- When it comes to horror, women are more often seen than they are heard. In other words, people are more familiar with scream queens than they are the contributions of women behind the scenes.
- As I said, it's more often "personalities" that make an impact on the genre, historically. I'd have to say the most significant woman in the history of horror would have to be Vampira (aka Maila Nurmi). She was the first television horror host-a sexy, empowered vamp in a tight black revealing dress-shrieking morbid jokes at viewers when The Vampira Show debuted in 1954s. Before her, almost every female in horror was a victim. Her show didn't last long, but the impression she left on the genre can still be felt today. She was a true trailblazer, the first horror host, the first goth pin-up, the inspiration for Forrest J. Ackerman's Vampirella character and she even allegedly dumped Marlon Brando for stepping on a trail of ants! The horror genre would not be the same without the contributions of this dark diva.
- [on Alien's Ellen Ripley] Thank you, Ridley Scott for not changing the character after you cast a woman in the role.
- In the early 1970s, Gloria Steinem gave an address to the women of America in which she spoke about a 'society in which there will be no roles other than those chosen or those earned.' We have yet to arrive at this utopia. Some still believe women aren't suited for the technical art of filmmaking. Even though Alice Guy-Blaché helped create narrative film as we know it today, people think women can't direct. Even though Ann Radcliffe helped define the Gothic fiction movement - the precursor to modern horror fiction - people think women can't write horror. Even though a woman wrote Frankenstein - arguably the first science fiction novel - people think women can't do sci-fi. There is this erroneous belief that women can't make monsters. But we made all of you, didn't we?
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