Horror Crush: Cheryl Lawson

Would you look at this. It's time for yet another Horror Crush inductee! And, she just happens to be one of the hottest actresses ever: Cheryl Lawson!

The lovely Cheryl Lawson was born on December 20,1963. I first saw her in the fun mad scientist/ zombie flick The Dead Pit (1989). It tells the tale of a Jane Doe (Lawson) who is in an asylum due to her amnesia and behavior. The thing is the asylum is one where, as we see in the prologue, a mad scientist was conducting experiments and had a pit (I'll let you guess what kind a pit it was) in the basement. He was stopped and killed by the current head doctor, who is now giving Doe her therapy, through hypnosis. An earthquake hits the joint, meanwhile Doe is haunted by nightmares and a feeling of some evil shit going down, Our lead mad doctor has come back from the grave and is racking up a body count. And, soon his experiments rise up and resurrect from that aforementioned pit, looking for victims. All the while, Doe and others try to survive and learn what the fuck is happening,

I first this one on VHS having read about it Fangoria. I rented the movie and really enjoyed it and its gore. But, that was ages ago, when I was a kid. I hadn't seen it since then. That was until, just a few days ago when I finally rewatched on the excellent Code Red Blu-ray. I found that yes it is a little cheesy, but it's also a whole lot of fun. The movie is good looking and has some really well done make-up FX. It ain't as gory as I recall it being, but there is still some good bloodletting. Included amongst that is some awesome meltdowns and lots of brains that get exposed and/ or pulled out.

But, Lawson was what stuck with me the most as a kid. I had the absolute, biggest crush on her after seeing this film. She is absolutely gorgeous and has one of the best bodies, in all of horror. She also spends all of her time in the movie in a barely there tank-top and her undies. Plus, she has one topless scene where she has a nightmare about being hung and tired from her wrists. Soon afterwards, a hose sprays and rips-off that tiny top. But, she's also really good in her role, being likable and having a great scream. The later of which was praised by no less an expert than Joe Bob Briggs, himself!

She also appeared in a horror flick Vineyard (1989) and played the role of "pretty woman in the media zone" in the sci-fi thriller Virtousity (1995). But, I never saw the former and remember nothing about the Denzel Washington starring later film, other than it was mid as fuck. Beyond that most of her work, in the genre and beyond, has been doing stunts.

Cheryl Lawson's role in The Dead Pit makes her one of the sexiest women to ever grace our beloved genre. Thus she more than deserves being one of our Horror Crushes!

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Horror Crush: Katherine Heigl

Our latest induction into Horror Crushes is also a perfect pick for Valentine's Day: the gorgeous Katherine Heigl!

Katherine Heigl was born in Washington DC on November 28, 1978 and was the youngest of four children, Her father is Irish-German (with a Swiss German ancestry), while her mom is of German descent. She started her career modeling and began acting in 1992's That Night. She would eventually become the queen of the rom-com and be well known for the TV series Grey's Anatomy. But, I can honestly I have never seen any of those and that's obliviously not what got her this honor. 

She first caught my eye when as a teen I saw her in ads and doing promotion for My Father the Hero (1994). I thought was a total babe, which got further solidified when she appeared as Steven Segal's niece in the entertaining sequel Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995). But, it's 1998's Bride of Chucky that remains my favorite movie of hers.

My favorite of the Chucky sequels, has our favorite murderous doll getting resurrected by his sexy and voluptuous girlfriend Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly). Heigl plays Jade a cutie who along with her boyfriend become unwittingly involved when they are taken as hostages by the killer doll couple. 

With stylish directing by Ronny Yu, Bride is an absolute blast to watch. It's funny, gory, and thanks to Tilly, in human form anyways, a sexy movie. Heigl is fine in her role, being likable even if slightly bland. She looks absolutely gorgeous and having loved her in that aforementioned Segal movie, I was super happy to see her in a horror movie! I As much, as I love Tilly, who obviously has the more significant role and character, it's Heigl I crushed on the most. 

Her next horror flick was 2001's Scream inspired Valentine. In it, a group of hot, female friends get offed by a whack-job in a Cupid/ Cherub mask. You see, back in junior high they rejected and made fun of a nerdy kid. Now, he wants revenge and decides to off them when they are college aged. 

Like any post Scream movie Valentine is filled with impossibly beautiful people. In the lovely ladies department, aside, from Heigl we also get Marley Shelton, Denise Richards, Jessica Cauffiel, Jessica Capshaw, and a couple of other beauties. Also, like those movies the gore is pretty low. Though the MPAA did excise some splatter for an R-rating, cause of course they did. And, also of course, there is no nudity, sadly. Still, the cast is good, the women hot, and director Jamie Blanks does add some style making for a good looking movie. It's fun even if it is also dumb as fucking shit, especially when it reaches its ending.

Heigl plays Shelley Fisher, the first of the friends who gets whacked. She is a medical student, who goes on a date with some douchebag. Admit ably one of the things I like about the movie is that every guy the girls meet is awful. It adds to the fun. Anywho, this is my favorite role of hers, as she is spunky and funny, on top of looking great in a tank-top. And, in a movie filled with babes, she was, once again my favorite lady. Sadly, she doesn't seem to agree, as Heigl has shit on the film for its supposedly graphic violence and treatment of women. Then again, she doesn't seem to like anything she's done in her past, so whatever.

Now, I gotta admit that I thought this was her final role in horror. But, in doing research for this post I found out that I was wrong! She appeared in the 2002 episode "Cradle of  Darkness" from The Twilight Zone. Apparently this one has to do with killing baby Hitler, which sounds awesome!

Then, she appeared in a 2003 Edgar Allan Poe inspired flick called Descendant.

And, also that year, she appeared in a made for TV horror flick (which honestly is usually a dreaded combination of words, especially post 70s) called Evil Never Dies. If any of you have seen any of these three, let me know how they are in the comments section below.

Like I said, she is certainly more known for movies and TV shows I have zero fucking interest of watching. And, as such I had lost interest in her. Until, I found out about her love of dogs, through her social media. And, so with it being Valentine's Day today and her past horror roles, I am honored (even she might not be, though let's be honest she'll never read this) to induct Katherine Heigl into Horror Crushes!

I would also like to wish you all a very Happy Valentine's Day!

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Horror Crush: Liliana Komorowska

After too long a break, it's time to induct another stunner into my site's Horror Crushes! Today that honor goes to the impossibly sexy and gorgeous Liliana Komorowska.

Liliana Komorowska was born in Gdańsk, Poland on April 11, 1956. She has appeared in more than fifty movies! And, while very few of those are actually horror movies, the role that gets her the induction here, is unforgettable!

That role is of bad girl Helena Monet in Scanners III: The Take Over (1991). This third entry in the franchise tells the tale of Monet (Komorowska) and her brother (Steve Parrish) who are both Scanners. While, he has gone into exile to learn to control his powers after accidentally killing someone, she has stayed behind. The psychical pain of being a Scanner becomes to much for her, and she uses her father's experimental drug on herself. Unfortunately, it drives her mad, and she becomes evil, power hungry, and, well, insane. She takes over her dad's pharmaceutical company and sets her eyes on world domination with the help of other Scanners. She will do battle with her bro, though as he has come back to stop her.

The first movie, of course, is the cult classic from horror master David Cronenberg, and the second entry is directed by the same director as this one, Christian Duguay. All three are Canadian films and were followed by the two Scanner Cop movies. Anywho, this one definitely looks cheaper than the two that precede it. But, you won't care, cause it's a super fun movie filled with wild characters. There is, of course, some good gore here including, but not limited to the prerequisite head explosion, a very memorable underwater full body detonation, an awesome decapitation, and more. It also has this wonderful, kind of campy feel to it that adds to one's enjoyment. It's the weakest of the first three movies, but not by much. And, as you can see from my words, is an absolute blast to watch.

That being said, it is Komorowska who steals the film. From the moment I watched the VHS tape, as a kid, I absolutely crushed on her. Watching it recently for the first time in ages on Scream Factory's Double Feature Blu-Ray release, I crushed all over again! She's sexy as hell, vamps it up, and chews up the scenery. She is also breathtakingly beautiful with stunning eyes and amazing legs to boot. That she also appears nude in the movie only earns more points!

In 1995, she appeared in the sci-fi/ horror flick Screamers. Like I mentioned back when I inducted the stunning Jennifer Rubin into Horror Crushes, this ain't a good flick. Honestly, I didn't even know/ realize Komorowska is in until today! Anywho, she looks good in it, and is one of the few movies to have two Horror Crush inductees. So there is that.

She also appeared on The Hunger TV series in one episode in 1997. I have never watched a single episode of this show, so I have no clue how it was, or how she was in it. If you have seen it, let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

An absolutely stunning woman who is effortlessly sexy, Komorowska is an underrated but awesome actress. Her character of Helena in that third Scanners flick, alone makes her a worthy candidate for inclusion, into Horror Crushes!

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Cannibal Corpse Drops Gory Video for " Vengeful Invasion', as North American Tour with Amon Amarth Draws Near

Photo by Alex Morgan

Watch CANNIBAL CORPSE’s “Vengeful Invasion” video HERE.

Death metal icons CANNIBAL CORPSE are pleased to unleash a video for “Vengeful Invasion.” The track comes by way of the band’s critically-adored Chaos Horrific full-length, released last Fall via Metal Blade Records.



The video was directed and edited by Zev Deans and shot by Brendan McGowan with SFX makeup by Nina Carelli, AI footage manipulation by KingCon2k11, and stars Actually Huizenga from the band Patriarchy. With “Vengeful Invasion,” a human trafficking revenge tale spirals into grotesque phantasmagoria in the spirit of Japanese horror classics. 

Watch CANNIBAL CORPSE’s “Vengeful Invasion” video HERE.

Watch CANNIBAL CORPSE’s previously released videos for “Chaos Horrific” HERE, “Blood Blind” HERE, and “Summoned For Sacrifice” HERE.

Since 1988, CANNIBAL CORPSE has remained at the forefront of death metal, shaping and defining the genre. In 2021, they raised the stakes again with their Violence Unimagined full-length. In 2023 they returned with its successor, the equally monstrous Chaos Horrific, consequently beginning the next chapter in their legacy. Produced again by guitarist Erik Rutan, who has now produced six of the band’s albums, Chaos Horrific is, without question, a full-on, CANNIBAL-style death metal outing, straight down to the themes, which include zombie warfare, resetting the human race through mass mutilations, and the violent revenge of victims of human trafficking, and its cover art by longtime collaborator Vince Locke.

Chaos Horrific slaughtered Billboard charts upon its first week of release, earning the #7 position on the Billboard Album Sales chart, #2 on the Hard Music Albums chart, #3 on the Rock Albums chart, #5 on the Independent Label Albums chart, and more!

The record is available on digipak CD, cassette, and digital formats as well as vinyl in multiple limited color variants.

Secure your copy today at the CANNIBAL CORPSE store at: cannibalcorpse.store and Metal Blade at: metalblade.com/cannibalcorpse.

This April, CANNIBAL CORPSE will join labelmates Amon Amarth on the Metal Crushes All Tour. The journey runs from April 21st through May 25th and includes performances at the historic Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver as well as arena stops in Portland, Vancouver, Quebec City, Asheville, Tampa, and Anaheim. Additional support will be provided by Obituary and Frozen Soul. See all confirmed dates below. 

CANNIBAL CORPSE w/ Amon Amarth, Obituary, Frozen Soul:

4/21/2024 Revel Entertainment Center – Albuquerque, NM

4/22/2024 Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Denver, CO

4/24/2024 The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT

4/26/2024 Alaska Airlines’ Theater Of The Clouds – Portland, OR *

4/27/2024 PNE Forum – Vancouver, BC *

4/29/2024 Edmonton Convention Center – Edmonton, AB

4/30/2024 Grey Eagle Event Center – Calgary, AB

5/03/2024 Steelhouse – Omaha, NE

5/04/2024 The Sylvee – Madison, WI

5/05/2024 GLC Live At 20 Monroe – Grand Rapids, MI

5/07/2024 Rose Music Center At The Heights – Huber Heights, OH

5/09/2024 The Wellmont – Montclair, NJ

5/10/2024 Toyota Oakdale Theater – Wallingford, CT

5/11/2024 Videotron Centre – Quebec City, QC *

5/13/2024 The Fillmore Philadelphia – Philadelphia, PA

5/14/2024 The Fillmore Silver Spring – Silver Spring, MD

5/16/2024 ExploreAsheville.com Arena – Asheville, NC *

5/17/2024 House Of Blues – Myrtle Beach, SC

5/18/2024 Yuengling Center – Tampa, FL *

5/20/2024 Bayou Music Center – Houston, TX

5/21/2024 Boeing Center At Tech Port – San Antonio, TX

5/23/2024 Arizona Financial Theatre – Phoenix, AZ

5/24/2024 Pearl Concert Theater At Palms Casino Resort – Las Vegas, NV

5/25/2024 Honda Center – Anaheim, CA *

* arena show

“Chaos Horrific manages to be easily digestible while also being honeycombed with nuance and is a nearly perfect record.” – Decibel Magazine

“Chaos Horrific is a better, more diverse and memorable version of its predecessor… CANNIBAL CORPSE won’t release the scabrous crown any time soon…They are still the best of the best.” – Blabbermouth

“It’s as if the chords and arrangement were calculated specifically to keep the moshpits churning, with breakdowns and tempo changes piggy-backing off one another in a cascade of brutality.” – Consequence on “Summoned For Sacrifice” (Heavy Song Of The Week) 

“They’re one of the hardest working bands in the game, their sound has never gotten a drop less brutal, and their coolness factor has never waned.” – Revolver

“It’s simply amazing how HEAVY this record is. I know that sounds superficial, I mean … come on, it’s a death metal record. But seriously, the way Erik dials in the guitar tone and syncs it up with Alex’s bass and Paul’s kick drum and snare just makes for a totally lethal combination.” – Metal Injection

“This band is an imperious, tweaked-to-perfection wrecking machine at this point… as they prove again, within the opening seconds of ‘Overlords Of Violence,’ CANNIBAL CORPSE are still the hardest hitters in the business.” – Metal Hammer

http://www.cannibalcorpse.net 

https://www.facebook.com/cannibalcorpse 

https://www.instagram.com/cannibalcorpseofficial 

https://twitter.com/corpseofficial 

https://www.metalblade.com   

https://www.facebook.com/metalbladerecords  

https://www.instagram.com/metalbladerecords  

https://twitter.com/MetalBlade   

https://www.metalblade.com/museum  

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