Barbara Steele @ FashionState.Com

FashionState.Com salutes...

Reluctant Queen of Scream

Barbara Steele

b. 1937

A big-eyed and buxom British beauty and former art student, Barbara Steele cast aside her big chance to make it in Hollywood after a short string of indifferent films in her homeland by walking off the set of Elvis Presley's new movie "Flaming Star" and quitting the production after a few days following a heated argument with Don Siegel, her director.

Thus did Barbara Steele ruin her chances to become Hollywood's newest hot commodity...and became Italy's instead. Barbara returned to Europe and had her agent ply the foreign movie market with her resume', hoping her talent in languages would assist her in finding film opportunities closer to her home. Fledgling director Mario Bava was one of the recipients of her portfolio, and liked her intense attractiveness so much that he decided to cast her in what became one of the best movies of the Italian horror revival era, "The Mask of Satan".

Although the script was in English, Barbara was dubbed in her dual role of an innocent Eastern European princess and her vengeful witch of an ancestress. (Oddly enough, it would not be the first time she was dubbed in her own native language.) The popularity of Barbara in such a role suggests it may be the reason she was cast similarly in future movies as both the heroine and anti-heroine, and her talent was enough that in answering an open-casting call, she was given a small but brightly-featured role in "8 1/2", the movie that became Federico Fellini's masterpiece of surrealism and cynicism.

Despite now having a film of international acclaim - and a visible role in it - under her belt, Barbara continued to be cast mostly in quirky or low-budget, brooding, Gothic Italian horror movies whose contemporary pop culture zenith had already started waning by the mid-1960s. However, Barbara had certainly garnered herself a niche of fans, and her off-beat yet voluptuous good looks graced American and British television when she took a short time off from being the stalking, screaming, or snarling siren of scary cinema to guest star in popular weekly television series.

James Poe, who was Barbara's husband in 1969, had scripted a part for her in his new screenplay "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?". The role wound up going to Susannah York, and Barbara's appearances became more and more sporadic. She occasionally turned up in smaller roles in eccentric and at times exploitative films, but too often her work wound up on the cutting-room floor, and after 1980 - when her ex-husband James Poe passed away - she turned a majority of her attention to behind the camera activities. Although she had a small role in Dan Curtis' "The Winds of War", she was also the 1983 mini-series' associate producer, and her activities five years later with Dan Curtis' direction of "War and Remembrance" turned Barbara Steele into an Emmy Award-winning producer.

Despite this new direction of success, Barbara's fans had been saddened by her disappearance from the screen and her frustration in being best-known as a "Scream Queen". "I never want to climb out of another ****ing coffin again!" she declared to an interviewer, so her fans and admirers were pleasantly surprised when Barbara decided to join with her "War" mini-series partner-in-crime Dan Curtis in the television revival of his wildly-popular Gothic soap opera from the 1960s, "Dark Shadows". But this time, Barbara would be in front of the camera in the plum role of Dr. Julia Hoffman - who, as it happens, spends most of her time brooding and obsessing over a man who seems to do nothing but climb out of coffins.

This new "Dark Shadows" garnered itself a dedicated following of viewers, but it wasn't enough to save the series from an early grave. Aside from a very few roles and producing a "Dark Shadows" 30th anniversary special, the mysterious and temperamental Miss Steele seems to prefer more of a semi-retired life these days.

Yet despite her fears that she would never be remembered for anything but her status as a horror cult movie goddess, 2003's Felliniana festival in Seattle, hosted by the city's university and art community and attracting a host of international conference-goers, welcomed Barbara Steele as a panelist and honored guest for her work in Fellini's "8 1/2".

If an actress' beauty and talent is able to command such attention and respect due to a relatively small role in a great film, then it should be no mystery why Barbara Steele still reigns in the hearts of her ardent thriller fans as their "Queen of Scream", with so many movies still around reflecting the beguiling lure of her eyes into her personal terror or her evil seducing ways...and in some movies, both.

FashionState.Com's Steele Gallery

BARBARA STEELE ON FILM
THE EYES OF BARBARA STEELE

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AstroneF Magazine
Barbara remains very popular with the French! In AstroneF's Scream Queen section, a bio and filmography of Barbara plus a few nice photos - you can even view some film posters and lobby cards!

Barbara Steele - The Ultimate Scream Queen Website
Details, lovely details! Bio, extended filmography descriptions, and a handful of gorgeous photos!

Barbara Steele's Ephemeral Skin: Feminism, Fetishism, and Film
Cambridge lecturer Patricia MacCormack's cultural essay for the intellectual Barbara fan to ponder!

The Baron's Barbara Steele Pictures Gallery
"Willkommen!" The waggish, irrepressible Baron Wolfgang von Schreck has been welcoming visitors to his webpage since 1999, and what a webpage! Great pix of Barbara with pithy comments from Herr Baron, plus two wonderful and funny film reviews. Has a little nudity, so folks, if you're offended by such things, don't go bothering the Baron. You've been warned! Here is the Baron's homepage if you want to read some of his other offerings!

Castle of Barbara Steele
Horror-Wood webzine presents author J. Knight's slightly cynical review of "Castle of Blood".

Cinematique's Mario Bava Tribute
Barbara Steele was on hand at the high-profile revival house Cinematique to attend a tribute given in honor of the director of "The Mask of Satan". Photos of Barbara, plus a ReadVideo presentation of her Q & A session!

Cult Sirens
The owners of this extensive site chock full of sirens have a special page set aside describing why they love Barbara Steele! Nice little page with lovely photos.

De Profundis
This Italian site is dedicated to horror films...a few stars are highlighted, and the sole female recipient of honor is Barbara Steele. Bio and guestbook for you who are better-than-average in the Italian language to enjoy!

Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film & Television
A detailed biography of Barbara, plus a filmography and links to details - plot and technical - of some of her films.

Horror TV
Another Italian site with a special section on Barbara Steele. Quotes by Barbara and recollections by Tim Burton, Joe Dante, Roger Corman, and David Del Valle.

Internet Movie Database
Barbara Steele's entry at the most popular film website search engine and filmographical info center.

JahSonic
JahSonic.com, "a vocabulary of culture since 1996", presents a profile of Barbara along with her essay "Cult Memories". Also, links to Amazon books and movies you can purchase.

Macabre.Net
A French site with a bio and links to film reviews.

Nightmare Castle
The Braineater's humorous (but literary!) review of a favorite film of Barbara buffs everywhere.

Silent Scream - The Unofficial Barbara Steele Film Site
Brush up on your Barbara! A very comprehensive listing of Barbara's work in film and television with some nice photos and a link to "Cult Memories", a 1994 article written by Barbara about her experiences as a cult scream queen. Includes link to the Barbara Steele Mailing List @ Yahoo! where you can find out more details about joining the list pending approval of the list's manager.

Swingin' Chicks - Barbara Steele
No surprise to find the 60s very own vamp featured at the fabled Swingin' Chicks site, baby!

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