Taaffe O'Connell
Encyclopedia
Taaffe O'Connell is an American
actress, best known by horror film
fans for her performance in Galaxy of Terror
. Her acting career began in the late 1970s and continued uninterrupted through the 1980s. Her career has seen a rebirth after 2000 and has continued to the present day.
Apart from acting, O'Connell started and owned the Canoco Publishing Company during the 1990s. Canoco is a Los Angeles-based company produced Astro Caster Magazine, which specialized in casting information and advice for actors and actresses. Ms. O'Connell has written numerous articles for the magazine herself as well as being its owner and publisher.
. While O'Connell's early career consisted primarily of TV show appearances (Three's Company
, Happy Days
, Dallas
, Laverne & Shirley
, Blansky's Beauties
), she achieved lasting fame within the B-movie, horror film universe for her role as 'Dameia' in the movie Galaxy of Terror
. Released in 1981, it was the second consecutive horror film she had appeared in, having also appeared in the 1980 film New Year's Evil
. O'Connell's place as a scream queen
legend was guaranteed with Galaxy of Terror
however, due to the unique, bizarre and exploitive fate of her character.
Trapped on an alien world, her character and fellow shipmates find themselves in a giant pyramid built by an ancient culture who used it as a mental playground/testing area for their children. The human crew of the Quest (the ship in the film) unwittingly confront the pyramid, which creates monsters from the fears in their own minds, but the monsters come with more adult, psychological fears attached to them as well. The confrontations generally prove deadly to the crew since most of them aren't aware of this and cannot overcome the sense of terror and humiliation generated by their attackers. O'Connell's character, 'Dameia', reveals at one point she has a significant fear of worms. Shortly thereafter, she is attacked by a giant 12-foot worm. The psychological fear that 'Dameia' confronts along with the worm is sexual in nature, because the monster graphically rapes her as it kills her.
The scene as it was released contained enough nudity (from both O'Connell and a body double who was used in certain shots) and was sexually explicit enough to achieve cult status for the movie and the actress. According to R.J. Kizer on the 2010 Shout! Factory
re-release of Galaxy, it was initially even more explicit; in fact, it earned an X-rating from the Motion Picture Association of America
(MPAA) upon its first screening. Kizer had to make a series of small cuts of "ecstatic" expressions on O'Connell's face as the creature climaxes and kills her, as well as sexually suggestive motions made by the monster throughout, in order to get the film's rating lowered to 'R'. Even with the cuts, the sequence was restricted or banned from cinematic release in several countries.
As a result of this, O'Connell has had cameo appearances in several other horror films in the 90s and early 2000s, and B-movie print productions like Femme Fatales (magazine)
and Fangoria
have done features on her, the scene, and the film. O'Connell herself has a prominent role in the commentary of the DVD/Blu-ray release, as well as in its companion feature "Tales from the Lumber Yard" which discusses the making of the film.
During the 1990s, O'Connell's focus shifted away from acting and into publishing. Her Canoco Publishing Company has continued operations for 20 years, and produces Astro Caster Magazine, a trade magazine which combines traditional casting for actors and actresses with astrological insights and information.
Recently, O'Connell has begun taking acting parts in films again. She has appeared in three films, Spork, Going Down in LA-LA Land and the box-office hit The Change-Up. Her roles in these films have been more comedic than dramatic, similar to her roles on Three's Company
and the mid-80s film Hot Chili.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, best known by horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
fans for her performance in Galaxy of Terror
Galaxy of Terror
Galaxy of Terror is a 1981 science fiction/horror film produced by Roger Corman and directed by Bruce D. Clark. It stars Edward Albert, Erin Moran, Robert Englund, Ray Walston, Zalman King, Grace Zabriskie and Sid Haig...
. Her acting career began in the late 1970s and continued uninterrupted through the 1980s. Her career has seen a rebirth after 2000 and has continued to the present day.
Apart from acting, O'Connell started and owned the Canoco Publishing Company during the 1990s. Canoco is a Los Angeles-based company produced Astro Caster Magazine, which specialized in casting information and advice for actors and actresses. Ms. O'Connell has written numerous articles for the magazine herself as well as being its owner and publisher.
Life and career
O'Connell was born in Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. While O'Connell's early career consisted primarily of TV show appearances (Three's Company
Three's Company
Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
, Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
, Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
, Laverne & Shirley
Laverne & Shirley
Laverne & Shirley is an American television situation comedy that ran on ABC from January 26, 1976, to May 10, 1983...
, Blansky's Beauties
Blansky's Beauties
Blansky's Beauties is an American sitcom which aired on the ABC network in 1977. The main character of the series was introduced in an episode of Happy Days.-Synopsis:...
), she achieved lasting fame within the B-movie, horror film universe for her role as 'Dameia' in the movie Galaxy of Terror
Galaxy of Terror
Galaxy of Terror is a 1981 science fiction/horror film produced by Roger Corman and directed by Bruce D. Clark. It stars Edward Albert, Erin Moran, Robert Englund, Ray Walston, Zalman King, Grace Zabriskie and Sid Haig...
. Released in 1981, it was the second consecutive horror film she had appeared in, having also appeared in the 1980 film New Year's Evil
New Year's Evil (film)
New Year's Evil is a 1980 American slasher film starring Roz Kelly and Kip Niven, directed by Emmett Alston. The original music score is composed by W. Michael Lewis and Laurin Rinder...
. O'Connell's place as a scream queen
Scream queen
A scream queen is an actress who has become associated with horror films, either through an appearance in a notable entry in the genre as a frequent victim or through constant appearances as the female protagonist...
legend was guaranteed with Galaxy of Terror
Galaxy of Terror
Galaxy of Terror is a 1981 science fiction/horror film produced by Roger Corman and directed by Bruce D. Clark. It stars Edward Albert, Erin Moran, Robert Englund, Ray Walston, Zalman King, Grace Zabriskie and Sid Haig...
however, due to the unique, bizarre and exploitive fate of her character.
Trapped on an alien world, her character and fellow shipmates find themselves in a giant pyramid built by an ancient culture who used it as a mental playground/testing area for their children. The human crew of the Quest (the ship in the film) unwittingly confront the pyramid, which creates monsters from the fears in their own minds, but the monsters come with more adult, psychological fears attached to them as well. The confrontations generally prove deadly to the crew since most of them aren't aware of this and cannot overcome the sense of terror and humiliation generated by their attackers. O'Connell's character, 'Dameia', reveals at one point she has a significant fear of worms. Shortly thereafter, she is attacked by a giant 12-foot worm. The psychological fear that 'Dameia' confronts along with the worm is sexual in nature, because the monster graphically rapes her as it kills her.
The scene as it was released contained enough nudity (from both O'Connell and a body double who was used in certain shots) and was sexually explicit enough to achieve cult status for the movie and the actress. According to R.J. Kizer on the 2010 Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label...
re-release of Galaxy, it was initially even more explicit; in fact, it earned an X-rating from the Motion Picture Association of America
Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. , originally the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America , was founded in 1922 and is designed to advance the business interests of its members...
(MPAA) upon its first screening. Kizer had to make a series of small cuts of "ecstatic" expressions on O'Connell's face as the creature climaxes and kills her, as well as sexually suggestive motions made by the monster throughout, in order to get the film's rating lowered to 'R'. Even with the cuts, the sequence was restricted or banned from cinematic release in several countries.
As a result of this, O'Connell has had cameo appearances in several other horror films in the 90s and early 2000s, and B-movie print productions like Femme Fatales (magazine)
Femme Fatales (magazine)
Femme Fatales is an American men's magazine focusing on film and television actresses.Femme Fatales was founded by Frederick S. Clarke in the summer of 1992, as the sister publication of his science fiction film magazine Cinefantastique. Published by Clarke, it was originally edited by pin-up...
and Fangoria
Fangoria
Fangoria is an American magazine devoted to horror and exploitation films, which has a number of associated brands:* Fangoria Comics* Fangoria Films* Fangoria RadioFangoria may also refer to:* Fangoria , a Spanish electro pop band...
have done features on her, the scene, and the film. O'Connell herself has a prominent role in the commentary of the DVD/Blu-ray release, as well as in its companion feature "Tales from the Lumber Yard" which discusses the making of the film.
During the 1990s, O'Connell's focus shifted away from acting and into publishing. Her Canoco Publishing Company has continued operations for 20 years, and produces Astro Caster Magazine, a trade magazine which combines traditional casting for actors and actresses with astrological insights and information.
Recently, O'Connell has begun taking acting parts in films again. She has appeared in three films, Spork, Going Down in LA-LA Land and the box-office hit The Change-Up. Her roles in these films have been more comedic than dramatic, similar to her roles on Three's Company
Three's Company
Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
and the mid-80s film Hot Chili.
Filmography
- The Change-Up (2011)
- Going Down in LA-LA Land (2011)
- Spork (2010)
- Dismembered (2003)
- DallasDallas (TV series)Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
"Paradise Lost" Episode 327 (1990) - Hot Chili (1985)
- Knight Rider "Halloween Knight" (1984)
- Caged Fury (1983)
- Galaxy of TerrorGalaxy of TerrorGalaxy of Terror is a 1981 science fiction/horror film produced by Roger Corman and directed by Bruce D. Clark. It stars Edward Albert, Erin Moran, Robert Englund, Ray Walston, Zalman King, Grace Zabriskie and Sid Haig...
(1981) - The Incredible Hulk "Dark Side" (1980)
- Rocky IIRocky IIRocky II is a 1979 American film that is the sequel to Rocky, a motion picture in which an unknown boxer had been given a chance to go the distance with the World Heavyweight Champion. Sylvester Stallone, Carl Weathers, Tony Burton, Burgess Meredith, Burt Young and Talia Shire reprised their...
(1979) - CHiPs "Quarantine" (1979)
- Blansky's BeautiesBlansky's BeautiesBlansky's Beauties is an American sitcom which aired on the ABC network in 1977. The main character of the series was introduced in an episode of Happy Days.-Synopsis:...
(1977)