Time To Celebrate British Actress Judy Matheson On Shocktober Day #24!
As we count down our #31daysofhalloween, I had the chance for a fun “twitter” conversation with the great cult film Actress Judy Matheson!
First, the quick backstory: as part of my #31daysofhorror #shocktober countdown of horror films, I shared a look at the classic Hammer horror trilogy that included “Lust For A Vampire”, “The Vampire Lovers” and “Twins Of Evil”…
These are great early 70’s gothic horror films, and if you want to see the original movie trailers, you can see them here:
I shared this link on Twitter, and got this response from Judy….read the conversation from the bottom up!
“Er, Excuse Me?” Judy Jarvis Speaks Out!
Yes, Judy Jarvis IS Judy Matheson, and after I posted my link to the story, reminded me nicely that she was in two of the films! She was gracious and funny in our interaction, but it made me want to share more of her story!
Judy Matheson has been in some great cult films: she got her start working in a variety of British TV shows before landing some great movie roles in the 60’s and 70’s:
Her first film was “The Chairman” with the legendary Gregory Peck. She also starred in “The Exquisite Cadaver” with Capucine, which was the Spanish entry at the San Sebastian Film Festival.
What I failed to notice, was that in the early ’70s, she appeared in the classic Hammer Horror films “Lust for a Vampire” and “Twins of Evil.”
These are two great Hammer horror films, as the studio was trying to “modernize” their approach to horror with more nudity and bloody violence, while still adhering to the gothic approach to their films.
Here is the trailer for “Lust For A Vampire”:
She followed her role up with “Twins Of Evil”, the last film in the trilogy…another great gothic horror film from Hammer:
It didn’t end well for July in “Twins Of Evil”, unfortunately – as you can see, she didn’t fare well at the end of the movie:
Matheson went on to star in a number of cult classics from the 70’s, including “The Flesh and Blood Show”, “The House that Vanished”, “Crucible of Terror”, and “Confessions of a Window Cleaner.”
If you don’t know these “Confessions Of…” films, they are certainly “of their time.” See more about them here:
According to wikipedia, in 1981 Matheson became a TV continuity announcer for TVS (ITV for the South of England) and in 1990 she was part of the launch team for British Satellite Broadcasting, later to become BSkyB. She also worked as a continuity announcer for Carlton Television and London Weekend Television!
While she now goes by the name Judy Jarvis, she still attends film conventions and Hammer Film events, so fans can meet her and hear stories from her career.
She has recently taken part, with fellow Hammer actress Caroline Munro, in a short spoof horror film ‘Frankula’ produced by The Misty Moon Film Society, of which she is an Honorary Patron.
What a great double bill! Caroline Munro has also had a great career! If you want to know more about Munro – who was a Bond girl as well, see her story here:
I lived just up the road from the Electric Ballroom, but I moved from London in 2012, so missed that film-fest by a year! I remember her well in those Hammer roles, but those awful ‘confessions films’ are best left in their cans…
Best wishes, Pete.
Pete, she was terrific in the Hammer films, and as for the “Confessions” series, they were certainly “of their time…” nudge nude wink wink as Monty Python would say!
johnrieber 
I lived just up the road from the Electric Ballroom, but I moved from London in 2012, so missed that film-fest by a year! I remember her well in those Hammer roles, but those awful ‘confessions films’ are best left in their cans…
Best wishes, Pete.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pete, she was terrific in the Hammer films, and as for the “Confessions” series, they were certainly “of their time…” nudge nude wink wink as Monty Python would say!
LikeLiked by 1 person