The late Carrie Fisher was best known for the Star Wars franchise, but she spent some time in the not so far away galaxy of horror films. Fisher’s performances as Princess Leia Organa in the original Star Wars trilogy - and later in the more recent entries into The Skywalker Saga - are pop culture legend, and even if that had been all she’d done, Fisher would’ve been immortalized. It wasn’t though, as she managed to rack up nearly 100 acting credits in her over 40-year career.
Sure, some of those credits ended up a bit regrettable to have on one’s resume, but one of the things about Carrie Fisher that everyone loved was just how candid she tended to be about her own mistakes and failures, especially in her later years. This allowed her fans to see Fisher as not just a Hollywood legend, but first and foremost, an imperfect human being. Fisher’s rawness and openness was one of her most endearing qualities.
Sadly, Carrie Fisher passed away near the end of 2016, and her loss is still being felt. Through the magic of previously unused footage mixed with CGI, Fisher even managed to be a part of 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which just served to remind fans how much they miss her. But instead of being sad, why not look back at what she left behind? In the horror genre, that’s probably more than most realize.
Carrie Fisher’s Horror Film Roles After Star Wars
We begin with a role most people probably aren’t aware of. In 1984, Carrie Fisher played Elizabeth, the love interest of Dr. Frankenstein in a British TV movie version of the classic Mary Shelley story. Esteemed character actor David Warner portrayed the monster. Perhaps Fisher’s most well-known brush with horror came in 1989, playing Carol Peterson opposite Tom Hanks’ Ray Peterson in Joe Dante’s dark comedy The ‘Burbs. The story sees a creepy new family move into a quiet suburban neighborhood, and before long, the residents become convinced they’re murderous Satanic cult members.
One of Fisher’s more regrettable roles came with 1989’s She’s Back, which wasn’t a horror film per se, but is worth noting here since she plays a ghost for most of the running time. In this odd comedy, Fisher’s character is murdered, and she comes back from the grave to badger her husband into avenging her death. Jumping ahead a decade, 2000 slasher sequel Scream 3 was set in Hollywood, leading to lots of amusing stunt casting. This included Fisher’s role as Bianca Burnette, a cynical failed actress who now works in the archives department of Sunrise Studios, and loves to regale visitors with tales of how the similar looking Carrie Fisher stole her role in Star Wars by sleeping with George Lucas. It’s a hilarious bit of meta humor. Finally, in 2009, Fisher played Mrs. Crenshaw in the slasher remake Sorority Row, the house mother for the titular sorority. Sadly, she doesn’t survive the film.
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