I haven't seen either though, but if you have sound off in the comments section below. 

Emma Fitzpatrick is an amazing, and, I, think, very underrated actress. She gives incredible performances in any role that I have seen her in. She is also flawlessly beautiful. I gotta admit that I love a girl with short hair, and she rocks that look beautifully! With all this said, I am very happy to induct her into Horror Crushes!