MARIO BAVA'S BLACK SUNDAY (1960) UNMASKED – The Italian Gothic Horror Boom Begins!

BLACK SUNDAY (1960) d. Mario Bava (Italy)

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Tonight we’re discussing Mario Bava’s Black Sunday (aka The Mask of Satan) (1960), one of the most atmosphere-drenched cinematic forays into the supernatural. Marrying the feel of the Universal classics with the darkness of a Grimm fairy tale, and adding in the gorier and sexier feel of the rising Hammer color Gothics, this tour-de-force directorial debut introduced the world to Italian DP Mario Bava (Blood and Black Lace, Black Sabbath) and scream queen in the making Barbara Steele (Castle of Blood, The Long Hair of Death), both becoming genre superstars overnight.

The breathtaking opening sequence, featuring a spike-studded iron mask, shocked audiences around the world, passing instantly into horror film iconography. The following 85 minutes see Bava weaving an elaborate tapestry of atmosphere and gloom over this tale of vengeance visited upon the family that burned the witch Aja and her lover at the stake two hundred years before.

While there are few elements of the fantastic story (very loosely based on Nikolai Gogol’s story) that break new ground, this is an unabashedly gorgeous exercise in style and stunning black-and-white cinematography. Steele is outstanding as Aja and her modern-day descendant, Katia, both of whom share screen time with upcoming Hammer star John Richardson (One Million Years B.C.).

This masterpiece of Gothic mood will linger in the mind long after the lights come up, and is absolutely required viewing for any horror fan. Plus, Bava’s pioneering work here paved the way for fellow auteurs Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci, and gave rise to an entirely new subgenre: The Italian horror film.

Join AC and his awesome panel of guests (Nile Arena, Craig J. Clark, Ian Simmons, Alan Tromp, Cullen Wade) as we celebrate 65 years of BLACK SUNDAY!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnG2cLrKPms

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