Some directors have never gotten the recognition that they deserve, and I would say that Mario Bava is one of those directors. His feature debut "La maschera del demonio" - called "Black Sunday" in English - has executed witch Asa Vajda (Barbara Steele) getting resurrected and seeking revenge through her descendant Katia (also Steele).
Obviously, we've seen this kind of story countless times, but Bava knows how to make it really cool. The black-and-white cinematography gives the movie the ultimate Gothic feeling. But more than that, Barbara Steele makes the movie what it is. With pale skin, jet-black hair, and bulging eyes, she seems the perfect person to play a witch (or the witch's descendant).
It's hard to believe that this was adapted from a Gogol novel, but it's true. When I think of Nikolai Gogol, I usually also think of other famous Russian authors (Pushkin, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky). Now I can associate Gogol with Barbara Steele and her hot looks!
Obviously, we've seen this kind of story countless times, but Bava knows how to make it really cool. The black-and-white cinematography gives the movie the ultimate Gothic feeling. But more than that, Barbara Steele makes the movie what it is. With pale skin, jet-black hair, and bulging eyes, she seems the perfect person to play a witch (or the witch's descendant).
It's hard to believe that this was adapted from a Gogol novel, but it's true. When I think of Nikolai Gogol, I usually also think of other famous Russian authors (Pushkin, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky). Now I can associate Gogol with Barbara Steele and her hot looks!