4 / 5 Jan '09Tagline: STARE INTO THESE EYES...discover deep within the unspeakable terrifying secret of BLACK SUNDAY...it will paralyze you with fright!
Directed by: Mario Bava
Written by: Nikolai Gogol, Ennio De Concini
Actors include: Barbara Steele, John Richardson, Andrea Checchi
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Length: 87 minutes
Banned: UK
Country: Italy
Review:
Although this one has one hell of a reputation, I actually found it to be disappointing and I really prefer "Black Sabbath" by some margin. This one definitely has it's perks, the beginning is awesome most definitely, and the cinematography and effects are nothing short of impressive. It's just the body of the story I thought was rather draggy. This is Bava's first picture and yes he was clearly brilliant from the start with his abilities, it's just too bad that this story doesn't have more meat. We meet the beautiful Barbara Steele who is a witch that has an iron mask with spikes driven into her head. Before she dies she vows revenge. Later on of course while someone is in her burial area they remove the mask and crack the coffin and she is awakened. She wakes up her dead lover as well and the two go out to seek revenge. It's a bit confusing because in modern day (aka 200 years later) we meet a family who has a daughter (played also by Barbara Steele) and that is whom the other Barbara Steele spends the majority of her time terrorizing. I give it major points for being magnificent looking and again the effects are wonderful, definitely any horror fan will want to see this. I just thought it was missing an "it" factor that made it the classic that it is.
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