Woman (In Horror) Crush Wednesday: Neve Campbell

Welcome back my Little Monsters. If it’s Wednesday, you all know it’s time to show a little love to one of our wonderful Women of Horror. This week’s lovely and talented lady, Neve Campbell, is a twofold scream queen…I shouldn’t have to explain what that means.
Neve is a product of our neighbors to the north, having been born in Guelph, Ontario. One could say that the desire to perform was in her blood from the start. Her father was a high school drama teacher and her grandparents on both sides were involved in the theater. Neve’s first love was dance, and after seeing a performance of The Nutcracker at the age of six, she enrolled at Erinvale School of Dance to pursue her love of ballet. She would eventually study at the National Ballet School of Canada, where she would perform in Sleeping Beauty and the ballet that initially got her hooked, The Nutcracker. Unfortunately, Neve endured numerous injuries during her time dancing, which led to her having to give it up. She then decided, at the age of 15, to make the leap to acting. While attending John F. Ross Collegiate Vocational Institute appear in the Toronto production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera at the Canon Theater.
When it comes to the time that many of you remember first seeing Neve, some remember it being on Party of Five, or The Craft, or likely her most noted role as Sidney Prescott in Scream. For me it was her first credited TV appearance on The Kids in the Hall as Laura Capelli, a Catholic school girl responsible for murdering her lecherous English teacher. Neve’s first film role was also her first appearance in the horror genre was with fellow Canuck, Stephen McHattie, in The Dark(1993).  However, it was Wes Craven’s 1996 slasher film Scream, which not only redefined the genre, but also solidified Neve’s status as a Scream Queen and genre Icon.
Even though only a small percentage of Neve’s resume consists of horror films, one could say that her performance in Scream may have boosted what visibility she already had from being on Party of Five. It may also have served as an accurate indicator of her versatility, being able to transition from a family drama series to horror films. The evidence of said versatility can be found in her appearances in films like Drowning Mona, 54, Wild Things, Panic, Blind Horizon and Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical. Then there are Neve’s numerous appearances on television on such shows as Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, MADtv, Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons, Titanic: Blood and Steel, Grey’s Anatomy and Mad Men. Neve also co-wrote, co-produced and starred in Robert Altman’s The Company, which chronicles stories from the Joffrey Ballet’s dancers, choreographers and staff.

As is sometimes the case, horror actresses end up not being avid fans of the genre. And despite her personal favorites from said genre being Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, The Shining, and Peter Medak’s 1980 classic, The Changeling, she admits she is not a big fan of the genre. Neve’s reason? For her, horror films are just a little too scary for her. This may seem laughable for somebody who has starred in horror films. But people need to remember it’s different to make a horror film than watch one, mainly because the cast and crew know what’s going to happen, whereas viewers are meant to be surprised and frightened by what occurs.
It’s been about six years since Neve has graced the horror genre with her presence, even though some could say appearing  in the last two seasons of the Netflix original series, House of Cards, may actually count. Many would agree that the world of politics, in the immortal words of Bubbles (yet another Canuck) from The Trailer Park Boys, is “a goddamn, greasy horror show”. But when it comes to a possible return to the genre for Neve, one should never say never…despite the fact her name makes up a better portion of the word Neve-r. Eesh…OK, let’s not read too much into that.
In 2012, Neve took on another role as important as or possibly even more so than any in the world, when she became a mother for the first time. She is also an outspoken advocate for those who live with epilepsy and Tourettes Syndrome. Each of these afflictions hit particularly close to home since her brother Damien was diagnosed with Tourettes and her cousin/best friend is an epileptic.
As I previously mentioned you can see Neve in the new season of the Netflix Original Series, House of Cards, and perhaps one day (if it ever gets made) will be able to hear her voice work in Bremen Town Musicians. Since the Scream franchise likely came to an end with the tragic passing of Wes Craven (unless somebody decides to resurrect the franchise), I wouldn’t expect to see Neve return as Sidney Prescott. However, it would be great to see her make a return to the genre and portray another strong heroine.
Well my Little Monsters, in the words of Sam Elliot’s character of “The Stranger” in The Big Lebowski, “…that about does her, wraps her all up.” If’n you all are interested in finding out more about Neve or her upcoming projects, slide on over to her official IMDb page or her official Instagram page and take a gander. So until next time…auf Wiedersehen.