Born Roxane Bridget Furman on March 20, 1960, in Canada, Roxanne Kernohan lit up the late-1980s cult‑film scene with her memorable performances in genre favorites like Critters 2: The Main Course and other low-budget thrillers. Although her career was brief—spanning from 1988 to 1991—her blend of charisma, beauty, and offbeat roles made her a lasting figure among B‑movie and horror aficionados.
🍿 Breakthrough in the Blood and Guts
Kernohan’s most recognized role is Lee, the bounty‑hunter character in Critters 2, where she attacked the screen with both charm and lethal weaponry in Mick Garris’s 1988 sequel. As Lee, Roxanne retold the classic story of a Playboy glamazon turned cosmic mercenary — a melding of pin‑up sensuality and sci‑fi pragmatism that left audiences both titillated and taken seriously. Her performance added grit to the campiness, elevating the film above typical creature‑feature fare.
🎥 A Fast-Paced ’88 Lineup
1988 was her year. After Fatal Pulse, a slasher where she played “Ann” in a low-budget pure‑blood-spray flick, she dove into Roger Corman’s Not of This Earth, playing a seductive hooker tangled in an alien plot. She also took a gritty turn as Meda in the post‑apocalyptic She‑Wolves of the Wasteland, portraying a savage femme forced to survive in a brutal desert dystopia. That same year, Roxanne appeared in The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years, director Penelope Spheeris’s famed documentary on late-80s hair metal, affirming her connection to the underground rock-and‑roller culture
✨ Crossing Over—but Staying Cult
In 1989 she made a small appearance in the blockbuster Tango & Cash, as a dressing-room girl in the world of Stallone and Russell, showcasing a hint of mainstream legs . That same year, Roxanne appeared in Playboy: Sexy Lingerie, blending modeling glamour with late-80s documentary flair.
🎭 Final Roles and Scream Queen Icon
In 1990’s Angel III: The Final Chapter, she played a white-turned hooker in the cult-fave exploitation saga; the following year she appeared as herself in the cheeky Scream Queen Hot Tub Party (1991), a direct-to-video gathering of genre actresses reveling in their shared legacy . After that, she vanished from the screen. Although she didn’t book big-ticket genres, her presence in these titles left a distinct mark on cult-film devotees.
🌟 What Made Roxanne Stand Out
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Genre Footprint: In just four years, Roxanne appeared in pivotal cult‑genre pictures spanning slasher, sci‑fi, horror‑comedy, and exploitation cinema.
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High-Impact Roles: Even bit parts like the alien hunter or the seductive hooker cut through with energy and allure that lingered in viewers’ minds.
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Glam World Connection: Participation in metal‑scene documentaries and Playboy segments framed her as part of a broader cultural moment—not just another B‑movie actress.
🎞 Memorable Scenes
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Her debut as Lee in Critters 2 remains the apex: walking into action with confidence and delivering one‑liners like a sci‑fi femme.
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In Not of This Earth, she accentuated the film’s erotic‑thriller edge, blending beauty with an unsettling otherness under Corman’s signature style.
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She‑Wolves of the Wasteland gave her a chance to shine in a tougher light, portraying gritty survival in a desert wasteland.
🕊 Tragic Exit at a Young Age
After Scream Queen Hot Tub Party, Roxanne Kernohan stepped away from acting. On February 5, 1993, she suffered a fatal car accident in Santa Clara, California, and later died of her injuries at just 32 years old.
🔥 Cult-Legacy and Lasting Influence
Roxanne’s sudden death cemented her status as a cult‑film ghost: an ephemeral presence whose screen life was brief, but bright. Among horror and sci‑fi fans, her role in Critters 2 holds a special place—not just for its creative creature effects, but for Lee’s fierce persona, a combination of toughness and sex appeal rare in similar films of the era.
Her supporting roles in Not of This Earth and Angel III added to her reputation as a dependable presence in exploitation and genre fare—productions known for amplifying raw charisma over star polish. Her inclusion in music and Playboy documentaries also hinted at a broader cultural appeal that reached beyond genre niche.
🎬 Filmography Recap
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Fatal Pulse | Ann |
| 1988 | Critters 2: The Main Course | Lee |
| 1988 | Not of This Earth | Lead hooker |
| 1988 | She‑Wolves of the Wasteland | Meda |
| 1988 | The Decline of Western Civilization Part II | Interviewee |
| 1989 | Tango & Cash | Dressing‑room girl |
| 1989 | Playboy: Sexy Lingerie | Model |
| 1989 | Playboy: Party Jokes | Herself |
| 1989 | LA Guns: Sex Auction | Seductive woman (music video) |
| 1989 | Bold and the Beautiful | Diana (TV) |
| 1990 | Angel III: The Final Chapter | White hooker |
| 1991 | Scream Queen Hot Tub Party | Herself |
📌 Final Word
Roxanne Kernohan may not have had Oscar nominations or blockbuster hits, but she carved a place in the cult-film tapestry with conviction and style. As Lee in Critters 2, she became an icon of camp‑horror cool. Even her smaller roles added layers of allure to the exploitation scene, and her appearances in documentaries hint at a personality that transcended genre stereotypes.
Her untimely death at 32 cut short a career with potential, but the cult legacy of her performances endures. To fans of 80s‑era horror and sci‑fi, Roxanne Kernohan remains a beloved face—the sexy, fierce, and unforgettable hunter who fought aliens, zombies, fashion critics, and time itself, all before the age of thirty.
