By: Arthur Jefferson
Yielding to humor over patented sultriness, Emily Galica embodies the irrepressible libertine who drives bogeymen into a carte blanche frenzy. She evokes the bosomy damsel, perpetually clad in bikini lingerie, who recurrently orbited the pulp-ish milieu of artists like Norm Eastman and Norman Saunders. The voluptuous, all natural blonde insists her perception of the Horror Cinema subverts modern angst: "I'm not into Goth or SAW, I prefer retreating to the light at the tunnel's end rather than succumbing to its darkness. The genre tries to communicate beyond a secular vision of our existence. Older films, like INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS ('56) and THE THING ('51), don't fade-out on a note of idle optimism...there's an admission that something sinister is out there and it can comfortably nest in human cynicism. There's dialogue in CURSE OF THE DEMON that strikes the right chord for me: 'You could learn a lot from children. They believe in things in the dark until we tell them it's not so. Maybe we've been fooling them.'...
Her turn-ons: Suspense, being scared without being grossed-out...Directors like Neil Marshall, Lucky McKee and Brett Sullivan, whose personal convictions–regarding the assertiveness of women–are reflected in their films. May I plug THE CHAIR, Sullivan's latest movie? Goosepimply!...Fantasy art by the likes of Daniel Horne and Julie Bell...And, in a genre awash in cliches, I like surprises like SCARECROWS (1988), which I caught on FEAR.net. Another surprise was the performance of Erin Brown (formerly Misty Mundae) in The Sick Girl episode of MASTERS OF HORROR. As a schizophrenic lesbian, she was amazing. Erin should never be underestimated.
Her turn-offs: Sadism...Films about teens stranded in some rustic Bible Belt that's populated by cannibal hillbillies...Crummy videos that are camouflaged as B-movies...Filmmakers who are conceited enough to refer to their own lame product as cult movies...And remakes. Ugh!
Favorite horror movie? THE RING (U.S. version), a very female-friendly movie.
Worst horror film? ROBOT MONSTER or BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA, they're both so bad that they're nearly surreal. Tough choice.
Favorite actress linked to the genre? Milla Jovovich.
Favorite actor linked to the genre? Vincent Price, he knew how to wield a bit of cheeky fun into his performances without breaking out of character. His 'Prince Prospero' (MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH) is my personal favorite.
Favorite bogeyman? Freddy Krueger.
Favorite female character? Elvira.
Favorite movie poster art? The original HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL ('59) montage; out of all the images that illustrate the poster–the creepy house, Vincent Price holding the decapitated head by the mane of her hair, the hand protruding from the acid vat–the one that haunts me the most is the woman, in a diaphanous gown, who is lynched by a 6-foot skeleton. I read, somewhere, that ads of this poster were censored in some newspapers. They didn't object to all the mayhem, they were ticked-off at the diaphanous gown!
Sexiest scene in a horror movie? I don't know about a specific scene, but how about Mathilda May in LIFEFORCE? She, a gorgeous alien/human hybrid, saunters around London totally naked. Talk about liberated! Too bad the rest of the movie is so uneven.
Which animated characters qualify as your favorites? THE FAMILY GUY's Stewie Griffin.
Favorite (genre) director? Wes Craven.
Your comments regarding women's roles in the genre? I think female roles have regressed in this industry. They're also rather repressive; whenever a woman wields some sex appeal or empowerment, it's usually a cue for some kind of chastisement...I thought this whole ‘sex begets violence' thing ended with the slasher cycle. But women's roles have significantly improved with the likes of MAY, THE DESCENT, GINGER SNAPS, THE RING, TEETH and THE CHAIR. Unfortunately, they're few and far between but they're a catharsis for women who relate to biological and psychological issues that can be traumatizing; only in horror films can these very real experiences be equated with lyncanthropy and mutation.
Why do horror films appeal to you? I love to scare myself.
Do you sleep in the nude? Of course, don't you?
Click the photos to see them in LARGE format.
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