Woman (In Horror) Crush Wednesday: Amy Steel

Hallo wieder meine Kleinen Monster (that’s “hello again my Little Monsters” to you and me, Rusty). It’s Wednesday again; August 30th of 2017 to be exact. And if you’re counting down like I am, you’ll also know that means HorrorHound Weekend in Indianapolis is a mere NINE DAYS AWAY (still seems like too many). That being said, I have chosen one of the guests that will be appearing as she who I have chose to highlight today. Of course you’ve likely seen the images above, so you already know this week’s wonderful Woman of Horror is Amy Steel.
Amy is another type of Steel to come out of Pennsylvania, albeit not the rust belt variety. She grew up in West Chester, and around the time she began studying acting at the Westtown School is when her career began to take shape. With two summers of dramatic training under her belt, Amy joined Lionville, PA’s Barley Sheaf Players, starring in two productions for the troupe.
Despite her love of the performing arts, Amy wished to further he academic pursuits, thus putting her acting on pause to attend the Kent School in Kent, CT. She then moved to Palm Beach, FL to attend college, majoring in broadcast communications. It was during Amy’s time in Florida that the founder and president (at the time) of the Elite Modeling Agency himself, Mr. John Casablancas, discovered her.
In 1979 she would move back up the east coast, to New York this time, to pursue modeling and acting. Her career began on the small screen with recurring roles on the daytime soap operas All My Children and Guiding Light. Amy’s transition to the big screen began with her debut in the 1981 rom-com, Fat Chance. Of course it’s her second appearance on the big screen that we fans of the horror genre know her and love her for. In her iconic role as Ginny Field in Friday the 13th Part 2, Amy earned her rightful place among the horror genre’s illustrious list of final girls and scream queens. Had Amy not declined to reprise her role as Ginny in Friday the 13th Part 3, that movie and likely the rest of the series would have played out much differently than we know it. But in an attempt to avoid type casting, Amy chose to move on from the series. She does however pop up again in Part 3 and 4, but only in flashback sequences by way of archival footage.
As it goes, Amy’s career in the genre is fairly limited, having appeared only four further times in the genre: April Fool’s Day, the 1991 television remake of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, and episode of the TV series American Gothic and the recent horror anthology titled Tales of Poe. One could argue that with the inclusion of the documentaries Crystal Lake Victims Tell All, His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th, Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (appeared uncredited in archive footage) and Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th, it could be eight further appearances.
Having started her carer in television, Amy continued to build a resume featuring roles on many series and in quite a few TV movies. So if you watched a show and said to yourself, “hey…I think that’s Amy Steel/the girl form Friday the 13th Part 2”, you may be right. Some of the shows she appeared on include , but are not limited to, Family Ties, CHiPs, The A-Team, Jake and the Fatman, Quantum Leap, Home Improvement, Chicago Hope, Millennium and JAG.
I’m certain that I am not alone in wishing that Amy would  make a return to the genre, but only if it is what she truly wants and her heart is truly in it. But then again her family life current vocation may make it difficult for her to be away for the long stretches of time some films may require. Amy has been working as a marriage/family therapist for many years, and has her own practice where she specializes in adolescent and midlife transitional therapy. She also has two daughters withe her husband, Peter Pulitzer, to whom she has been married for over 30 years.
Well, it’s about that time again, my Little Monsters. You know…that time when I urge you to go forth and search out any other info about Amy you seek, that I haven’t already given you today. As per usual, you can always check out her official IMDb page to see if and when she may be returning to the screams…I mean screen. I beg your pardon, a little Freudian slip there. You can also give a look for her on Facebook or Twitter, although I am not certain which accounts may be legitimate. Then again, if any of you boils and ghouls are attending HorrorHound in our fair city next weekend, you may be able to find out in person.
So until next time my Little Monsters, treat life as if it were a horror movie. When you hear that sweet, hopeful music playing and you think you’re winning at life, be prepared for a fight. Because the villains of your personal horror stories may decide to come back for a curtain call.