R.I.P Betsy Palmer (1926-2015)

We're sad to have to report that Betsy Palmer has passed away. An accomplished character actress for nearly six decades, on both stage and screen, she will be remembered by most for her classic turn as a vengeful mother, dispatching careless camp counselors in clever & bloody ways in Friday the 13th (1980)
 
It was only a few weeks back that we did a post about Mother's Day Horror Movies, and right at the top of that post was Betsy Palmer's Mrs. Voorhees, mother of Jason. She took the role because she needed money to buy a new car, and she never thought that it would ever amount to anything, but 35 years later, her turn as Mrs. Voorhees still stands as one of the most iconic in Horror History... and she was on screen in that movie for all of what, 10 minutes?

If that isn't a testament to her talent, I don't know what is.

If you listen to the talk on the Internet, anyone who has ever met her has nothing but great things to say about her. Sweet, kind, cordial, lovely... and about 100 other words that convey the same sentiment: that Betsy Palmer was a wonderful person.

In the end, iconic role aside, that sounds like the best kind of legacy for her to leave behind.

R.I.P.

R.I.P. Stan Winston

1946-2008

What a horrible day for horror fans. Stan Winston, a true godfather of movie magic, is dead at 62. He created The Terminator, The Predator, and Pumpkinhead (A film that he also directed), The Alien Queen from Aliens, and made The Monster Squad an instant classic. Oh, and he finally made Dinosaurs look amazing on screen with Jurassic Park. He helped scare the hell out of horror fans by bloodying the screen with effects/make-up work on The Thing (1982), F13 part 3, Pumpkinhead, Interview With the Vampire, Darkness Falls, Wrong Turn, and The Entity. He brought creatures and killers to life in non horror films like Aliens, Predator, The Monster Squad, Edward Scissorhands, Alien Nation, Jurassic Park, Leviathan, A.I., Big Fish, and Constantine, to list only a few. He won 4 Oscars for his work on Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and Jurassic Park. Hell, he even designed the mask for Styx's video/character Mr. Roboto, not to mention making the Wookie costumes for the Star Wars Holiday Special. He was everywhere, and rightfully so.

Even in the modern age of computer effects overshadowing the "old fashioned" ways, he managed to shine with stunning work on Iron Man. Stan Winston didn't just work on movies, he created dreams and fueled imaginations everywhere. I cant imagine my childhood (which was largely in the 80's) without movies like The Terminator or Aliens; with them I saw things I hadn't even began to dream of that have stuck with me, and millions of others, ever since. His work has created icons, ranging from subtle to magnanimous... all of them nothing less than fantastic.

So long Stan. Thanks for everything.