It’s getting to be that special time of year once again
where I dust off the exceptional classics and indulge in the pleasures of the
masters. That time when man made monsters walk the earth and blood sucking
demons lurk behind castle walls. Halloween is drawing near, and with that it’s
time for a Sabbath, a Black Sabbath.
Black Sabbath is a 1963 film by Italian master Mario Bava, an
anthology that touches on his many mastered styles and strengths. A film famous
for being the only time Boris Karloff ever played a vampire. Though anthologies
are rare now, at the time, they were part of horror’s arsenal to shock and
terrify you. This film accomplishes that in spades.
The film opens with Boris Karloff lurking in the darkness
warning us of the horror to come. He speaks of ghosts and goblins, of horror
and being horrified. The first tale is a tale of ghosts and the dead, a tale
called… "The Drop of Water"
A blonde woman, Helen Chester, stares out the window before
cranking up the music and pouring a drink. She obviously plans on getting
ripped, but she is interrupted by a phone call begging her to come quickly.
Where is she going? She ends up at an estate and is apparently a nurse, a saucy
one at that. She has been called because her occasional patient, an elderly
medium, is in the throes of death. Once she gets upstairs and into the room,
she finds that the lady of the estate has passed. While preparing the woman’s
corpse, Helen spies a Sapphire on her finger and decides to take it! That doesn’t go well for her as the dead woman
is still very much attached to her stuff.
All the classic elements are here. Cats, Ghosts, Dripping
water, Flies, and of course, a dead body, the image of the dead woman alone,
sitting up in bed and watching you, is enough to cause nightmares. Great stuff.
Karloff then reappears to introduce the second segment, "The
Telephone". A young and mega sexy Yvonne Molnaur knockoff, Rosy (Michele
Mercier), is a high priced callgirl (good for her)! After returning her from
work, she begins receiving harassing and sexually threatening phone calls from
her Ex-pimp, Frank. He wants his money and revenge. Rosy soon calls her lover Mary
(Lydia Alfonsi). Mary tells her not to worry and gives her a sedative to sleep.
Little does Rosy know, but Mary writes a note confessing to making all the
phone calls. If this is true, who is the deranged looking man lurking in the
shadows?
The Telephone plays like an episode of Tales from the Crypt.
All the elements are there; sexy Femme Fatales, money, and dangerous sexuality.
More noir than true horror, its none the less a top notch story.
The final segment is “The Wurdalak" starring Mark Damon
and Boris Karloff himself! A young nobleman, Vladimir Durfe (Mark Damon)is
riding when he comes along a headless body with a dagger still plunged in its
chest. Not being one to leave a good weapon, Vlad takes the weapon and goes on
his way! Eventually, he stops at a small cottage for shelter and as he looks
around, he sees that there is a space for a missing dagger on the wall. The
outline clearly fits the one he is now carrying. He meets the family and it
being Mark Damon, he quickly latches onto the hot blonde sister, Sdenka (Susy
Anderson). He learns that their father has been gone for 5 days, having gone to
slay a local outlaw named Ali Beg, who happens to be a wurdalak or walking
corpse. Vlad decides that he will stay and await the man’s return. And return
he does, severed head in hand, and quite, quite hungry.
The film reeks of classic Hammer atmosphere coupled with
Bava’s gorgeous angles and compositions. One can see just what Black Sunday
would look like in color and it would have been a thing of beauty.
Black Sabbath is a rare film that delivers on all levels
even after being tooled with by American International Pictures. They wanted
more horror in their film so scenes were shifted, added, and eliminated.
Karloff’s part was beefed up. All the usual things that the studios do, except
in this case, it didn’t hurt the film, because when Mario Bava was on his game,
he was unstoppable.
This is a film that belongs in any collection; it is an
engrossing sampler of the many different styles mastered by Mario Bava. Black
Sabbath is a snapshot of his career and his talent to be admired and studied by
all those who dare to create and simply love horror.
Other Horrific Musings:
An insatiable creature who loves the dead: Lady Frankenstein (1972)
Just Another Fright at the Park: Universal Halloween Horror Nights - Opening Night
Elvira Mistress of the Dark comes to thrill you! Returns to Knotts Scary Farm for ONE night only!
Update - Rob Zombie's Lords of Salem has found a home!
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