Before achieving major career success as the deliciously villainous Julie Cooper on the early aughts hit series The O.C., Melinda Clarke paid her dues during the naughties (nineties) in a series of trashy genre flicks. From the punk rock zombie sequel Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993) to the sexy erotica Return to Two Moon Junction (1994), and on to the absurdist horror of Killer Tongue (1996), Melinda shined in films that were usually far below her talent level. She’s phenomenal in Return of the Living Dead 3. It’s a go-for-broke performance, and she’s absolutely riveting. The movie is a blast, thanks almost entirely to Melinda’s committed performance.
She’s always been a natural fit for campy, sexy films and TV series. With her sultry bedroom eyes, suggestively pouty lips, and arched eyebrows indicating she’s always up to some sort of mischief, Melinda Clarke is an acting treasure, who really should be celebrated more for being a terrific genre star. I’ve long dreamt of an alternate universe where she got to play the legendary space-vampire Vampirella in a film. Close your eyes and imagine her in the famously skimpy red bodysuit. Perfection, amirite?
Speaking of perfection, here’s more Melinda Clarke, lounging at the Starfire Lounge.
The Starfire Lounge 
