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IMDbPro

Black Sabbath

Original title: I tre volti della paura
  • 19631963
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
12K
YOUR RATING
Black Sabbath (1963)
  • Horror
Boris Karloff hosts a trio of horror stories concerning a stalked call girl, a vampire-like monster who preys on his family, and a nurse who is haunted by her ring's rightful owner.Boris Karloff hosts a trio of horror stories concerning a stalked call girl, a vampire-like monster who preys on his family, and a nurse who is haunted by her ring's rightful owner.Boris Karloff hosts a trio of horror stories concerning a stalked call girl, a vampire-like monster who preys on his family, and a nurse who is haunted by her ring's rightful owner.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
12K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Mario Bava
  • Writers
    • Anton Chekhov(freely adapted from three stories by)
    • Aleksei Tolstoy(freely adapted from three stories by)
    • Guy de Maupassant(freely adapted from three stories by)
  • Stars
    • Michèle Mercier
    • Lidia Alfonsi
    • Boris Karloff
Top credits
  • Director
    • Mario Bava
  • Writers
    • Anton Chekhov(freely adapted from three stories by)
    • Aleksei Tolstoy(freely adapted from three stories by)
    • Guy de Maupassant(freely adapted from three stories by)
  • Stars
    • Michèle Mercier
    • Lidia Alfonsi
    • Boris Karloff
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 118User reviews
    • 126Critic reviews
    • 82Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 1 nomination

    Photos113

    Boris Karloff in Black Sabbath (1963)
    Susy Andersen in Black Sabbath (1963)
    Rika Dialyna in Black Sabbath (1963)
    Susy Andersen in Black Sabbath (1963)
    Mark Damon and Glauco Onorato in Black Sabbath (1963)
    Black Sabbath (1963)
    Lidia Alfonsi in Black Sabbath (1963)
    Michèle Mercier in Black Sabbath (1963)
    Michèle Mercier in Black Sabbath (1963)
    Black Sabbath (1963)
    Glauco Onorato in Black Sabbath (1963)
    Massimo Righi in Black Sabbath (1963)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Michèle Mercier
    Michèle Mercier
    • Rosy (segment "Il telefono")
    Lidia Alfonsi
    Lidia Alfonsi
    • Mary (segment "Il telefono")
    • (as Lydia Alfonsi)
    Boris Karloff
    Boris Karloff
    • Gorca (segment "I Wurdalak")
    Mark Damon
    Mark Damon
    • Vladimir D'Urfe (segment "I Wurdalak")
    Susy Andersen
    Susy Andersen
    • Sdenka (segment "I Wurdalak")
    Massimo Righi
    Massimo Righi
    • Pietro (segment "I Wurdalak")
    Rika Dialyna
    Rika Dialyna
    • Maria (segment "I Wurdalak")
    • (as Rica Dialina)
    Glauco Onorato
    Glauco Onorato
    • Giorgio (segment "I Wurdalak")
    Jacqueline Pierreux
    Jacqueline Pierreux
    • Helen Chester (segment "La goccia d'acqua")
    Milly
    Milly
    • The Maid (segment "La goccia d'acqua")
    • (as Milly Monti)
    Harriet Medin
    Harriet Medin
    • Neighbor (segment "La goccia d'acqua")
    Gustavo De Nardo
    Gustavo De Nardo
    • Police Inspector (segment "La goccia d'acqua")
    Milo Quesada
    Milo Quesada
    • Frank Rainer (segment "Il telefono")
    • (uncredited)
    Alessandro Tedeschi
    • Coroner (segment "La goccia d'acqua")
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Mario Bava
    • Writers
      • Anton Chekhov(freely adapted from three stories by)
      • Aleksei Tolstoy(freely adapted from three stories by)
      • Guy de Maupassant(freely adapted from three stories by)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This film served as inspiration for the naming of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath. In 1968, the band (then called Earth) was playing a small club in Birmingham, England. Across the street was a movie theater showing the film Black Sabbath. The band noticed that more people were in line to see the movie than were to see the band. Realizing that "horror sells tickets" they decided to change the band's name to Black Sabbath.
    • Goofs
      The narration of this film's English-dubbed version claims that "The Wurdulak" was written by Tolstoy and that "The Drop of Water" was written by Chekhov. The first claim is misleading; "The Wurdulak" was not written by Leo Tolstoy, the famous author of *War and Peace*, but by minor novelist Alexei Tolstoy. The second claim is completely untrue; Anton Chekhov never wrote a short story titled "The Drop of Water" or any story with a plot resembling that of the so-named segment of this film.
    • Quotes

      Gorca: What's the matter, woman? Can't I fondle my own grandson? Give him to me!

    • Alternate versions
      As documented by Tim Lucas (in Video Watchdog #5), the order of the segments was rearranged by AIP for the English-language release. The original ordering was: "The Telephone," "The Wurdalak," and "The Drop of Water." In addition, "The Telephone" was re-dubbed and slightly re-cut by Bava at AIP's request to create a supernatural angle and disguise the lesbian overtones of the story.
    • Connections
      Featured in Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970)

    User reviews118

    Review
    Top review
    Mario Bava should not be forgotten.
    "Tre volti della paura " is a movie made up of three sketches,linked by Boris Karloff's comments -he plays the lead in the second segment - and all dealing with death following a logical progression:fear of death in the first sketch,some kind of "night of the living dead"cum vampires in the second one and terror around a dead woman in the third.Mario Bava did not need any special effects that mar so many horror films today:his baroque settings (Michele Mercier's flat in the first sketch,the countess's Gothic mansion in the third,and the lunar landscapes in the middle one),his knowing lighting effects,his color research,his incredibly effective use of the depth of field (visually stunning in the final segment)are as impressive today as they were forty years ago and were a strong influence on other Italian directors such as Dario Argento.Worth the price of admission.
    helpful•13
    4
    • dbdumonteil
    • Jul 18, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 6, 1964 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Italy
      • France
      • United States
    • Language
      • Italian
    • Also known as
      • Die drei Gesichter der Furcht
    • Filming locations
      • Titanus Farnesina Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy
    • Production companies
      • Emmepi Cinematografica
      • Societé Cinématographique Lyre
      • Galatea Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 37 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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