Black Sabbath

Sometimes the appetizer can be more exciting than the main course – if the balance of flavour, imagination and refinement is just right. In Black Sabbath, a film composed of three short tales, Mario Bava serves up three small yet captivating “overtures” that perfectly showcase his mastery in orchestrating fear. By 1963 Bava already had considerable experience in filmmaking: he had worked as a cinematographer, screenwriter, director of photography, special-effects artist and director. His remarkable versatility allowed him, at the turn of the 1950s and 1960s, to move effortlessly from Gothic horror to peplum fantasy, from historical adventure films to his first great Hitchcockian achievement, The Girl Who Knew Too Much. He was only one step away from the film that would become a true precursor of the giallo genre – Blood and Black Lace (1964). Yet a year earlier Bava had already demonstrated his virtuosity in a shorter form. The three stories – The Telephone, The Wurdalak and The Drop of Water – are genuine delights to savour. Between beautiful women, striking set designs and hallucinatory sound effects, one can already glimpse many of the elements that would soon define the rich, stylish and unmistakable cinematic world of Mario Bava. Bon appétit!

Stanisław Bardadin

Mario Bava (1914–1980) – Italian director and screenwriter who worked across multiple genres. He directed comedies, comic-book adaptations, and spaghetti westerns, but gained the greatest acclaim for his contributions to Italian horror; he is regarded as one of the pioneers of the giallo genre. Often produced on low budgets, his films center on brutal crimes, and their blend of fetishism, vivid color palettes, and suspense creates hypnotic cinematic experiences. Bava is widely considered one of the key figures in the history of horror, and his legacy has been continued by his son, Lamberto Bava.

section partner