Blood and Black Lace (1964)
"Sei donne per l'assassino" (original title)

Italian thriller about a shadowy killer in black murdering fashion models through brutal methods.

Director:

Mario Bava

Writers:

Marcello Fondato (story), Giuseppe Barilla (collaboration),

Stars:

Cameron Mitchell, Eva Bartok, Thomas Reiner

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cameron Mitchell	...	Max Marian
Eva Bartok	...	Contessa Cristina Como
Thomas Reiner	...	Inspector Silvester
Ariana Gorini	...	Nicole
Dante DiPaolo	...	Frank Sacalo
Mary Arden	...	Peggy Peyton
Franco Ressel	...	Marquis Richard Morell
Claude Dantes	...	Tao-Li
Luciano Pigozzi	...	Cesar Losarre
Lea Lander	...	Greta (as Lea Krugher)
Massimo Righi	...	Marco
Francesca Ungaro	...	Isabella
Giuliano Raffaelli	...	Zanchin
Harriet Medin	...	Clarice (as Harriet White Medin)
Mary Carmen	...	Model (as Mara Carmosino)

Storyline

Isabella, a young model is murdered by a mysterious masked figure at a boarding house run by Max Morlacchi and his lover Countess Cristiana Como. When Isabella's boyfriend is suspected of the killing, her diary, which apparently has some incriminating evidence linking her to the killer, dissapears, the masked killer begins killing off all the models in and around the house to find the diary.

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Plot Keywords:

killer | model | diary | fashion model | masked killer | 

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Taglines:

The greatest shocks ever filmed

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Italy France Monaco

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

7 April 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Blood and Black Lace

Filming Locations:

Villa Sciarra, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Emmepi Cinematografica, Les Productions Georges de Beauregard, Monachia Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Actress Mary Arden wrote most of the English dialog for the film, as she was the only English-speaking member of the production and the film was being shot in English for overseas marketing.

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Quotes

Inspector Silvester: Perhaps the sight of beauty makes him lose control of himself, so he kills.

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Connections

Referenced in Bloody Pit of Horror (1965)

User Reviews

Cinematic masterpiece.......Oh Yeah Baby

A Fashion House is being plagued by a mysterious masked serial killer who is picking the girls off one by one in a variety of gruesome ways…Why this Maniac is killing these girls is academic to the plot, as this film is STYLE driven and what style it is too…..we are of course as in any good thriller suspicious of everyone…Is the Killer a Man a Woman or is there more than one Killer….Bava takes great pleasure in teasing us into believing all of these at some stage……This is the Third film in my indoctrination into Mario Bava and it is again no disappointment…..Bava's use of light and shadow and of mirrors and reflection is stunning and never has colour been used so brilliantly and not just gaudy reds blues purples yellows but subtle use of pastels too……The fashion scene is perfect for Bava's visual flair with its very beautiful models and Haute Couture and both are given sublime treatment…….The score is also very memorable and reminiscent of Henry Mancini at his best……The killer bears an uncanny resemblance to Freddie Krueger only much better…..now don't tell me he wasn't an influence on the makers of Nightmare on elm street…..Even though this was dubbed it has one of the best dubbings I have seen and is not intrusive on the film…. You know some times you hear of certain directors or films that are just Brilliant Magnificent or Unmissable and How often have you been disappointed and wondered what the fuss was all about....Mario Bava is not in that category....He is a master of style and cinema.....To tell you I was dumbfounded by the films I have seen so far is an understatement....I was expecting cheap nasty gory and under-produced films that had some charm..... but what I got is one of the greatest and most sumptuous of Cinematic experiences....The Man truly is a Cinematic God...He is the Orson Welles of Horror and that means a lot coming from me……this film is Simply Wonderful