Black Sabbath (1963) I tre volti della paura (original title)

Directors:

Mario Bava
Salvatore Billitteri

Writers:

Mario Bava (writer)
Alberto Bevilacqua (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

6 May 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

This is the night of the nightmare...The day of the Undead.

Plot:

A trio of atmospheric horror tales about: A woman terrorized in her apartment by phone calls from an...

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Ring | Corpse | Nurse | Escaped Prisoner

Cast

Michèle Mercier	...	Rosy (segment "The Telephone")
Lidia Alfonsi	...	Mary (segment "The Telephone") (as Lydia Alfonsi)
Boris Karloff	...	Himself / 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 Dialina	...	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")
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Milo Quesada	...	Frank Rainer (segment "The Telephone") (uncredited)
Alessandro Tedeschi	...	Coroner (segment "The Drop of Water") (uncredited)

Directed by
Mario Bava
Salvatore Billitteri		(additional footage) (US version)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Mario Bava		writer
Alberto Bevilacqua		writer
Ivan Chekhov		story "The Drop of Water"
Marcello Fondato		screenplay
F.G. Snyder		story "The Telephone"
Aleksei Tolstoy		novelette Sem'ya vurdalaka

Produced by
Salvatore Billitteri	....	producer
Paolo Mercuri	....	producer

Original Music by
Les Baxter		(US version)
Roberto Nicolosi

Cinematography by
Ubaldo Terzano
Mario Bava		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Mario Serandrei

Production Design by
Riccardo Domenici		(as Riccardo Dominici)

Art Direction by
Giorgio Giovannini

Costume Design by
Tina Grani

Makeup Department
Otello Fava	....	makeup artist
Renata Magnanti	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Armando Govoni	....	production supervisor
Paolo Mercuri	....	production manager

Art Department
Francesco Bronzi	....	assistant production designer
Riccardo Domenici	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Fausto Ancillai	....	sound mixer
Alfred R. Bird	....	sound editor: US version
Mario Messina	....	sound
Ernest Reichert	....	sound editor: US version
Nino Renda	....	sound mixer
Kay Rose	....	sound editor: US version

Camera and Electrical Department
Enrico Fontana	....	camera operator
Mario Mancini	....	camera operator

Editorial Department
Lina Caterini	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Eve Newman	....	music editor (US version)
Al Simms	....	music coordinator (US version)

Other crew
Priscilla Contardi	....	continuity
Franco Grifeo	....	administrator

Production Companies

• Emmepi Cinematografica
• Galatea Film
• Alta Vista Film Production (co-production)
• Societé Cinématographique Lyre (co-production)

Distributors

• Rank Organisation Div. Belgium and Luxemburg, The (1963) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Rank Organisation Div. Belgium and Luxemburg, The (1963) (Luxembourg) (theatrical)
• American International Pictures (AIP) (1964) (USA) (theatrical) (English dubbed)
• Astral Films (1964) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Rank (1965) (France) (theatrical) (as The Rank Organisation)
• Astro Distribution (1998) (Germany) (VHS)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Anolis Entertainment (199?) (Germany) (video)
• Image Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• Network Enterprises (video)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (video)
• Thorn EMI/HBO Video (198?) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)

Other Companies

• Digitmovies Alternative Entertainment  soundtrack

Also Known As:

"I tre volti della paura" - Italy (original title)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

Italy | UK | France

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 (self applied) (2001) | UK:15 (DVD) | France:-12 | Italy:VM14 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated | West Germany:16 | UK:X

Filming Locations:

Titanus Farnesina Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Emmepi Cinematografica

Trivia:

There were additional scenes filmed with Boris Karloff introducing the segments, however AIP decided they were unnecessary and cut them from the film. Karloff would later say these introductions were some of the most fun he'd ever had on a film set.

Goofs:

Continuity: 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.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pulp Fiction (1994)

mario bava's best film

Three macabre tales."the telephone".a woman is plagued by threatening calls but all is not what it seems."the wurdaluk".in 18th century Russia a family wait for their father, now a vampire to come home and claim his loved ones and suck their blood."a drop of water". a nurse robs a corpse of a ring and soon regrets it. This film continuously eluded me for many years and i finally managed to see it in it's original form, beautifully restoredand it's worth the wait. the first story is the weakest, although not without interest. the second is the best , very atmospheric and contains a powerful scary performance from Boris Karloff who plays the lead vampire for the only time in his career and this role is one of his best.The last story is short but creepy and features the most scary corpse you'll ever see in a film.This is easily director Mario Bava's best film.only a silly last scene with Karloff dents it a little.