Where in the Horror are they Now? Catherine Mary Stewart!

Last Updated on July 22, 2021

CATHERINE MARY STEWART

THEN:
If you hadn’t heard, we here at Arrow in the Head recently hosted an awesome little event along with Flicks for Fans called The Lethal Ladies of Horror Fest. At this magical evening I had the opportunity to chat with a couple of lovely and talented actresses from one of my favorite Eighties flicks. NIGHT OF THE COMET offered the perfect pairing of both Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney, and these two fantastic ladies couldn’t have been more charming. Since we’ve already explored the perfection that is Ms. Maroney, this seemed to be the perfect time to look back on Catherine and the many cool movies she happened to shine in.

It was 1980 when a lovely Canadian born talent took center stage in the cult classic musical THE APPLE. Yes, Catherine Mary Stewart delighted as a dancer, singer and actress in this campy flick that is shockingly Eighties. Hell, this movie made the Olivia Newton-John fantasy musical XANADU seem traditional in comparison. Sadly this low budget song filled extravaganza didn’t win box office gold and it even took a few years before it earned its cult classic stripes. If you want to witness something strange and unique, then this is a must see for fans of bizarro cinema – you can check out her performance of the song “Speed” here. As a trained dancer, Ms. Stewart was a breath of fresh air that would soon become a name genre fans would hold near and dear to their hearts.

After THE APPLE’s glitter faded, Catherine appeared in small roles in films like the awesomely exciting thriller NIGHTHAWKS in 1981 – Sylvester Stallone and Rutger Hauer rocked this flick. She also found her way onto the soap opera “Days of our Lives” in 1983 as well as an appearance on the classic TV show “Knight Rider” that same year. This fresh faced beauty also worked in smaller budget flicks including SURFER GIRL in 1982 and TV movies such as “A Killer in the Family” alongside Robert Mitchum, James Spader and Eric Stoltz in 1983. Yet for many a genre fan, she was about to find success in one of the most memorable movies this side of that colorful decade.

THE LAST STARFIGHTER was directed by none other than the original Michael Myers, Mr. Nick Castle. This 1984 classic film was a financial success and was an early sign that Hollywood would be able to capitalize on computer animation. This sci-fi flick featured Ms. Stewart as the girlfriend to the film’s leading man Lance Guest, and it’s a safe bet that nearly every single guy in the audience was extremely jealous. There are a number of movies from that time period that truly represent the decade and this film is one of them. I gotta tell you that they don’t make leading ladies like this anymore. Catherine Mary Stewart had me officially smitten.

If you missed our Lethal Ladies event, then you didn’t have the opportunity to revisit one of my all-time favorite genre flicks. NIGHT OF THE COMET (1984) is a blast from start to finish. Part of its impressive appeal was the stronger than usual leads. Seriously, they just kick ass here. Both Ms. Stewart and Kelli Maroney were absolutely perfect as two sisters facing a whole slew of crisis when a comet kills nearly every living thing on earth. This mixed genre flick featured zombies, comedy, conspiracy and of course the incredible talents of the film’s stars… all of it holds up well in its terrifically retro glory.

Since we tend to focus on genre here at AITH, I do have to step outside of it for a moment and talk about a cool little comedy in which she appeared from 1985 called MISCHIEF. I’ve always been a sucker for coming of age flicks, and since it has been awhile I may have to seek this fun little feature out once again. You can’t do much better than Kelly Preston and Catherine Mary Stewart together in one movie. And since we are talking about comedy here, it would be impossible for me to not mention WEEKEND AT BERNIE’S, the 1989 hit where she starred opposite the scene-stealing Terry Kiser as a dead guy. If you are looking for laughs, these two movies are a good place to find them.

NOW:
Throughout the Eighties and Nineties, the actress worked a whole hell of a lot. For horror fans she made the occasional appearance in flicks like NIGHTFLYERS in 1987 – another mix of horror and science fiction. For all you end of the world fans, you could catch her in WORLD GONE WILD from 1988 starring opposite one of my personal favorites, Mr. Michael Paré (who will soon be featured in The Arrow himself, John Fallon’s feature film directorial debut) as well as rocker turned actor Adam Ant. Then when we found ourselves in the year 2000, we weren’t seeing nearly as much of her work as fans like me would have liked. Lucky for us, Catherine Mary Stewart seemed to pick up the professional pace with made for video/cable flicks like THE ATTIC in 2007, DEAD AT 17 in 2008 and GHOUL in 2012.

In 2013 Ms. Stewart appeared in a little film called AMERIQUA and another TV movie called “The Husband She Met Online.” According to her IMDB page, she will be appearing in the indie dramas HERO OF THE UNDERWORLD and SONS OF THE FATHER, both due out in 2015. On a personal note, I can attest to just how incredible Catherine really is. She takes time to chat with her fans, and is absolutely the real deal. She is an incredible beauty, wonderfully funny and very much down to earth. Here is hoping that we continue to see her work and maybe be lucky enough to witness her make a return to horror in a major way. Until then, do yourself a favor and follow her on Twitter or check out her official Facebook page because this lovely actress can brighten any day guaranteed.

For more from the Lethal Ladies of Horror Film Fest, you can check out our coverage here. Once again, I’d like to thank both Ms. Stewart and Ms. Maroney for participating in this unforgettable event!