"Black Sabbath" was a big favorite of mine as a kid, in it's American version. Seeing it again in the original Italian version on DVD was something of a disappointment, though it was fun seeing the film in it's original form.
"The Telephone," always the weakest of the three tales, is more interesting now with the elimination of the silly supernatural aspect tacked on by AIP, and the more obvious lesbian relationship between the two women.
"The Wurdelak" has some very chilling and atmospheric sections(love the shots of the vampires looking through the window at the end!), but the acting is more laughably wooden here than in the other two tales - Karloff excepted even dubbed in Italian - and Susy Anderson's eye make-up is awfully heavy for the character of a peasant girl.
"The Drop of Water" remains the best of the tales - the only one that is truly scary from start to finish. I can see why Bava left the best for last in his original film. But the shortness of this tale makes me feel that the re-ordering done by AIP makes sense - as "Wurdelak" is the longest.
"The Telephone," always the weakest of the three tales, is more interesting now with the elimination of the silly supernatural aspect tacked on by AIP, and the more obvious lesbian relationship between the two women.
"The Wurdelak" has some very chilling and atmospheric sections(love the shots of the vampires looking through the window at the end!), but the acting is more laughably wooden here than in the other two tales - Karloff excepted even dubbed in Italian - and Susy Anderson's eye make-up is awfully heavy for the character of a peasant girl.
"The Drop of Water" remains the best of the tales - the only one that is truly scary from start to finish. I can see why Bava left the best for last in his original film. But the shortness of this tale makes me feel that the re-ordering done by AIP makes sense - as "Wurdelak" is the longest.