The League of Gentlemen sure do love their horror. Last Halloween, I offered up Mark Gatiss' History of Horror and Reece Shearsmith's Haunted House, complimentary works that cover the length and breadth of the fright genre. This year, both Leaguers have similar projects that have much narrower focus; Gatiss has a forthcoming documentary on European horror movies, and Shearsmith has produced a BBC Radio documentary on the changing role of women in horror.
In Scream Queens, Shearsmith sketches an overview of that transition, from victim to predator to stake-wielding heroine. But it's his interviews with some of the great ladies of horror that comprise the bulk of the half-hour. Shearsmith talks with Pauline Moran (from the heartstopping The Woman in Black), Linda Hayden (star of LoG favorite, The Blood on Satan's Claw), the truly iconic Barbara Shelley, and one of my own faves, Madeline Smith. Shearsmith is clearly delighted to be in such exalted company, and his enthusiasm is infectious and entertaining - even when the old dears get a bit dry.
Shearsmith with horror icons Pauline Moran, Madeline Smith, Linda Hayden, and Barbara Shelley
Warning: If you've ever seen the tv version of The Woman in Black, there's a segment early on this broadcast that you will not want to listen to on headphones in an empty apartment after midnight. Trust me.
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