Horror Crush: Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Since this is Women in Horror Month, I am doing extra inductions into Horror Crushes! Today, I am going with one of the best mainstream/ studio scream queens around, one that has amassed a quite large amount of genre work in a relatively short amount of time: the breathtakingly beautiful Mary Elizabeth Winstead!

Winstead was born on November 28, 1984 in Rocky Mount, South Carolina and is the youngest of five children. A bit of trivia for you, her grandfather is actually a cousin to Hollywood legend, Ava Gardner! In 1997, she began acting onstage and on TV. Her first horror role came in 2001-02 with Wolf Lake. Not only have I never seen this show, but I completely forgot about it! Are any of you fans of this? Let me know in the comments section below.

Her next horror role was also a TV one that I never saw, a 2004 MTV movie called Monster Island. Apparently, Carmen Electra is also in it. But, is this actually worth a look? If so, chime in and let me know!

2005 saw her in The Ring Two, a genuinely awful and boring waste of time. I don't remember her or much of the movie, itself. Other than that the fact that it sucked  hard, and how I almost fell asleep watching it in the movies.

In 2006, she appeared in the fun and gory Final Destination 3. While, not as solid as the two that came before it, this is still a really good entry in one of my favorite horror franchises. Winstead is the female lead, Wendy Christensen. This time around she and her friends don't get on a roller-coaster after her premonition of death on it.

Aside from the sequel having a great, morbid sense of humor and being drenched in splatter, it it is benefited by Winstead's acting. She makes for a genuinely likable final girl and is, of course, stunningly beautiful!

That movie's filmmakers James Wong and Glen Morgan, of The X-Files fame, liked her so much, that they bought her back to work on the ass kicking and underrated remake Black Christmas (2006). I've reviewed and discussed my love for this awesome, fun, gory, and kinda sleazy flick before. It's easily my most watched movie of hers.

She plays spoiled bitch Heather in it and is great! I love that the other girls can't really stand her snotty ass. It's not the typical good or final girl that she usually plays, and, in hindsight, it is an awesome role just for those reasons. It even got her a Scream Queen nomination in 2007 at the long since dead Spike's Scream Awards.

Speaking of 2007, she appeared in Quentin Tarantino's half of Grindhouse, in his road exploitation flick meets psycho killer movie, Death Proof. I, however, am not a fan of this one, despite Tarantino being one of my favorite directors. It is my least favorite flick of his.

Actually, the acting is great in it, as is the gore and gore FX. But, for the most part it is really just a bore. That being said, Winstead looks great and is dressed in a cheerleader outfit, so there is that, too.

In 2011, she had the lead female role in the prequel/ reboot/ remake/ whatever the fuck, The Thing. I am a HUGE fan of the John Carpenter movie (it has over the years become my favorite of his), and never had any desire to see this movie. So, I have yet to do so. But, it is obvious she is beautiful in it, and based on reviews and knowledge of her acting, am sure she is great in it, too. Any of my readers think that I should finally watch this?

2012, saw her in the fun but kind of forgotten Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The mix of historical drama, action, and horror made for a blast to watch in the movies. Honestly, I never bought it and haven't revisited since. But, writing this makes me want to do just that. She played Mary Todd Lincoln in it.

She returned to genre TV with 2015's The Return. As I mentioned back when I inducted Agnes Bruckner, that I have never seen this show. But, it is cool to know that these two Horror Crushes were both in it!

Her best horror film, and honestly my favorite thing that I have seen her do so far, came a year later in 2016: 10 Cloverfield Lane. This entry in the Cloverfield franchise is almost as great as the first flick, Cloverfield. In it, she wakes up in a bunker, where she and a dude, are being kept/ taken care of by an older dude (a very creepy John Goodman).

Winstead gives an excellent performance (as do co-stars Goodman and John Gallagher, Jr.) in it. She is very likable, and makes you care and fear for her. Speaking of fear, the movie is one of the most nail-biting horror movies of the last couple of years. It is a killer and intense horror/ sci-fi/ thriller all the fucking a way through!

Finally, this year (2020), sees her play one of my favorite DC heroes, the Huntress in super fun, and super long titled, Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn. While, not a horror movie in any shape or form, there is a nice amount of juicy R-rated violence (including face peeling, wall splattering squibs, an exploding body and more!), to interest splatter fans. It deserves to do A LOT better at the box office (it blows away the mediocre Suicide Squad out of the fucking park). I love most of the cast, with Winstead being a total badass and looking delicious as the crossbow carrying vigilante. Enough, so that it made realize that this post is long fucking overdue!

Yes, indeed this is an overdue induction, for a truly beautiful and a amazing actress. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best mainstream/ studio scream queens ever. She has a done a lot of genre work and seems to be happy to keep appearing in them. There is no fucking doubt about it, she deserves to be a Horror Crush!

Tell me in the comments section below which is your favorite horror movie and role that the lovely Ms. Winstead has done.

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The 10 Best Movies of 2016

First and foremost, happy New Year everyone! This past year was a great one for horror movies, in particular, as many became box office hits and were actually good flicks. The proof is in that there are a couple of them that made my list. Comic book and geek flicks were big, too, but as you'll see it's Marvel and Star Wars that still rule this list, sorry DC fans. As always I remind you that my movie list is not like any other top 10 movie list out there.

Honorable Mentions:
I Am Your Father
Finding Dory
The Conjuring 2
Zootopia
Scherzo Diabolico  

10. The Shallows- It's been ages since someone has made a good killer shark horror flick. With movies like Sharknado making them look silly and aiming for laughs, it was about time that terror came back to the seas. This nail-biting yet simple flick is one of the most thoroughly enjoyable horror movies of the year. It's suspenseful and builds to truly exhilarating and exciting climax. The gorgeous Blake Lively (who both was inducted into this site's Horror Crushes and earned the silver medal in the The 70 Hottest Babes of 2016) might be the year's best final girl of the year. She pulled out the best performance of her career and the bonus of her little feathered friend Steven Seagull made for the duo you most wanted to cheer on and feared for the safety of this entire year. And, bonus points for making a PG-13 movie that pushed the rating the hardest that it has been pushed in decades.

9. Sausage Party- Holy shit was this movie ever funny! I actually cried from laughing so hard. Setting out to be the adult Pixar flick, it most certainly succeeds at it. Very politically incorrect and over the top, it pulls no punches in its humor. Drug use, a douche being a douche, a lesbian taco, living food dismemberment, references to religion, and more, this one has it all. Truly one of the best adult animated movies, ever.



 

8. 10 Cloverfield Lane- Semi-sequel to one of the best found footage horror movies ever, Cloverfield, this expertly acted flick will have you clenching on to your seat handles. Your heart will race as the tension builds and builds till it hits the exciting climax. John Goodman is one of the most scary villains of the year, while the beautiful Mary Elizabeth Winstead is great and very likable as the film's protagonist. They play so well against each other and really help solidify this as an early horror hit.


 

7. The Nice Guys- This mix of neo-noir, comedy, and action is one of the finest films that you probably didn't see this year. And, if you did then you know what I am talking about. The acting from Ryan Golsing and Russell Crowe is excellent and the script by Anthony Bagarozzi and director Shane Black is one of my favorites of the year. It's filled with witty and funny dialogue and great plots twists and turns. The 70s setting is just plain fucking awesome. In all, this is one is even better than Shane Black's own Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.


 

6. Green Room- A violent and intense as fucking hell horror thriller, has a punk band trapped in a neo-nazi club. Great acting from everyone, especially Patrick Stewart who as the leader of the neo-nazi gang who gives one of his best performances ever, as a fucking villain! Dude is just intimidating and pure fucking evil. The violence comes hard and graphic and the climax is one of the most intense of the year. It all gets rounded off by some great music and music references, to make this a punk-horror/ thriller masterpiece!


 

5. The Secret Life of Pets- As a pet/ dog owner and lover, this one was one my most anticipated films of the year. And, I am glad that it more than delivered. It's one of the most fun and the most hilarious movie of the year. The script is witty and if you have pets you will really appreciate the humor. Even if you don't, you will still have a blast with it. Then there the characters, who are all, from main to supporting, memorable. Sure it bites off of Pixar's Toy Story, but who gives a fuck when it is done this good. And, while I won't say it's a better movie than that classic (it ain't), I like it more.




4. Don't Breathe- In a year filled with great horror movies, this one is the best one. Full review: http://themastergio.blogspot.com/2016/08/dont-breather-review.html








3. Captain America: Civil War- This one is more an Avengers movie, than an actual Captain America flick. But, it doesn't really matter. What does is  the solid script, exhilarating action scenes, and solid acting from the cast. Despite the huge cast of characters, it never feels like it is has too much going or bloated, unlike many other similar comic-book flicks. It also gives us such cool moments that characters like the Scarlet Witch, Ant-Man/ Giant-Man, the Black Panther, and Spider-Man really shine. And, speaking of Spidey, THIS was the Spidey we all wanted and needed. I CAN'T wait for this year's Spider-man: Homecoming! Also worth mentioning is how the Captain America movies keep getting better and better as the franchise moves forward. In all, the third best Marvel Studios flick.
 
2. Deadpool- The best R-rated superhero movie ever, is also one of the best in the superhero movie genre, ever, regardless of rating! Funny, action-packed, and filled with ultra-violence, this is the Deadpool movie we all wanted and demanded. The script and its dialogue are utterly priceless and will be quoted forever by comic-book fans. And, make no bones about it, Ryan Reyonlds IS Deadpool!! I adore this movie, enough so that I saw it twice in the movies, that's something I almost never do. This one would've been number one, where it for the next and final flick on the list...

 

1. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story- The first stand alone Star Wars is the finest entry in the franchise since The Empire Strikes Back. Very dark but also thrilling, this finally puts the WAR in Star Wars. Up and until this point, we have never seen a film like this in the series. It felt fresh and mature. While, I liked The Force Awakens, a lot, it rehashed too many ideas. This one didn't. It also had great characters both good and evil (all portrayed excellently by the awesome cast). CGI Tarkin (played in A New Hope by late, great horror actor Peter Cushing) was fucking awesome. Also awesome were all the other winks and nods through in for the fans. Oh and then, there is Darth Vader!! He was badass!! And, the action scenes were killer! Oh, how can I forget how beautiful Felicity Jones is! And... wait let me stop, I sound like a raving fanboy, you get the point. Best film of the year!

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