Review of Black Sunday (1960) by Benjamin J — 13 Aug 2009

It's quite hard not to compare any gothic horror from the 50s-70s with the output from the Hammer studios. This film blows Hammer out of the water. Although the plot is standard stuff, the direction lifts it out of any camp or cheesiness that might haunt horror films of this kind, and slaps it into genuinely creepy territory.

You can tell you're in the hands of a master when even the simplest of scenes contains slight movements and twists in the cinematography. Bava is brilliant at creating a tense mood out of an ordinary situation, as well as making the scarier bits even more moody.

If you're not already a fan of Bava, you should be.