The famed star of TV and movies died January 10. She was 86.
Who was Maila Nurmi, you ask? Shame on you for having to do so. She was best known as Vampira, having created the job of horror movie host on KABC-TV in Los Angeles in 1953 (she was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1954 as “Most Outstanding Female Personality”). She was also one of the stars (even though it was really only a cameo) in Plan 9 From Outer Space, by some estimates the worst movie ever made. Even if you’ve never heard of her, you’ve probably seen Cassandra Peterson’s tacky “Elvira, Mistress of the Dark” character, even if only as a cardboard cutout near beer displays around Halloween–Elvira was a blatant rip-off of the Vampira character.
If you love cheesy horror movies, as I do, then this is a sad day.
January 15, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Is it worse than Attack of the Killer Tomatoes?
January 15, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Is it worse than Attack of the Killer Tomatoes? I’m a Science Fiction geek too….
January 15, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Much, MUCH worse…Though personally I think my nominee for the worst movie ever made would be “Manos, the Hands of Fate,” which was made by a fertilizer salesman in El Paso, Texas back in the early 60s. If you’re interested, you can actually see this opus as part of a Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode.
January 16, 2008 at 7:44 am
I’ve actually seen both, but it was long ago – have you ever seen Hardware Wars? or Bambi meets Godzilla?
January 16, 2008 at 7:09 pm
mrsfalstaff, I LOVED Hardware Wars. The difference between that and Plan 9 From Outer Space, however, is that Hardware Wars was a deliberate parody, and Plan 9 was intended as a serious film.