Black Sabbath (1963) User Reviews

Three Scary Tales of Horror

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 8 October 2018]

Boris Karloff is the host of three scary tales of terror: In the Italian version, the sequence is the following: 1) "Il Telefono" / "O Telefone" ("The Telephone"): Rosy (Michèlle Mercier) receives several phone calls threatening her life. She believes her former lover, who has just escaped from prison, is the man that is calling her. She denounced his crimes some time ago and he was convicted and imprisoned. She calls her lesbian girlfriend Mary (Lidia Alfonsi) to stay with her during the night. Soon a secret is disclosed and a tragedy happens in the middle of the night. In the ridiculous American version, Frank is a ghost and not a fugitive, destroying the tension. My vote is seven.

2) "I Wurdulak" / "O Wurdulak" ("The Wurdulak"): The young Vladimire d'Urfe (Mark Damon) is riding a horse in the night and finds a man stabbed on the back. He withdraws the dagger from the man and finds a house close to the place where he found the body. There, he meets a family composed of two brothers, one sister, one sister-in-law and one nephew, and he falls in love at first sight with the beautiful Sdenka (Susie Andersen). He realizes that the dead man was a criminal, probably killed by the head of the family Gorca (Boris Karloff), and he is advised to leave that place, if Gorca does not arrive until midnight. The family informs that there is a chance that Gorca might have been transformed in a Wurdulak, a kind of vampire who drains blood from the living persons. A few seconds after midnight, Gorca comes back home, and the afraid family does not know whether he was transformed or not. The family will discover later what happened in a tragic way. In the American version, there are modifications and the scene that Gorca takes a head from his bag is cut. My vote is nine.

3) "La Goccia d' Acqua" / "A Gota d' Água" ("The Drop of Water") The nurse Helen Chester (Jacqueline Pierreux) is summoned to prepare the body of a countess for her funeral. She steals the worthy ring from her finger. The countess comes back from beyond to retrieve her ring, scaring the frightened greedy woman. There are few modifications in the American version. My vote is eight.

These three tales are excellent. With the direction of Mario Bava, this film explores themes related to fear, anxiety, greedy and guilty in a splendid scary way. Unfortunately the American version is terrible compared to the Italian version. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil):"Black Sabbath - As Três Máscaras do Terror" ("Black Sabbath - The Three Masks of Terror")

Horror classic full of thrills, chills, and suspenseful by terror maestro Mario Bava

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 12 December 2008]

This terrifying film with plenty of vampires , weird deeds and murders is formed by three stories proceeded in some memorably horrific set-pieces : 1) ¨The telephone¨ by author Snyder : A prostitute (Michele Mercier) terrorized in her flat by phone calls from a broken-out inmate (Milo Quesada) receives visit her lover (Lidia Alfonsi). 2) ¨The Wurdalak¨ by Aleksey Tolstoi : In a night of nightmare during the early 1800s , a Russian noble (Mark Damon, usual in Spaghetti Western) and a family (exceptional Boris Karloff, a gorgeous Susy Andersen, and Massimo Roghi) stumble vampires who must kill those love and go after their descendants ; the undead vampires of hell terrorize the house in a orgy of stark horror. 3) ¨The drop of water¨ by Chekhov : In the early 1900s , a nurse (Jacqueline Pierreux, mother of actor Jean Pierre Leaud, 400 blows) steals a ring from a medium dead and she seeks avenge , then a ghastly specter arises , exacting cruel revenge for past robbery.

Bava's second great hit (the first was Black Sunday or Mask of the demon) surprisingly realized with startling visual content and well scripted by Marcello Fondato and Albert Bevilacqua . This omnibus terror is plenty of thrills and chills in glimmer color and in lurid paste with sensational results . This genuinely creepy tale is photographed by Ubaldo Terzano and Bava himself with magentas , shades of ochre , translucently pale turquoises and deep orange-red reflecting paleness on the victims . Eerie and suspenseful musical score by Roberto Nicolisi , though in American version was composed by Lex Baxter , Corman's usual. The motion picture was stylishly and strikingly shot by Bava , filmed in parallel orbit to those Roger Corman ( Edgar Allan Poe cycle) and produced by American International (James H. Nicholson , Samuel Z. Arkoff) . Bava along with Riccardo Freda are fundamental kings of Italian horror , in fact collaborated deeply among them , as Bava terminated two films of Freda, ¨Il Vampiri¨ and ¨Caltiki¨ and they created the Giallo sub-genre. Rating : Good , acceptable atmospheric direction from genre master MarioBava , this is one more compelling horror ventures in which his camera stalks in sinister style throughout a tale with extraordinary visual skills . A must see for terror buffs.

Great, atmospheric horror anthology. A must for Italian horror buffs.

[capkronos · 8/10 · 18 February 2005]

Originally titled I TRE VOLTI DELLA PAURA (THREE FACES OF FEAR), this horror anthology made it to the U.S. with a new title to remind viewers of how good Bava's BLACK Sunday (1960) was. It also gained an excellent Les Baxter soundtrack and Boris Karloff as a host, though the tales were reversed in order and the strong lesbian subtext of one segment and some violence were omitted, but that's good ole' American censorship for you (both have since been restored, anyway). In any case, this anthology is a classic of its kind.

"Drop of Water" (based on a story by Checkov) is a chilling tale of a nurse (Jacqueline Pierreux) who gets her just desserts after stealing a diamond ring from the hideous-looking corpse of a psychic. "The Telephone" (based on a story by F.G.Snyder) was the least satisfying of the bunch for me personally, yet is still above average. In it, a lascivious, unstable and bisexual young beauty (Michele Mercier) receives threatening phone calls that seem to be coming from a man who has a personal vendetta against her. Final tale is "The Wurdalak," which was based on a Tolstoy. Boris Karloff stars as Gorca, a man turned into a vampire by the curse of Wurdalak, which makes him attack and kill only those he loves (namely his extended family, including child). It's astonishing to look at and very suspenseful. All three are colorfully, creatively done, drenched in Bava's trademark rich atmosphere and bring something a little different to the table. "Drop" (last in the Italian version) has the most chilling central image, "Wurdulak" (middle in the Italian version) has the boldest color palette and most vivid art direction and "Telephone" (first in the Italian version) is a very early giallo. Horror regulars Mark Damon (from Corman's HOUSE OF USHER), Massimo Righi and Harriet White Medin (usually typecast as a stern housekeeper in Italian horror films) co-star in this one.

Score: 8 out of 10 (only because I'm reserving a point until I get to watch the original Italian version).

Karloff is Wonderful!

[BaronBl00d · 20 August 2000]

This is an anthology film with three stories, totally unrelated introduced by a rather aged, dignified Boris Karloff. Karloff introduces each with great savvy and a generous dose of wit and humour. All three stories were directed by Italian horror specialist Mario Bava, whose use of the camera was legendary and unique. The first story was based on a story by Chekov called "The Drop of Water" and it is the best of the three. This little story about a nurse that steals a ring off the body of a witch, having been warned not to, is one of the scariest scenes ever to be filmed. The second story about a killer and a phone is adequate. The third story, starring Karloff as a Wurdelak...or vampire..is very good. It has plenty of atmosphere, and is the only film in which Boris ever played a vampire. All in all, Black Sabbath is a good film. It shows the talent that Bava had for taking fairly ordinary situations in life into horriffic ones.

Ultra stylish affair from one of Italy's finest

[ODDBear · 7/10 · 30 November 2005]

Black Sabbath is one visually stylish flick, courtesy of one of Italy's finest; Mario Bava.

The first story, The Telephone, is light on suspense but heavy on looks. The first Giallo in color, I believe, to some extent, with sexual overtones featured very prominently. Although it only takes place in one apartment Bava's crazy color schemes work beautifully and thanks to the two stunning ladies this episode goes down very well.

The Wurdulak scores heavy because of it's visuals and it's magnificent Gothic atmosphere. This should give a good example of how Black Sunday might have looked in color. However, this episode feels stretched quite a bit, it's relatively short running time seems longer than it is and therefore, in my opinion, is the weakest of the bunch.

The Drop of Water is the final, and best, episode. Bava was fond of the kind of horror that deals with a person who's totally alone in his/her surroundings. He goes into supernatural territory and creates a highly stylish (again) and quite the scary episode.

Black Sabbath is not the best Mario Bava has to offer, it could have been more scary but thanks to studio involvement he had to keep things light and not too scary. Under such restrictions I think Bava did extremely well and Black Sabbath is most definitely a must for Bava fans.

Good stuff no matter which version you prefer

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 24 June 2015]

Excellent horror anthology film from Mario Bava with three stories as well as linking segments with Boris Karloff. The first story is "The Drop of Water," about a nurse who steals a ring off the finger of a medium's corpse. If you guessed that won't end well for her, you're right. This is a suspenseful story with fine atmosphere. That corpse is one of the creepiest-looking things I've ever seen on film. The next story, "The Telephone," is about a woman receiving mysterious taunting phone calls. A nice-looking segment, and Michele Mercier is definitely attractive, but this is the weakest of all the stories. That isn't to say it's bad, though. It's interesting enough just not as good as the other two. The final, and best, story is "The Wurdulak," about a family awaiting the return of their father (Boris Karloff) who went out to kill a vampire. When the father returns, he's very different. Karloff is lots of fun in this story as well as the linking segments.

This review is mainly for the dubbed American version. The original Italian version differs from the American with the order of the stories changed as well as some violent and suggestive content that was cut for American release. I give both versions the same score because, to me, the differences aren't enough to make one better than the other. "The Telephone" has the most significant changes but remains the weakest story in both versions. The Italian version has a score by Roberto Nicolosi and the American score is by Les Baxter. I preferred the Baxter score personally but I can see where others would prefer Nicolosi's more subtle score. I recommend you try both versions if you have the time. It's a colorful and beautiful-looking film that ranks high on the list of horror anthology movies I've seen. Karloff and Bava fans will love it.

Welcome to Mario Bava...

[The_Void · 8/10 · 5 October 2005]

1945's Dead of Night introduced horror cinema to omnibus films, and Mario Bava's Black Sabbath brought it back! Italian produced films were making a lot of money in the early sixties, and hot on the heels of his success with Black Sunday, former cinematographer and horror genius Mario Bava was brought in to direct this compendium of horror tales. The great Boris Karloff adds a further lure to the proceedings, and these two giants were on to a winner before they started filming. This film is like an overview of what Mario Bava is all about. The first tale, a Giallo-like thriller, echoes films such as The Girl Who Knew Too Much and Blood and Black Lace, while tale number two; The Wardulak, is pure Gothic horror, a la Black Sunday. The climax story, The Drop of Water, is the most horror orientated of the trio and gives a good early showing of the adrenaline that would go on to make the likes of Baron Blood and Bay of Blood the great films that they are. Mario Bava has a lot of fans and many of his films could easily be considered his best, but there is no doubt for me. The best film Bava ever made is Black Sabbath.

After a colourful and campy introduction by the great Boris Karloff, we move straight into The Telephone. This tale is simple, yet effective and instantly grabs you – not letting go until the end. The lesbian undertones give it an extra bit of verve (especially with the actresses being as tasty as they are!), and the way that Bava claustrophobically shoots almost the entire story in one apartment means that the tale is always easy to get to grips with. Bava's music is the main event style-wise. Music is a big part of Giallo, and this entry in Black Sabbath, along with The Girl Who Knew Too Much, ensures that we all know it was Bava who created the Giallo. The ironic ending seals the story and makes sure that you'll be in high spirits going into tale number two.

The Wardulak is the longest, most ambitious and also the weakest part of the trilogy. That's not to say that it's anything less than brilliant; the other two are just stronger. The Gothic sets and atmosphere are definitely the main draw here, and the way that Bava lights up every scene with his trademark use of lighting and colours is absolutely stunning. Being the most expansive, this is the story that best allows Bava full use of his directing ability and many of the shots could be easily be framed and hung on your wall. The tale is very reminiscent of the masterpiece Black Sunday, and gives a good impression of what the film might have looked like had it have been in colour. Boris Karloff takes the lead role here as a man trying to destroy a line of vampires like creatures known as Wardulak's. Karloff obviously enjoyed making this film, and his assured and camp performance in this part of the film, along with his intro and outro, really shows that. The conclusion to this story is really well done, and makes sure that this part of the film ends on a high.

My favourite tale is the first one, but The Drop of Water definitely isn't far behind! This tale is pure evil, and allows Bava to show his mastery of the horror genre the best. We follow a young female nurse who steals a ring from one of her patients...a medium...who died during a séance. Like the first tale, this one's effectiveness stems from it's simplicity and this allows Bava to implement his excellent use of lighting and colours. The sets are brilliantly lit, and the director manages to create a foreboding feel that runs throughout the film. The design of the elderly medium's face is really haunting, and seeing the corpse get it's revenge gives Black Sabbath it's main scare. Watching this tale, it's obvious why Bava is so well respected by cult and genre fans. There aren't many directors that can generate this kind of scare from such a simple plot - and all of The Drop of Water's frights are owed entirely to the director. On the whole, this is a superior omnibus horror film. All the elements are in place and if you want a great overview of Mario Bava's talents - this is the place to look!

The middle portion is by far the best and most innovative

[funkyfry · 6/10 · 9 November 2008]

Mario Bava is one of the great Italian cinematographers and his prolific directing career gave us a number of gems and also quite a number of confusing misfires. "Black Sabbath" in my opinion is somewhere in the middle. It's nowhere near as scary or as beautiful as his black and white effort "Black Sunday", but particularly in its innovative middle section (the film is made up of 3 separate vignettes) it seems to be pointing the way towards the future of horror, the Giallo genre and the American slasher genre.

Boris Karloff is the master of ceremonies for the whole affair and he shows up to perform as a vampire in the final vignette. Karloff's introductions are wonderful, combining gallows humor with warm personality. I haven't seen any episodes of his TV show from the late 50s, but I assume his style was very similar in those as well. One note for the DVD consumer: make sure you do not purchase Image's DVD which only has the Italian dubbed version, and does not include Karloff's own voice. There's no substantial reason not to see the film in English, as I was able to do thankfully via netflix online.

Best to look at this movie's vignettes separately. The first is a traditional Gothic type of affair that looks very similar to Roger Corman's "Poe" movies from around the same time which were also distributed by AIP. "The Drop of Water" concerns a witch who's died and a caretaker who is cursed after stealing her ring. It is similar in style to Bava's protégé Dario Argento's more notable film "Suspiria" from a decade later. In my opinion this is the weakest of the 3 because it doesn't give us any motivation to care about the characters and it lacks the great style of the second part.

"The Telephone" certainly strikes me as the most interesting part of this film, even though it seems the shortest. It's a very stylish little piece about a woman haunted by her dead lover via telephone. Many of the shots and the use of interior style here anticipate Bava's later "giallo" films and also those again by his protégé Argento. I think this part packs some genuine scares because it feels very fresh as opposed to the Gothic trappings of the other two. There are some very interesting shots here and I think this is a very original treatment.

"The Wurdulak" concludes the film, with Karloff preying on his family members on a cold winter night in some far flung eastern European locale. It has some interesting moments but it seems to lack a really good set-piece scene that would really make this type of thing work.

All in all, I think "Black Sabbath" did not rip off its contemporary drive-in audiences because it delivers a very stylish package of frights and a lot of intense atmosphere. It doesn't really hold up the way some of Bava's better films like "Black Sunday" or "Kill, Baby, Kill" do, but it's also far removed from the rather tacky Gothic revels like "The Whip and the Body" which he did later in the 60s. Hopefully a nice DVD with the original American version that I was able to see will be released or has been released. It's a beautiful movie to look at and a very good example of Bava's ability to make a film that puts style above substance without cheating the audience one bit.

3 Tales of Fear

[eibon09 · 10/10 · 27 March 2001]

I Tre Volti Della Paura/Black Sabbath(1963) starts out with a colorful introduction by Boris Karloff that gives homage to Sydney Greenstreet's introduction for the trailers of The Maltese Falcon(1941), and Across the Pacific(1942). One of the best horror film anthologies of the 20th Century. An example of Mario Bava's love for the art of painting and the realm of fantasy. Quentin Tarantino was influenced by Black Sabbath(1963) for his structure of Pulp Fiction(1994). Black Sabbath(1963) is at its most artful and scary in its original Italian edition.

THE TELEPHONE is the third best tale but the most historical in the evoluation of the Italian thriller. Although not the first Giallo to be made in Italy, its certainly the first Giallo to be done in color. Also, the first Giallo to have the eroticism and violent outbursts of the Italian novel known as the gialli. Takes place in one area with the exception of a couple of scenes. This gives the story a touch of the theatre.

Michele Mercier as Rosy is absolutely stunning. The lesbian subtext of THE TELEPHONE was a darling concept that was too erotic for American audiences to watch as thought out by AIP before the film's USA release. This taboo subtext was cut and the story was turned into a ghost yarn in the American version. Gives hints of why Rosy and her friend Mary stopped seeing each other. THE TELEPHONE uses the colors of blue and red to express the sexual and violent tension of the story.

The final shot of the telephone with the receiver out and a body on the floor below would be used again in the final shot of Blood & Black Lace(1965). THE TELEPHONE contains features that would appear at the beginning of Scream(1996). In fact, the opening scene of Scream(1996) is almost a shot by shot remake of THE TELEPHONE. Influenced Mario Bava's Blood & Black Lace(1965) and the gory body countish Bay of Blood(1971). A murder by strangulation with telephone cord would appear later in A Bay of Blood with the murder of the entomologist.

THE WURDALAK is a tragic tale of family decline. Its also the most romantic of the three tales. The romantic subplot involving Count D'Uree and Sdenka is reminiscent of The Mask of Satan(1960). About a Russian version of the vampire known as the Wurdalak who drains the blood of loved ones so they too can be Wurdalak. The most personal story of Mario Bava in this anthology.

Boris Kalfoff gives his best performance in a horror film since playing the creature in Frankenstein(1931) and Bride of Frankenstein(1933). THE WURDALAK is very similar to Edgar Allen Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. Based on a novel that was later filmed as a full length movie. The scene of the ghost child turning into Gorca to hunt Gregor's wife would influence Kill Baby Kill(1967) and Shock(1977). Mario Bava directs THE WURDALAK with an atmospheric touch.

Despite the film's low budget, THE WURDALAK has excellent costume and set designs. Mark Damon and Susy Andersen are good in their roles as doomed lovers. This segment of Black Sabbath(1963) would be of significance to later Bava films I.E, The Whip & the Body(1964), Kill Baby Kill(1967), Lisa & the Devil(1974), and Shock(1977). The line "My Destiny is here" personifies Bava's life as a homebody and is similar to a couple of lines from The Mask of Satan(1960) and Lisa & the Devil(1974). A good short story that is not boring.

A DROP OF WATER is the most frightening and scary story of Black Sabbath(1963). Its one of the best and perhaps the greatest horror story Mario Bava has ever filmed. In this story, Bava was interested in the idea of a person alone in a dark room. The story is about a nurse who thinks a dead medium patient is after her for stealing a ring. A DROP OF WATER is brilliant in exploring the theme of fear.

A DROP OF WATER contains spine tingling sequences of horror and atmospheric lighting. Jacqueline Pierreux is fabulous as the fearful and guilt conscious nurse, Helen Corey. She plays Helen Corey with believability. The story is ambiguous on whether the ghost is real or is just in Helen Corey's mind. A DROP OF WATER is a true horror tale that plays on the imagination of the audience brilliantly unlike the overrated, Blair Witch Project(1999).

The end suggests that the same events will occur all over again. Filmed by Mario Bava with an expertise in horror and terror. A DROP OF WATER was influenced by Bava's love of Russian literature especially the works of Nikolai Gogol, Fyodor Dostoevsky and also the short stories of Edgar Allen Poe. In the same manner and vein as The Tell Tale Heart. The theme of guilt in A DROP OF WATER shows up in The Whip & the Body(1964) plus Shock(1977).

Dark Sabbath

[sol- · 6/10 · 11 April 2016]

As an anthology of supernatural horror tales, each directed by Mario Bava and introduced by Boris Karloff, 'Black Sabbath' is a film with a lot of promise. Depending on whether one watches the Italian or English version, the tales play in a different order, but the first tale in the Italian version involves a woman terrorised by a voice on the phone. With little in the way of overt horror, this is the creepiest segment in the anthology; the tale also includes some lesbian undertones that are nicely left hanging (it is left up to us to decipher why the caller on the phone wants revenge). The second tale has Boris Karloff as a patriarch who may or may not have turned into some sort of vampire after staying in the mountains for too long. Karloff has a lot of fun with the role and the cries of the child near the end are spine-tingling, but the segment is sluggishly paced and often drags, taking up nearly half of the movie's duration. The final tale involves a woman who steals a ring from the barely cold corpse of relative, only to be (predictably) terrorised by her ghost. It is not the strongest note to end on. Karloff has a great final address to the audience though with a memorable pull-back shot that innovatively breaks the fourth wall. Overall, this is a tricky film to recommend. The two bookend tales have a lot in common (terror inside one's own home) but the middle episode is vexingly dissimilar and the story quality varies throughout. Bava does keep things very visually alive though with active camera-work and great sets, and as mentioned, Karloff has a ball whenever on screen.

The work of a genius

[Coventry · 10/10 · 2 January 2005]

Welcome to yet another pure vintage Bava classic. I went straight for the undubbed version in which the tales are presented in their original order, and I strongly recommend for you to do the same as it is a pure horror masterpiece! The ultimate horror icon Boris Karloff hosts three various and delightful tales of the supernatural. The first story (The Telephone) is rather simplistic but it sets a promising tone for the rest of the movie. In this, the stunningly beautiful Rosy (Michele Mercier who reminds you of Barbara Steele) receives threatening phone calls, seemly from her ex-lover who recently escaped prison. The tale features a sublime lesbian undertone and quite a few shocking moments. The second tale is somewhat the main event of the film and also stars Karloff in a terrifically diabolical role. We're introduced to "Wurdulaks", which are vampire-variants that are exclusively after the blood of their beloved. Karloff shines as the elderly ghoul who returned from a mountain expedition to kill a Turkish psycho, but behaves strangely ever since. This tale has a remarkably high tension level and fully depends on its marvelous set pieces and eerie locations. A must see tale for admirers of Gothic horror and the chapter that comes the closest in style to Mario Bava's ultimate achievement "Black Sunday". The final tale may even be the best as it is one of the most frightening things I ever beheld. "The Drop of Water" has Jacqueline Pierreux haunted by the corpse of an old lady who died during a séance. The image of this dead lady is creepy beyond comparison and the climax is sublime. All three tales are amazingly pictured and terrifically scripted. Mario Bava once again states he's the most talented horror director ever. This versatile production probably also is the ideal film to begin checking out his work. Black Sabbath is the perfect example of how omnibuses should be done. This format got immensely popular in the 70's and especially the British Amicus company cornered the market. Some of their films were very good (Tales from the Crypt, Asylum) but yet they should have paid more heed to milestone movies like "Black Sabbath".

Stylilsh film lacking tension and chills, but still good fun

[fishermensmell · 6/10 · 10 January 2021]

After hearing so many good things about this anthology over the years, I sought out the Italian version and really found this quite disappointing. There is plenty to enjoy and the direction and visual presentation is excellent: some of the heavily stylised sequences (Karloff's psychedelically-saturated introduction especially) have even become quite iconic. So I feasted on that aspect of the film. The disappointment, I'm afraid, comes in the lack of tension and humdrum storytelling.

The first film, The Telephone, is a sort of giallo that proceeds at a ponderous pace, featuring a young lady receiving threatening phone calls from a man with an axe to grind against her. There is a twist in the tale, but it isn't very convincing and doesn't make a lot of sense, either logically or dramatically. A boring and muddled story.

The second film, The Wurdulak, gets off to a promising start with some good old-fashioned folk myth regarding a beloved father returning to his home after attempting to slay a vampire-like creature. The condition here is that if he returns after midnight, it is likely that he has been turned into a Wurdulak. Of course, he arrives at the stroke of midnight, professing to be the good old Dad... but is he? This great premise then starts to fall apart due to some of the implausible actions of some of the characters, the mistiming of the reveal and a subsequent detour into a rote romantic sub-plot. It all looks great and Karloff is a lot of fun, but it feels like a missed opportunity.

The third film, Drop, ends up being the best of the bunch, although it is a very simple story and hence doesn't really have time to present many mysteries or draw you in before giving you the answers. A basic morality tale, featuring retribution from beyond the grave, this one as least benefits from a truly ghastly fright in the form of the dead countess.

Honestly, I think my favourite parts of the film where the prologue and epilogue with Karloff that left me with a big smile on my face!

Great Visuals...But Lackluster Storytelling

[GodeonWay · 5/10 · 18 March 2018]

Mario Bava has many staunch fans and rightfully so. His outstanding talent as a cinematographer marked all of his stints as a director, and Black Sabbath shows him at his most impressive best.

But for me...and I'm a compulsive fan of vintage horror movies...Bava's great visuals are almost always undone by his shortcomings as a storyteller. In almost all his films, the narrative thread is weak. The suspense just isn't there. The black humor doesn't resonate the way it does in the best pictures from Universal, AIP or Hammer. And the lead characters rarely have the charisma necessary to keep the audience fascinated.

I've just finished watching a beautiful widescreen DVD release of the original European version of Black Sabbath, called 'The Three Faces of Fear'. Having given up on Bava many years ago, I thought this was a good opportunity to try again, and to see what many regard as his masterpiece.

Yes, it is gorgeous to look at: great framing, great tracking, great panning shots, haunting atmosphere. So by all means, try to find a good full-length HD print to appreciate this one.

But for me, each of the three tales in this anthology has the same weaknesses of Bava's other films. No compelling plotlines, and none of the fascinating characterizations needed to keep the audience in a tight grip. Even Boris Karloff, while always a pleasure to watch, is not as engrossing as usual.

Still, Black Sabbath is a remarkable accomplishment. So in a nutshell, maybe one should borrow François Truffaut's famous comment to Alfred Hitchcock, regarding Under Capricorn: 'Perhaps not a good film, but a beautiful film.'

And you will live in terror...

[chaos-rampant · 30 March 2008]

I don't know if Sam Arkoff knows it, but the moment AIP renamed "I Tre Volti Della Paura" into "Black Sabbath" for the American release they were writing 20th century history. A couple of years later a relatively unknown band from Birmingham, inspired by Mario Bava's Gothic horror anthology, would name their band Black Sabbath and proceed to become one of the most well known and influential bands of the last 30 years.

Black Sabbath starts off wisely with the weakest story in the movie, "The Telephone". There's nothing incredibly exciting going on, and the interior setting doesn't allow Bava to fully exercise his usual flair in visuals and atmosphere, rendering this segment a rather routine affair. Any historical significance the segment might have in the shaping of the giallo is made redundant by the fact that Bava himself would go on to define the genre a few years later with Blood and Black Lace.

The patient viewer will be amply rewarded by the following two segments though. The Wurdulak, featuring a ghastly Boris Karloff in one of his best roles, and A Drop of Water, with Jacqueline Pierreux in the role of a greedy nurse, are both the epitome of Mario Bava's Gothic style in colour.

What makes Black Sabbath so vibrant and captivating is the use of colour in lighting. Going against every rule and defying every sense of historic realism, Bava employs colours from every end of the palette (from magenta to cyan) and lights his sets in the most imaginative ways. It may seem arbitrary, and it may very well be, but the effect cannot be dismissed. It works. Imagine Seijun Suzuki circa Tokyo Drifter doing Black Sunday in colour and you get pretty close to what Bava strives for lighting-wise. There's a pop art sensibility that contrasts beautifully with the stern tone of the movie. Combined with misty exteriors, long shadows and a baroque opulence, Bava mutates Gothic horror into a unique beast that is simultaneously very familiar and extravagantly exotic.

What's even more admirable is that Black Sabbath is actually scary. Well not in the traditional sense anymore, no. But there are genuinely chilling moments. I can't even begin to imagine how horrifying the ending of A Drop of Water or Boris Karloff's face seen through a smudged glass in The Wurdulak would have been to unsuspecting audiences back in 1963.

In conclusion; seek this movie out, but know what you're getting into. This is old school Gothic horror with a unique visual flair, a penchant for atmosphere and a great Boris Karloff. In the Gothic horror Bava scale, I would rank it somewhere between Kill! Baby! Kill... (Bava's other masterpiece) and Lisa and the Devil, if that means anything.

3 stories not all of them are winners

[Johan_Wondering_on_Waves · 7/10 · 9 August 2015]

Since this is a horror anthology consisting of 3 short stories I see it as my duty to rate them all separately.

The Telephone: OK no masterpiece by any means and it looked a bit silly at times. But it was nice and surprising that the mysterious caller was actually not who Rosy and probably the viewer too expected to be. In the end one can wonder what exactly was the deal between the two ladies. Was there maybe some love triangle at play or even lesbian subtext? Very enjoyable. 7/10 The Wurdalak: Well I do think the whole legend of this vampire like creature feasting on the blood of his beloved ones was more interesting than the story itself. As this was the longest story it was the main attraction of the movie but unfortunately it was pretty predictable, the characters rather flat and some events didn't really make sense to me. Nice location and creepy but it pales compared to the other 2 stories. 5/10 The drop of water: Well they say keep the best as last and that's exactly what they did here in my opinion. Despite not having character development and the story being very simple it's incredibly effective in creating a great eerie atmosphere. The fact it might not have been a ghost but a ring that causes paranormal things driving the wearer insane was pretty brilliant idea. I don't think it would have worked as full movie but for a short it was really awesome and I did love that it makes you pondering a bit what actually caused the evil. 9/10

Not A Bad Horror Anthology

[Rainey-Dawn · 7/10 · 8 January 2016]

This is a pretty good older horror anthology - a trilogy of stories. Boris Karloff hosts and also stars in one segment called "The Wurdalak".

The first story is "The Drop of Water". A nurse ends up stealing a ring off the hand of a deal spiritualist... but the corpse seeks revenge. An OK story - the worst of the trilogy.

The second story is "The Telephone". A female prostitute is terrorized with phone calls from a man who is dead - what does he want? A pretty creepy story.

The third story is "The Wurdalak". This one stars Boris Karloff. Karloff is a lead vampire.. he feeds on the blood of those he loves the most. This is a good Gothic vampire segment (and would have been a great full film). The best story of the trilogy.

Overall, this a good horror anthology to watch on a dark and stormy night.

7/10

Two out of three ain't bad

[runamokprods · 7/10 · 26 November 2011]

Three short pieces.

The first 'The Telephone' is a thriller with no supernatural elements. It's also pretty dull and predictable. It takes it's twists far too seriously.

But the other two stories 'The Wurdulak' (starring a fun Boris Karloff, who also does the terrific bookend pieces to the film) and 'A Drop of Water' have a real sense of enjoyable playfulness along with Bava's always present stylishness, and over the top lighting (which can get annoying at times – in 'Drop of Water' light from every window keeps rising and falling. It may be that it's supposed to suggest lightening, but it's mostly just distracting).

When Bava has fun with the hoary clichés of vampires and revenge of the dead, it's a lot easier for us to have fun too (and, ironically, I also found it more tense).

Another wonderful Bava film

[bensonmum2 · 9/10 · 5 February 2005]

Black Sabbath is an anthology from the Italian horror master, Mario Bava. Throughout the film, his trademark use of lighting and unique camera work are evident. Truly impressive.

The first story, "The Telephone", is a basic thriller and, IMO, the weakest of the three stories. Most everything that happens is fairly predictable. But, Bava's direction makes an ordinary story very entertaining. Also, Michèle Mercier is a knockout and makes this segment worth watching. I'll give the first segment an 8/10.

Most people seem to think that the second story, "The Wurdalak", is the best. I'm in agreement. This segment could have easily been fleshed-out into a feature length movie of its own. Boris Karloff, Mark Damon, Susy Andersen, and the rest of the cast do a wonderful job. Karloff is as creepy as ever in this tale. And Bava is at his best. Many of the scenes are bathed in a wonderful blue/green light that adds so much to the overall atmosphere. Wonderful set locations are also a highlight of this story. I'm also a sucker for the more Gothic settings in "The Wurdalak". I'll give the second segment a 9/10.

The third segment, "The Drop of Water", actually had more elements to freak me out than the other two. There is just something about this segment that creeps me out every time I see it. Again, Bava's fingerprints are on every detail of this story. The flashing blue/green light becomes more and more frightening as the movie progresses. I'll give the third segment a 9/10.

Bava really does a masterful job with all three segments of this anthology. For anyone not familiar with Bava, IMO, this would be a good place to start.

Great intro to Bava, but the American cut messes it up

[lemon_magic · 7/10 · 20 June 2013]

Karloff and Bava would appear to be a match made in heaven, and "Black Sabbath/3 Faces of Fear" lets both of them do what they do best. The three featurettes are simply drenched in atmosphere and style, and if you like giallo style slow burn horror, you'll find a lot to like here.

However, as pleased as I was to finally see this movie, I had to admit that the 2nd story (in the American version) was a little too similar to the first story (the ghost story), and the ending was kind of lame. Apparently the lesbian elements in the original Italizn version of story were deemed too upsetting for American audiences, and consequently some busybody basically changed the thrust of the story. I can't blame Bava for that, but it does lessen the impact of the movie as a whole.

mario bava's best film

[jadflack · 9/10 · 23 August 2008]

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.

I tre volti della paura

[RaulFerreiraZem · 7/10 · 6 August 2019]

I got this absolutely certain that i would not enjoy it at all. Luckily i was mistaken, each one of the three short stories is good in its own way and the way they are presented is amazing. The film being three films and acknowledging it by having Boris Karloff not only present them but also act in the one of them absolutely destroys any mystique behind the stories. So the way i see it, in the last segment for example, it's less about the evil lady curse itself and more about the way the nurse perceives reality, just look at all the things that scare her back in her place, the half open tap, cat's meowing, the raindrops falling out of her umbrella, etc. These are all things that lead her directly to the memory of not only the old lady laying dead in bed but also her crime. What the movie does is, by associating these signs to paranormal movements it makes us the audience feel like the character. I was also very impressed by the last scene, where the camera zooms out of Boris Karloff and shows the set of the movie, that to me is the way Bava found to say that these are not superstitious films and that his goal with it was not to try to make you believe in the supernatural, much on the contrary, he is using it to show much more material things such as envy and guilt.

Three Sublime And Delightfully Creepy Faces Of Bava

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 9/10 · 12 January 2009]

The great Mario Bava was arguably the greatest Horror director who ever lived, for a variety of reasons. Not only was this brilliant man capable of creating a beautiful yet unspeakably eerie atmosphere unlike any other director, the amount of masterpieces in Bava's repertoire is also overwhelming. Almost all films by this great director are ingenious, which makes it very hard to pick favorites. His arguably most brilliant masterpiece is "La Maschera Del Demonio" (aka. "Black Sunday") of 1960, which is a very strong contender for the title of the single greatest Horror film of all-time, but Bava's impressive filmography includes a wide range of other fantastic gems that are absolutely essential for every Horror fan, or every true film buff in general to see. Such as his brilliant Giallo-milestone "Sei Donne Per L'Assassino" (aka. "Blood And Black Lace", 1964), the incredibly creepy "Operazione Paura" (aka. "Kill Baby... Kill", 1966) or the breathtaking crime-thriller "Cani Arrabiati" (aka. "Rabid Dogs", 1974). Or this fantastic film. In the same year 1963 in which he also changed the world of Horror forever by single-handedly inventing the Giallo-genre with "La Ragazza Che Sappeva Troppo" (aka. "The Girl Who Knew Too Much") and furthermore enriched the Horror genre by another Gothic masterpiece, "La Frusta E Il Corpo" (aka. "The Whip And The Body"), Bava created what is quite possibly the greatest Horror-anthology ever brought to screen - "I Tre Volti Della Paura" aka. "Black Sabbath"/"The Three Faces Of Fear". Horror anthologies/omnibuses became very popular in the 60s and especially the 70s, with the British Amicus company specializing on this particular format. Notable Horror anthologies also include two great films starring Vincent Price, Roger Corman's "Tales Of Terror" (1962) and Sidney Salkow's "Twice-Told Tales" (1963), yet I would personally consider this film the greatest Horror-anthology I've seen. Bava tells three creepy and deliciously macabre tales, with none other than genre-icon Boris Karloff serving as the narrator of the film and star of one of its three segments.

The first tale "The Telephone" is a magnificent early voyage into the style of the Giallo, which Bava had invented in the same year with "The Girl Who Knew Too Much". A sexy young woman named Rosy (Michèle Mercier) is being stalked with death threats on the phone by a psychopath... I do not want to give away too much about this first story, but I can assure that especially Italian Horror fans will be delighted. The segment bears many trademarks of the Giallo-genre and has a, for the time very daring, lesbian subtext.

The second segment "The Wurdalak" is the most visually and atmospherically impressive of the three, a classic Gothic tale starring none other than the great Boris Karloff as well as Mark Damon ("House Of Usher"). The segment, which, in its style, has many resemblances to Bava's earlier masterpiece "La Maschera Del Demonio", delivers an incredibly eerie Gothic atmosphere and all the creepiness and beauty that makes vintage Horror such a delight. Set in 19th century, "The Wurdalak" tells the story of an eponymous Wurdalak, a man turned into a ghoulish vampire-like creature, thirsty for the blood of his kin and those he loves most. This incredibly creepy and atmospheric segment alone would make the film an absolute must-see for a Horror fan. The photography and settings are extremely eerie and Bava wisely re-uses the brilliant score from "La Masachera Del Demonio". Also, this is one of the last truly great cinematic moments for the great Boris Karloff, who shines in an unspeakably ghoulish role.

The third segment "The Drop Of Water" must be one of the most spine-chilling experiences one will ever have. The segment tells the tale of a nurse who is haunted by the corpse of an old lady. The dead lady, who was a medium who died during a séance, has a look on her face that is capable of giving you the creeps. Again, I don't want to give too much away, but I can assure that this genuinely scary last segment delivers some of the creepiest moments ever in Horror cinema.

Needless to say that all three segments are filmed in Bava's uniquely beautiful and eerie trade-mark Gothic style. An introduction from narrator Boris Karloff at the beginning makes this even more worthwhile. Overall, this is quite possibly the greatest Horror-anthology ever, and yet another brilliant film in Mario Bava's repertoire that once again probes what a genius he was. An absolute must for all Horror fans! I recommend to try and get hold of the Itlaina language version, as the melody of the Italian language goes very well in hand with the film's delicious eeriness. 10/10

Bava's Fun But Very Mixed Bag

[baker-9 · 6/10 · 1 July 2002]

"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.

Friends seeking vengeance, Vampires who love too much, and a corpse that looks like Baby Jane Hudson...

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 6 January 2018]

There were dozens of multi part horror films made from the 1950's through the 1970's, and this Italian entry in that genre is a cult classic, but a mixed bag. It's narrated by Boris Karloff who is the star of one of the three parts, his being the longest segment in the Italian language version I saw while writing up this review. I saw the dubbed English version years ago on commercial VHS, and mainly remembered the Karloff sequence that focused on a family cursed with vampires who attack those they loved in life, making me wonder how a vampire continues to survive once they run out of loved ones. Karloff, narrating the film as himself, looks haggard and ancient as the family patriarch, off in war in the middle ages setting, coming back to allegedly get his entire family to join him as one of the undead. The horror involves his young grandson, kidnapped by him for a furious ride along the paths of the seemingly dead countryside, as well as the adding up of never ending victims. It's slow moving, but very spooky.

A modern sequence involves a young woman being harassed by telephone presumably by a former lover she betrayed to the police, and the twists involving an estranged friend she asks for help. This is a suspenseful but ridiculously plotted segment, because why didn't she just get out, go to the police, check into a hotel and stay out of the danger zone? There are some interesting aspects of it, but it's trite and extremely obvious. The other segment is comical, an ugly looking mannequin made out to be a corpse, from which a nurse steals a supposedly valuable ring, much to her own detriment. The corpse comes to life somehow, floating around in a search for revenge. I didn't laugh so much as roll my eyes, especially since the corpse looked like how Bette Davis made herself up as the title character in "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" To end it all, at least in the Italian version, is a silly return of Karloff in his vampire disguise, bidding the audience adieu.