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:

Murder Is The Latest Fashion!

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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

Due to the film's low budget Mario Bava mounted the camera on a child's wagon and used it for tracking shots.

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Goofs

When Inspector Sylvester calls Clarice into the police station to question the suspects, the shadow of the camera is visible on the wall.

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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

References Black Sunday (1960)

User Reviews

Ahead of its time

This was undeniably a major influence on the Gaillo style of film and probably also on the later "body count" serial killer films.

In this film, a serial killer wearing a hose mask kills women brutally and viciously. The film sets up many likely candidates and well keeps one guessing and guessing. Great stuff!

Bava's color visuals also stand out and apart as usual. This is simply gorgeous to view.