The Ghost (1963)
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Barbara Steele
capkronos — 20 years ago(December 01, 2005 07:41 PM)
Right behind Black Sunday, this might actually be the best horror film Steele appeared in during the 1960s. It has atmosphere to burn, a twisted story and Barbara has plenty of screen time (if you've ever seen some of her other early horror films, you'll know she was wasted in many of them). Anyway, anyone else seen it?
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TX-9 — 20 years ago(April 03, 2006 06:47 PM)
Yes I saw it and thought she was great. I loved the ending; Barbara was terrific! Your right, in a lot of her films she's waisted in the background. Like "CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTER". I loved her scenes as the witch Lavinia in that film (I loved her costume; with the golden rams head headress that, in turn, sported the peacock feathers, and Barbara's ravin hair, palid green skin and vampire red lips. A kinky shroud like naglegee that reveals a generous ammount of (green) cleavage. She's at once DEATH and SEX personified!!! She's like Lilly Munster on acid! She was hot, creepy, gothic, and terrifying all at the same time)! Unfortunately she only appears in this state in a couple of dream-sequences with only a few lines! The character is interesting, she has somehow made a pact with the devil to come back from the dead and force the decendents of the men who tried her for witchcraft to sign their names (in blood!) in the devils book and damn their souls and those of their decendents. It would have been fun had the films creator added some flashback scenes explaining who this 'Lavinia' was, how she became involved in witchcraft, started her black mass cult (an assortment of sado masochistic creeps clad in kinky leather outfits and animal masks who enjoy strapping naked youg maidens with strategicaly placed flowing blond hair to alters of human sacrifice!) and came to be exposed as a witch and put to death (but not before making a pact with the devil to rise again, revive her cult of sado/massicistic creeps and live on throughout time on blood sacrifice). It also would have been intersting had the film explained her mysterious relationship to the Chritopher Lee character (who was supposed to be her decendant but of whom the ending suggests is either under her influence or perhaps even Lavinia herself all along in supernatural disguise). But none of this is explained; Barbara and the character she plays are merely used for SHOCK value and as eye candy; BUT SHE LOOKED FABULOUS! It's just frustating because SHE CAN ACT TOO!!!
We get to see a lot of Barbara Steele as Dr. Julia Hoffman in the DARK SHADOWS REVIVAL series of 1991 (and that was great! May Dan Curtis rest in peace! What a gift he gave to fans of both Barbara and DS!) but IF ONLY she had been utilized as much in more of the films she made back in the 1960's when she was in her twenties (when she was at her sensual iresistably sexy and beautiful peak!).
Anyway, THE GHOST was great; a wonderful psycological thriller. However, I can't quite understand why the Barbara Steele character and her 'paramore' the doctor, allow themselves to be manipulated so by the house-keeper. There are so many clues that the housekeeper is manipulating them (or at least not to be trusted) yet they're just too stupid to see it. Still, the ending of the film was a surprise (I won't reveal it here as some may want to watch it for themselves)and very well done. And Barbara is very much in evidence throughout the whole film. It's fun to watch her go from devoted wife to scheeming murderess, to a dazed, confused and guilt ridden Lady Macbeth type character and then, finaly, into a raving razer blade wielding Lizzy Borden type lunatic! And after all that, the way she finaly ends up; her final physical and psycolocial state is really wonderfuly shocking! I loved the line by the little simpleton minister at the end: "I told you Doctor Hitchcock. The devil IS a very real person!" Indeed he is!lol! -
torifying-101-29863 — 10 years ago(February 07, 2016 04:27 AM)
I agree!!! The ending of "The Ghost" her cackling laugh of saying "I don't even CARE SPOILER COMING STOP NOW IF U HAVENT SEEN FILM**
if I'm stuck in a freaking wheel chair in prison awaiting death F YOU!" yup she pretty much said that in one cackling laugh I ALWAYS laugh along with her in that scene cause he SO deserves what he got and to be fair she deserves her fate as well but she I think, KNOWS she deserves it and that's why she can look past it and laugh at his misery. Classic twist ending!!