Woman (In Horror) Crush Wednesday: Heather Langencamp

April 5, 2017

Written by Capt McNeely

Georgia Division ZADF Twitter: @ZADF_ORG

WCW_HeathLang
Here we are on another Woman Crush Wednesday, my Little Monsters, and today’s wonderful Woman of Horror, as you can plainly see, is Heather Langencamp. Heather is an Oklahoma native, born and raised in Tulsa. She attended Holland Hall School in Tulsa, but would move to Washington D.C. where she would attend and graduate from The National School for Girls.
When Heather began acting, it took three attempts to make her debut. Her first try came in 1983 as an extra in Francis Ford Coppola’s big screen adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s novel, The Outsiders. Unfortunately her scene found its way to the cutting room floor. That same year she would be cast as an extra in yet another Coppola adaptation of an S.E. Hinton novel entitled Rumble Fish. And even though she actually had a speaking part this time, her contribution would go unseen and unheard, as it again ended up on the cutting room floor. The upside to this would be that despite not being seen in the film, the fact that Heather had a speaking part at all, ensured that she would earn her SAG card.
The old saying “third time’s the charm” would be proven true in 1984 ,with her third film, Nickel Mountain. In this film she would make both her feature film debut and star in her first featured role. This time the only way audiences would not see her would be if the entire film hit the cutting room floor or if her part had been entirely recast. That same year, as Heather was studying to earn her degree in English at Stanford, she would meet the man of her dreams. There are many who know this fella, that would likely say, “SHE CAN HAVE HIM!” OK, Freddy is more of a Nightmare man than a dreamboat, but I’m sure Heather still holds him very near and dear. As Nancy Thompson in the Wes Craven(we miss you Wes) horror classic, A Nightmare on Elm Street, she would star in her most recognized role and solidify her place not only as a horror icon, but also as one of the most formidable final girls in the history of the horror genre. She would star in three out of seven films of the original Nightmare on Elm Street franchise,  having the opportunity to work with Wes on the first and last films of the series. But she also got to work with Wes on his 1989 cult classic, Shocker, where she was cast as one of Horace Pinker’s victims.

 
Aside from her work on the big screen, Heather has appeared in quite a few TV shows. She may be best know as one of the “Lubbock Babes” from the family sitcom, Just the Ten of Us. Heather played Marie Lubbock along side, JoAnn Willette who played Connie Lubbock  and Brooke Theiss, who played Wendy Lubbock, each of whom also appeared in films from the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. It’s just a shame that Jamie Luner, who played Cindy Lubbock, was never cast in the Nightmare series.
What many likely don’t know is that Heather has also done a bit of work behind the scenes.  She worked as part of the production crew on Zack Snyder’s  2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead. Heather has also worked as a makeup artist on  movies like Cinderella Man, Dead Silence and Star Trek: Into Darkness,  as well as television shows that include American Horror Story and Scream Queens.

 
Now when I said Heather had met the man of her dreams by way of A Nightmare on Elm Street, I can neither confirm or deny the veracity of that statement. It very well could and may likely have been on the set of Shocker, since that was a film that her husband, David LeRoy Anderson, did make-up effects on. In the years since these two have been married, they have become the proud parents of two children (a son and a daughter), and are even owners and operators of their own effects studio, AFX Studio, which David and his father, Lance, started almost 30 years ago.
Over the past few years Heather has appeared in the films The Butterfly Room and Home, and can also be seen in episodes of The Bay and American Horror Story: Freakshow. Heather also made an appearance in the movie Star Trek: Into Darkness, as a character called Moto. But even if you keep your eyes peeled you likely wouldn’t recognize her, since she was wearing an alien mask that covered her face. Currently Heather is working on Hellraiser: Judgment and is rumored to be involved with a film called The Survivors, which is reportedly in development.
At HorrorHound Weekend in Indianapolis, held on September 11th-15th of 2015, there was a huge reunion that featured cast members from the entire original Elm Street franchise. This was nearly two weeks after Wes Craven had tragically passed, so it made the occasion that much more profound for horror fans. It was at this convention that I was fortunate enough to briefly meet Heather. As you can imagine, her table was swarmed by adoring fans. While waiting for my opportunity , I watched her interact with other people ahead of me. She was in her element, laughing and smiling and truly enjoying the opportunity to meet the people who not only loved the movies but also her character in particular. When it was my turn I took just a brief moment to say hello and tell her how much of an honor it was to meet her. She was gracious, sweet and humble, and even let this fanboy get a quick hug.
I’ve been rabbiting on for a while here, but believe me when I tell you there is still more you can learn about this wonderful Woman of Horror, my Little Monsters. As always, you can keep up with any projects Heather may be involved with by checking her official IMDb page. You can also follow Heather at her official Twitter page or at her official website. So until next Wednesday, I bid you adieu, adieu, to you and you and you.

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