When you’re asked to name a scream queen who worked primarily in B-horror movies from the late 80s to the mid 90s, I assume 90% of you will name either Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, or Michelle Bauer. However, there were a number of other popular women working in indie titles who didn’t achieve cult/icon status. While she may not have had the most prestigious horror credits to her name, Maria Ford is definitely a noteworthy scream queen in her own right.
Maria Ford was born in 1966 in Colorado. She honed her many talents – which included modeling, dancing, and acting – and would eventually become a Las Vegas showgirl.
In 1989 she landed her first of many roles in horror films, in the feature Stripped to Kill II: Live Girls. Throughout the year she would appear in other horror films including Dance of the Dead and Masque of the Red Death. After a short break from acting, Maria returned in the 1990 supernatural flick The Haunting of Morella. But the best was yet to come!
I most recognize Ms. Ford from her role as Maria in the 1990 sequel Slumber Party Massacre III. How could you not remember Maria? From her wackiness, to her giant hair, and her even bigger areolas, she was definitely a standout from the cast.
Following this success she continued to book roles in movies, both in the horror genre and now in science fiction movies. Her credits include The Rain Killer in 1990, Deathstalker IV: Match of Titans and Future Kick in 1991, The Unnamable II: The Statement of Randolph Carter in (1992), and Necronomicon: Book of the Dead in 1993. Maria also played the lead role in the comedic thriller Stripteaser in 1995.
1995 remained a busy year for Ms. Ford. She acted in Alien Terminator, The Wasp Woman, and Burial of Rats with Adrienne Barbeau. After appearing in scifi’s Starquest II, she graced the blurry screen in the 1996 flicks Night Hunter, Showgirl Murders, and Mind Games with Brian Krause. And who can forget her roles in Dark Planet and Future Fear in 1997.
In an interesting turn of events, at the end of the last millennium Maria started to transition from b-horror and scifi titles to the world of big budgeted successes. Although they were small parts, Ms. Ford appeared in the kids flick Casper Meets Wendy and Adams Family Reunion in 1998.
So, where is Maria Ford now?
In another interesting turn of events, at the start of the new millennium Maria started to transition from Hollywood films to popular television shows. Her various television appearances include “Judging Amy” in 2002, “7th Heaven” in 2003,” and “The Drew Cary Show” in 2004.
Finally, after more than a decade, Maria returned to horror films with the 2006 straight-to-DVD title Wedding Slashers. Currently, Ms. Ford has another horror film, Rabid with Ron Jeremy, due out sometime in 2014.
Ms Ford is currently working as an model and dancer primarily in the Bellydance and Spanish dance genre. I worked with her on a fashion shoot and she looks amazing. Just keeping it real… a lot of these girls look terrible but she really worked on keeping her talent and body in top shape
Saw Maria Ford actress in a big dance festival in Europe recently. Was already a fan of her films. She did some beautiful Latin dance performances that were completely different than the dancing she did in her movies and I was seriously impressed! She is a really talented Spanish dancer!
Are you SURE that’s a picture of Maria Ford at the top??? I’m sure there’s lots better pics of her.