Oct 8, 20224 min read

Women of Horror Halloween Special

I rounded up a crew to salute some of our favorite women in the horror genre.

The Team

Samantha Ellis writes the column "Cooking with the Stars" for the Classic Movie Hub. She blogs at Musings of a Classic Film Addict and co-hosts the podcast "Ticklish Business".

Angie Schneider is a board member of The Hollywood Heritage Museum and collects memorabilia on Mary Pickford and Theda Bara. She blogs at “Tinsel and Stars" and is currently writing a cookbook on the recipes of Pickfair.

Jenny Hammerton of Silver Screen Suppers is a film archivist in London and an expert on celebrity recipes. She's published multiple cookbooks including "Murder, She Cooked", "Cooking with Columbo", "Cooking with Joan Crawford" and "Supper with the Stars: With Your Host Vincent Price" co-authored with Peter Fuller,

Fritzi Kramer of Movies Silently does extensive research and writing about the silent era and also makes silent film star recipes.

The Stars

Elsa Lanchester's Date Torte

Presented by Samantha Ellis

Elsa Lanchester is best remembered for her role in the 1935 classic "Bride of Frankenstein". Her other films in the thriller or horror genre include "The Spiral Staircase" (1946), "Bell Book and Candle" (1958) and "Murder By Death" (1976).

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups castor sugar

6 egg yolks

4 tables spoons flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups of dates cut lengthwise

2 cups of shelled walnuts

6 egg whites

butter

cream

Directions

Beat 1 1/2 cups castor sugar together with 6 yolks of eggs; then sift in 4 tablespoons four and 1 heaping teaspoon of baking powder. Now add 2 cups of stoned dates, cut lengthwise and 2 cups shelled walnuts. Lastly stir in the beaten whites of 6 eggs and bake in a buttered mould in a slow oven until ready, then serve with whipped cream.

Source: This recipe is from "The Stage Favourites Cook Book" by Elizabeth Craig published in 1923. It was unearthed for us by Jenny Hammerton of Silver Screen Suppers.

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Kim Novak's Purple Passion

Presented by Angie Schneider

Kim Novak made movie history with her iconic performance in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller "Vertigo" (1958) and the same year starred in classic "Bell Book and Candle".

Ingredients

1 packet Knox gelatin

1 package grape Jello (purple) 3oz. 1 1/2 cup boiling water

Dash of white vinegar

Fruit

Directions

Dissolve Knox gelatin in a little cold water. Mix with hot Jello mixture. Grease mold with a little oil. Line mold with 1/2 pears and pineapple chunks and Thompson seedless grapes. Put a little of the Jello mixture in and let it set so that the first layer of fruit will stay on the bottom. Then add another layer of fruit of your choice, put in the refrigerator to jell. Serves 6.

Source: The unpublished manuscript by Pauline Kessinger, who ran Paramount's "Continental Café" from the '40s to the '80s. This recipe ran as part of an article about her in The Hollywood Reporter. This recipe is courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

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Agnes Moorehead's Macaroon Delight

Presented by Jenny Hammerton

Agnes Moorehead co-starred in several popular horror films including "The Bat" (1959), "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte" (1964) and played the witch Endora on the sitcom "Bewitched" (1964 - 1972).

Ingredients

Almond macaroons

Madeira wine

Currant jelly/jam

Custard sauce

Whipped cream

Directions

In individual dishes, soak 2 macaroons per person in the Madeira, just long enough for them to absorb a full tablespoon. Dot each serving with a large helping of currant jelly/jam. Cover with custard sauce. Top and cover entirely with whipped cream. Serves "As many as you like!"

Jenny's test cook Shelley Finke gave the following notes on this recipe in "Supper with the Stars":

-She used a custard recipe from "Betty Crocker's Cookbook" 1969 edition

-The macaroon recipe was from "The Joy of Cooking" 1977 edition.

-She substituted cream sherry for the Madeira wine and also suggested laying the ingredients or making a larger version. She also suggested adding a topping of nut or berry.

Source: This recipe was originally published in "The Celebrity Cookbook" Rosary Hill College Class of 1976. It was reprinted in "Supper with the Stars with your host Vincent Price" by Peter Fuller and Jenny Hammerton, published in 2021.

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Evelyn Ankers' Oatmeal

Presented by Karie Bible

Evelyn Ankers is best remembered for her role opposite Lon Chaney Jr. in "The Wolfman" (1941). She was paired with him several more times in the films "The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), "Son of Dracula" (1943) and "The Frozen Ghost" (1945).

Ingredients

4 cups water or milk, boiled (can be 50/50)

1/4 teaspoon salt, optional

2 cups oats

1 cup plain bran flakes

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 grated coconut

1/4 cup chunky peanut butter

Directions

Combine all ingredients. To cook the oatmeal, boil the water and milk. Add the rest of the ingredients while slowly stirring. After all ingredients are thoroughly mixed, cover and turn down to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes on low, stirring occasionally. Serves 4.

Source: "It Came From the Kitchen: Monstrously Delicious Celebrity Recipes from Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Assorted Aliens and Beyond!" by Geoff Isaac and Gordon Reid and published in 2006.

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Mary Philbin’s Brown Betty

Presented by Fritzi Kramer

Mary Philbin is co-starred in the silent horror classics "The Phantom of the Opera" (1925) opposite Lon Chaney and "The Man Who Laughs" (1928) with Conrad Veidt.

Click HERE for Fritzi's full blog post about this recipe.

Ingredients

2 cups bread crumbs

4 apples

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

a little butter

Directions

Grease a baking dish and line with a layer of sliced apples, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixed. Then a layer of bread crumbs, with more cinnamon and sugar. Alternate apples and bread crumbs until the pan is filled, covering finally with bread crumbs. Small flakes of butter will make the pudding richer and, if you like, you may flavor with a little lemon juice. Bake in a moderate oven for forty-five minutes, keeping the dish covered until the last ten minutes of baking. Serve with hard sauce. A good winter dessert that makes fine use of the popular and inexpensive apple. Children love it.

Source: "Photoplay's Cook Book 100 Favorite Recipes of the Stars" edited by Carolyn Van Wyck and published in 1927.