Horror Icon Barbara Crampton Is Ready To Become “The Betty White” Of The Genre

by

With each new role she takes on, Barbara Crampton explains what she hopes to see happen with horror movies in the future.

Barbara Crampton began her acting career on the daytime drama Days of Our Lives and later gained recognition in the horror genre with the 1985 film Re-Animator, based on the work of H.P. Lovecraft. Since then, she’s continued to appear in Lovecraft adaptations while also finding success in a variety of roles, including returns to soap operas like The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, as well as appearances in films like Adam Wingard’s You’re Next and Ted Geoghegan’s We Are Still Here.

In a recent interview with ScreenRant’s Ash Crossan, while promoting her new horror anthology, Grind, Barbara Crampton discussed her career aspirations. She shared her desire to have a long-lasting career, stating, “I want to be the Betty White of horror.” She hopes to continue working for years to come, taking on challenging roles and embracing the opportunity to age naturally on screen.

I’ve been really impressed with the actress’s recent shift in perspective. She’s finally giving herself permission to be funny, something she feels she couldn’t fully explore earlier in her career when she admits she used to be overly protective of her work. It’s fascinating because so much of what she’s done before has been intensely dramatic – think a lot of screaming, crying, and running for her life! Now, she’s embracing a ‘what have I got to lose?’ attitude, and honestly, it’s refreshing. She’s willing to really throw herself into roles, even if it means facing a dramatic end, and that newfound freedom is already paying off.

The actress, known for her work on Channel Zero, said people constantly ask her to scream. However, she doesn’t like being called a “Scream Queen” and even wrote an article asking fans to stop using that label for her.

Being a horror actress involves much more than just screaming and running. We really have to build believable performances and make the situations feel real. I think a journalist came up with the idea that we ‘do the heavy lifting,’ but honestly, it oversimplifies things. It doesn’t fully capture the complexity of what actors and characters experience in a horror movie – it’s a matter of life and death, and we need to portray that authenticity. I think the term ‘Final Girl’ does a pretty good job of acknowledging that, and I’m happy with it.

Crampton has mostly appeared in serious roles, so she hasn’t had much chance to show off her comedic talent. Aside from a brief appearance as herself on the TV show The Nanny, she’s best known for working repeatedly with director Stuart Gordon, including the original Re-Animator and another horror film based on the work of H.P. Lovecraft, From Beyond.

Over the last ten years, Barbara Crampton has become known for much more than just classic horror roles. In the film We Are Still Here, she received praise for the depth she brought to her character, and Jakob’s Wife earned her several award nominations by blending a story of midlife dissatisfaction with the darkly funny elements of a vampire movie.

Recently, Hannah Crampton has also become known as a producer. Besides the 2021 vampire movie she worked on, she produced the horror-comedy Glorious, starring Ryan Kwanten, and Suitable Flesh, with Heather Graham, which is based on a story by Lovecraft. Both films received very positive reviews.

Barbara Crampton is quickly becoming a beloved icon in the horror genre, much like Betty White was before she passed away. She appears in a variety of projects, from smaller independent films hoping to gain a cult following – like Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls – to more mainstream hits such as Creepshow and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre game. Horror fans are always thrilled to see her, and she has several exciting projects coming up that are sure to attract viewers.

Be sure to dive into some of ScreenRant‘s other SXSW coverage with:

  • Sun Never Sets Review
  • Dead Eyes Review
  • One Another Review
  • Kill Me Review
  • Ready or Not 2: Here I Come Review
  • Saviors Review
  • Family Movie Review
  • Power Ballad Review
  • Seekers of Infinite Love Review
  • Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice Review
  • Dakota Fanning reacting to All Her Fault‘s record-breaking success
  • Sydney Chandler sharing her ideal Alien: Earth season 2 story for Wendy and the Lost Boys as production ramps up
  • Robin Tunney weighing in on a Mentalist revival after its Netflix resurgence
  • Yul Vazquez explaining why he has yet to return to Severance
  • Jake Johnson on the chances of Peter B. Parker getting a Spider-Verse live-action spinoff
  • Elijah Wood teasing that his mysterious Ready or Not 2: Here I Come character may be immortal
  • Wood on reuniting with his Faculty co-star Shawn Hatosy in the Ready or Not sequel
  • The Ready or Not 2: Here I Come director and cast on the sequel’s new cabal of wealthy Satanists
  • Jessica Rothe on the ongoing wait for Happy Death Day 3 to close out the Blumhouse franchise
  • BenDavid Grabinski on how Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice breaks a classic sci-fi time-travel trope
  • Grabinski & Vince Vaughn on the accidental Dodgeball reunion in Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice
  • John Goodman responding to Monsters Inc. 3 reports
  • Kevin Hamedani sharing how the Adam Scott and Danielle Deadwyler-led The Saviors was inspired by both The Twilight Zone and The X-Files
  • Emily Browning on how Hulu’s Prison Break reboot will be different from the original series
  • Raviv Ullman on the chances of a Phil of the Future revival
  • Jamie Lee Curtis sharing why she ultimately didn’t play One Piece season 2’s Dr. Kureha after fan campaigning
  • Graham Parkes on how Lewis Pullman and Maya Hawke’s Wishful Thinking puts a dark twist on a 20-year-old book
  • Chandler, Takehiro Hira, Maximilian Lee Piazza & Brian Tetsuro Ivie talk Anima‘s experimental filming
  • The cast and producer of I Love Boosters hype Boots Riley & Keke Palmer’s “unapologetic” new crime movie
  • David E. Kelley, Elle Fanning and the Margo’s Got Money Troubles cast on their Apple TV comedy and why Michelle Pfeiffer was the only choice to help lead it
  • The AI Doc: Or How I Became An Apocaloptimist team breaking down just how extensive their research was
  • Dakota Fanning, Joe Swanberg, Jake Johnson & Cory Michael Smith on the bizarre experience filming The Sun Never Sets
  • Brea Grant & her Grind team on how they turned a short film into a DIY horror hit
  • Uma Thurman and the Pretty Lethal team on mixing R-rated ballet-fu action with a touching central message
  • Kathryn Newton on still not being used to watching people blow up after reuniting with Radio Silence on Ready or Not 2
  • Adam Scott & Damian McCarthy on how Hokum gives the star a return to a rare villain-like role

Read More

2026-03-17 02:30