Black Sabbath (1963)

A trio of atmospheric horror tales about: A woman terrorized in her apartment by phone calls from an escaped prisoner from her past; a Russian count in the early 1800s who stumbles upon a ... See full summary »

Director:

Mario Bava

Writers:

Mario Bava, Alberto Bevilacqua

Stars:

Michèle Mercier, Lidia Alfonsi, Boris Karloff

Cast

Cast overview:
Michèle Mercier	...	Rosy (segment "The Telephone")
Lidia Alfonsi	...	Mary (segment "The Telephone") (as Lydia Alfonsi)
Boris Karloff	...	Gorca (segment "The Wurdalak")
Mark Damon	...	Vladimire d'Urfe (segment "The Wurdalak")
Susy Andersen	...	Sdenka (segment "The Wurdalak")
Massimo Righi	...	Pietro (segment "The Wurdalak")
Rika Dialyna	...	Maria (segment "The Wurdalak") (as Rica Dialina)
Glauco Onorato	...	Giorgio (segment "The Wurdalak")
Jacqueline Pierreux	...	Helen Chester (segment "The Drop of Water")
Milly	...	The Maid (segment "The Drop of Water") (as Milly Monti)
Harriet Medin	...	Neighbor (segment "The Drop of Water")
Gustavo De Nardo	...	Police Inspector (segment "The Drop of Water")

Storyline

A trio of atmospheric horror tales about: A woman terrorized in her apartment by phone calls from an escaped prisoner from her past; a Russian count in the early 1800s who stumbles upon a family in the countryside trying to destroy a particularly vicious line of vampires; and a 1900-era nurse who makes a fateful decision while preparing the corpse of one of her patients - an elderly medium who died during a seance.

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Plot Keywords:

pantyhose | cat | lesbian subtext | vampire | ring | 

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Taglines:

The most gruesome day in the calendar!

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Italy France USA

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

6 May 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Black Sabbath

Filming Locations:

Titanus Farnesina Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Emmepi Cinematografica, Galatea Film, Alta Vista Film Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Mario Bava's father, Eugenio Bava, created and sculpted the head for the ghost in 'The Drop of Water' as well as the served head for the segment 'The Wurdalak.'

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Goofs

In "The Drop of Water," when Helen crosses the dead woman's hands, she places the right hand over the left but in long shot the left hand is on top.

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Quotes

Mary: [to Rosy] You have no reason to be afraid.

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Connections

Featured in 100 Years of Horror: Blood-Drinking Beings (1996)

User Reviews

Not Bava's best but still fun

"Black Sabbath" is often thought as of both one of Bava's best and the single greatest horror omnibus. It's neither (Bava's best is either "Black Sunday" or "Danger: Diabolik" and the finest horror omnibus is still the original "Dead of Night"), but its a lot of fun for fans of vintage Gothic horrors. Everyone involved seems to be having a lot of fun, especially Boris Karloff who introduces each story and stars in the second one. Still, despite an occasional camp atmosphere, the stories all achieve some sense of suspense, especially the unbearably horrifying final tale "A Drop of Water". The fact that Bava manages to balance more light-hearted elements along with the terror prove he was one of the greatest directors of the fantastic of all time. And as usual, his direction is magnificent and use of color schemes completely puts Argento to shame.

The stories themselves are a rather mixed bag. The first one, "The Telephone", is never really scary (until the end that is) yet remains an interesting real time piece. The lesbian subtext (edited out of the American version) is quite ahead of its time, and Michèle Mercier is absolutely gorgeous. "The Wurdalak" is a novel twist on the vampire myth and beautifully directed as usual for Bava, but probably the weakest story. I'm rather ashamed to select this as my least favorite, because of the delicious as usual performance from Boris Karloff. The final entry, "A Drop of Water", is easily the best, possibly the first Giallo film. It looks beautiful, tells a compelling story, and the tension just builds up until the climax. Its simply Bava at his finest.

"Black Sabbath" is a lot of fun to watch for fans of vintage horror films. The only really annoying part is the breaking the fourth wall gag at the end, which completely ruins the film's dreamlike mood. The American print wisely edits it out. And yes, one of the greatest bands of all time did take their name from this film. (7/10)