Le masque du démon

'Black Sunday's reputation grows with every year that passes, and watching it it's no wonder why! It is not only one of the three or four best horror movies ever made, it is one of the most extraordinary movies of any genre I've ever seen. Mario Bava went on to direct several movies of note after this, but if he hadn't and this was the only movie he made, he would still be a legend. On a relatively small budget, but with buckets of talent, style and originality, Bava conjured up one of the most atmospheric and haunting movies of all time. He may not be the household name he deserves to be, but he is a film makers film maker with an enormous influence on not only subsequent Italian horror giants Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci, but directors as diverse as Tim Burton (who rates this as an all time favourite) and even Martin Scorsese. 'Black Sunday' will also be remembered as one of Barbara Steele's most memorable roles. Steele is best known for her work in 60s European horror movies, but in her career worked with everyone from Fellini to Cronenberg. If she is to be remembered for only one movie it will be this one. Steele was one of the most beautiful actresses to ever set foot in front of a camera, and it is impossible to imagine anyone else in the lead (duel) role. The supporting cast is fine, and includes the fondly remembered John Richardson ('One Million Years B.C.'), but this is Steele's show all the way. 'Black Sunday' is still fresh and exciting over forty years after it was originally released. A landmark movie that deserves to be watched again and again!

Straight away I will say that 'The Mask Of Satan' is one of the best looking horror movies I have ever seen. It looks fantastic and the set design is nothing short of superb. Dripping with Gothic atmosphere, the absolute highlight of this movie is the way it looks. The story is nothing new, basically a revenge mission but it is told with great flair. The score is OK but the romantic theme sounds totally out of place whenever it plays.

The acting is mixed though. Barbara Steele looks great but is not always convincing and John Richardson is a bit wooden. The best performance is probably from Andrea Checchi as Dr Kruvajan. On the whole this is a must for horror fans as the look of the movie is so good.

BARBARA STEELE became an icon of horror films (the way Christopher Lee did when he played Dracula), when she played the role of a vampire witch princess burned at the stake in the 17th century who returns two hundred years later with a vengeance. Not that the story itself is all that original, but when done as stylishly as it is here, with the perfect B&W atmosphere and chiller mood, it's a winner.

There's no let-up in suspense from the gripping opening scene where the mask of Satan is nailed onto the face of the poor victimized woman, even though the unfolding of the story is rather slow. The graveyard scene of an undead man rising from the earth is masterfully photographed. The mood becomes more and more intense as several key characters emerge as vampires.

As a young doctor who figures importantly in the plot, JOHN RICHARDSON is a rather wooden actor and makes a cardboard hero, but in a film that relies on its effect for brilliant camera-work and Gothic touches, it's not much of a flaw. Barbara Steele's impassive mask-like beauty is suitable in the eerie dual role she plays with wide-eyed conviction.

The moody camera-work captures the spirit of Gothic horror in every shadowy scene. While the story itself is less than inspired, it does fulfill the promise of a good cobweb chiller right up until the rather predictable ending.

Well worth watching for fans of this genre.

For some unknown reason, here recently I've been in the mood to watch a lot of vintage 1960s-70s Italian horror movies. Hardly any other film comes as highly recommended as Black Sunday and after viewing this incredibly moody effort, I can easily see why. It's by far one of the most beautifully photographed films I've seen of any genre. It's also one of the most atmospheric; a sense of horror and dread hang over every frame, and yet it is a film whose power does not lie entirely in the narrative. It's hidden somewhere, pretty much everywhere... in dark corners, in secret crypts, in fog, in shadows... The shots in this film are brilliantly composed. It is a true triumph for director and cinematographer Mario Bava, who provides such rich, dream-like technical depth that (pardon the cliché) this film truly does transport viewers somewhere else in time.

Even though this movie is best appreciated as an exercise in style and technique, the plot line (witch who is executed and returns centuries later to get revenge on the descendants of her executioners) is also enjoyable. So is Barbara Steele, who is ideally cast in a dual role as both the evil witch and the pure heroine. She's an actress who can switch from innocent and ravishing to hideous and horrific with the flick of an eyelash. No wonder she's considered the queen of horror. She deserves to be.

BLACK Sunday (Mario Bava - Italy 1960).

Mario Bava's first feature as a director (although he did uncredited directorial work before), this classic and extremely influential piece of Gothic horror really showed his cinematographic talent in creating a haunting and stylishly shot film. "Black Sunday" also catapulted Barbara Steele to horror stardom and would make her into the undisputed horror queen of the sixties. Bava based "Mask of Satan", as the film was originally titled, on the short story "Vij" by the Russian author Gogol, which he adapted into a homage to the early Universal horror pictures he loved so much. Barbara Steele is the beautiful 17th century witch princess Asa, who is a vampire, and her lover Juvato (Arturo Dominici), are put to death by her vengeful brother. He has iron masks with spikes on the inside placed on both their faces and then sledgehammered home (the brutal opening scene). Two hundred years later, blood is accidentally spilled on Asa's face and she rises from the dead along with Juvato to wreak revenge on the descendants of those who executed her - including her look-alike Katia, also played by Barbara Steele.

Beautifully shot in black and white by Bava himself, "Black Sunday" is a perfect showcase of his masterful control of light and shade, of colour and movement (yes, one can play with "shades of colour" in black and white) and playful camera angles, it's a feast for the eye. At heart Bava would always remain the cinematographer he always was and in all his films he took an active role in the design of each image by setting up the lighting, the optical effects, the filters etc. The film abounds in old-fashioned horror atmosphere and in that department, it even manages to top the atmosphere of the Universal horror classics it was based on with gnarled tree branches, fogbound sets, a decaying castle, a dark foreboding crypt and much more.

Of course, Bava's is well known for letting stylistic innovations take precedent over storytelling and most other things involved, like acting. Much of the script was reworked during shooting and even in post-production. Barbara Steele reportedly never even saw a script and got some pages every day of shooting. Variations of the story has been told many times in one way or another and there are more than a few echoes of Murnau's Nosferatu here. Much of the story is too derivative to begin with, and has become too formularised in subsequent years to retain much of its original power, just as the film's capacity to scare or excite audiences has probably worn out a little over the years. It doesn't really matter, because the film was chopped to pieces for over four decades and the habit of Italian filmmakers of post-synchronizing all the voices (even for Italian versions) made anything in that department a pretty dire affair anyway.

What Bava added however was some substantially more explicit violence and gore, laced with sexual connotations. The opening scene in which the mask is sledgehammered to Barbara Steele's face still packs quite a wallop, not to mention the effect it must have had on audiences back then. Still, horror fans can't really afford to miss this quintessential Bava piece, but watch it for the splendid cinematography and Bava's unique ways of visual wizardry.

Camera Obscura --- 7/10