Description: Experience Mario Bava's horror classic "Black Sabbath" (original Italian title: "Three Faces of Fear")--as it's never been seen in America before! A beautiful woman is terrorized by calls from an ex-lover who has escaped prison for the pleasure of killing her... A family becomes a feeding ground when their father returns home wounded after ridding the countryside of a hideous vampire... A nurse is haunted by reproaches from the Beyond after stealing a ring from the finger of a dead medium! Join Boris Karloff as he hosts (and stars in) this trilogy of terror tales--presented in its original aspect ratio and in Italian with English subtitles, with every shock intact!
Amazon.com: When American audiences first saw Mario Bava's 1963 horror trilogy, it wasn't the same film he had made in Italy. Finding it too terrifying for kids (imagine that!), AIP pictures trimmed it of violence and intensity, rescored it, and renamed it in order to cash in on the success of Black Sunday. New tongue-in-cheek introductions with costar Boris Karloff were added, the segments were rearranged, and one segment was completely rewritten in the dubbing. It was a good film even in its butchered form, but the original Italian version is excellent. The correctly ordered stories begin with "The Telephone," a gripping, ornate thriller that anticipates Bava's later "giallo" horror classics such as Blood and Black Lace. (In the American version, lesbian overtones were removed and the escaped criminal killer was turned into a vengeful ghost.) Karloff stars as a demonic, wild-haired patriarch in the eerie "The Wurdulak," a gorgeous vampire tale shot on misty, menacing sets. The masterpiece of the collection is "The Drop of Water," a chilling ghost story with shiver inducing imagery: the piercing dead eyes of the restless corpse will haunt you long after the film is over. Bava's original framing sequence ends with a playful tribute to the magic of moviemaking and storytelling, a sweet coda to remind us that it's only a movie.
The print suffers slightly from wear and tear and water damage but the colors are sharp and vivid. It's a bit disconcerting to hear Karloff dubbed in Italian, but that's a small price to pay for seeing the film in its original, uncut form. The DVD also features an extensive gallery of production and promotional stills, biographies, and liner notes by Bava historian Tim Lucas. --Sean Axmaker
Black Sabbath (1964)-Old Time Horror including Karloff! Black Sabbath (1964) was a great five star memory for me that goes back to the summer of 64 when I first noticed it playing at the old LUXOR in the Bronx. It was a wonderful film and played out in three parts featuring the great Boris Karloff. As soon as I noticed it would be showing at a midnight opening I went out to see it that very evening by myself. Karloff introduced all three stories and starred in the "Verdilact" which concerned vampires in Europe.
I remember enjoying two out of the three stories tremendously and my solitary walk home when the LUXOR opened its doors to the dark windy streets of New York City. I enjoyed every minute of my walk in the dark relishing every minute I had spent with Karloff and company.
One Of Bava's Best Boris Karloff narrates this film which features three fantastic tales of the macabre. In fact, he even plays a vampire (gasp!) in the third tale.
Black Sabbath is colorful, entertaining, & downright frightful. What more could one ask for in a horror film? Many could even argue this is the best film of Mario Bava's career. I wouldn't go that far as of right now but I do think it's definitely one of the best films he made.
For those looking for a spooktacular flick, look no further. This one is very light on gore & violence but delivers on the suspense level. There is even a tad bit of dark humor displayed in fleeting moments making this one a sure keeper in your dvd collection. From the opening scene to the final clip, you won't be able to keep your eyes off the screen nor will your friends or family. Don't even try.
The first tale "The Telephone" basically is a short Giallo film about a beautiful, young woman receiving menacing phone calls from a man who just recently released from prison. The suspense in this yarn is definitely a great beginning & you would almost believe it to be the greatest although two more tales of terror have yet to reveal their secrets.
The second tale is also near classic. "The Wurdulak" is a gorgeous filmed story about a family whose elder has just become a vampire & is compelled to feast upon the ones he loves. Boris Karloff really took this role as the vampire & ran with it easily making this tale simply amazing.
The last tale is entitled "A Drop of Water" & may very well be the creepiest entry of the trilogy. This one involves a nurse who steals a ring from a recently deceased woman only to be hanuted by her vengeful spirit. As with the other entries, the color here is brilliant & the stories are well-written.
For those interested in great horror films or Italian cinema, this would certainly make a great place to begin.
FUN OLD FASHIONED HORROR! ....REVIEW FOR THE FILM NOT THE DVD! Any film that features Boris Karloff is bound to be a good time! The film is a really 3 short stories and are full of atmosphere and chills. Karloff presents each story and stars in the last one which is a very creepy vampire tale. The other two stories are very good and will leave an impression on you long after watching them.
I'm not sure what this DVD has to offer as I know there are two versions of the film and the one I'm reviewing is the film with Karloff inserted in between the stories.
Hey! Where's Ozzy, man??... When I was about 9yo, I used to wait 'til my parents were asleep on Friday nights, then creep downstairs to watch the late-late-night TV horror movies. These were usually classics like BRAINIAC, HORROR OF PARTY BEACH, or INVASION OF THE SAUCERMEN. One night I crept down only to witness Bava's BLACK SABBATH w/ Boris Karloff. This movie terrified me! I was haunted by it's images for literally years afterward! Now, I was only a kid, so some allowance must be made. Well, I just watched it again last night, and though it didn't scare me, it did bring a huge smile to my face. SABBATH is a perfectly ghoulish horror anthology in 3 parts, introduced by Boris. In THE TELEPHONE, a woman (Michéle Mercier) is plagued by a sinister caller who threatens her life. This one has a bit of an ironic twist. THE WURDULAK is a vampire tale w/ a rather surprising level of dread and doom! It stars Boris Karloff and Mark Damon. Finally, THE DROP OF WATER has a sticky-fingered nurse (Jacqueline Pierreux) who steals a saphire ring from the hand of a dead medium. Not a smart plan! The medium returns in unforgettably terrifying fashion, causing the nurse to regret her actions in the extreme. This third segment was the one that really got to me as a youth. I kept seeing that dead medium's face w/ it's glaring eyes and clenched teeth. Brrrr! BLACK SABBATH belongs among any true horror-fiend's fear-gear...
Black Sabbath I had seen this movie a number of times on tv...It is a few different stories...I love the old B-movie scary, vampire legends...only when I viewed the movie on tv, it was dubbed in english...I had no idea this would be in Italian with subtitles...disappointed with that...I really think the voice of Boris makes the whole vampire story stand out...oh well...thumbs down on this version....
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