Misspent Youth: Barbara Crampton

Looking back at the pop culture mainstays of this Gen-Xer's gloriously misspent youth.

The most notorious scene in Stuart Gordon's 1985 Lovecraftian science fiction horror comedy Re-Animator involves a talking severed head (!) going down on the young—and stark naked—ingenue, Barbara Crampton. It's as horrifying as it sounds. Ms. Crampton had already proven comfortable with onscreen nudity, baring all in her first film, Brian De Palma's erotic thriller Body Double. In this scene from Re-Animator, though—just her third feature film—Crampton's fearlessness with her body is downright remarkable.

The scene offers a quick, shocking few moments, but is also played partly for some extremely uncomfortable laughs. The film's black humor is unparalleled precisely because it's unafraid to be wildly inappropriate. And it doesn't get more inappropriate than that scene.

Crampton would go on to star in a slew of low-budget cult classics, from Chopping Mall to Puppet Master, From Beyond to Castle Freak, and many more. During a large chunk of her career she also worked as a full-time cast member on soaps like Santa Barbara and The Young and the Restless, meaning she has two entirely different yet similarly fanatical fanbases who worship her.

That sort of double fandom is rare, but if anyone deserves such adulation, it's Barbara Crampton. A new generation of horror filmmakers, fans raised on Crampton's work, have cast her in recent films like The Lords of Salem, Death House. and Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich.

The most memorable scene of Crampton's career will probably always be that moment in Re-Animator. That she spends it in her birthday suit, hollering at the top of her lungs, while being eaten out by a zombie head might seem less than ideal for an actress's highlight reel. It's such an upsetting moment that you almost want to punch Stuart Gordon's lights out for having demeaned Crampton in such a way (No offense, Mr. Gordon, I love you and your work!). Yet, she went on to work with Gordon several more times, and the scene remains a milestone moment for her, offering one of the first, and still best, examples of her greatest strength as an actress: she's consistently, relentlessly brave, both in the roles she chooses and in how she commits fully to the performances.

Crampton doesn't do half-measures. Even when goofing onset with Re-Animator pals Jeffrey Combs and Bruce Abbott (see above), she's fully committed. And no matter how demanding the material in her films, how physically or emotionally draining those roles might be, she puts 100% of her mind, body, and soul into the work.

So, that scene in Re-Animator might've caught the attention of a young viewer like myself due to its highly transgressive nature, but it was Crampton's impressive commitment to the material that made me a fan for life. And I'm not alone in this crush. She's one of the world’s most popular scream queens, largely because of her willingness to completely expose herself—both figuratively and sometimes literally—which creates lasting performances.

Crampton recently sat down for a far-ranging and entertaining discussion with Joe Bob Briggs on Shudder's The Last Drive-In, during an episode screening her disturbing 1995 film, Castle Freak (also directed by Stuart Gordon). She was, unsurprisingly, a lovely guest. Joe Bob's admiration for her work was clear, and together the two shared an easy rapport while discussing Crampton's work within the horror genre. The moment felt like a long-deserved and well-earned celebration of Crampton, her work, and her refreshingly self-effacing good nature.

Barbara Crampton's acting has always been undeniably inspiring. And sexy as hell. I spend a lot of time watching, reviewing, and droning on about cult movies (both in my writing and IRL), so there's a long list of cult icons at whose feet I regularly worship. However, few of them are as important to me as Barbara Crampton. She’s a legend. Her performances are electrifying. She exudes sweetness and even innocence at times, but she's as tough and resilient as any scream queen in horror. The woman has no fear onscreen. We fans bow at her feet. Much love, always.

If you aren't already following her on social media, you really need to get on that. She is easily one of the best celebrity tweeters and Instagrammers out there. Her posts and tweets are warm, personable, funny, and gushing with love for all forms of movies. Plus she takes, hands down, the best selfies on the Internet.

Let's close with some of her best, most GIFable moments.

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