As you may or may not know, Christian E. Christiansen’s laughably rote new thriller THE ROOMMATE hoarded the box-office gold this past weekend like it was the last cold beer…that they didn’t buy. I know our very own Arrow loved the hell out of it (PEEP HIS SCATHING REVIEW HERE), a sentiment pretty much echoed throughout most critical circles. Well, that got us to thinking. Wouldn’t it be fun to call to mind some of the Best Bat-Shit Bitches to be found in the annals of cinema? Hell yeah it would! Now, that doesn’t necessarily extend the canopy to just any old “female killer,” we’re actually more interested in highlighting the psychotically obsessive female character…whether or not they’re driven to murder is only an added bonus. Bates, Dunaway, Close…heavy hitters here folks…so buckle up that damn chinstrap!
WARNING: MINOR TO MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW!
#10. ALICIA SILVERSTONE – THE CRUSH (1993)
No doubt riffing on Kubrick’s LOLITA, Alan Shapiro’s 1994 film THE CRUSH is one of the guiltiest of pleasures on this here compilation. Even so, seeing Cary Elwes completely unravel at the hands of a cunning 14 year old nubile never really gets old. Of course, said 14 year old is Alicia Silverstone in her feature film debut. Awfully precocious, both sexually and professionally, Silverstone goes to great lengths to ensure the systematic sabotage of a man’s idyllic life. You know the skinny, when Elwes’ Nick Eliot refuses the sexual advances of Silverstone’s Adrienne Forrester, Adrienne spins a complex web of setups, frame jobs and implications that force Nick to desperately claw and scratch to prove his innocence. As febrile and sweaty and Nick becomes, the cooler Adrienne remains…a trait that goes a long way in deciding whom to believe. Not us the audience (we know Adrienne’s warped), but other characters in the film.
#9. BETTE DAVIS – WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE (1962)
Buy WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE on DVD here
In what probably owes a debt of inspiration to Gloria Swanson and SUNSET BLVD., screen legend Bette Davis gives one of the cruelest and most contemptuous turns for anybody, much less a female in 1962. For those who missed this early horror great, Davis plays a former child star (“Baby Jane”) who now looks after her crippled sister in a decrepit Hollywood mansion. On one hand, Jane wallows in her own disillusionment, desperately smearing on makeup as if she’ll make a big screen comeback. On the other, she sequesters her poor sister upstairs and continually torments the hell out of her (beats her, serves her a dead rat on a platter, etc.). The result is a highly compelling mix of pathetic sadness and maddened menace, and you’re never really sure how to feel toward Jane. Should we feel sorry for her shattered past or revile the old letch for the heinous treatment of her sister?
#8. LOUISE FLETCHER – FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC (1987)
Buy FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC on DVD here
Academy Award winning actress Louise Fletcher (aka Nurse Ratchet, who continues to work today) found herself toiling in horror/sci-fi obscurity in the 80s, and judging by her blistering performance in Jeffrey Bloom’s 1987 film FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC…it may have freed her up to do some of her best work. Even in a supporting role (one that earned her a Saturn Award nod), Fletcher’s icy, domineering demeanor and disturbing religious fanaticism is nothing to be trifled with. She’s not quite Piper Laurie in CARRIE, but damn close. And, as fine as her performance is, it’s all about the actions she’s called on to perform in the story that really cut to the bone. This shite’s first rate child-abuse, locking away four grandchildren in an attic and neglecting them to the point of malnourishment. Even then, it’s not just the behavior. Fletcher’s physical appearance, the large and lumbering frame, the bumbling gait, the pinched death-glance…it all just f*ckin’ works!
#7. JESSICA WALTER – PLAY MISTY FOR ME (1971)
Buy PLAY MISTY FOR ME on DVD here
Outside a few subtle supernatural westerns, PLAY MISTY FOR ME may be the closest thing to a horror flick that Big Clint Eastwood has ever directed and starred in. And boy are we glad he did! In a setup somewhat reminiscent of FATAL ATTRACTION (a point of concern that yielded directorial passes from John Carpenter and Brian De Palma), Jessica Walter gives a thoroughly credible turn as a fixated fan. If you haven’t seen the film (do so ASAP), it takes place in the aftermath of a fling between Eastwood, a local DJ, and Walter, an obsessed listener. What starts off as an annoying Stage Fiver Clinger becomes far more sinister when another one of Clint’s hussies pops up. But enough of the plot, it’s all about Walter’s balanced turn, who in one scene comes off as charming seductress, then a fully enraged psychotic in the next. Her violent outbursts are jarringly unpredictable, which only adds to the tension.
#6. REBECCA DE MORNAY – THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE (1992)/MOTHER’S DAY (2011)
Buy THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE on DVD here
Since Rebecca De Mornay has all but cornered the market on bat-shit bitches in film, why not throw some love to the lady’s past and future work. After-all, the woman’s kept her evil side intact for two decades! I guess the question then becomes, which will be more horrifying…the vengeful caretaker she portrayed in Curtis Hansen’s 1992 film THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE, or the murderous matriarch she’ll depict in Darren Bousman’s upcoming MOTHER’S DAY. Either way, I’m damn stoked De Mornay is back! As for those who missed Rebecca’s duplicitous turn as Peyton Flanders/Mrs. Mott in HRC, what works so well is her ability to simultaneously play good and evil…to the audience and to the characters. I mean, we are privy of all of her dastardly deeds, but the characters in the film aren’t. So when De Mornay plays innocent to the characters in the film, she’s also coyly projecting menace to us…playing to the info about her we already know. It’s subtle work, but tricky to get right I’d imagine. Can’t wait to see her this MOTHER’S DAY.
STAY TUNED FOR PART 2!
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What’s Not Allowed