Saturday Scream Queen: Suzi Lorraine

Because there can never be enough pictures of cats on the web, here's actress and model Suzi Lorraine with Loki the Cat.

East Coast born-and-bred, Lorraine has become a familiar and appreciated presence in low-budget horror films in recent years, and she is featured in over a dozen different films slated for release during the second half of this year and through 2014. And I can only assume that even more projects will be added to her very busy schedule.

Saturday Scream Queen: A Pause

Was she late for the photo-shoot? Or did the monsters get her at a late-night movie screening in Colorado, or while she was vacationing in Bulgaria?

Saturday Scream Queen: Winona Ryder

Born to hardcore hippie parents in 1971, Winona Ryder's earliest years were spent on a commune without electricity. Still, she would steal away with her mother to a nearby barn that had electricity to watch movies, often at the expense of going to school.

Ryder eventually graduated from high school with a 4.0 GPA, and she was already on the path to being a professional actress. Although her career has been focused mostly around mainstream dramas and romantic comedies, her first major horror roles came in 1988 when she had starred in both "Beetlejuice" and "Heathers".

Other horror projects have been "Lost Souls" (2000) and "Bram Stoker's Dracula" (1992). Ryder was instrumental in shaping that last project, conceiving and pitching it to producer/director Francis Ford Coppola, and being heavily involved in lining up the cast.

Ryder recently completed work on animated horror comedy "Frankenweenie", providing the voice of Elsa Frankenstein. The film is slated for release on October 5, 2012.

Saturday Scream Queen: Jennifer Carpenter

Born in Kentucky in 1979, Jennifer Carpenter trained at New York City's famous Julliard School, making her professional acting debut on Broadway in 2002. Her first films ro9les were in dramas about New Yorkers in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks ("People Are Dead" in 2002 and "Ash Wednesday" in 2003), and in 2005 she made her had her first horror movie appearances in 2005, with starring roles in "Lethal Eviction" and "The Exorcism of Emily Rose."

In 2006, Carpenter was cast as the foul-mouthed sister-by-adoption and law enforcement colleague of the title character in "Dexter." This long-running mystery television series has lots of horror overtones, as its main character is a psychopath who was molded by his adopted father to be as close to a force for good as he could possibly become, and who become a serial killer who targets serial killers, both identifying them and covering his tracks through his job as a police scientist. Carpenter remains a fixture of the series, which has been renewed by Showtime through 2013.

When not working on the series, Carpenter has continued to make movies, including the chillers "Quarantine" (2008), "The Factory" (2008), and "Gone" (2011).

Carpenter recently completed work on "The Occult," a thriller about members of a religious sect who are being murdered to bring about a prophecy. No firm release date has been set, but it will likely be released around the middle of 2013.

Bonus Scream Queen: Amanda Tapping

It's Independence Day in the United States, and in celebration, I'm presenting the second annual Bonus Scream Queen.

Amanda Tapping is a veteran television actress who spent 13 years portraying U.S. Air Force scientist and inter-stellar explorer Samantha Carter on "Stargate: SG-1" and the spin-off series and movies, from 1997 through 2010. More recently, she starred as the unaging Helen Magnus on the SyFy Channel monster series "Sanctuary", which was formally cancelled in May of 2012 after four seasons.

As she was getting established, Tapping had small parts on several horror series in the mid-1990s, including "Forever Knight", "Goosebumps", "The X-Files", and "Millennium". In between her series work, she also had roles in the horror films "Blacktop", "The Haunting of Lisa", and "The Void".

Tapping's most recent horror film, "Taken Back", was released last month. She plays a deranged mother who think she's located her long-lost daughter living with another couple.

Saturday Scream Queen: Radha Mitchell

Born in Melbourne in 1973, Australian actress Radha Mitchell got her start playing bit-parts on television shows in her homeland during her teens and early 20s. She moved to the United States in 1997, settling in Los Angeles and launching full-tilt into a film career as a leading lady.

Mitchell's resume sports a variety of films, ranging from turn-of-your-brain comedies to intense historical dramas. And, of course, horror films.

Her first horror role came in 2000 when she played an officer on a passenger spaceship that crashes on an uncharted alien world in "Pitch Black". Other chillers followed, several based in psychological horror. Among these are "Visitors" (2003), in which Mitchell and her breasts play a woman trapped in a nightmare while trying to sail around the world; "Silent Hill" (2006), where Mitchell is a mother searching for her missing daughter in a bizarre small town; "Rogue" (2007), in which she plays an Australian Outback guide battling against a killer croc; and "The Crazies" (2010), where she must battle against an entire town gripped by madness.

Mitchell has eight different projects in varying stages of completion and is slated to start work on "Red Window," a new television crime drama in which she stars as the heiress to a criminal enterprise. On the horror front, she returns later this year--just in time for Halloween--to the town of Silent Hill in "Silent Hill: Revelations".

Saturday Scream Queen: Charlie Spradling

Charlie Spradling was the spokes-model for Full Moon Entertainment during the mid- to late-1980s, so those of us who were around for the dawn of home video (and whose tastes ran toward oddball and horror flicks) remember her best clowning around with movie props, conducting an interview or two, and flogging logo wear for the "VideoZone" featurettes that Charles Band produced for most of his releases during that time.

Spradling also appeared in some of the actual films from Full Moon. She was abused by otherworldly carnies in "Meridian" (1990), fell victim to killer puppets in "Puppet Master II" (1991), and got zapped by aliens in "Bad Channels" (1992).

Away from Full Moon, Spradling had small roles in a number of mainstream films and television draams, but she also had a few starring roles in horror films and thrillers, such as playing a vampire love/lust object in "To Sleep With a Vampire" (1993), and as a detective trying to protect an actress from a serial killer in "Angel of Destruction" (1994). A notable small horror role was that of a teenager doomed to die by a cursed mirror in "Mirror Mirror" (1990).

Spradling's film career never quite took off, and it sputtered to a stop as the 2000s dawned. However, she was already enjoying success in the publishing field, and she is currently a senior executive at "Pasadena Magazine."

Saturday Scream Queen: Janet Gunn

As Janet Gunn started her show-business career, she was as athletic as she was beautiful. Her past as a gymnast and turn as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader in the early 1980s led being hired as Susan Howard's stunt double on the TV series "Dallas." Television bit-parts followed and eventually she landed leading roles in crime dramas such as "Dark Justice" and "Silk Stalkings".

Her athleticism made her a natural for action movies, and she has appeared along-side the likes of Jean-Claude Van Damme. She has, naturally being featured in this series, also appeared in a number of horror films, usually in physically demanding parts.

Gunn was busiest in the 1990s, after which she mostly stepped away from acting to care for her son who was born in 2002. One of her final films before this break was ghost movie "Lost Voyage (2001). Before that her horror credits were "The Nurse" (1997), in which she co-starred with past Saturday Scream Queen Lisa Zane; and "Carnosaur 3: Primal Species" and "Marquis de Sade (both in 1996).

Saturday Scream Queen: Susan George

Born in 1950, Susan George started acting at the age of 4, and she was one of the few with enough talent, discipline, and good representation to make the successful transition from child actor to adult star. has enjoyed a long and varied career both in front of and behind the camera.

George's first major television role cames in 1963 when she starred in kids' adventure series "Swallows and Amazons" and in 1966 she had her first film role "Davey Jones' Locker."

The following year saw George appear in her first horror film, the Boris Karloff-starring "The Sorcerer." For the next decade, the busiest of her acting career, George would star in numerous television and cinematic horror films, such as "Dracula" (1967), "Die Screaming, Marianne" and "Fright" (both in 1971), "Dr. Jykell and Mr. Hyde" (1973), and "Tintorera: Killer Shark" (1977).

George's output started to slow a little bit during the 1980s, but she her grace and poise nonetheless brightened several additional horror films, including "Venom" (1980), "The House Where Evil Dwells" (1982) and "Jack the Ripper" (1988), "The House That Mary Bought" and "The Black Cat" (both in 1995).

As of 1995, George mostly retired from acting, choosing to focus on her horse-breeding business. She has taken a few small roles since then, with her most recent horror credit being the short film "The Silence" (2010).

Contest: Win Five Free Movies (and lend a hand!)

I have a problem. I have a photo for use in a future "Saturday Scream Queen" feature (I think), but I didn't put her name in the file's name, and I have no idea who the actress is at this point. Does anyone out there recognize her?

The first person to tell me who is either via a Facebook reply or in a reply to this post (along with a film credit so I can verify her ID) will be awarded five DVDs from my stack of viewed screeners.

Here's the mystery woman:

Saturday Scream Queen: Elizabeth Montgomery

Born in 1933, Elizabeth Montgomery will probably always remain one of the most beautiful and graceful actresses to grace the small screen. Her career spanned forty years, beginning with her portrayls of a wide range of characters in over 200 live broadcasts of legendary early television anthology series such as "Robert Montgomery Presents," which produced by her father, "Kraft Theater" and "Studio One in Hollywood". She is best known for her role as Samantha Stephens, the witch turned would-be average suburban housewife during the 8-year run of the "Bewitched" television series. She ended her career starring in a string of critically acclaimed television movies during the 1980s and early 1990s.

Although born into show-business, Montgomery spent her childhood and teenage years being formally trained as an actress, earning her breaks by more than just accident of birth. Although best known for her comedic acting, Montgomery appeared in numerous moody and highly effective horror and thriller television programmes, including an episode of the always-excellent Boris Karloff hosted anthology series "Thriller", and the 1972 killer-in-the-house movie "The Victim".

Montgomery's final role was crime reporter Edna Buchanan in a pair of films loosely based on real-world murders, "The Corpse Had a Familiar Face" and "Deadline for Murder". Montgomery was dying from cancer while the last film was being shot, and she passed way in May of 1995, mere weeks after it wrapped.

Saturday Scream Queen: Lisa Zane

Lisa Zane is a successful singer/song-writer who specializes in cabaret-style performances and who in 2006 was recognized by The Songwriter's Hall of Fame recognized as one of their new songwriters of the year. Zane, however, has also maintained a steady sideline in television and film acting, with numerous horror films to her credit.

Zane is probably best known to horror fans as the girl with a mysterious tie to Freddy Krueger in the closing chapter of the original "Nightmare on Elm Street" series, "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" (1997). Among her other horror credits are "Terrified" and "Her Deadly Rival" (both from 1995), and the sci-fi chillers "The Age of Insects" (1990) and "Natural Selection" (1994)

If Zane's last name seems familiar, it's because she is the older sister of Billy Zane, who's appeared in close to 100 horror films, including five in various states of production.

Saturday Scream Queen: Jessica Morris

Jessica Morris' first professional acting job came at the age of 16... in a Japanese commercial for crackers. After a few bit parts on television and in film, she landed a major recurring role on the soap opera "One Life to Live" in 2001.

Jessica remained on the series until 2005, at which point she moved to California and became a regular face in the quirky low-budget horror films from Charles Band's revitalized Full Moon production companym usually appearing in the films he directs instead of just produces. She has so far appeared in "The Haunted Casino" (2007), "Decadent Evil II" (2008), "Dangerous Worry Dolls" (2008), and the just-released "The Dead Want Women" (2012).

She has also starred in other low-budget horror flicks along the way, including "Venom" and "The Fading of the Cries" (both in 2011), "Demons" (2007), and "Bloody Murder" (2000), a film she claims to have hated making.

Saturday Scream Queen: Amanda Righetti

Amanda Righetti has become a familiar face to television viewers as Detective Grace Van Pelt, who must play the adult to the antics of conman-turned-police-consultant on "The Mentalist", but she landed her first major recurring role on "The O.C." and she has been working steadily in episodic television ever since.

Along the way, Righetti has also appeared in numerous horror films. Her first film role was in the low-budget chiller "Angel Blade" (2002), but her successful television carer led her to starring roles in "Return to House on Haunted Hill" (2007) and the 2009 remake of "Friday the 13th" and the recently released "Shadow of Fear".

Righetti continues to star in "The Mentalist", but she is also working on "Deconstruction Red", a thriller slated for a 2013 release date.

Saturday Scream Queen: Salma Hayek

It's Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican holiday that is, apparently, a bigger deal in the United States than in Mexico, but I figured I should profile a Mexican actress anyway.

Unfortunately, the only Mexican actresses I could think of with any horror credits were Salma Hayek and Julissa. And since I couldn't find a good picture of Julissa, and attempts at doing screen captures from the movies I have she's been in were blurry at best, Salma Hayek won the honor of being today's Scream Queen.

Born in 1966 to a wealthy Lebanese business man and a famous Mexican opera singer, Salma Hayek decided at a young age that she wanted to be an actress, and she directed all her efforts toward achieving that dream. (Well, aside from playing pranks on the nuns at the convent school she attended as a child... pranks that eventually got her expelled.)

In 1989, Hayek acheived star status in her home country of Mexico when she landed the title role on the hugely successful soap opera "Therea". She had her sights set on a movie career, however, and by 1991, she left the show and Mexico behind with the intent of making it in Hollywood.

After a string of bit parts on television shows, she finally reached Hollywood stardom when she played opposite Antonio Banderas in "Desperado" (1995) and as the vampire stripper that most horror fans know her as in "From Dusk Till Dawn" (1996), where she appeared with George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, and Cheech Martin.

Hayek fame and career have been on a steady upward trajectory ever since, but she has focused mostly on dramas and comedies. Beyond "From Dusk Till Dawk", the only other horror film she has appeared in was "The Hunchback" in 1997... although if one really reaches, one can include 2009's "Cirque de Freak: The Vampire's Assistant" as a horror credit.

Saturday Scream Queen: Amy Acker

Born in 1976 in Dallas, Texas, Amy Acker was destined for show-business from a young age. She spent her childhood studying ballet, modern dance and jazz dance, but knee surgery in high school forced her to abandon that path and turn to acting.

While still in college, Acker landed her first television roles on the children's series "Wishbone", and soon after graduation she landed the role of Fred on the "Buffy the Vampire Splayer" spin-off series "Angel" om 2001. Acker's character that was put not though one but several wringers... and ultimately transformed into a demon.

Acker's career has thus far been mostly focused around television, with one-shot appearances on numerous seriem and recurring roles on shows such as "Alias", "Dollhouse", and "Happy Town", but she has managed to fit in a few movies along the way, some of them in the horror genre. In 2008, Acker starred in "A Near Death Experience" and she can currently be seen in movie theatres in "The Cabin in the Woods".

Saturday Scream Queen: Diana Terranova

Diana Terranova is best known for her role as a super-powered cheerleader on the sci-fi television series "Heroes", but her resume is full of appearances in low-budget thrillers, sci-fi films and horror flicks where her presense in the cast was, to a large extent, dictated by her two most obvious talents.

Recent horror credits for Terranova include "Gacy House", "The Butcher" and the soft-core porn horror spoof "The Hills Have Thighs".

Saturday Scream Queen: Jennifer Aniston

This week's Scream Queen is perhaps the biggest reach yet, as American actress Jennifer Aniston, best known for her role on the 1990s sit-com "Friends", has spent her career making people scream with laugher rather than terror. And she's only rarely screamed herself.

But it's Easter weekend, so I figured it was okay to put up a ham.

Jennifer Aniston's single horror outing to date was her first starring role in a feature film--1992's offbeat chiller "Leprechaun". The film was treated harshly by critics, and, even if the film was a commercial success, Aniston was seriously considering quitting acting after making it.

But then she found "Friends", and she transformed into the star of screen and television that we know today.

Saturday Scream Queen: Caroline Munro

Born in 1949, British actress Caroline Munro grew up, quite literally, a Catholic school girl. However, she started modeling professionally at the age of 17 after winning the "Face of the Year" contest in The Evening News.

Muro's curvacious good looks quickly led to film roles, with fans of British 1970s horror films remembering her fondly as Dr. Phibes' deceased wife in "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" and "Dr. Phibes Rises Again"; as a Satanist hippy turned into vampire food in "Dracula 1972 A.D."; and as a feisty gypsy woman with a love of low-cut, tight blouses in "Captain Chronos - Vampire Hunter".

Muro was busiest during the 1970s, appearing in various states of undress in a variety of horror, action, and sci-fi films--with her supporting role in "The Spy Who Loved Me" perhaps being the pinnacle of her fame. During this time, she also had the distinction of being the only actress to ever having been held under contract by Hammer Films.

With the 1980s, Munro started to slip into obscurity, but she continued to appear in horror films, much to the delight of genre fans. During 1990s, she focused on her family and her two children, but by the early 2000s, she once again stepped before the camera on a regular basis. Three of her last four films have been horror movies--"Flesh for the Beast" (2003), "The Absence of Light" (2006) and the bizarre horror musical "Eldorado" (2012).

Saturday Scream Queen: Carrie-Anne Moss

Canadian-born Carrie-Anne Moss made the switch from modeling to acting starting with roles in horror anthology series "The Hitchhiker" and "Nightmare Cafe" and was soon a regular face either as guest-star or as recurring characters on mystery television series throughout the 1990s.

With the coming of the new millennium, Moss mostly left television acting behind--with the exception of a couple of TV movies and a recurring role on the final season of the action-comedy series "Chuck." She is best known for her role as Trinity in the sci-fi action film "The Maxtrix" and its sequels and spin-offs, but she has also appeared in several horror-tinged films, such as "Disturbia" (2007), "Suspect Zero" (2004), and "Red Planet" (2000).

Moss's latest horror project is "Silent Hill: Revelation 3D", which is currently in post-production and slated for release later this year.