Though there had been earlier efforts, like Ealing Studios’s Dead of Night from 1945, the horror anthology film came into its own in the 1960s with titles like Kobayashi Masaki’s Kwaidan and the Poe-centric Spirits of the Dead from directors Roger Vadim, Louis Malle, and Federico Fellini. Hammer Films’s rival Amicus churned out no fewer than seven of them in a 10-year period starting with Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors. But the one that really got the omnibus rolling was Mario Bava’s Black Sabbath from 1963, an Italian-American co-production that resulted in two different versions of the film.
After the success of 1960’s Black Sunday, American International Pictures took a more active hand in producing several of Bava’s later films, altering them in the process to suit American audiences that tended to skew younger. The Aip cut of Black Sabbath rearranges its three segments, tones down some...
After the success of 1960’s Black Sunday, American International Pictures took a more active hand in producing several of Bava’s later films, altering them in the process to suit American audiences that tended to skew younger. The Aip cut of Black Sabbath rearranges its three segments, tones down some...
- 10/16/2023
- by Budd Wilkins
- Slant Magazine
[This October is "Gialloween" on Daily Dead, as we celebrate the Halloween season by diving into the macabre mysteries, creepy kills, and eccentric characters found in some of our favorite giallo films! Keep checking back on Daily Dead this month for more retrospectives on classic, cult, and altogether unforgettable gialli, and visit our online hub to catch up on all of our Gialloween special features!]
If there's one immediate connection one can establish between the Italian giallo and the traditional American slasher, it's that both have been on the end of pointedly barbed criticism. Popularity, of course, has never been an issue, but cultural gatekeepers have had their knives out for the slasher from day one, while the giallo has often been decried as nothing but violent misogynism told through incoherent plots. Even the original Mondadori novels from which the genre takes its name were denounced by Mussolini's fascist government—you couldn't ask for a better recommendation. But the other connection? Music.
In contemporary times and the advent of the DVD and more advanced Blu-ray, audiences have had access to the giallo like never before, meaning they can not only see these pictures almost for the first time, but also hear them, both of which have contributed to a reassessment of the giallo as art.
If there's one immediate connection one can establish between the Italian giallo and the traditional American slasher, it's that both have been on the end of pointedly barbed criticism. Popularity, of course, has never been an issue, but cultural gatekeepers have had their knives out for the slasher from day one, while the giallo has often been decried as nothing but violent misogynism told through incoherent plots. Even the original Mondadori novels from which the genre takes its name were denounced by Mussolini's fascist government—you couldn't ask for a better recommendation. But the other connection? Music.
In contemporary times and the advent of the DVD and more advanced Blu-ray, audiences have had access to the giallo like never before, meaning they can not only see these pictures almost for the first time, but also hear them, both of which have contributed to a reassessment of the giallo as art.
- 10/26/2020
- by Charlie Brigden
- DailyDead
[To help get you into the spooky spirit this October, the Daily Dead team thought it would be a great idea to spotlight some of our favorite witchcraft movies that just might cast a spell on you and make your Halloween season a "hexcellent" one!]
Alfred Hitchcock brought horror up to date and out of the shadows in 1960 with Psycho; he was more interested in the monster within than nuclear ogres or the realm of the supernatural. The same year, however, saw the solo directorial debut of Italian cinematographer Mario Bava, who showed with Black Sunday that he was very much interested in the supernatural. And the shadows.
Black Sunday was originally titled La Maschera Del Demonio (The Mask of Satan) in Bava’s homeland. An acquisition by American International Pictures for stateside release resulted in three minutes of trimming for excessive violence, a new score by Les Baxter (The Dunwich Horror) to replace Roberto Nicolosi's (Black Sabbath) elegant work, and a complete English redubbing even though the original production company Galatea provided one. The Mask of Satan proved to be a big hit back home, and the newly minted Aip-titled Black Sunday was as well,...
Alfred Hitchcock brought horror up to date and out of the shadows in 1960 with Psycho; he was more interested in the monster within than nuclear ogres or the realm of the supernatural. The same year, however, saw the solo directorial debut of Italian cinematographer Mario Bava, who showed with Black Sunday that he was very much interested in the supernatural. And the shadows.
Black Sunday was originally titled La Maschera Del Demonio (The Mask of Satan) in Bava’s homeland. An acquisition by American International Pictures for stateside release resulted in three minutes of trimming for excessive violence, a new score by Les Baxter (The Dunwich Horror) to replace Roberto Nicolosi's (Black Sabbath) elegant work, and a complete English redubbing even though the original production company Galatea provided one. The Mask of Satan proved to be a big hit back home, and the newly minted Aip-titled Black Sunday was as well,...
- 10/23/2018
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Even after all of your presents are unwrapped and your tree is packed away (or put on the curb), Arrow Video will continue to give the gift of new horror Blu-ray releases for fans looking to expand their collections. The company just announced their impressive February 2018 slate of Blu-rays, including a limited edition version of Frank Henenlotter's Basket Case, The Gruesome Twosome, and much more!
From Arrow Video: "Time for our new announcements! First up two titles coming from Arrow Records and Books this December…
New Arrow Book: The Hitcher (Book)
Pre-order now: http://bit.ly/2BqKmWx
Release date: 29th December
Robert Harmon’s 1986 film The Hitcher is a complex beast: reviled at the time of its release, it has been adored in the long term as one of the most intoxicating, unrelenting highway cult films ever made. Starring Rutger Hauer in the title role whose alluring villainy...
From Arrow Video: "Time for our new announcements! First up two titles coming from Arrow Records and Books this December…
New Arrow Book: The Hitcher (Book)
Pre-order now: http://bit.ly/2BqKmWx
Release date: 29th December
Robert Harmon’s 1986 film The Hitcher is a complex beast: reviled at the time of its release, it has been adored in the long term as one of the most intoxicating, unrelenting highway cult films ever made. Starring Rutger Hauer in the title role whose alluring villainy...
- 11/27/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
“And On The Eighth Day Bava Created Color.” That’s my sentiment with every new quality restoration of a Mario Bava picture. This amazing new disc of Il Maestro’s teeth-clenched Viking epic delivers stunning action scenes and eye-bending widescreen fantasy visuals. Arrow’s Blu-ray is spiked with a new Tim Lucas commentary.
Erik the Conqueror
Blu-ray + DVD
Arrow Video USA
1961 / Color / 2:35 widescreen (Dyaliscope) / 90 min. / Street Date August 29, 2017 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Cameron Mitchell, Alice & Ellen Kessler, George Ardisson, Andrea Checchi, Françoise Christophe, Raf Baldassarre, Joe Robinson, Folco Lulli.
Cinematography: Mario Bava, Ubaldo Terzano
Film Editor: Mario Serandrei
Original Music: Roberto Nicolosi
Written by Oreste Biancoli, Mario Bava
Produced by Ferruccio De Martino
Directed by Mario Bava
Far too good to be slammed as a mere imitation of Richard Fleischer’s The Vikings, Mario Bava’s exciting Erik the Conqueror is one of the best of the Italian-made...
Erik the Conqueror
Blu-ray + DVD
Arrow Video USA
1961 / Color / 2:35 widescreen (Dyaliscope) / 90 min. / Street Date August 29, 2017 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Cameron Mitchell, Alice & Ellen Kessler, George Ardisson, Andrea Checchi, Françoise Christophe, Raf Baldassarre, Joe Robinson, Folco Lulli.
Cinematography: Mario Bava, Ubaldo Terzano
Film Editor: Mario Serandrei
Original Music: Roberto Nicolosi
Written by Oreste Biancoli, Mario Bava
Produced by Ferruccio De Martino
Directed by Mario Bava
Far too good to be slammed as a mere imitation of Richard Fleischer’s The Vikings, Mario Bava’s exciting Erik the Conqueror is one of the best of the Italian-made...
- 9/19/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
In 1961, director Mario Bava (Rabid Dogs, Kill Baby Kill) turned his hand to the historical adventure genre, capitalizing on the recent success of 1958’s Kirk Douglas vehicle The Vikings. The result was a colorful, swashbuckling epic of treachery, heroism and forbidden love: Erik the Conqueror. In 786 Ad, the invading Viking forces are repelled from the shores of England, leaving behind a young boy – Erik, son of the slain Viking king. Years later, Erik (George Ardisson, Juliet of the Spirits), raised by the English queen as her own, becomes Duke of Helford, while across the sea, his brother Eron (Cameron Mitchell, Blood and Black Lace) assumes leadership of the Viking horde and sets his sights on conquering England once again, setting the two estranged brothers on a collision course that will determine the fates of their respective kingdoms… Featuring a bombastic score by frequent collaborator Roberto Nicolosi (Black Sunday) and memorably...
- 8/23/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
It creeps and leaps and slides and glides along the wall… and then it eats your face, dude. Mario Bava and Riccardo Freda’s ultimate monster mastication epic now looks sensationally gory, thanks to a full restoration. Arrow’s disc has pretty much everything, including two transfers and two audio commentaries. And Savant has a guilty admission to make — it was the tripe, the whole tripe, and nothing but the tripe.
Caltiki, The Immortal Monster
Blu-ray + DVD
Arrow Video USA
1959 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen / 76 min. / Caltiki, il mostro immortale / Street Date April 11, 2017 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: John Merivale, Didi Sullivan (Perego), Gérard Haerter, Daniela Rocca, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, Daniele Vargas, Arturo Dominici, Gay Pearl
Cinematography: John Foam (Mario Bava)
Special Effects: Mario Bava
Film Editor: Mario Serandrei
Original Music: Roberto Nicolosi
Written by Filippo Sanjust
Produced by Bruno Vailati
Directed by Robert Hamton (Riccardo Freda) & Mario Bava
Who says that Blu-ray is dying?...
Caltiki, The Immortal Monster
Blu-ray + DVD
Arrow Video USA
1959 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen / 76 min. / Caltiki, il mostro immortale / Street Date April 11, 2017 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: John Merivale, Didi Sullivan (Perego), Gérard Haerter, Daniela Rocca, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, Daniele Vargas, Arturo Dominici, Gay Pearl
Cinematography: John Foam (Mario Bava)
Special Effects: Mario Bava
Film Editor: Mario Serandrei
Original Music: Roberto Nicolosi
Written by Filippo Sanjust
Produced by Bruno Vailati
Directed by Robert Hamton (Riccardo Freda) & Mario Bava
Who says that Blu-ray is dying?...
- 4/22/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Stars: Boris Karloff, Michèle Mercier, Lidia Alfonsi, Jacqueline Pierreux, Gustavo De Nardo, Mark Damon, Susy Andersen, Massimo Righi | Written by Mario Bava, Alberto Bevilacqua, Marcello Fondato | Directed by Mario Bava
Mario Bava had been steadily working away in Italian cinema before he hit it big with 1960s Black Sunday, a film which introduced many to both his work and to Italian horror cinema in general. In fact his 1960 opus was such as success that a horror follow-up was eagerly demanded. An so came Black Sabbath, a three-part horror anthology blending modern and period stories, featuring the iconic Boris Karloff as host and star of one of the segments.
Black Sabbath opens with the Victorian-era ‘The Drop of Water’, in which a nurse steals a ring from the corpse of a dead spiritualist, who naturally tries to get it back. This is swiftly followed by the giallo-style ‘The Telephone’, where a...
Mario Bava had been steadily working away in Italian cinema before he hit it big with 1960s Black Sunday, a film which introduced many to both his work and to Italian horror cinema in general. In fact his 1960 opus was such as success that a horror follow-up was eagerly demanded. An so came Black Sabbath, a three-part horror anthology blending modern and period stories, featuring the iconic Boris Karloff as host and star of one of the segments.
Black Sabbath opens with the Victorian-era ‘The Drop of Water’, in which a nurse steals a ring from the corpse of a dead spiritualist, who naturally tries to get it back. This is swiftly followed by the giallo-style ‘The Telephone’, where a...
- 5/18/2013
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Black Sunday: Remastered Edition (1960) Lorber Films Blu-ray and DVD Available Now
One of director Mario Bava’s most acclaimed works, Black Sunday is a strikingly photographed “old dark castle” thriller revolving around witchcraft and possession. Barbara Steele (Piranha) gives a hypnotic performance as Katia, the unfortunate look-alike descendent of a witch who intends to possess her. This highly influential film, also shot by Bava, was the precursor to countless American and European gothic horrors. This is the uncut European print with a few extra minutes of footage, a different English track and Robert Nicolosi’s haunting original score. After years of ugly public domain releases, Black Sunday is finally being presented in its original aspect ratio with a high definition transfer struck from a pristine 35Mm archival print.
Special Features:
• Audio commentary by Tim Lucas (author of Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark).
• Original Bava theatrical trailers.
One of director Mario Bava’s most acclaimed works, Black Sunday is a strikingly photographed “old dark castle” thriller revolving around witchcraft and possession. Barbara Steele (Piranha) gives a hypnotic performance as Katia, the unfortunate look-alike descendent of a witch who intends to possess her. This highly influential film, also shot by Bava, was the precursor to countless American and European gothic horrors. This is the uncut European print with a few extra minutes of footage, a different English track and Robert Nicolosi’s haunting original score. After years of ugly public domain releases, Black Sunday is finally being presented in its original aspect ratio with a high definition transfer struck from a pristine 35Mm archival print.
Special Features:
• Audio commentary by Tim Lucas (author of Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark).
• Original Bava theatrical trailers.
- 9/27/2012
- by Bradley Harding
- Planet Fury
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