Barbara Steele will appear at the H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival® this Saturday, October 7th at 1 pm! The First Lady of horror will be with us to briefly introduce the special screening of Mario Bava’s gothic masterpiece, BLACK SUNDAY, and will do a Q&A afterwards and will sign autographs in the main lobby. This is a rare opportunity to see the legendary actress talk about her long and storied career! Since seating is limited, 3-day pass holders will be admitted to the theater first. If you are coming for the screening on Saturday, we ask that you arrive at the Hollywood Theatre by 12:30 pm so that we can try to accommodate as many people as possible.

Barbara Steele, born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England, originally studied to be a painter, but ultimately became one of the best-known and well-loved horror actresses of all time. Her first film role was in the British comedy, Bachelor of Hearts, but her breakout role was in Black Sunday, which was Mario Bava's directorial debut. Steele continued to capture the hearts and minds of international audiences in Fellini’s 8½, and gothic films like The Pit and the Pendulum, Castle of Blood, Terror-Creatures From the Grave, An Angel for Satan, Nightmare Castle, and The Silent Scream. Lovecraft fans may remember her as Lavinia Morley in the Curse of the Crimson Altar with Sir Christopher Lee, loosely based on Lovecraft’s story “The Dreams in the Witch House.” (We screened this in 2014)

After a hiatus from horror film work, Barbara returned, much to the delight of her fans, in the 1991 mini-series Dark Shadows as Dr. Julia Hoffman, and continues to pick her projects carefully. Her recent roles in Lost River (written and directed by Ryan Gosling), voiceover work in Kevin McTurk’s The Mill at Calder’s End, and most recently as the voice of Azathoth on the new Dreams in the Witch House Rock Opera’s "Fevered Dreams" EP, have cemented her place in the cosmos as the ultimate leading lady of horror.