Teri Gamble is one of my favorite industry people and also one of my favorite accounts to follow on Twitter. She’s a full-time actor, writer, and podcaster. You’ve probably seen her on your TV in Nailed It!, Mrs. Davis, Dollface, Superstore, and Modern Family. Or you might be obsessed with the podcast Teri co-hosts, Horror Movie Survival Guide. You may even be familiar with her because of one of the live streams where she represents Blerds while playing Dungeons & Dragons. Needless to say, Teri is one of the busiest people you could ever meet on social media.
Because Teri wears so many hats, her page always has something exciting going on. Watching her juggle it all seamlessly gives me hope that one day my life could be less messy too. While I await that magical day, I chose to put more on Teri’s plate by asking her the toughest question imaginable. Like everything else she does, she knocked it out of the park and gave me a badass list to share with you all.
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Where You Can Watch: Amazon Prime, Crackle, Max, Peacock, Plex, PlutoTV, Redbox, The Roku Channel, Starz, Tubi, Vudu, and YouTube
A small group of survivors find themselves trapped together in a farmhouse surrounded by zombies. The late Duane Jones made history playing the character of Ben, a role under different circumstances that would have never gone to a Black actor at the time. I love that this is Teri’s favorite movie because George A. Romero fully snapped with this masterpiece. Teri cited that part of the reason it is in her top 5 is because it’s always timely. This was the first film in the Night Of The Living Dead series and is arguably the best one.
Hellbender (2021)
Where You Can Watch: Shudder
A teen finds out that her family history is tied to witchcraft. This indie movie quickly found a massive following when it came out. I am a little surprised it has taken this long to end up on one of these lists, to be honest. The film is often celebrated for its cinematography, visuals, and editing, which are beyond impressive for its budget. Teri is a huge fan of the Adam family (the filmmakers, not the brood led by Morticia and Gomez Addams) and their brand of folk horror.
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Where You Can Watch: VOD
This movie asks, what if the main characters of Frankenstein lived? What would happen if Dr. Frankenstein built his monstrous creation a wife? These questions, and more, get answered in one of the earliest movies to showcase a non-vampiric monster played by a woman. It is still pretty hard to find movies that don’t default to male monsters today, so this a very cool moment for the 1930s. I’m starting to think that Teri is here for the horror movies ahead of their time. Which I love because we all know the best scary movies are the ones outside of the mainstream anyway.
Nope (2022)
Where You Can Watch: Prime Video
Two siblings discover that their ranch is being watched by something otherworldly. I am a huge Jordan Peele fan and will fight anyone who says this is not a horror movie. So, I am happy Teri is on the same team as me. We literally watched a creature eat living people, so I don’t know what more the film bros could have asked for. However, Teri picked this title for less salty reasons than I would have. She said, “It is the perfect metaphor for working in Hollywood, and that Keke Palmer monologue with the horse sums it up for me!”
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Where You Can Watch: Hulu
A virginal couple’s car breaks down, forcing them to take shelter with Dr. Frank-n-Furter. Even if you hate musicals, you probably still had a Rocky Horror Picture Show phase. This cult classic is basically a right of passage for bizarre cinema fans. It is also Tim Curry’s most iconic role. If we needed further convincing that Teri’s taste leans toward outside mainstream horror, then this is it. Jason, Freddy, and Michael Myers do not have midnight screenings with shadow casts, and they could never. I am living for this list of movies that became a moment or will become a moment but did not quite get all the flowers they deserved when they premiered.
Two movies that almost made Teri’s list were Hellraiser (1987) because it ”is so beautifully disgusting,” and Ganja & Hess because it “is just BEAUTIFUL.”
There you have it! Another one of my favorites listing bonafide hits for their top five horror movies. We also discovered Teri Gamble enjoys an extremely distinct aesthetic and some counterculture with most of her scary movies. Honestly, I would not expect anything less from this icon.
If you want to keep up with all of the stuff Teri has coming up, then you should follow her on Instagram, Twitter, or her website. You should also see her work on Mrs. Davis, streaming on Peacock. Between film, TV, tabletop games, and podcasts, she is kind of a one-stop shop for everything cool.
