Being born in 1973, I came across a barrage of horrifying images on T.V.: The Zuni Doll from TRILOGY OF TERROR, DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW, The "V" TWINS! — but nothing was more damming to my psyche than the WAYLAND FLOWERS abomination: MADAME
Pure terror to a toddler. Â When her freakish gaping maw was shut, her face looked like two large people screwing each other. Â I quickly would change the channel to let's say, Mr. Rogers, but wait!… There's LADY ELAINE FAIRCHILDE, the lesser freakish sister of MADAME. Â Ahrgh! I can't win.
I dare you to try to hold in your screams when you look at MADAME's home site…
I dare you.
UNKLE LANCIFER SEZ: Turnidoff, you are right. MADAME is scary as hell, but she's also notoriously difficult to work with. Based on legends that exist solely within my alcohol-rattled mind, she was, in fact, the first choice to star in the film adaptation of STEPHEN KING's MISERY. Lo and behold, a young moxie-filled, opportunistic KATHY BATES did a bit of an ALL ABOUT EVE number on the aged puppet and snatched that part right out of her puppet hands by seducing a then-naive meathead named ROB REINER.
Shed no tears for MADAME though, it turns out she had more than one shot at being a cinematic legend. Rumors that originate from the bottom of the glass that I am swilling tell tales of her being thrown off of the set of BRIAN DE PALMA's CARRIE and being replaced by a young ingénue named PIPER LAURIE due to hysterical fits over the limitation of the film's budget for TAB!!!!
UPDATE: as suggested by "sbd"…