Welcome to yet another pure vintage Bava classic. I went straight for the undubbed version in which the tales are presented in their original order, and I strongly recommend for you to do the same as it is a pure horror masterpiece! The ultimate horror icon Boris Karloff hosts three various and delightful tales of the supernatural. The first story (The Telephone) is rather simplistic but it sets a promising tone for the rest of the movie. In this, the stunningly beautiful Rosy (Michele Mercier who reminds you of Barbara Steele) receives threatening phone calls, seemly from her ex-lover who recently escaped prison. The tale features a sublime lesbian undertone and quite a few shocking moments. The second tale is somewhat the main event of the film and also stars Karloff in a terrifically diabolical role. We're introduced to "Wurdulaks", which are vampire-variants that are exclusively after the blood of their beloved. Karloff shines as the elderly ghoul who returned from a mountain expedition to kill a Turkish psycho, but behaves strangely ever since. This tale has a remarkably high tension level and fully depends on its marvelous set pieces and eerie locations. A must see tale for admirers of Gothic horror and the chapter that comes the closest in style to Mario Bava's ultimate achievement "Black Sunday". The final tale may even be the best as it is one of the most frightening things I ever beheld. "The Drop of Water" has Jacqueline Pierreux haunted by the corpse of an old lady who died during a séance. The image of this dead lady is creepy beyond comparison and the climax is sublime. All three tales are amazingly pictured and terrifically scripted. Mario Bava once again states he's the most talented horror director ever. This versatile production probably also is the ideal film to begin checking out his work. Black Sabbath is the perfect example of how omnibuses should be done. This format got immensely popular in the 70's and especially the British Amicus company cornered the market. Some of their films were very good (Tales from the Crypt, Asylum) but yet they should have paid more heed to milestone movies like "Black Sabbath".
Review of Black Sabbath
