Janet Julian in Humongous

In 1982, Janet Julian starred in a horror film called Humongous. It should have been a positive step for the career of the young actress, but the movie was not generally well-received and quickly disappeared into the glut of 1980s horror cinema. It was released on VHS but it wasn't particularly popular on home video either. More recently, Humongous has been restored and released to DVD, finally allowing the masses greater access to this fine horror movie.

Humongous has often been the target of criticism from pretentious horror buffs, often people that are so burned out on indiscriminately watching anything and everything horror that they are unable to properly discern the good from the bad. Make no mistake, Humongous is a good movie. It has all the necessary elements to make an entertaining horror film. Even if it didn't, the movie has one incredible asset in the form of it's beautiful leading lady, Janet Julian.

Janet Julian is tremendous to look at in Humongous and she certainly holds the viewer's attention with her pouty lips and barely-there clothing. Throughout her career (when given the opportunity), Janet Julian has always been able to successfully carry a project and this is no exception.

Janet Louise Johnson in the newspapers

In 1978, Janet Louise Johnson (who changed her name to Janet Julian) debuted as Nancy Drew on the ABC TV series The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, taking over the role from Pamela Sue Martin. Accordingly, Janet Louise Johnson received a fair amount of press during the early months of 1978.

Mostly, people just wanted to get to know the new actress who was taking over the role of Nancy Drew. When Janet Louise Johnson was cast as Pamela Sue Martin's replacement, she was a new face on television (she had previously appeared as a child actor in small roles on Alias Smith and Jones and The Waltons back in 1973). Her assumption of the Nancy Drew role was slightly controversial since the network did not immediately explain why Pamela Sue Martin had departed.

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Janet Julian on Swamp Thing

In 1992 and 1993, Janet Julian portrayed the recurring character Dr. Ann Fisk on Swamp Thing. She appeared on the show several times, playing a former student Alec Holland, the man scientist who was transformed into Swamp Thing. Of course, once she discovers that the man she used to know is now Swamp Thing, she accepts his condition and they promptly fall in love. Over the course of several episodes she attempts to help him transform back into his normal state and also helps him battle the evil Dr. Arcane.

Janet Julian's appearances on Swamp Thing were essentially the last substantial work she would do. A couple of smaller TV guest appearances would follow, but she would retire by 1995. Previously, she had taken a few stabs at feature film, but it is appropriate that her swan song would be on television, where she had begun in earnest in 1978 as the new Nancy Drew.

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The following are some images of Janet Julian playing Dr. Ann Fisk on Swamp Thing:

Better Angels (January 31, 1992)

Sonata (March 20, 1992)

Changes (August 14, 1992)

Swamp of Dreams (April 17, 1993)

Janet Julian in Choke Canyon

In 1986, Janet Julian starred in two movies, Ghost Warrior and Choke Canyon, both science fiction influenced cult classics. 1986 was arguably the pinnacle of Janet Julian's acting career, with years of hard work on TV and in low-budget movies seemingly about to pay off with face-time in feature films. While neither Choke Canyon or Ghost Warrior were huge movies, they remain cult classics and a great way to see Janet Julian show off her charm and appealing beauty.

In Choke Canyon, Janet Julian plays Vanessa Pilgrim, daughter of John Pilgrim, the evil head of the Pilgrim Corporation. When the Pilgrim Corporation needs to illegally dump some toxic waste in a specific location in Utah, they must first remove a physicist turned cowboy (Dr. David Lowell, played by Stephen Collins) who has leased the location for 99 years. Since the cowboy-scientist is conducting safe-energy research which can only be conducted in this specific canyon, he does not want to give up his lease. The Pilgrim Corporation decides to wage war and regain the territory, but they encounter much resistance from Dr. Lowell, who acts like a one man army in order to defend his right to conduct sound wave experiments in the area. Eventually, Dr. David Lowell encounters Vanessa Pilgrim and proceeds to kidnap her in a ploy to have the Pilgrim Corporation quickly replace scientific equipment that was destroyed. Shortly thereafter, Vanessa joins forces with Dr. Lowell in his mission to bring down her father's company.

The first time we see Vanessa Pilgrim onscreen is during a protest outside of the Pilgrim Corporation's headquarters. She does not agree with everything her father does, but yet she maintains a relatively cordial relationship with him. We see Vanessa attending one of her father's parties and also see her playing tennis with him. David Lowell eventually gives her a talking to, demanding that she choose sides. Of course, she picks the side of the good doctor and agrees to help destroy the nefarious Pilgrim Corp.

Supposedly, Janet Julian beat out several other up-and-coming actresses for this part. I'd have to say that the correct choice was made. Janet Julian looks great here with a beautiful mane of brunette hair. She also seems to have a lot of fun with her role, bringing a great deal of energy and charm. Her chemistry with co-star Stephen Collins is also quite agreeable.

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Here are some images of Janet Julian in Choke Canyon:

Janet Julian on Knight Rider

In 1984, Janet Julian appeared on Knight Rider, the campy TV show about a sentient car and its wealthy owner, David Hasselhoff.

In a third season epsiode of Knight Rider called 'The Ice Bandits' Janet Julian plays artist Judy Tompkins, who is in a relationship with a man named Charley Winters (played by Bruce Fairbairn). Unbeknownst to her, the man is a thief. After the jewelry at a charity auction (attended by Janet Julian and the cast of Knight Rider) is ripped off by two robbers whose faces are hidden by motorcycle helmets, Michael Knight and company must search for answers. The search leads to wine country in Napa Valley where a plastic surgeon is altering criminal's appearances in exchange for a cut of their ill-gotten gains.

When Janet Julian was featured on Knight Rider in 1984, it was the third of three appearances on popular night-time comedy/dramas. In 1982, she had guest starred on The Fall Guy and in 1983 she put in an appearance on Simon & Simon. After doing Knight Rider, Janet Julian's next move was to make two feature films, Ghost Warrior and Choke Canyon, both released in 1986. It seems like she may have already had movies in mind because in 1984 Janet Julian also had a role in the movie Fear City.


Here are some images of Janet Julian appearing on Knight Rider:

Janet Julian and Bruce Fairbairn

Janet Julian and David Hasselhoff