Medieval witch, one-eyed witch, corpse bride, purveyor of people pies, modern witch, next-generation Terminator villain? Is it just me that gets goose bumps at the sight (or sound) of Helena Bonham Carter? With talk of her upcoming role as a Terminator Salvation "baddie," it seems an apt time to take a closer look at the unsettling artiste.

True, her career, especially early on, pigeon-holed her as a period-film heroine — Lady Jane, Hamlet, Howard's End, The Wings of the Dove — but even Carter's Lady Jane smacks of Wednesday Adams. Not to say that she hasn't demonstrated her acting prowess as the doomed aristocrat, or her dramatic depth and comedic charm in other performances. What movie-junkie could resist the chain-smoking, scene-stealing seductress and twelve-step addict Marla Singer in Fight Club? But, really, any Plain Jane can act. Few, however, can frighten an audience like Mrs. Burton. It's no surprise that Tim married his Corpse Bride. As soon as he glimpsed her ghostly alabaster skin, pre-ape makeup (on the set of Marky Mark's Planet of the Apes remake), and gazed into her moon-shaped, hearse-colored orbs, he must have thought, "It's a miracle, she's alive!" The woman of his nightmares. In fact, given his gift for ghoulish creations, it's not that hard to imagine he brought her to life himself ... years ago ... in his teenage laboratory.

Nevertheless, even if Helena was Burton-esque before Burton, her husband certainly helped her embrace her undead side. Her darker roles as the jilted Corpse Bride and Big Fish's glass-eyed misfortune teller set her up nicely as a sure fit for the Harry Potter femme fatale Bellatrix Lestrange, and Sweeney Todd's horribly adorable Mrs. Lovett. "Have a little priest" (pie that is). Reportedly, Burton encouraged her to take on Terminator Salvation. Rumor has it she replaces Tilda Swinton, yet another unnerving actress. (I'd surrender to Terminator Tilda in a heartbeat ... if terror hadn't already stopped my heart.)

Along with admirable acting chops, Helena Bonham Carter Burton has a rare gift for the ghastly that deserves recognition, perhaps its own cinematic genre. "Best Actress in a Burton-esque Nightmare." Or a special Academy Award. Like an Oscar for actress most likely to scare you to death and then serve you as pastry.

Recommend (0)

|  Comments (0)

|  Email

|  Share

Share  Facebook Digg del.icio.us