Judith O'Dea Movies
The horror that began in director Jason Paul Collum's November Son continues in this sequel about a mother coping with the loss of her son, and wrestling with the realization that she may have driven him to become an obsessive killer. A horror soap opera that doesn't shy away from psychological torment, November Son opens with Emily Hamilton (Judith O'Dea) still mourning the loss of her beloved son Elliot (Jerod Howard). Meanwhile, Nancy (Brinke Stevens) longs for the same kind of love she once shared with Corin (Sean Michael Lambrecht), Maggie (Darcey Vanderhoof) reaches out for a confidante like Jake (Jeff Dylan Graham), and reclusive Marti (Tino Ona Paukstelis) has allowed a secret concerning those in Elliot's life eat away at her psyche for the last two years. Could Eli (Sacha Sacket) and George (Lloyd Pederson) hold the key to helping these wounded women recover from the traumas of their pasts, or will their efforts to force the women to confront their lingering fears and guilt ultimately prove the catalyst for total annihilation? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judith O'Dea
Shunned by his loved ones after realizing his true sexual identity, a shy young man slips into a paranoid and violent rage when the object of his affection offers nothing but rejection in director Jason Paul Collum's bleak tale of love gone bad. Elliot is a quiet soul with a pretty fiancé and a loving family, but when Elliot's growing lust for Corwin finds him isolated from his friends and family, the stage is set for disaster the likes of which this family has never seen. Rejected by the callous Corwin and excommunicated from his family and fiancé, Elliot makes a murderous resolve to win Corwin's heart and vows not let anyone stand in the way of true love. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
The documentary Something to Scream About features Brinke Stevens interviewing nine other women who have made their living being scream queens in low-budget horror movies. The women discuss their careers, the personal sacrifices they have made, and various hazards of the profession. The interview subjects include Debbie Rochon, Lilith Stabs, and Julie Strain. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brinke Stevens
When unexpected radiation raises the dead, a microcosm of Average America has to battle flesh-eating zombies in George A. Romero's landmark cheapie horror film. Siblings Johnny (Russ Streiner) and Barbara (Judith O'Dea) whine and pout their way through a graveside visit in a small Pennsylvania town, but it all takes a turn for the worse when a zombie kills Johnny. Barbara flees to an isolated farmhouse where a group of people are already holed up. Bickering and panic ensue as the group tries to figure out how best to escape, while hoards of undead converge on the house; news reports reveal that fire wards them off, while a local sheriff-led posse discovers that if you "kill the brain, you kill the ghoul." After a night of immolation and parricide, one survivor is left in the house.... Romero's grainy black-and-white cinematography and casting of locals emphasize the terror lurking in ordinary life; as in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963), Romero's victims are not attacked because they did anything wrong, and the randomness makes the attacks all the more horrifying. Nothing holds the key to salvation, either, whether it's family, love, or law. Topping off the existential dread is Romero's then-extreme use of gore, as zombies nibble on limbs and viscera. Initially distributed by a Manhattan theater chain owner, Night, made for about 100,000 dollars, was dismissed as exploitation, but after a 1969 re-release, it began to attract favorable attention for scarily tapping into Vietnam-era uncertainty and nihilistic anxiety. By 1979, it had grossed over 12 million, inspired a cycle of apocalyptic splatter films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), and set the standard for finding horror in the mundane. However cheesy the film may look, few horror movies reach a conclusion as desolately unsettling. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judith O'Dea, Russ Streiner, (more)
