Review of Black Sabbath (1963) by Justin M — 30 Mar 2004

Originally titled I TRE VOLTI DELLA PAURA (THREE FACES OF FEAR), this horror trilogy made it to the U.S. with a new title to remind viewers of how good Bava's BLACK SUNDAY (1960) was. It also gained an excellent Les Baxter soundtrack and Boris Karloff as a host, though the tales were reversed in order and a lesbian subplot and violence were omitted, but that's good ole' American censorship for you (both have since been restored, anyway). In any case, this anthology is a classic of its kind.

The first story, "Drop of Water" (based on a story by Checkov) is a chilling tale of a nurse (Jacqueline Pierreux) who gets her just desserts after stealing a diamond ring from the corpse of a psychic, who comes back for revenge. "The Telephone" (based on a story by F.G. Snyder) is the least satisfying tale where a devious hooker (Michele Mercier) receives threatening phone calls from a dead man. Finally, we get the great stuff: "The Wurdalak" (based on a Tolstoy story), Boris Karloff stars as Gorca, a man turned into a vampire by the curse of Wurdalak, which makes him attack and kill only those he loves. It's disturbing and very scary, right down to the shock finale. This segment alone is worth your time, but all three are colorfully, creatively done and drenched in Bava's trade mark rich atmosphere. Mark Damon, Susy Andersen, Massimo Righi, Lidia Alfonsi and Harriet White Medin co-star.