Doc Rotten's 666 Revelations: Scream Queens of 1973

When discussing Scream Queens in 1973, it is impossible not to include Linda Blair as Regan MacNeil in The Exorcist. She is undeniably the most recognizable horror icon of the decade, a decade that introduces us to Bruce the shark, Michael Myers and Leatherface. Guided by William Friedkin’s Golden Globe winning direction, Blair’s performance leaves a lasting and influential mark on horror. It is rare a horror movie is recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Golden Globes, but the innocent looking thirteen year old was nominated for her supporting role. Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil was also nominated for lead actress. It’s a stellar year for scream queens. But they aren’t the only ones who gave memorably and commendable performances this year. Julie Christie plummets into depression and sorrow in the harrowing Don’t Look Now. Pamela Franklin faces her greatest fears in Legend of Hell House. Pam Grier leads a voodoo clan and battles William Marshall in Scream, Blacula, Scream. And Margot Kidder gives a dual performance as both Danielle and Dominique in Brian DePalma’s Sisters. Here are the six Scream Queens who made an impression on horror cinema in 1973.

JULIE CHRISTIE as LAURA BAXTER in DON’T LOOK NOW

In Nicholas Roeg’s haunting film Don’t Look Now, actress Julie Christie plays Laura Baxter who struggles to deal with the loss of her child who drowned in a pond. Her husband, John (played by Donald Sutherland), takes a job in Venice, Italy (restoring an old church) and brings her along in hopes to overcome her depression and repair their stressed relationship. While John works, Laura encounters and befriends two elderly women, one of whom is blind, psychic and claims to be in contact with her deceased daughter. While her husband is suspicious of their motives, Laura is given great comfort from the pair and continues to visit them even after tragedy strikes again upon the films conclusion. Julie Christie, a cherished, sought-after and well respected actress, brings a deep sorrow and passion to the character of Laura Baxter. In a rich, cerebral film that requires such, Christie provides a rare mature, realistic woman, simultaneously strong and fragile. Christie, who previously starred in Fahrenheit 451 (1965), returns to the genre in Demon Seed (1977).

ELLEN BURSTYN as CHRIS MACNEIL in THE EXORCIST

In a year of strong female horror roles, Ellen Burstyn is nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Chris MacNeil in William Friedkin’s The Exorcist. Burstyn stars as the mother of a young teenager who is possessed by an evil spirit. Chris MacNeil is a successful, strong woman and a single mother, dealing with the stress of her job, her divorce and her blossoming teen. As the strange and frightening events that surround her daughter increase, she faces them head on, resilient When the doctors (and science) continually fail her, she fights back insisting on answers and options. After all further options prove unsuccessful, and believing her daughter is now possessed by an evil spirit, she reaches out to the church for answers, requesting an exorcism. Finding the church, like the doctors and psychiatrists before them, are hesitant to believe her plight, she fights yet again for her daughter, convincing Father Karras to move forward with her request. It is her role as the ever-vigilant mother who will never give up on her daughter that anchors the film and keeps the audience invested in the narrative. Burstyn never truly returns to genre, but does finally receive the Oscar the following year for her role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974).

LINDA BLAIR as REGAN MACNEIL in THE EXORCIST

For her role as the possessed young Regan MacNeil in Exorcist, Linda Blair was nominated for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, she is also nominated for the Golden Globe in the same category. Unfortunately as it was learned her role was handled too heavily with special effects and voice work from Mercedes McCambridge, that the likelihood of winning diminished considerably (She does win the Golden Globe however). While such a sour downturn continues to haunt much of Linda Blair’s career, her role provides a powerful and haunting performance that deserves such recognition. As the story unfolds, she refers innocently to an invisible friend in the basement named Captain Howdy, then as the horror begins to take hold and she behaves unexpectedly or encounters unexplainable phenomenon, and she must brave the cold and unfeeling methods of modern science. The audience feels her pain along with her as she braves needles and probes and huge machines wailing loudly as they examine her. Then, when medicine fails her, a psychiatrist is brought in to examine her and he hypnotizes her in hope of speaking with the mysterious Captain Howdy. When the demon insider her is brought to the forefront, Blair’s Regan transforms into a snarling, twisted version of her previous self. From then on, she quickly becomes the possessed child most horror fans are familiar with, her face scarred with lashes from holy water, eyes glazed over white and spitting bile at the exorcists trying to save her. Hers is a brave and strong performance. Linda Blair returns to the franchise with Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) and the genre with films like Hell Night (1981).

PAMELA FRANKLIN as FLORENCE TANNER in LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE

When Dr. Lionel Barrett (Clive Revill) is hired to investigate the haunting of the Belasco Mansion, he brings along his wife, Ann (Gayle Hunnicutt) and two different type of psychics to uncover the truth behind the supernatural events, Ben Fischer (Roddy McDowell) a physical medium and Florence Tanner, a spiritual medium. The young, attractive, naive and vulnerable Tanner is played by Pamela Franklin and it is through her that the research team (and the audience) first encounter the spirit (or perhaps spirits) inhabiting Hell House. She is in constant confrontation with Barrett who distrusts her and her methods and believes the spirits are only scientific “energy” and not spirits. Through her intent to prove Barrett wrong, and never wavering in her beliefs, she invokes the spirits, succumbs to a spiritual molestation and jeopardizes her safety. She even overcomes her own fear and faces down the spirit of the house during the film’s climax. 

PAM GRIER as LISA FORTIER in SCREAM, BLACULA, SCREAM

Pam Grier makes a striking Voodoo Queen as Lisa Fortier in Scream, Blacula, Scream. The rising star quickly shows she can hold her own against the Shakespearean trained actor playing Blacula, William Marshall. The make a formidable pair. When Mama Loa passes, her adopted apprentice, Lisa Fortier, is chosen over her own son, Willis, to be her successor. Willis resurrects Blacula to keep Lisa from becoming the new Voodoo Queen, but the black prince becomes enamored with her instead. Unlike most scream queens in similar horror features, Grier’s character is as entrenched in the supernatural workings as the antagonist and she is armed with knowledge and tools typically scripted for the likes of Professor Van Helsing as played by Peter Cushing. Not only does she battle and defeat Blacula, but she also saves the male lead from certain death as well. Bravo.

MARGOT KIDDER as DANIELLE/DOMINIQUE in SISTERS

As director Brian De Palma evolved into a respected director often compared favorably to the legendary Alfred Hitchcock, he offered the challenging role of Danielle Breton and Dominique Blanchion in the film Sisters. De Palma places Kidder in the Norman Bates role with Sisters and heavy-handily draws inspiration from Psycho (and other classic Hitchcock films). However, he brings with him a technique he soon claims as his own: the split screen. This technique is used to great effect in Sisters as it also visually represents the Danielle and Dominique’s fractured personalities, separation from each other, and simultaneous points of views throughout the film. In one of her earliest roles, Kidder leans on De Palma’s skills to illustrate the characters she is given to portray in Sisters and elevates her performance above what it may have been in other hands. Margot Kidder follows Sisters up with other Seventies horror classics such as Black Christmas (1974), The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975) and The Amityville Horror (1979). During this time, she is offered the lead female role in the big screen adaptation of DC Comics’ iconic costumed hero, Superman (1977), and forever becomes associated with the character Lois Lane.