Women in Horror: Mary Lambert

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

One month a year isn't enough to recognize the talented women that make up the horror genre, so Arrow In The Head is starting a column dedicated to celebrating the female filmmakers, screenwriters, cinematographers, and stars that fill such irreplacable roles within the cinematic realm. May their paths inspire others, and may we never forget their important contributions to the film world.

FILMMAKER MARY LAMBERT

This entry features the essential female horror filmmaker Mary Lambert, known for her work on URBAN LEGENDS: BLOODY MARY, HALLOWEENTOWN II: KALABAR'S REVENGE, SIESTA, THE IN CROWD, PET SEMATARY II, TALES FROM THE CRYPT, and of course, 1989's PET SEMATARY. As has become a sort of tradition for my column, I will begin with one of my favorite quotes from the prolific lady in horror.

"I really like bad girls. I think when we talk about sexism in the industry, I think one of the things that women are not allowed to do is be bad. They're not allowed to enjoy sex, they're not allowed to enjoy immoral sex, they're not allowed to enjoy being bad, they're not allowed to enjoy being villains. The number of memorable female villains is so small. Where are the Anthony Hopkins roles for women?"

BACKGROUND: Mary Lambert was born on October 13th, 1951 in Helena, Arkansas to parents Martha Kelly and Jordan Benet Lambert III, a rice and cotton farmer. Originally wanting to be a painter, Lambert went on to attend the Rhode Island School of Design, where she began directing short films in an attempt to discover her path. Throughout her early years and career, Lambert gained a large group of musician friends, and as a result, eventually began directing music videos.

A few of her most noteworthy entries include titles like Madonna's "Borderline", “Like a Virgin” and “Like a Prayer”, which skyrocketed the young photographer to much notoriety long before she ever gave thought to becoming a feature length filmmaker. As time went on, Lambert began to direct a slew of music videos, working with a variety of artists across the spectrum. Lambert directed Janet Jackson's "Nasty" and "Control" music videos, as well as Chris Isaak's first music video "Dancin". She also worked with Mick Jagger, Whitney Houston, Annie Lennox, Alison Krauss, Live, Mötley Crüe, The Go-Go's, Sting, Debbie Harry, Queensrÿche, Tom Tom Club, and others. Since she was already in the business of making litlte movies, it became clear that it would only be a matter of time before she made the leap into full fledged cinematic movie making.

Lambert's first film SIESTA was a script she just so happened to pick up off of the dressing room table of Annie Lennox herself. A psychological thriller about a woman who wakes up with the idea that she might've murdered someone but no recollection of what has happened to her, this experimental, non-linear storyline wasn't necessarily received fondly by all critics, but it did go on to earn a nomination for the Best First Feature Award at the Independent Spirit Awards. Next up, Lambert was given the script for PET SEMATARY, and the rest is history.

Lambert was the first break-through female horror director, becoming the only woman until that point to helm a studio horror film, as well as going on to become the first woman to direct a SyFy Original Film, MEGA PYTHON VS. GATAROID. To call her a trailblazer would be a vast understatement.

BEST WORK: Without a doubt, Mary Lambert's best work was her 1989 Stephen King adaptation PET SEMATARY. First, let's talk about its ridiculous success at the box office. Lambert's adaptation earned back its $11 million budget on opening weekend, going on to gross $57.5 million in North America alone, where it spent three weekends at the #1 spot and became the highest grossing horror movie of 1989. To this day, Lambert's PET SEMATARY is still the highest grossing hororr film to be made by a female director — although I'm sure that statistic will change soon.

Aside from its financial gains, Lambert's PET SEMATARY became known as one of the richer and more well received Stephen King adaptations, giving the director a clear path in the horror genre while simultaneously developing a strong bond between renowned author King and up-and-comer Lambert. Lambert related deeply to King's story about the time he almost lost a child to a mean old road, and found strength in having the writer a frequent presence on set. "He could tell that I really understood the story, in a way, that I was going to tell the story and not just make it into a horror movie" explained the filmmaker in an interview regarding her experience working on the film. Even before gettting hired, Lambert was a huge King fan, noting 'The Shining', 'Carrie' and 'The Four Seasons' as a few of her all time favorites.

Lambert had to fight Paramount tooth and nail to cast Fred Gwynne as Jud Crandall and Miko Hughes as Gage Creed. The studio worried that Gwynne would be too well known for his time as the lovable baddie on THE MUNSTERS, while they feared the consequences of working with such a young actor who was not a twin. However, in the end, Lambert stood her ground, and as a result, delivered one of the most iconic horror movies ever made, not only for fans of the novel, but for devout fans of the film genre as well. Her eerie yet sympathetic take on King's material still manages to frighten audiences and break hearts even today, as Miko's Gage turns out to be one of the most adorable and hauntingly memorable horror characters of all time. 

CAREER DEFINING MOMENT: By the time PET SEMATARY II rolled around, Stephen King was no longer involved, and Lambert wasn't necessarily happy with the script. In Lambert's eyes, the first film hit audiences on a deeper level because it was about obsessive love and the lengths to which parents and family members in general will go to in order to see the one they've lost one last time — even if it means that someone comes back to this plane of existence a little different than the person they were when they left. Lambert wanted to explore Ellie Creed's story, the sole survivor from the first film, but the studio didn't share the director's enthusiasm for centering a story around a teenage gir's experience.

However, a film starring Edward Furlong (TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY) and Clancy Brown (SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, STARSHIP TROOPERS) bolstered by a rock and roll soundtrack earned Lambert a solidifed space in the horror genre, garnering a cult reputation not only for the film, but for the women behind the camera as well. While the reception to the film was lukewarm at best, the movie still made back twice its budget at the box office.

Although her film PET SEMATARY was her foot in the door to the world of the horror genre, it was the sequel which cemented her as a director known for making scary movies. From there, she would go on to helm URBAN LEGENDS: BLOODY MARY, an entry that not only happens to be a part of a popular franchise but also just happened to give future star Rooney Mara her very first speaking role in a film. She also directed the 2000 film THE IN CROWD, a film about deadly friendships at a posh summer country club, as well as HALLOWEENTOWN II, a Disney movie for up-and-coming genre fans.