TV Cream

Hall of Fame

SHELLEY, Barbara

shelleyAs Madeline Smith was to ’70s British horror, so Barbara Shelley was to ’50s and ’60s Brit horror and sci-fi, times ten. First rising to prominence as the feline-transmutational Cat Girl, she alternated ‘scream queen’ roles with a new type in sci-fi films: the attractive-yet-smart assistant, as exemplified in Quatermass and the Pit. Later roles included a part in unfathomable country house mystery Ghost Story alongside Marianne Faithfull and Penelope Keith, but her main body of work – straight-down-the-line horror – is the real deal.

FINEST HOUR: An assistant brain surgeon possessed by The Gorgon, in Hammer’s magnificently atmospheric film of that ilk.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

To Top