Priscilla Alden, born in 1939 in San Francisco, became a cult cinema staple with her striking performances in the 1970s and 1980s. She is best known for her unforgettable role as the compulsive eater and serial killer Ethal Janowski in Criminally Insane (1975), a character that cemented her place in exploitation film history. Alden also portrayed the equally unhinged Edith Mortley in Death Nurse (1987) and reprised her role in Criminally Insane 2 (1987). Her performances resonate within the realm of grindhouse cinema, showcasing a unique blend of dark humor and horror.
Criminally Insane 2
A mental hospital, faced with a severe decrease in funding, is forced to release mass-murderer Ethel Janowski into a halfway house. Ethel is psychotic, delusional and has a hefty appetite. In fact, her killing spree began 13 years before with the murder of her grandmother, who had forced her to go on a diet. Now that she's tasted the home-cooked fare at the halfway house, she'll do absolutely anything to get more.
