She Beast (1966)

- La sorella di Satana
Too little Barbara Steele and too much comedy that doesn't work, 21 June 2009

Is there anyone more deserving of the title Queen of Gothic Horror than Barbara Steele? Most of her films are brilliant. From Mario Bava's masterpiece Black Sunday all the way to some of her lesser work like The Ghost or Terror Creatures from the Grave, I've enjoyed each and every one of these movies. The same, however, cannot be said for The She-Beast. What a disappointing disaster of a movie! I admit, it probably has something to do with my expectations for the film, but I found very little to enjoy in what I saw on the screen. The basic set-up was okay, if not a bit familiar to fans of Gothic horror – two centuries ago in a small Transylvanian village, a witch vows to one day get her revenge as she's being put to death in a local lake. When a vacationing couple crashes into the lake, the beautiful wife somehow morphs into the body of the hideous, long-dead witch and begins making good on her 200 year-old threat. See what I mean – a good Gothic horror set-up. But things quickly begin falling apart. I'll keep this brief, but my problem with The She-Beast is too little Barbara Steele and too much ridiculous comedy. First, Ms. Steele is only in the film for about 15 minutes. She may have top billing, but it's obviously for her name alone. Second and my biggest complaint, I was totally put off by the Keystone Kops-like, over-the-top and not funny in the slightest comedy bits that are thrown into The She-Beast. From goofy, eccentric characters to a ludicrous chase scene – it all feels like it belongs in another movie. And, as I said, it's not funny. As much as I hate to give anything with Barbara Steele a low rating, The She-Beast is a disappointing film that deserves no more than a 3/10.

3/10