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.

Read More

The 70 Hottest Babes of 2016, pt. 2: 60-51

60. Felicity Jones (new)- I am crushing hard on Felicity Jones and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hasn't even come out yet! But, she just looks awesome and, of course, hot(!) in all the trailers and promos for the highly anticipated movie. Of course, it would be hard not to fall in love with her, what with THAT accent(!!), those lips, and those beautiful eyes of her!







59. Katie Cassidy (last year #62)- OK, I am gonna flat out say this, I miss Katie Cassidy's Black Canary on Arrow. Sure I had my many issues with the way the character was written, but it's Katie freaking Cassidy! Also, the fact that Felicity is still alive sucks ass. As one of my friends said, "the wrong blonde died!" Still, her return for the 100th episode of the show last week was very, very welcomed!

 
58. Daniel Panabaker (last year #48)- The fact that Panabaker got her Killer Frost powers in this season of The Flash is hot. Seeing her play bad is just too fucking smoldering, which is kind of ironic, actually. She didn't go all the way with her evil transformation, though (not that I expected her to), and she didn't don the sexy costume this season. That last part is kind of heartbreaking, actually!

57. Eiza Gonzalez (new)- As Satanico Pandemonium, the gorgeous Ms. Gonzalez has me in awe of her every time I see her on From Dusk Till Dawn. With this being the show's best season yet, it really bought home just how fucking hot she is. And, she is even hotter when she is kicking ass and/ or covered in blood!







56. Asa Akira (last year #9)- Asa remains the adult industry's most popular Asian babe, and of its most popular period, and with good reason. Aside, from all the great porn flicks that she shot for Wicked, she also put her second book, this year: Dirty Thirty: A Memoir.








55. Natalie Dormer (last year #18)- Getting back to deaths on TV shows that fucking sucked this year Dormer's character of Margery dying was not cool. To its advantage the whole episode was awesome and jaw dropping. So while, she will be missed (she was, after all, the hottest babe in a show FULL of babes!), it was a great episode in a phenomenal season. Also, this year, she appeared in the horror flick, The Forest. And, while, it's great to see her in a horror flick, I didn't see said movie. But, reviews for it were less than stellar...

54. Emily VanCamp (new)- VanCamp plays Sharon Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This year in the incredible Captain America: Civil War, she locked lips with the lucky Captain, himself. I wish we got to see her kick a little more ass in the movie, but she looked good, regardless. Hell, they even made a Pop figure of her! I crushed on her so hard, that that was the first Pop from the Civil War set that I bought!




 

53. Emma Anzai (last year ranked 2014 #51)- I had the pleasure of seeing Sick Puppies live for my second time in my life earlier this year. The band have a new signer and released a new album, Fury, which is great! Anzai, as always, is one of hard rock's best bass players, and absolutely gorgeous, as well! She is impossible to take one's eyes off of!



52. Mary Elizabeth Winstead (new)- 10 Cloverfield Lane is one of the year's finest and most nail biting horror movies. The absolutely stunning Ms. Winstead, along her costar with John Goodman, gave one of the best performances in the entire genre this year. While, she has done quite a few horror flicks, this is, up to now in her career, her finest genre work.







51. Debbie Rochon (last year ranked 2014 same)- The hardest working woman in horror returns to this list after a two year absence, in the same spot no less, thanks to her directorial debut Model Hunger. I was so happy to see her for a signing for the DVD at Forbidden Planet in NYC (which ended up being a very popular post in my site). As well as seeing and reviewing the movie itself, which is great! Debbie is, of course, as stunning, as ever!

The 70 Hottest Babes of 2016, pt. 1: 70-61

Read More

BLACK CHRISTMAS (2006) (Review)

Title: Black Christmas (Black Xmas)  

Writer/ Director:  Glen Morgan
Cast: Katie Cassidy, Michelle Trachtenberg, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Lacey Chabert, Kristen Cloke

Year: 2006

Min: 84

Several years ago a disturbed young man named Billy killed his mom and her lover, and gouged one of the eyes of his daughter (whose mother is his own mom, via an incestuous moment of sexual abuse on her part). He gets locked up in an insane asylum. But, on Christmas Eve he escapes and heads back to his old home, where a sorority now live. A small group of the girls are celebrating the holidays there and soon, one by one, they are killed by Billy.

A remake of the original Bob Clark (who also made A Christmas Story!) classic flick from 1974, this nasty little slasher is far better than perhaps you may have been lead to believe. When the movie first came out it had a ton of hate from fans of the original, as well as spawning controversy thanks to a group of close minded buffoons who felt that the movie somehow hurt the "sanctity" of Christmas or some lame shit like that. The former I can understand, but I'll debate here why I think they are wrong. The later is just bullshit.

To it's advantage Black Christmas has, thankfully, slowly gained a cult following over the years, as more horror fans have watched it and given its due chance. Those who have yet to see it are really doing themselves (and the movie and its cast and crew) a disservice. Even those who only watched it once and hated it, should give it a new look, with more open eyes.

First and foremost, no this movie is not on the level of the Clark classic, but then not many remakes are on the level of the movie that inspired it. And, in the case of the original Black Christmas, it is one of the most important and influential slasher flicks ever. It is amazing to think that it precedes both Halloween and Friday the 13th (and even When a Stranger Calls, another horror film that is "inspired" by it). So clearly this movie had an uphill battle from the get go. But, here is the thing, it knew it did, and as all good remakes should, it went down its own path.

A major difference is the identity of Billy, in the original he is a mystery. But not here, the remake is not interested in keeping him a secret. He is given a decidedly sleazy backstory, one filled with the aforementioned incest abuse and cannibalism, with a touch of very black humor. It helps to add a good sense of shock and a welcome fucked up quality to the movie.

The movie has some great gore, unlike the restrained original film. Going in this route makes sense in setting itself and in upping the stakes. It also just adds to the fun of it all. There is lots of eyeball violence, as well as splashing and splattering blood, stabbings, impalings, a head gets sliced open, and more. All of the gore FX are excellently handled by Chris Divett. They are sure to please splatter fans watching this flick.

The mostly female cast is quite good, as well as stunningly beautiful. In fact, I think this movie has one of the most babetastic casts I have ever seen in an American horror movie. Most the girls play likeable characters, with a couple really standing out with some really great lines in their dialogue. Michelle (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) Trachtenberg and Crystal (of Final Destination 3 here playing a lush and being a blast in her role)  Lowe are two who deliver some of those great lines. It should also be noted, cause in a slasher movie it is very important, the goregous Ms. Lowe does get nude in a welcome shower scene. Katie Cassidy is quite good in what is actually my favorite movie role of hers. As you can see from those babes the hottie factor is super high, and they are joined by Mary Elizabeth (Cloverfield Lane) Winstead, Lacy (Lost in Space) Chabert, MILFy Kristen (Final Destination) Cloake and more.

But, it's not just the ladies that look good. The movie has a beautiful look to it. Director Glen Morgan really uses the holiday colors of red and green to add a wonderful Argentoesque beauty to it. He also keeps the pacing and movie moving briskly. This keeps the movie fun and helps to make it a great time to be had.

Admit ably the movie like, any slasher, falls under certain cliches. yet, it still manages to avoid one or two and adds a twist here and there. It does come off as a bit empty headed. But, I don't think anyone watching a movie like this looking for a thought provoking piece. They just want a fast and fun movie, and this movie delivers that in a high dosage.

Perhaps the most head scrathingly odd thing about this is that the trailer (which you'll see at the bottom of this review) shows a bunch of stuff not in the movie. From what I heard scenes were shot specifically and only for the trailer. This is a pretty stupid idea that surely pissed some people off. I know, I was a little disappointed to not see them (like the spinning lights/ blades scene) in the movie. You are well advised to not expect everything in the trailer to be in the movie. 

Underrated and sometimes unjustly lumped in with bad remakes, Black Christmas deserves another look. It's great that it has been gaining a following over the years, but I still feel it needs more of it. The movie is gory, fun, fast paced, good looking, both in terms of the actual movie and its stunning female cast. it's aged quite well, and has become a yearly holiday tradition of mine. When judged as its own movie, this holiday horror flick ranks as a nasty and great Yuletide time to be had.

 

3 out of 4

Read More