Celebrating The Iconic Horror Actress Catriona MacColl!
I’ve been exploring cult films across many genres and decades, and when I stumbled on one of Director Lucio Fulci’s best, it led me to this incredible Cult Movie Queen:
My “2021 Sex Kitten Countdown” has a look at her career, highlighted by 3 classic 80’s shockers!
Catriona MacColl was born in October 1954 in London.
She studied to be a Dancer, but an injury ended that career, and she went into acting instead.
She is best known for her work in Italian Horror, beginning with Lucio Fulci’s classic shocker “City of the Living Dead” in 1980:
Check out the trailer:
A reporter and a psychic race to close the Gates of Hell after the suicide of a clergyman caused them to open, allowing the dead to rise from their graves.
This was also released as “The Gates Of Hell” and I love this poster even more!
She used the spelling Katherine in some of the films, but I’ll continue to call her by her birthday name Catriona.
Catriona got a well-deserved “Scream Queen” tag based on these films!
The next year they re-teamed for his next classic shocker:
The Beyond (1981)
A young woman inherits an old hotel in Louisiana where, following a series of supernatural “accidents”, she learns that the building was built over one of the entrances to Hell.
Here’s the trailer:
I also loved the original Italian poster for this film as well:
That same year, they made this great thriller – which I only recently got the chance to see:
“The House by the Cemetery”
This 1981 shocker is a classic: A New England home is terrorized by a series of murders, unbeknownst to the guests that a gruesome secret is hiding in the basement.
Check out the trailer:
Catriona was stunning in this tight white blouse – and the films delivers on the scares as well!
Dagmar Lassander was also featured in the movie:
She had a provocative career as well, and you can see all of her highlights by clicking here:
After making these Fulci thrillers, Catriona was apparently offered the lead role in the Director’s next film, the notorious “The New York Ripper” – reports say the Actress was a little suspicious of the role and turned it down.
Do you remember who took the role instead?
Actress Zora Korova was in the film, which many consider to be Fulci’s most shocking ever!
But it wasn’t hers! Click here to see the most shocking movie this Actress made!
Even though she turned this down, MacColl made some great films with Fulci – here’s a great interview she gave about that:
“As far as the legacy goes, I don’t know what to say. It’s difficult to analyze that, but obviously there is one. Lucio was a very mysterious person and never will be completely unfathomed. So perhaps the mystery surrounds the legacy as well. Filming is about osmosis, it’s the right elements coming together, and that in a way is where chance comes into it. Anyway, it’s all in a day’s work, isn’t it?”
The Actress has more than 60 credits in a terrific career. – she worked in film and TV, comedies, dramas and thrillers as well.
While MacColl has worked steadily in the decades since, she also manages a rural hotel in the south of France.
Bravo to her on a stellar cult film career! She reminds me of another English Actress who made provocative choices:
Helen Mirren was fearless as well – still making brave choices in her career – see some of her most controversial work here:
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Categories: 70's Films, Classic Horror, Cult Classics, Euro-Sleaze, Exploitation Films, Extreme Cinema, Grindhouse, Horror films, JRsploitation, Nudity, sex kittens, Talent / Celebrites
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