Multifaceted actress Hélène Udy
To start, please introduce yourself:
Hi, I am Hélène Udy. My most well-known horror role is as Sylvia who gets murdered in the shower in the original My Bloody Valentine. But I was also in another lesser-known movie I adore called Pin about a young man and his relationship with a medical dummy. And Dead Zone where you win a prize if you can spot me on the streets of wartime Poland screaming “Dashu! Dashu!” in one of the most epic onset moments of my life. Luckily my Horror career continues to the present day working with a fresh set of wonderful Horror visionaries like , David Decoteau (“The wrong….” series, Witches of the Carribean and so many more) Monte Light (Bittertooth, Blood Covered Chocolate), Jake Zelch ( Mia Moss) , Jeff Schneider ( Evil Under the skin, Red Wolf) , Troy Escamilla (Mrs Claus), Marco Bazzi ( Reflections of a broken memory) and so many more… Rebecca Rinehart (Tin roof) Ugh Who have I forgotten?
What is horror to you, what makes a work of art one in the horror genre?
The best horror for me is Suspenseful and terrifying in a way that makes you look around corners and question reality. The land of horror that grips you and makes you forget about your own world. Horror is a welcome catharsis for me. It’s one of the few things that can take my mind off a stressful day. And I love to empathize with a hero’s journey. In horror there is almost always a hero’s journey. I can go to sleep at night feeling like the world is a better place because there may be a few heroes around. Gives me courage to be a hero myself.
What made you want to work in horror?
I never necessarily sought out horror. But because of my background I was very lucky that horror sought me out. When I say yes to a project, it is inevitably because I am going to work with a filmmaker who is incredibly talented and is expressing a unique vision. I am not interested in gore at all. I love suspense, and a unique world to play in as a character. I love great writing. I have been lucky with all the folks above.
Where do you get your inspiration?
I think we all have trauma. As a child a grew up next to an orphanage in a wealthy neighborhood. The kids below the tracks and above the tracks (literally) went to the same high school. But the orphans and the poor kids were not experiencing life in the same way. Observing that was traumatic to witness. I was struck early on by the unfairness of life. As life goes on, that realization only increases and the need to witness heroes grows. I like representing misunderstood people. I have played hookers and delinquents my whole life in a mission to support people I consider to be misunderstood. It’s true on horror though and now that i am well past the age of hooker or delinquent portrayal to see what Kind of roles come my way. I have an affinity for playing nasty people, which is so contrary to who I am. I don’t know why. I think because in life I feel a need to have a steel jaw. As a single woman running my life in a man’s world (yup it still is) I have to be tough. So, toughness does not scare me. I am not concerned about not being liked. It takes courage to play an asshole and I’m always up for it. Although the heroes’ journey is my greatest interest, I am always happy to play any kind of supporting role towards that end.
What would you like your legacy to be in the genre (or elsewhere)?
I’d like to be remembered as a multifaceted actor who worked with and supported genre bending Directors and innovators with all her love and might.
What is Women in Horror Month to you and why is it still important this many years later?
I think the celebration of Women should continue until women in a position of power becomes ordinary. I look forward to that. and then it should just be Actors in horror. The female revolution has been ongoing since Medieval times, but we are so far away from equality yet. It’s a little depressing.
Who are some of the Women in Horror who you look up to and who do you want to bring attention to in your field or others?
Mia Farrow was spectacular in Rosemary’s baby. You felt every sinew of her terror in a world where again, being female caused her demise. Shelley Duval played the ultimate victim, and you feel for her on so many levels. The Director glorified the monster and turned her into a pathetic creature the audience WANTED to see murdered. I think that is sinful. Shelley Duvall in my opinion sacrificed her career for that role. And she was not asked if she could be ridiculed. The shining is a disgusting display of the Directors hate for women. Too bad. It is also a great horror movie. Both things are true. Tippi Hendren in the Birds and Janet Leigh in Psycho are both rumored to have been subjected to emotional abuse by the Director (in order to get the performance he wanted- How low can you go Sir?) and this was considered completely acceptable. Like woman are merely objects you can poke and prod for best results. These women are sacrificial lambs for the horror industry and, truly, the movie industry as a whole. They are saints. They are martyrs. They inspired us all as women to revolt against that kind of abuse. Without them there would not be a Sigourney Weaver killing the monster in Alien. And presently, Debra Lamb does a knock up job in Blood covered Chocolate. And I love Meghan Deanna Kingsley in it. Two very powerful righteous female performances.
What are you currently working on that you can tell us about?
Oh brother. We I run a monthly crazy weird clown cabaret show in Los Angeles. If you’re in town come see it. You can follow it at “Was ist Das?” on Instagram and Facebook . I’m looking forward to the imminent release of “Bittertooth” by Monte Light. As usual, he knocks it out of the park. Here’s the link to the trailer BITTERTOOTH | HORROR | 2024 | V ORIGINAL | TRAILER . follow it on imdb for the release date https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26935950/ . Please check out my link on IMd.com for upcoming projects and to keep touch with me. Just your clicking on this link ups my imdb score and does me a great favor . here it is:” Helene Udy | Actress, Producer, Director. You can also find me on Facebook and Instagram (Helene Udy) and please do! Because, I have no upcoming horror to promote otherwise. Yeah. What’s up with that ???? Someone give this old lady a job for crying out loud!!!. :)