Horror Crush: Kim Director

It has been a very long time (way too fucking long, if you were to ask me) since we inducted a lady into this site's Horror Crush section. And, with Valentine's Day coming up and it being Women in Horror Month, it feels more appropriate than ever to do so. And, with that being said, this time around the chosen beauty is the stunning Kim Director!   

Kim Director was born on November 13, 1974 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She made her acting debut in Spike Lee's He Got Game (1998). But, I wouldn't know of her till I saw the movie that made her one of my personal favorite horror crushes (and thus paved the way for her induction): Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000).

Taking a meta approach, this often, and unjustly, at that, maligned sequel, has the events of the first movie, be just that a movie. Or is it? As our characters go off to prove if it was indeed real or just reel. Kim plays one of said characters, Kim a gorgeous, goth babe that is hotter than hell. Director is quite good in her role, as is the rest of the cast.

If you wanna go much deeper into my thoughts on this flick, please read my review of it. But, long story short, it maybe flawed but is still a good movie. One that I truly believe has aged much better than its predecessor. Also, starring in the movie is the gorgeous Erica (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake) Leershen. My questions is would you like to see her inducted into Horror Crushes? Let me know in the comments section below if so!

And, regardless of your thoughts on the movie itself (though, I firmly feel those who dislike it should give a second chance) I think we can all agree that Director looks breathtaking in it. This is especially true for those of who love goth girls! 

Director, though, wouldn't return to horror movies, themselves, till 2016 for M. Knight Shaymalan's Split, in an uncredited role as a character named Hannah. I am guessing this was a small role, and I honestly didn't notice her in it. Did any of you guys notice her role?

She would, eventually, start doing conventions (you know while those actually were still occurring) beginning with Chiller Theatre April 2018. I met her there, and she was so genuinely sweet and, of course, breathtakingly beautiful. She followed that up with NJ Horror Con March 2019, where she actually remembered my friend and myself! I didn't get a pic with her at that event, but one of my friends did (note: as such there are no pics of her my in report concerning NJ Horror Con.).  

Then in 2020, she appeared on an episode of NOS4A2 as a character named Sasha in an episode called "Good Father". I have never watched this show, but if you have let me know in the comments, especially your thoughts on her in said episode.

And, she has an upcoming in Glen Danzig's

Death Rider in the House of the Vampires. This movie also stars Devon Sawa, Julian Sands, Danny Trejo, and the Soska Sisters! It looks like it is sexy and gory fun, and Director looks incredible in the trailer! And, quite frankly it is said trailer that made it very clear that sealed the deal on this induction. You can watch said trailer below. 

Kim Director is an absolute stunning beauty (those eyes!!), naturally sexy, and a great actress (check out her amazing performance in HBO's The Deuce for proof). And, while she hadn't done that much horror, she is, in recent years, beginning to rack up the appearances in the genre. Plus, she really likes being at horror conventions. But, even outside of that, her role in Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 pretty much certifies that she deserves being her. Long, long overdue, it is with great honor that I declare Kim Director an official inductee into this site's Horror Crushes! 

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Horror Crush: Shawnee Smith

Our latest induction into Horror Crushes is one of my all time biggest crushes (as I am sure she is for many of you). She is also one of the most popular and beloved actresses to ever grace our genre. And, with this also being Women in Horror month, it fells like the perfect time for this induction. She is the breathtakingly gorgeous Shanwee Smith!!

Smith was born on July 3, 1969 in Orangeburg, South Carolina. She has been acting since childhood, starting onstage and getting her first movie role, in the 1982 musical Annie. But, this profile really begins in 1987, with Summer School.

While, not a horror movie in any way, shape, or form, this comedy about teens who have to take a remedial English class in, you guessed it, summer time, has two horror and make-up FX loving dudes. In the movie's most beloved scene, said gorehounds make the students all look they got mutilated in a slasher flick. Smith plays Rhonda, a pregnant teen. Our horror loving kids make her out to look like she had a ruler shoved into her mouth. It's a funny and likable comedy (this coming from someone who hates comedies), especially if you are a horror fan, as you'll love the two aforementioned dudes (one of whom is called "Chainsaw"!). And, of course, you'll love Smith, who looks super cute and is delightful in the film.

A year later, she starred in her best movie and role, the one where countless of guys (and probably some girls, too) crushed on her: Chuck (A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3: Dream Warriors) Russell's The Blob (1988). Like the original, a shapeless life-form from outer space terrorizes a small town, and gets bigger and bigger, as it eats every living being in site.

While, the original is a fun and likable little sci-fi/ horror flick, this amazing remake is one of the rare ones that top its original. It ranks right up there with The Fly and The Thing, as one of the finest remakes ever made. It has kick ass action, some really graphic gore (especially for a big studio horror movie), great FX, cool characters, excellent acting, and everything else that makes a movie try fucking rule! It's been one of my personal favorite movies ever since I first saw it, as a kid.

Smith plays Meg Penny, a sweet and all around good, small town girl and cheerleader. But, she is also, brave, plucky, and tough, as she fights to save and protect those she cares about and kick the Blob's ass (not that I think it actually has one, but I could be wrong?). She is also hot as hell, I mean she is a freaking cheerleader, for fuck's sake! I really wanted to meet a Meg of mine own in high school, but if course real life is terminally lake. She is major part, of many awesome parts, as to why I love this movie so much! To me, she is right up there with Ripley in monster ass kicking. In, fact the film makes a great triple feature with Aliens and the aforementioned The Thing.

After that she took a long movie break from horror shooting other genres, (except on TV where she did lots of horror work, but we'll get to that later), until 1998's remake of Carnival of Souls. Executive produced by Wes Craven, I think I only watched a little bit of it cause what I saw was pretty fucking awful. But, hey maybe I am wrong, and it's good! If by some act of God, that is the case let me know in the comments section below. Also, let me know how Smith was. One thing is for sure, she looked gorgeous in it, but that is a fucking given right?

In 2004, she returned to horror in what might be her most iconic role in the genre. It is certainly her only recurring one, Amanda in Saw. I loved her performance in this one, as the junkie who passes and escapes Jigsaw's trap (the iconic one from below). She was so good, that her character appeared in all the films, whether through original footage or archive, even though Amanda died in the awesome and gore-drenched third installment.

I flipped the fuck out seeing her in the movie and how beautiful she still was. Anytime she appeared in a subsequent Saw sequel I was happy as fucking hell.

It gave her career a new shot in the arm, and certified her as a scream queen, enough so that she appeared in an issue of Maxim. I remember that photo shoot, quite well and ranks among my favorites that they ever did! 

It is also thanks to Saw, that she was one of the hosts and mentors on Scream Queens, possibly my favorite reality show of all time. She looked incredibly hot on it, and the contestants were babes, too!

But, way before she ever that show she had appeared in other horror television.
They include:
The TV Stephen King miniseries The Stand  (1994) from Mick Garris, which is mostly meh, aside from the awesome beginning and her hotness. In fact, watching this as a teen, I crushed hard on her (again!). Oh, yeah the ending to that thing sucked ass. She would return to work for Garris on a much better Stephen King mini-series, The Shining (1997). But, that was honestly just a cameo.

The X-Files episode "Firwalker" (1994) which I barely remember (which is funny cause it wasn't that many years ago that I rewatched it), aside from her looking cute with short hair.

And, finally (as far as the horror goes), in 2008 she appeared in the Fear.Net (remember them?) series 30 Days of Night: Dust to Dust, which honest to God I don't recall ever reading or hearing about. This despite my love for Smith. Any of you ever seen it and if so thoughts? Leave them in the comments section below.

I actually met at the and only Sawmania convention on November 15, 2008. She was very sweet and a total knockout in person. Meeting her remains one of my favorite horror con moments!

And, I think that about covers it. She's has a long standing history with the genre and appearing in two legitimate horror classics, The Blob and Saw (and its sequels!), and other horror work. Her breathtaking and seemingly eternal beauty, make her a goddess. And, then throw in her acting prowess, and your realize that she has it all. In summation, is there a question as to why she is an official Horror Crush? I think not!
In the comments section below, tell me what is your favorite Shawnee Smith role and/ or movie!

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Horror Crush: Valerie Hartman

I usually try and do some Horror Crushes during Women in Horror Month, but I wasn't able to. Until, right now that is! Today's inclusion into this site's hallowed hall of beauty is the beautiful Valerie Hartman, a huge crush of mine as a kid, and a very underrated and lovely lady.

Finding any information on the beautiful Ms. Hartman is very difficult. She only has three acting credits to her name. We are focusing on her first and most famous, to horror fans anyways, role and that is of the naughty Ally in Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers.

The best of the sequels in the franchise, picks up several years after the first one. Angela (this time and in the following film played by the Boss' real life sister Pamela Springsteen) has had a sex change is a camp counselor at a camp filled with teens. It's good, empty headed fun, that pokes fun at itself and slasher movies, way before many others even thought of it. The gore is pretty good, but it is done with such a fun spirit that it never really feels nasty or mean spirited.

Among the teens is Hartman's character of Ally. For all intents and purposes the slut of the movie, Ally only really thinks about getting laid. Oh, and, showing off her most impressive boobs, which she does a lot, throughout the course of the movie. For the most part, she is a likable character. Being promiscuous does not make a character a bad person, despite what slasher movies may want to tell you. But, when she snaps at our final girl (played well by pretty sister of Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen, Renee Estevez), it's easier to hate her.

It still sucks when she dies, cause she is a fun character. Also, cause she can't take her top off again. Hartman is good in her role, doing her best with a character that really doesn't have any depth aside from her hot body and wanting to get boned.

Her only other horror credit is working as an assistant to the director and being a raccoon wrangler on the inferior (to the first two) but still highly enjoyable Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland. She did two more acting gigs, both non-horror, until disappearing from the entertainment biz. If any of you know what she is up currently up to I would love to know, tell me in the comments section, below.

She may have had only one acting gig in horror, but Valerie Hartman made it count! Naturally beautiful and with a real fun quality about her that shined in her sexy role, Hartman is impossible to forget. Showing her knockers a good four times or so in the movie, she ranks as one of the most memorable nudes in horror history. With all of these attributes, and more, there is no way that she does not deserve her inclusion into this site's Horror Crushes!

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WiHM Massive Blood Drive "Blood Bus" by Marilyn Thomas

Picture courtesy of the Twisted Twins.

Time for another Women in Horror Month Massive Blood Drive short flick. This one is a ton of fun! Read about it and see it below!

From the Twisted Twins official press release: 

Next up is a segment from an extremely talented Canadian filmmaker (who usually kicks my butt at horror short competitions) who has taken the leap from wearing every other hat on set to directing her first short, Marilyn Thomas.

You are going to love this one - it was a perfect storm of killer amazing talent who came together to make it happen including American Mary's Paula Lindberg and fellow Canadian artist heavy weight, Crystal Lowe.

DISCLAIMER: This IS Horror, boys and grrls, so SOME of these do have VERY naughty content. Blood. Gore. EXTREME gore. Disturbing situations. Nudity. Sexual situations. Violence. Language.

If you are SENSITIVE to this kind of content, be a mature human being and just don't watch. No need to spoil the fun for us fellow weirdos. We're not hurting anyone. It just REALLY looks like we are ;)

THE BLOOD HITS THE FLOOR AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!!!

Tune into Marilyn Thomas' 'Blood Bus' 

Credits/bio
Why this is important:
I've always been a fan of the blood drive, but because of health issues, have never been able to donate. Last year, I found out that people of color are very rare donors. I realized that as a First Nations person, I wanted to change that. This year, I'm not only donating blood, but I've signed up as a bone marrow donor and ensured to check off organ donation. Blood donation is the easiest to give. It takes minutes, and you don't have to die to help someone out.

BLOOD BUS CAST

Paula Lindberg - Actor
Paula Lindberg RADA-trained Paula Lindberg has built a solid genre reputation with her appearances on 'Fringe' and 'Supernatural' but attained immediate cult status from her portrayal of Ruby Realgirl in the breakout horror hit 'American Mary'. Watch for her starring in the upcoming Corey Haim/Corey Feldman biopic coming out this spring
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2740099/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Sarah Booth – Stunt Actor
Sarah Booth has been an actress in theatre, television and film since 2008. Most notably, she was the lead role in the feature film ‘The Scarehouse’ (Universal Studios) and a guest role on Law & Order: SVU” , a role on American Horror Story VI. Sarah can currently be seen at Universal Studios Hollywood playing the lead role of Helen in the Waterworld Live Stunt Show.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3567018/?ref_=rvi_nm

Mike DeCamp – Actor/Stunt Coordinator
Mike DeCamp is a stunt performer and actor for theatre, television and film. Mike studied at UCLA and UC Irvine (CA). He can be seen in projects such as Deadliest Warrior (Spike TV) as well as Pandemic (New Artist Alliance) and Six Gun Savior (New Artist Alliance.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2261085/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Marilyn Thomas – Director/Writer
Marilyn Thomas has created a number of award winning short films including, 'Shi-Shi- Etko', 'The Secret Life Of Cassandra Brown' and 'JACK'. She has sold a number of features, as well, she has written and produced documentaries including 'Path of Pilgrims'. In the realm of digital media, she has created numerous web series & and the successful interactive e-book series 'Brambleberry Tales' which is an iTunes editors choice.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2118200/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Crystal Lowe – Producer/Actress
Crystal Lowe has multiple series regular roles to her name and is no stranger to Horror fans from her work in the 'Final Destination', 'Wrong Turn', 'Children of the Corn' franchises. She currently stars in 'Signed, Sealed, & Delivered' for the Hallmark channel & her last three produced short films have garnered international acclaim.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0522909/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Cory Brandon Clay – Director of Photography / Producer
Cory Brandon Clay is an Emmy Award Winning Producer, Director of Photography &; Photographer. He studied at Webster University in Saint Louis, Missouri, UCLA. Cory collected his first Emmy &Telly Awards for PBS Documentary work. In 2002 he relocated to Los Angeles, where he filmed TV shows such as NCIS, NUMBERS, AMERICAN IDOL, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE; and feature films such as BORDERTOWN & BULLETPROOF MONK. Hes’ worked on commercials for Nissan, Toyota, & Adidas. In 2013 Cory established The Jukebox Romeos, a creative production agency dedicated to the work of feature films, music video content & live concert films. His clients include Kid Rock, CMT, Papa Roach, MTV, Discovery, Velocity, Blackberry Smoke, Warner Music, Universal Music Group, Red Light Management, ABC & Carrie Underwood.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1308281/

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WiHM Massive Blood Drive "Twinpool" by Lauro Chartrand and The Soska Sisters

Pictures courtesy of the Twisted Twins.

Today's video is hilarious, fun, and ultra-violent parody that will please my fellow comic-book fans, for sure! Read more about it and see it below:

We've got a special treat for you today. As we celebrate Women In Horror Month, now in its 9th year, we have expanded our WiHM MASSIVE Blood Drive to include 30 filmmaking teams from around the world. Today it's time to see what the Sisters Soska have in store for you. Joining forces with one of the biggest badasses on the planet, a talented filmmaker and world renowned stunt coordinator and performer, Lauro Chartrand, we've decided to take our slogan "follow your stupid fucking dreams" to heart. No one will ever make your opportunities happen for you, you have to make your dreams into a reality. Don't let them stay just dreams. This is a parody for charity and the one thing as close to our heart as the cause of blood donation. In all honesty, you should have been expecting this from us. 

DISCLAIMER: This IS Horror, boys and grrls, so SOME of these do have VERY naughty content. Blood. Gore. EXTREME gore. Disturbing situations. Nudity. Sexual situations. Violence. Language.

If you are SENSITIVE to this kind of content, be a mature human being and just don't watch. No need to spoil the fun for us fellow weirdos. We're not hurting anyone. It just REALLY looks like we are ;)

ALSO this IS A PARODY. For CHARITY. No spoilers. Watch this yourself like a billion fucking times. You're welcome. 

ALL PSAs GO LIVE AT MIDNIGHT PST

SHOWTIME!!!!

We now unleash "TWINPOOL" by Lauro Chartrand and The Soska Sisters

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Lauro Chartrand

Lauro has close to three decades of experience in the film industry. Starting his career as
a stunt performer and coordinator and then 2nd unit Directing. He has worked with some
of Hollywood’s biggest action stars, including Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, Jackie Chan,
Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and Chuck Norris. Influenced by
directors such as Tony Scott, Guy Ritchie, and Luc Besson.
Capitalizing on this strong foundation in the action genre, Lauro steadily moved his way
up to directing TV and feature films. Most recently he completed his 4th film as director,
the dramatic MOW thriller for Lifetime, “One Small Indiscretion”. Currently, Lauro is
immersed in his next film venture, which he wrote, is producing and directing – the
Western Thriller entitled “Crimson Creek”.
The Genre in which I wish to work in: Action/Adventure/Horror - Features & TV
My Last 3 credits: One Small Indiscretion, Blackburn Asylum, and Born To Raise Hell.
TV - 3 episodes of True Justice

www.laurochartrand.com

The Soska Sisters

The Soska Sisters are Canadian twin badasses who didn't like what they saw in the entertainment industry and took it upon themselves to fix it. After initially setting out to be actresses and finding themselves auditioning for too many stereotypical roles, they decided to create their own film with empowered female characters, a film that would change the indie scene forever, DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK. Content with being outsiders, they followed up their grindhouse hit with the stylized, body modification tale, AMERICAN MARY, which cemented their place as a pair to be watched. Always ones to break new ground and keep audiences guessing, they went on to become the first female directors hired by the WWE and resurrected the SEE NO EVIL 2 franchise with WWE Superstar Kane and followed it up with VENDETTA which turned heart throb Dean Cain into a vengeful cop turned convict hellbent on bringing down WWE's The Big Show. Huge personalities on and off camera, this dynamic duo captured the attention of Blumhouse and followed in the hostessing footsteps of their heroine Elvira to host their survival horror game show, Hellevator. And while the two seek to create better and more diversified roles for women in entertainment, their strong and vocal support for causes of gender equality and LGBTQ rights is just one facet of their filmmaking careers. 

http://www.twistedtwinsproductions.net/

ARTISTS' STATEMENT:

For the love of God go donate some fucking blood, please and thank you. People are dying without it and you'll probably need some some day or someone you love will so go be a hero. Save some lives. Do good. After all, it's in you to give.

Look for a NEW WiHM Massive Blood Drive PSA every day with the last one appearing on February 28th.

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WiHM Massive Blood Drive "Donor" by Atropa Films

A new video from WiHM Massive Blood Drive, and this one is especially gruesome and gory! Read about it and see it below:

From the Twisted Twins official press release: 

February rages on celebrating Women In Horror Month, now in its 9th year and with it returns the WiHM MASSIVE Blood Drive! Every year we gather filmmakers from all around the world to create public service announcements encouraging horror fans (aka the coolest, kindest people on the planet) to roll up their sleeves and Be A Hero by donating blood. This year we are very happy to have 30 filmmaking teams contributing making this easily our biggest year yet.


DISCLAIMER: This IS Horror, boys and grrls, so SOME of these do have VERY naughty content. Blood. Gore. EXTREME gore. Disturbing situations. Nudity. Sexual situations. Violence. Language.

If you are SENSITIVE to this kind of content, be a mature human being and just don't watch. No need to spoil the fun for us fellow weirdos. We're not hurting anyone. It just REALLY looks like we are ;)

Seriously, do not watch this if you are sensitive. You'll have nightmares.

ALL PSAs GO LIVE AT MIDNIGHT PST

Let's get it on!

Up Next: "Donor" by Atropa Films

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Atropa Films is a an Edmonton-based independent filmmaking collective putting a queer gaze on genre films. With a shared lifelong love of horror movies and backgrounds in various artistic disciplines, our team brings queer visibility, narratives, and representation to all of our films both on and off screen. We aim to bring a voice and narrative focus that has been glaringly absent from many subgenres of horror, blending what we love about genre cinema with queer perspectives and storytelling.

SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AtropaFilms/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atropafilms/
twitter: https://twitter.com/AtropaFilms
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCss_Wg-rX6einAH6G1NPHFQ

ARTIST'S STATEMENT:

We are so excited to be involved in this year’s blood drive because horror and blood donation are two things we are very passionate about – a number of our crew members are actually students of or currently working in health sciences. Some of us can’t donate blood at this time due to various restrictions and ineligibilities, so we hope that taking part in this project will help bring awareness to those who can. We also want to use this platform as an opportunity to remind everyone that Canada still has incredibly archaic laws around blood donation that prevent many people we love from donating. Men, as well as trans women, who have sex with men are not allowed to donate blood without first meeting strict requirements that are not feasible for many. During the last Canadian federal election campaign, Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party stated that they “will bring an end to the discriminatory ban” as “this policy ignores scientific evidence.” Please get in touch with your MP and encourage them to push for an end to the stigmatizing blood donation ban so that more of our friends and community members can be heroes as well.

(Source: https://www.liberal.ca/realchange/ending-msm-blood-donation-ban/)

Look for a NEW WiHM Massive Blood Drive PSA every day with the last one appearing on March 1st.

For more on Women In Horror Month check out the official site at: http://www.womeninhorrormonth.com/

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