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Black Sunday [1960] (REGION 1) (NTSC)


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Masterpiece of Italian Gothic Horror
Review date: 2008-10-31 Rating: 10 out of 10

This 1960 film by the great Italian horror director Mario Bava stands out as a dark jewel of supernatural terror and also generated a distinct sub-genre with films such as the wondrous 'Horror Hotel/City of the Dead' and 'Witchcraft' following in its wake: Mario Bava was a lover of 19th century Russian literature and here we have his unique adaptation of a story by Gogol, a ravishing tale of vampirism, satanic evil and undead witches in the mist-wrapped environs of old Moldavia. Where this film really wins is in its evocation of a wonderfully crepuscular atmosphere of gothic romanticism and what the poet Shelley called 'the tempestuous loveliness of terror', embodied to perfection in the sinister beauty of Princess Asa, played brilliantly by Barbara Steele. We are taken from the pyres of the 17th century presided over by hooded inquisitors to coach-rides through silhouetted forests of clawing branches, flickering with shadows and wraith-like coils of mist-vapour, ruinous tombs and dark castle chambers, howling dogs, tolling bells, orthodox icons and bearded priests despatching the infernal ones by piercing the left eye. A delicious feast of horrors, swathed in twilight, for the connoisseur of the cinematic supernatural. A film to be relished again and again.

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Reviews


Classic Gothic Horror
Review date: 2008-07-16 Rating: 10 out of 10

Howling wind, swirling fog, dark crypts, ancient castles, secret passageways, beautiful Barbara Steele(as a witch and a princess), handsome Richardson,corpses with neck wounds- this is Bava's atmospheric horror tribute to the Universal horrors and one of the top 5 horror movies of the 1960's- I've been watching horror movies since I was 11 years old and can't believe it'e taken me so long to see this classic.

Age has withered her
Review date: 2007-12-22 Rating: 6 out of 10

Mario Bava's breakthrough film Black Sunday aka The Mask of Satan has not dated aswell as might be hoped, I'm afraid. Photographically it's sporadically interesting, with some good in-camera make-up effects through lighting changes and a clever use of long lenses to make his cramped sets look much larger than they are, but his story of an accidentally revived witch and her lover taking her revenge on her descendants (inspired by a story by Gogol, no less) tends to take its time and offers few surprises now the novelty of the slightly-stronger-than-the-norm for the era gore has worn off. Not bad, just very familiar even if you haven't seen it before.

Anchor Bay's Region 1 NTSC DVD includes the original Italian 'international version' rather than the US version, with audio commentary by Tim Lucas, stills and poster gallery, US TV spot, US trailer and international trailer, as well as trailersfor Bava films Black Sabbath, The Girl Who Knew Too Much, Kill, Baby... Kill! and Knives of the Avenger.

Wow - a timeless classic horror
Review date: 2007-09-16 Rating: 10 out of 10

Although dubbed (or with English subtitles) and in black and white this film is traditional gothic-horror at its best.
Visually its very impressive (lots of shadows, large creepy sets, e.t.c) yet surprisingly very little blood or gore with the emphasis on building the suspense and the story.
The theme of this film is a family curse, a witch returning from the grave to take possession of the descendent of her enemy and love lasting beyond the grave. It begins quite dramatically with a mob of angry peasants nailing a demonic mask onto a rather voluptuous witch before burning her and her boyfriend at the stake and it builds up from there so much that you don't want to take your eyes off the screen !
Anyone who like old Hammer films and the Poe Vincent Price films would love this and I can't recommend it enough !!

AND this is now available in a box set (cheaper !) which includes another classic (Black Sabbath) which are all films of the same Italian director.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Enrico Olivieri
Arturo Dominici
Ivo Garrani
Clara Bindi
Andrea Checchi

Creators:
Clara Bindi (Primary Contributor)
Andrea Checchi (Primary Contributor)
Mario Bava (Cinematographer)
Ubaldo Terzano (Cinematographer)
Les Baxter (Composer)

Recording label: Anchor Bay
Manufacturer: Anchor Bay
EAN: 0013131330397
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Colour, DVD-Video, NTSC,
Release date: 2007-10-23
Universal product code (UPC): 013131330397
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Region code: 1
Running time: 87 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1960
Language: English (Original Language)

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