Camilla Belle, Exotic Beauty, Stellar Acting, Don’t Blink

I’ve seen her before.

Then I blinked and she was gone.

Why is it that I can remember other actresses that I lusted for less and not her?

It’s actually a round-about compliment.

You see, with the other actresses, who shall remain nameless, I remember them vividly because no matter how many of their films I see, they play the same person over and over.

Yes it might be under the gray skies of Seattle this time, last time in vibrant New York or previously in a Montana Western but it’s still the same girl. The hair and costumes are different, the lines have changed but she is still demonstrates the same persona.

With Camilla Belle it’s very different.

Really different.

The reason I mostly forgot her was because she is an exceptional actress and never plays the same person twice so it’s hard to make the connection.

Her film resume is quite extensive.

I’ve seen her in 10,000 BC, The Quiet, The Lost World Jurassic Park, Adrift and others to name a few.

Thoroughly enjoyed all of the films, yet I couldn’t remember her.

Until I saw her in the remake of When A Stranger Calls.

**fciwomenswrestling.com article, Screen Gems photo credit**

The irony was that I liked the first version much better. It was more primal and surprising.

When a Stranger Calls is a 1979 American psychological horror film. It was directed by Fred Walton and stars Carol Kane and Charles Durning.

The film was commercially successful, grossing $21,411,158 at the box office, though it received a mixed critical reception. It was followed by the 1993 made-for-television sequel and Camilla’s 2006 remake.

The film has developed a cult following over time because of the first 20 minutes, now consistently regarded as one of the scariest openings in horror movie history.

Imagine you are babysitting alone on a dark night and receive one threatening prank call after another.

The camera plays tricks on us. Is the back door locked? Are all of the windows closed?

Maybe not.

You see a strange man standing outside.

You call the police and they reassure you that they will trace the call. He keeps calling but hangs up quickly. Finally he stays on long enough for them to get a trace and to your horror the policeman tells you to get out of that house immediately!

Why?

The call is originating from inside the house.

Let’s face it, once the gig is up on that surprise, watching a second time just doesn’t have the same sting.

That’s why Camilla’s performance was so masterful. Despite the payoff giveaway, she still gives a powerful and harrowing performance.

We have to give the old style horror flicks their due. They are very simple and primal in their technique but oh so effective.

One that comes to mind in the 1981 classic, The Funhouse.

The storyline unfolds focusing on rebellious teen Amy (Elizabeth Berridge) who defies her parents by going to a dingy carnival that has pulled into town. In tow are her boyfriend, Buzz (Cooper Huckabee), and their friends Liz (Largo Woodruff) and Richie (Miles Chapin). Thinking it would be fun to spend the night in the campy “Funhouse”

It had all of the primal elements and the expected moral play results.

First the teen guys.

There’s the accountant type with the glasses, a future Wall Street wolf who will destroy our pensions. Here he steals the monster’s money and receives a creative head ache.

Then there is muscle boy who doesn’t listen to women. His girlfriend wants to go to the movies but noooooooooo, he insists on going to the carnival even though they heard on the news there had been problems with this carnival in other towns.

He’s the tough guy type so he feels, bring it on.

Later?

It was brought on. So much for the tough guy stuff.

Before he met his demise, he got in quite a violent workout.

Let’s not forget the gorgeous feminine blonde teen babe with the heavy makeup, tight blue jeans, and good girl persona but is absolutely crazy about sex. Wild as they come.

Yummy.

Back in the day, we were certainly crazy about her. Nothing like influencing her for a drive in the muscle car. Oh the memories.

Here as the monster caught up with her I wanted to scream at the screen, “Babe? Sweetheart? Please! Whatever you do, don’t say, I’ll do anything that you want! (That’s for the teenage muscle car only).

So when our sweet starlit gets cornered by the monster, she pleads for her life and against my primal screams says to him, “I’ll do anything that you want!”

Oh well, I think you can guess what happened to her.

What a waste.

So I really needed to see Camilla in a primal horror film to truly remember her terrific acting.

Why in part is she so stellar?

First, please don’t blink and keep your eyes open as you look at her resume.

Camilla was born as Camilla Belle Routh in Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Cristina Gould, is a fashion designer and her father, Jack Wesley Routh, owned a construction company and was a composer of country music.

Camilla is a Catholic, and was raised in a Catholic household. She attended St. Paul’s Catholic Elementary School and then the Marlborough School, an all-girl high school in Los Angeles.

She grew up speaking Portuguese.

She made her professional debut in a print ad at nine months. At age five she was cast as a lead in her first film, NBC’s thriller, Trapped Beneath the Earth.

Her mother is Brazilian and her father, who is from Kingman, Kansas, has English, German, and French ancestry. Camilla is an only child. She was named after a character played by Renata Sorrah in her mother’s favorite Brazilian soap opera Cavalo de Aço (1973). However, most people call her by her middle name Belle.

Now we can see where she received those very beautiful exotic, mysterious dark looks.

At imdb.com they share some inside information.

It’s reported that it took a lot of negotiating to get her to star in the remake When a Stranger Calls (2006) after Evan Rachel Wood turned it down.

She is not a fan of horror movies and nearly turned down the role of Jill Johnson as a result until director Simon West told her he was going more for a psychological thriller which is when she accepted.

She was quoted as expressing, “I’m not a dark person at all, so those roles are the most challenging. I don’t think I’m necessarily drawn to dark things. It just seems to work out that way.”

She loves the light.

Camilla has also been involved in various charities and is an international spokesperson for “Kids With A Cause”, created to provide a helping hand to children suffering from poverty, hunger, lack of education, neglect or abuse.

Corporate sponsors have fallen in love with her as well.

As shared at celebrityscentsation.com she was once the face of Vera Wang’s Princess Perfume.

Ah yes, a gorgeous elegant young lady for a perfume fit for a princess.

Why was it such a good fit?

At verawang.com they smile, “Princess is all about a new attitude. It’s about claiming something magical and mystical in your life. It’s all of the characteristics that we would want to possess and what resides in all of us young or old.”

You see. So much about Camilla smells so sweet.

So if you want to follow an actress who is exotically beautiful, brings exceptional unique performances to every role and is absolutely mesmerizing, Camilla is your girl.

But please remember. Keep plenty of eye moisturizer in the house, in all the rooms, because when you watch Camilla perform, not once and certainly not twice…….