Katt Shea

'Katt Shea' (qv) was born in 1957 in Detroit, Michigan. She grew up in a quiet Detroit suburb and graduated from the University of Michigan with honors. Shea worked for a short spell as a teacher in the Detroit public school system. At age 19, Katt drove her Volkswagen to Hollywood, California. She did a fleeting stint as a model and briefly attended UCLA. Shea soon started acting in either small parts or more substantial co-starring roles in such movies as _My Tutor (1983)_ (qv), _Scarface (1983)_ (qv), _Hollywood Hot Tubs (1984)_ (qv), _Barbarian Queen (1985)_ (qv), and the superior slasher sequel _Psycho III (1986)_ (qv), making an especially memorable appearance in the latter as one of Norman Bates' victims. Shea made her promising debut as both writer and director with the sexy and stylish thriller _Stripped to Kill (1987)_ (qv). She also did the equally solid sequel. Katt's finest cinematic achievement to date was the extremely thoughtful and touching vampire horror gem _Dance of the Damned (1989)_ (qv). The gritty drama _Streets (1990)_ (qv) and the gripping thriller _Poison Ivy (1992)_ (qv) were likewise excellent and impressive. _Last Exit to Earth (1996)_ (qv) was an entertainingly cheesy sci-fi hoot while the belated and unnecessary sequel _The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)_ (qv) was regrettably lackluster. Shea also directed a couple of made-for-TV affairs: The poignant and powerful teen drama _Sharing the Secret (2000)_ (qv) was a terrific return to form while the humdrum stalker outing _Sanctuary (2001)_ (qv) was another unfortunate misstep. After a lengthy absence from the director's chair, Katt made a welcome comeback with _Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019)_ (qv).::woodyanders