Blood and Black Lace (1964)

A masked, shadowy killer brutally murders the models of a scandalous fashion house in Rome.

Director:

Mario Bava

Writers:

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

Stars:

Cameron Mitchell, Eva Bartok, Thomas Reiner

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cameron Mitchell	...	Massimo Morlacchi / Max Morlan
Eva Bartok	...	Contessa Cristiana Cuomo / Countess Christina Como
Thomas Reiner	...	Ispettore Silvestri / Inspector Sylvester
Arianna Gorini	...	Nicole
Dante DiPaolo	...	Franco Scalo / Frank Scalo (as Dante Di Paolo)
Mary Arden	...	Peggy Peyton
Franco Ressel	...	Marchese Riccardo Morelli / Marquis Richard Morell
Claude Dantes	...	Tao-Li / Tilde
Luciano Pigozzi	...	Cesare Lazzarini / Caesar Lazar
Lea Lander	...	Greta (as Lea Krugher)
Massimo Righi	...	Marco
Francesca Ungaro	...	Isabella
Giuliano Raffaelli	...	Zanchin
Harriet Medin	...	Clarissa / Clarice (as Hariette 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 Morlan and his lover Countess Christina Como. When Isabella's boyfriend is suspected of the killing, her diary, which apparently has some incriminating evidence linking her to the killer, disappears, the masked killer begins killing off all the models in and around the house to find the diary.

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Plot Keywords:

giallo | pair of killers | betrayed by boyfriend | countess | murder conspiracy | 

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Taglines:

Shattering! Shivering! Shocking!

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy France Monaco West Germany

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) (Technicolor: US prints)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

For its original release in America the distributors disliked Bava's opening credits that showed the cast posed around the salon in a series of creative tracking shots. The distributors had new opening credits made that showed a series of macabre animations of mannequins being shot.

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Goofs

When the killer slaps Peggy while interrogating her in the English dub, she speaks and screams at the same time.

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Quotes

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

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Alternate Versions

The original European version opened with a title sequence in which the camera focuses on each cast member as their name appears on the screen. The US distributors, Lawrence Woolner and Bernard Woolner, hired Filmation Studios to create a new title sequence featuring a montage of mannequins and skulls. The original title sequence has been restored on VCI Home Video's DVD release. The original US release removed a shot of the bathwater turning blood red in Claude Dantes' death scene. This shot was seen in the montage of scenes used in Matador, and has been restored on VCI Home Video's DVD release.

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Connections

Referenced in L'Esorcismo di Lisa (2004)

User Reviews

Gruesome Murders and a Diary

When the model Isabella (Francesca Ungaro) is murdered by a masked killer, the models of the fashion house managed by Contessa Cristina Como (Eva Bartok) and her lover Max Marian (Cameron Mitchell) are shaken with the crime. The model Nicole (Ariana Gorini) finds Isabella's diary and late night she borrows the car of her friend Peggy Peyton (Mary Arden) and heads to the shop of her boyfriend Frank Sacalo (Dante DiPaolo) to meet him. However, the masked killer follows Nicole and kills her expecting to find the journal. But Peggy had stolen the diary to destroy pages that compromises her and she is also murdered by the killer. Meanwhile Inspector Silvester (Thomas Reiner) has a list of suspects that includes Frank, who blackmails Marquis Richard Morell (Franco Ressel) to give the necessary alibi to him. Who might be the killer and why the diary is so important to him?

"Sei donne per l'assassino", a.k.a. "Blood and Black Lace" is a giallo film directed by Mario Bava and one of his best movies. The colors, shadows and stylish camera-work give the perfect environment to the gruesome murders. The plot is standard with a masked killer that the police believe that is a sexual maniac stalking and killing beautiful women. The conclusion gives a good explanation to the mystery and the plot is well-resolved. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

Note: On 01 March 2017 I saw this film again.

Title (Brazil):"Seis Mulheres Para o Assassino" ("Six Women for a Killer")