| Cover Art |
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| Credits |
Director: Mario Bava
Starring: Barbara Steele,
Enrico Olivieri, John Richardson, Boris Karloff,
Michele Mercier, Mark Damon, Steven Forsyth, Laura
Betti
Country: Italy
Year: 1960, 1963, 1969,
1977, 2000
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When you are talking the greats of Italian
horror cinema, those who know will always bring
up the name Mario Bava. Even though he was a genre
crossing multi talented film producer, he is best
appreciated by the horror crowd. Able to perform
as director, producer, cinematographer, lighting
designer, producer, visual effects artist, and
even actor, Bava was incredibly well versed in
the art of filmmaking, and it shows in all of
his films. This box set has a great selection
of his work to enjoy.
Black Sunday (1960) - (a.k.a.
The Mask of Satan a.k.a. House of Fright a.k.a.
La Maschera del demonio (original title), amongst
others) (86mins 42 seconds)
Set shortly after the Napoleonic wars, Black
Sunday tells the tale of an evil witch,
Princess Asa Vadja (Barbara Steele) who, years
after being put to death with a spike-filled mask
and then burnt at the stake, returns from her
tomb to create havoc again. She intends to possess
the lovely young body of her look-alike descendent,
Katia Vadja (Barbara Steele), but will her plans
be thwarted by the her brother Constantine (Enrico
Olivieri) and the young Doctor Gorobec (John Richardson)?
Based on the short story The Viy, by Russian
writer Nikolai Gogol, Bava has really captured
the look and feel of classic Universal horror
films such as Tod Browning's Dracula (1931), not at all scary but beautiful gothic
set-pieces and mood abound. Bava really shows
that a great gothic atmosphere is not just about
smoke machines and oboes, but also has a lot to
do with lighting and cinematography.
Black Sabbath (1963) (a.k.a.
Black Christmas a.k.a. The Three Faces of Fear
a.k.a. I Tre volti della paura (original title),
amongst others) (92 minutes 15 seconds )
Hosted by Horror Legend, Boris Karloff, Black
Sabbath is a trilogy of terror tales:
The Telephone, the tale of a woman, Rosy (Michele
Mercier), terrorized in her apartment by a caller,
who seems to know exactly what she is doing…,
The Wurdalak, the legend of a Russian count, Vladimire
d'Urfe (Mark Damon) who gets involved with a family
who have found themselves victims of a vampiric
curse and A Drop of Water, this is clearly influenced
by Poe, particularly The Tell-Tale Heart and The
Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar, tells the story
of a nurse Miss Chester ( Jacqueline Pierreux)
who ill-prepared the corpse of a medium, who died
during a séance…
Presented on this disc in the original Italian,
with English subtitles, this film is another example
of Bava's beautiful directing and spectacular
lighting nuances.
Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1969)
(a.k.a. The Red Mark of Madness a.k.a. Blood Brides
a.k.a. Il Rosso segno della follia (original title),
amongst others) (84 minutes 33 seconds)
Psychopathic bridal clothes designer John Harrington
(Steven Forsyth) kills young brides in an attempt
to reveal a piece of a puzzle from his childhood.
Every time he kills one, a small bit of his memory
of his mother's murder returns, a murder
very similar to the ones he himself commits; eventually
he hopes that the killers face will be revealed.
Ultimately he kills his own repugnant wife Mildred
(Laura Betti), who returns as a ghost that will
not leave…
Another of Bava's fashion house locations,
this film again is lit wonderfully, but lacks
any real tension as the killer's identity
becomes quite obvious very early.
Shock (1977) (a.k.a. Schock a.k.a.
Beyond the Door II a.k.a. Schock (Transfert-Suspence-Hypnos))
(92 minutes 30 seconds)
This was Bava's final feature, although
his actual final work, La Venere di Ille,
which came out in 1981, a year after his death
was completed by son, Lamberto. Shock is the tale of a young mother, Dora Baldini (Daria
Nicolodi) who moves into the house that was once
occupied by her and her now dead first husband,
with her son, Marco (David Colin Jnr) and new
husband Bruno (John Steiner). The problem is,
the spirit of her dead husband occupies the house,
or is Dora going mad…
This is a great movie with some really good performances
by the actors. Probably my favorite in this box
set.
Mario Bava: Master of the Macabre (2000) (60 minutes)
This documentary is misnamed as Mario Bava: Maestro
of Macabre on the packaging, and is not just about
Bava's work, but about his life and family
as well. Directed by Garry S. Grant and written
by Charles Preece, the writer of Dario Argento:
An Eye for Horror, this documentary has many interviews
with Bava's friends and family, his contemporaries
and those who were influenced by him, including
John Carpenter, John Saxon, Lamberto Bava, Tim
Burton, Daria Nicolodi, and others. If you enjoyed Dario Argento: An Eye for Horror you should enjoy this 60 minute feature as well.
Unfortunately, early versions of this box set
came with two faulty discs, being the Hatchet
for the Honeymoon and Master
of the Macabre discs, but the folks at
Umbrella Entertainment are more than happy to
replace them immediately, so if you find yourself
with these discs, contact them through their website.
That problem was weeded out fairly early though,
so don't let that jade your purchase. This
box set has a gorgeous, albeit occasionally badly
edited (a few errors here and there, I am just
being picky), cover that suits this showcase of
Bava's work perfectly. |
Each disc in this set has its own set of Bava
related extras.
Black Sunday has: a Bava biography and filmography,
a Barbara Steele filmography, a Photo and Poster
Gallery, a Black Sunday trailer (As The Mask of
Satan) (3 minutes 25 seconds) and other Bava trailers
(Shock, Black Sabbath, Master of the Macabre and
Hatchet for the Honeymoon).
Black Sabbath has: a Bava biography, a promotional
stills and photos gallery, an Italian Black Sabbath
Trailer (3 minutes 23 seconds) and other Bava trailers
(Black Sunday, Hatchet for the Honeymoon, Shock
and Master of The Macabre)
Hatchet for the Honeymoon has: A photo gallery,
a Mario Bava Biography, a trailer for Hatchet for
the Honeymoon (2 minutes 30 seconds) and other Bava
Trailers (Shock, Black Sunday, Black Sabbath and
Master of the Macabre).
Shock! has: a Mario Bava biography, the U.S. TV
spots for Beyond the Door 2 and Beyond the Door
Combo (Beyond the Door II and The Dark Double Feature),
the International Trailer and other Bava Trailers
(Black Sabbath, Black Sunday, Hatchet for the Honeymoon
and Master of the Macabre.)
Mario Bava: Master of the Macabre has: Mario Bava
Biography and Bava Trailers (Shock, Black Sunday,
Hatchet for the Honeymoon and Black Sabbath).
The fact that so many of the extras are repeated,
I imagine they were either originally going to be
released individually, or still may be released
individually. |
