Canada’s largest horror event will be held in Toronto on August 22-24, 2008. Yes, the Rue Morgue Festival of Fear will strike back, with Guest of Honour Wes Craven attending. More important to us, screen legend and Cult Siren Tura Satana will be present, probably talking among others things of her voice work for Rob Zombie’s new animated movie The Haunted World of El Superbeasto!

A couple of years ago, I have met at that very Festival the incomparable Elvira. The question remains: will I strike back with another favorite sex symbol? Truth is, on that same weekend in Montreal, another convention is going on that I would dearly appreciate visiting. Tough choices, tough choices…

Anyway, here’s the Fan Expo Canada 2008 info and the Rue Morgue official info.

Born on August 1, 1980 in Lagos, Nigeria, this gorgeous creature was at first embarrassed by her thin frame. Still, persuaded by friends and family, she entered a local model competition and history was made. She eventually became a Victoria’s Secret angel and took part in many photo shoots for four consecutive Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issues. With her exceptional beauty and height (6 ft 2 in!), will there be a chance to see her cast in a superhero movie, by any chance? How about the title role in a remake of Cleopatra Jones?
(This could be this blog‘s biggest picture ever! But can you really blame me?)

When was the last time you’ve seen a female “I Quit” Match? Pretty much never, right? This confrontation will be part of WWE One Night Stand on June 1 and it could be a sleeper. There are still a few skilled women wrestlers in the WWE, amidst that crowd of useless Divas and Playboy cover model wannabes. Beth Phoenix has been impressive as a monster heel since her debut (remember recently when she actually carried TWO opponents on her ample shoulders?) and I’ve been a Melina supporter for years now, as she and TNA’s Gail Kim are currently my two favorite performers in pro wrestling today (regardless of sex). These last two possess the right attitude, talent and look to make their mark in a more often than not backstabbing business. Oh, what a dream match this could be, though… bring on your favorite steel cage!

Closer and closer to the big 6-0, Pam Grier still looks absurdly young. Her movie schedule has slowed down a bit, but she can be seen in The L Word television series.

Another Cult Siren enjoys a birthday on this date, this time Sybil Danning gets to blow the candles (but how many, really?)!

Stunning Italian beauty Rosalba Neri is the new guest at Cult Sirens! Oddly, it was somewhat difficult to find worthy photographs of this amazing actress. Let’s hope that justice still has been done…

Two gorgeous young girls living in the same building get killed just short days apart… and two other gorgeous young girls renting the same apartment will soon be threatened by the same maniac! Yippeee! A great 70s giallo! With personal favorite Edwige Fenech! Gaaargl! What great satisfaction to witness that kind of movie getting a great treatment on DVD.

So, we have your typical nutcase getting some kicks in polishing off great looking girls. Edwige’s character, Jennifer, thinks that it could be her ex, a cult leader that needs no great excuses to set up some elaborate mystical orgies. But could the crimes be the work of a local neighbor? The violin-playing teacher? His lesbian daughter? Some old witch that seems to be a fan of horror magazines? Or someone else hiding behind that strange entourage?

A typical product of the early seventies, this film can equally be seen as an awesome parade of then topical popular female fashion, as Edwige plays a model posing for men’s magazines. She’s introduced to us wearing very short shorts and displaying amazing body-painting on her perfect torso. Early on at that point, I decided that this production could be a masterpiece: there’s beautiful gals everywhere, including an exotic dancer that wrestles on stage with clients (!) and a mysterious and opportunistic lesbian. There’s a suspect that can’t stand the sight of blood, police inspectors on the verge of being completely useless (including one eating a sandwich in his car as a murder occurs close by!) and a choubidou music score close to perfection. On the trivia side, for an Italian movie of this genre, the killer doesn’t wear black gloves, but light brown ones! Also on the menu are a Brigitte Bardot poster and one from a Clint Eastwood movie. Did I mention the outrageously gay photographer?

At this moment in my life, where I can claim to have seen close to 6000 movies, one of the most memorable image in all these viewings is the sight of Edwige wearing a black suit and a large orange tie. I can be proud in seeing Citizen Kane close to 30 years ago and then decide that it was an important film, giving me the taste of discovering the Seventh Art. Is Orson Welles responsible for my movie passion? Who knows? But in all the discoveries I made along the way (and there are many of them, believe me), that shot of Edwige remains precious. The Case of the Bloody Iris was some years back only available in a The Giallo Collection Box, but now you can purchase it individually. Why don’t you go next weekend?

Here are the screen grabs featuring our heroine in all her legendary beauty:

I know that she’s the ultimate Batgirl, but for me Yvonne Craig was more alluring as a green-skinned alien in the original Star Trek series. Even at 72 today, she remains a youthful individual!

An unique poster for an unique film, this one is a perfect reflection of what can be expected in viewing the movie. After many Death Wish sequels and clones in the seventies and early eighties, vigilante cinema could proclaim to welcome a formidable female avenging angel, wiping real and imagined scum on the mean streets of New York City. Ms. 45 is still unforgettable to this day, thanks for the amazing performance of its lead actress, the late Zoë Tamerlis, who was not even twenty years old at the time of filming.

She only made around 20 films, but Norwegian Julie Ege still left a mark on movie audiences. She was a former Bond Girl and Hammer Glamour Girl, as well as a player in some sexy comedies. She was memorably seen in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (as The Scandinavian Girl), in the prehistoric adventure Creatures the World Forgot (my favorite role of hers, as Nala), in the sci-fi cult classic The Finale Programme and of course in the bizarre kung-fu Dracula film The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires. Also a former Miss Norway (in 1962) and Miss Universe contestant, Julie became a sought out pin-up model and former Penthouse Pet, got married two times and had two daughters. After retiring from the public eye, she worked as a nurse, successfully battling breast cancer around 1986 or so. Sadly, that same illness got the better of her last April 29, when she passed on at the age of 64. Another Siren gone to soon.