| #10 “THE BLAD SEED” (1956), FEATURING RHODA PENSMARK |
Rhoda Penmark, the poisonous pigtail terror (Patty McCormack nominated for an Oscar) was a delicious eight-year-old devil who brought twisted tension into director Mervyn Leroy’s psychological/horror show “The Bad Seed”. On the surface she appeared to be the prized twinkle of her father Col. Kenneth Penmark (William Hopper’s) eye — and she could do nothing wrong. Christine (Nancy Kelly), her worried mother, was shocked to discover that her idyllic daughter who seemed so sweet and innocent in reality had a dark side. Rhoda’s golden hair and innocent appearance fooled many, but the ones who were unlucky enough to die at her hands (including Henry Jones’s alcoholic handyman Leroy Jessup and a fellow student) knew the truth. . . A deadly diva, with more coldness than a polar-bear’s foot. Rhoda Pennmark is indeed one of the early cinema’s calculated children who made an insidious impression. |
| #9 CARRIE (1976) FEATURING CARRIE WHITE |
Fair enough, the idea of calling the meek and mildly freckled Carrie White (17-year-old Sissy Spacek as her Oscar-nominated character) in director Brian De Palma’s supernatural/horror drama “Carrie” a “devilish dashing” is a little misleading. Carrie White was an withdrawn high-schooler who had a difficult home and academic life. Carrie was a withdrawn high schooler with a problematic home and academic life. Carrie felt even more troubled and transparent after the cruel and ostracized treatments from her spiteful peers and faculty. Carrie’s real motivation was a result of the alienation and frustration of the disillusioned, telekinetic teenager. The corrosive catalyst was an embarrassing prom prank that exposed Carrie’s humiliation in public (the old “pig blood in a bucket” gag). Carrie White, if not sympathetic, was the “temptress” of turmoil. But one cannot blame her for her unrelenting rage given the hostile atmosphere that led to such destruction in the spirit Stephen King’s ghoulish fantasy. |
| #8 THE CRAFT (1996) WITH NANCY DOWLS |
The fact that Nancy Downs, a gothic-looking high schooler (Fairuza Balik), was an outsider in the school did not stop her and her co-workers Bonnie and Rochelle, (Neve and Rachel True), from practicing witchcraft. It was a remarkable thing to have the ability to cast spells on those who would try to alienate her. Sarah Bailey (Robin Tunney), a newcomer, saw how dangerous Nancy and her sidekicks were with their bewitching impulsiveness. At first, joining Nancy as she explored the occult felt liberating to the new girl. She immediately felt a sense of belonging and sisterhood. She soon discovered that Nancy was cynical and manipulative, as well as unpredictable. Balk’s scorned Wiccan Nancy Downs is a dark thrill seeker whose mesmerizing naughtiness and mundane mischief capture the off-kilter, adventurous spirit of the darkened film. |
| #7 “THE XORCIIST” (1973), FEATURING REGAN MCNNEIL |
The Exorcist, a classic horror film from the early 1970s that introduced Linda Blair as the demon possessed pre-teen Regan MacNeil through her Oscar-nominated performance. The movie redefined the macabre on a new level with its blistering showmanship. Chris MacNeil’s (Ellen Burstyn), a worried mother, is concerned that her daughter Regan is being possessed by an unknown evil force. Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) decides to clean the bedridden Regan’s hostage body by enlisting a couple priests, the aged Father Lancaster Merrin and the young and guilty Father Karras. Blair’s Regan was captivating, boldly eerie, and transfixing. It gave a new perspective on the complex and compromised little darling who demonstrates the evil-minded act that reinforces or hinders religious ideologies. After a tense view of “The Exorcist,” Regan MacNeil certainly made pea soup an unappetizing dish to see. |
| #6 “KILL BILL VOL.(2003) FEATURING GOGO YUBAR |
Not many 17-year-old Asian girls are capable of severing your skull with their extensive martial arts skills. Not unless you’re Gogo Yubari, the siren of death in “Kill Bill Vol. Gogo Yubari was a treacherous teen bodyguard to O-Ren Ishii, played by Lucy Liu. Her loyalty to her boss and love of killing were both solidified. Beatrix Kiddo, Bill’s former lover and assassin (Uma Thuman), will tell you how resourceful and lethal the bloodthirsty waif Gogo is. Gogo, who was both beautiful and pernicious was an anomaly. She was not what most people would expect from a typical Asian flower. Gogo’s chaotic seventeen-year-old life was filled with ruthlessness, cunning and a lust for blood. Our heroine, in the end, would win over young Gogo and ensure that she never reached her 18th birthday. She would also continue to perfect her sudden death sentences against unlucky victims. One would still prefer a gang style beating from the Crazy 88 team than to face the titillating tart Gogo in a bloody one-on one showdown. |
| #5 “LOLITA” (1962) FEATURING DOLORES “LOLITA” HAZE |
The nymphet Dolores Haze (Sue Lyon), a British nymphet, was named after the young girl who sparked Humbert Humbert’s forbidden attraction to the 14-year-old teen. Lolita, a minor, should not be blamed for her ability attract mature predators like Humbert. She could not avoid being the target of a grown man’s inexplicable fantasies. Lolita’s flirtatious behavior is partly her fault. Her charms triggered carnal impulses in Humbert and Clare Quilty, a shadowy mentor, who took Lolita to his movies and plays. Lolita would, to Humbert’s regret, end up in a troubled marriage, pregnant, and facing financial difficulties. It’s not the best way to prepare for womanhood. Being a young sexpot in front of older suitors isn’t exactly the ideal thing. The tarnished reputation of a young nympho is never a good thing for anyone involved. |
| # 4 “MEAN GIRLS”, (2004) FEATURING REGINA GEORG |
Let’s be honest. . . There is a Regina George model in every high-school across the country. These superficial honeys are cruel and catty. Regina Georges could easily make an insecure girl eat pints and pints of frozen yogurt without stopping, based solely on guilt or intimidation. Regina (Rachel McAdams), the leader of “The Plastics”, a high school girlie group, parades around the halls like little princesses. Cady Heron, played by Lindsay Lohan, was welcomed into the exclusive group of “Mean Girls” as she had shown potential to join their elite ranks. But Cady did something unthinkable and slept with Regina’s former boyfriend. This perceived betrayal will soon strike rabid Regina in the wrong way, as Cady is now considered the sworn pain of “The Plastics”. McAdams portrayal of devilish darling Regina has a foundation of off-balanced humor thanks to Tina Fey’s truthful script. The film’s title “Mean Girls”, right? |
| #3 “POISON IVIY” (1992), FEATURING IVY |
Katt Shea’s tale of a teen temptation, “Poison ivy”, could have been a generic 90s version of Stanley Kubrick’s classic “Lolita,” released 30 years earlier. The theme sounds familiar, but with a few instrumental players added to the tawdry mixture. Ivy, a seductive teen siren (Drew Barrymore), ends up becoming friends with an awkward and introverted Sylvie (Sara Gilbert), to the point that both girls form a lasting bond despite their opposite personalities and contrasting outlook. Ivy’s desire to emulate Sylvie and her privileged lifestyle may have been the reason for Ivy’s connection with Sylvie. Ivy’s sexual relationship with Sylvie’s disillusioned dad Darryl (Tom Skerritt), whose bedridden and sickly spouse Georgie (Cheryl Ladd), served as Sylvie’s inactive lover and wife, did not hurt. Ivy was a toxic influence in the Cooper family, as she stifled Sylvie’s cynicism about social issues and Darryl’s midlife crisis lust. She also silenced Georgie’s romantic rival. Barrymore’s teen tease Ivy, in short, made Sue Lyons Lolita’s look like a girl selling cookies at lunchtime. |
| # 2 “PROBLEM CHILDS 2” (1991), FEATURING Trixi Young |
Junior Healy, the “Problem Child”, punk (Michael Oliver), was a mop-top terror who caused havoc to his adoptive dad Ben (John Ritter), not to mention to the unfortunate schmucks who were unlucky enough to be in Junior’s way. It was only after “Problem Child 2”, that we realized there was a second little dangerous dynamo ready to explode in a menacing manner. Trixie Young, played by Ivyann Schwan, was Junior’s classmate who was also the daughter of Annie (Amy Yasbeck), the school nurse. Trixie is the one that Ben really wants to be with. Trixie, in fact, was even more devious and sly than Junior. Junior believed that the pint-sized pariah he was comparing himself to made him seem like a rascally rookie. Trixie is afraid, like Junior, that her single-parent date will put her on the backburner for her mother. Trixie and Junior join forces in a diabolical, goofy madness as they serve as Romper Room avengers to fight rich witch Lawanda (Laraine Dumore) who is trying to snag Ben Healy’s marriage claws. Trixie Young, the hedonistic little hoot is a delight to say the least. |
| #1 “THIRTEEN” (2003) FEATURING TRACE FREELAND |
Catherine Hardwicke’s hardcore teen-drama “Thirteen”, a film that focuses on peer pressure and mother-daughter relations, sheds a harsh light on these complicated and angsty relationships. Tracy Freeland, played by Evan Rachel Wood (in an Oscar-nominated role), is a 13 year old girl who finds herself on edge when she mirrors Evie Zamora’s (Nikki Reed) erratic behavior. Evie is a free-spirited, raw girl that Tracy finds liberating and exciting. Both girls are drawn into the world of drugs and petty crimes, as well as random sex. Tracy’s working-class mother Melanie Freeland, played by Holly Hunter (Oscar nominee), is horrified at her debauchery. Evan Wood’s portrayal of the honor student who has turned to the darkside is riveting. It is based on her emotional detachment from her busy home life, and her need to express her ominous vices. |
