inmate profile: Mary Lambert

Man oh man did The Asylum score with this one: Mary Lambert, an acclaimed director with more than thirty years behind the camera, is the very director attached at the helm for this month's SyFy-debuting Asylum production Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, otherwise known as The Battle of the 80's Mall Icons. But they're neither here nor there; this one's all about Mary.

Ms. Lambert was born in the lovely state of Arkansas, which she promptly fled upon graduating high school to attend the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design. In the early 80's she honed her directoral skills on a number of iconic music videos, including two for Janet Jackson - "Nasty," and "Control" - and a quintet for Madonna - "La Isla Bonita," "Material Girl," "Borderline," "Like a Prayer," and, oh yeah, "Like a Virgin" - so she knows a little something about handling pop divas.


A pause here, as I think it's worth noting again Ms. Lambert's video resume. She directed "Like a Virgin." "Like a Virgin." That's the first video ever, as far as I'm concerned, certainly the first one that made a lasting impression on me. And, as someone who knew of Madonna before he knew of Marilyn Monroe, the "Material Girl" video was a spectacle the likes of which I'd never seen. And who can forget the daring, audacious artistry of "Like a Prayer" with Leon? These are some of the biggest visuals of my childhood, and knowing that a director capable of making such an impression is in the driver's seat of MPvG makes me feel very, very good inside. And checking out her actual filmography, it only gets better.


Ms. Lambert directed both Pet Sematary movies, the Traci Lords-Mark Dacascos version of the AIP classic Dragstrip Girl, the super-hot teen thriller The In Crowd, and the third installment of the Urban Legends franchise, Bloody Mary. So what it seems we have here is a highly capable director used to soliciting screams from bloodthirsty audiences worldwide in charge of the hottest film of early 2011.


Debbie, Tiffany, Mary at the helm and a script by proven-ace Naomi Selfman (#1 Cheerleader Camp, Mega Shark vs Crocosaurus): MPvG is a thriller creatively molded entirely by women, an Asylum first. Judging by the talent at their disposal, let's hope it the first of many to come.