"Tales from the Crypt" Retro Recap: "Beauty Rest"

Written by Scotty

As actors and actresses start to get older, the harder it is for them to land the "young person" role.  With all of the makeup and CGI that can be done to them, it still does not look right on the big screen and even though we see it all the time, the fans know that it is not right.  Staying young forever is something that we have all been looking for, but to date, the fountain of youth has still not been discovered and the aging process continues to hammer us on a daily basis.  But there is nothing wrong with getting older and staying in the industry, I just hope that you would be willing to play someone your own age, rather than someone thirty years younger than you.

Aging actress Helen has not had an easy life to this point.  She is always losing out on her jobs to the younger ladies, especially her roommate Joyce.  Knowing that Joyce is giving it up for the opportunities, Helen is still not willing to give in and sleep with anyone for the parts that she wants.  Believing that true beauty and talent is on the inside, Helen will never complicate her morals with any of these shenanigans.  But after her latest audition, when the director initially said that she got the part, Helen is shocked to find out that once again, she has lost the part to Joyce.

Going back to her apartment, Helen accuses Joyce of sleeping with the director, but Joyce does denies it completely.  Falling for another man, Joyce is happy to share her news that she will be the winner of a beauty contest and become the spokeswoman for a brand when done.  Not even knowing that she got the Ball Buster job that Helen is upset about makes Helen even more infuriated. Running to her medicine cabinet, Helen thinks about killing herself, but then another idea pops into her mind as she knows how to get even with her roommate.  Spiking Joyce’s tea with the sleep aid, Helen is ready to take her part in the beauty pageant, but is ashamed when she sees that Joyce will not be waking up ever again.

As life goes on, Helen writes a suicide note for her roommate and gets ready for the gig since being a spokeswoman would be a defining moment in her otherwise dwindling carrier.  Meeting up with the host, Helen shows him the note and is guaranteed the win and the sponsorship, but Druscilla knows what is going on and accuses Helen of the same thing that she accused Joyce of, sleeping around.  Although Helen has not done this, it is not above Druscilla to do it to win the contest and get her own payday.  When George, the host confronts Helen about the new situation at hand, she is not willing to give up the title, no matter what the job after is for.  Killing Druscilla in the dressing room, Helen is ready to take center stage and to promote whatever it is that will have her swimming in diamonds and furs, but she may not have been so anxious about the job if she knew what it was really all about. 

It is a sad commentary on life for those who have been passed over so many times and what they will do to have it stop for them.  As being one of these people, I have never let my morals get out of whack and have a feeling of revenge on my mind.  You have to get the next one, is what I always told myself, and overall, it has worked out nicely for me. I love the distrust between Helen and all of the other characters in this episode.  Even though they are not trying to screw her over, she believes that they are and that justifies her actions.  It is tough, I will admit it, but it should be who is better in a role or position, not what they are willing to do to get it.  Starring Mimi Rogers as Helen, Kathy Ireland as Joyce, Jennifer Rubin as Druscilla and Buck Henry as George.  This is a great story of showing how far someone will go to get something that they may not want in the end.  Until next time kiddies, Stay Scared. 

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