Well, the answer to that question is probably once per individual film, but I am delighted to say that "The Long Hair of Death" was surprisingly good. The back story is set up with a chilling scene of supposed witch Barbara Steele facing the wrath of society for a crime she claims she did not commit, set to face the ultimate Godly test while being surrounded by fiery bales of hay. As the aging count prepares to make love to her own daughter (also Steele), she calmly bellows out her final curse which includes famine, plague and pestilence. Later, the count brutally murders her oldest daughter and makes the mistake of taking in the younger daughter (Halina Zalewska) whom his heir (George Ardisson) is very much in lust with and ultimately marries. On the eve of the old count's painful death from plague, a crash of thunder and lightening reveals the presence of a dark, ailing woman entering the castle, and with his last vision of earth, the old baron sees that it is the apparent return of the older daughter from the grave. Ardisson, not having any idea of who she is, begins to have an affair with her and together they plot the death of Zalewska who is really a part of the plot to solidify the curse and bring an end to this evil royal family's reign of terror.
Steele, the queen of 1960's Gothic horror, acted mainly with her eyes, so deeply set into her face and filled with hatred in each of the films for the men who had abused her or lead her along into paths of self-destruction. You never know with her villains if they are simply just evil or insane with anger, lust and greed, and even with her heroines, there's something inside them that makes you not fully trust them. She should have been utilized in more than just campy horror films; Imagine her playing some of the greatest seductresses of history who were only using men to get their own power. Ardisson is handsome yet cold in his desire for lust and power, and as the supernatural element of revenge takes its own force against him, the fear of what he is facing becomes very much written on his face. One horrific scene only involves eyes of fear as the character's destiny becomes apparent to them, even with an inside glimpse of their hidden tomb that nobody is aware contains anything living. While Zalewska is beautiful and vulnerable as Steele's younger sister (apparently unaware she even had a sister), I really wanted to see Steele in all three parts, altered to look more innocent as the younger sister. But when you've got Steele as two characters, that's sinister enough, and I certainly got my money's worth for chills in this one.
Steele, the queen of 1960's Gothic horror, acted mainly with her eyes, so deeply set into her face and filled with hatred in each of the films for the men who had abused her or lead her along into paths of self-destruction. You never know with her villains if they are simply just evil or insane with anger, lust and greed, and even with her heroines, there's something inside them that makes you not fully trust them. She should have been utilized in more than just campy horror films; Imagine her playing some of the greatest seductresses of history who were only using men to get their own power. Ardisson is handsome yet cold in his desire for lust and power, and as the supernatural element of revenge takes its own force against him, the fear of what he is facing becomes very much written on his face. One horrific scene only involves eyes of fear as the character's destiny becomes apparent to them, even with an inside glimpse of their hidden tomb that nobody is aware contains anything living. While Zalewska is beautiful and vulnerable as Steele's younger sister (apparently unaware she even had a sister), I really wanted to see Steele in all three parts, altered to look more innocent as the younger sister. But when you've got Steele as two characters, that's sinister enough, and I certainly got my money's worth for chills in this one.