Review: Black Sabbath
In “The Telephone”, Michele Mercier plays a
young woman who receives creepy and threatening phone calls from someone who
appears to be able to see her in her small apartment. “The Wurdulak” –
In 19th century Russia, nobleman Mark Damon seeks refuge with a
local family in a small village when their father (Boris Karloff) comes back
after being bitten by a vampire (or Wurdulak). Finally there is “A Drop of
Water”, in which a nurse (Jacqueline Perreiex) in an apartment building is
asked to attend to the body of a medium who died during a séance. The nurse
decides to nick a ring off the medium’s corpse…an action that literally comes
back to haunt her.
One of the best films from director Mario Bava (“Black
Sunday”, “Kill, Baby…Kill”, “Hatchet for the Honeymoon”), and
easily one of the best horror anthologies of all-time, this 1963 horror omnibus
is based on the works of Tolstoy, Chekov, and Guy de Maupassant. OK so two of
those names are a lot more famous than the third, but all three stories happen
to be rock solid at the very least. It adds up to a terrific film that happens
to be one of the few – perhaps the only one I can think of – horror anthologies
to be truly terrifying. It was also the film that inspired the name of a
certain landmark heavy metal band. I watched the full Italian-language version
of the film (subtitled), so I don’t know how it compares to the US version,
though I’ve heard the order of the stories is different in the US version. It
means a dubbed Boris Karloff, but that’s a small price to pay, I’d say.
The best of the stories is the second one, “The
Wurdulak”, derived from Tolstoy. I think ‘Wurdulak’ is a much more
revolting-sounding word than vampire, so I’m a bit surprised the term never
caught on. Karloff gives a terrifically creepy turn in this wonderfully
atmospheric, supernatural tale. Bava’s firing on all cylinders on this one, the
Gothic atmosphere is super thick and effective. I even think the story could’ve
worked at feature length, it’s creepy as hell. I can almost guarantee that Tim
Burton is a fan of this segment, there’s a lot of his version of “Sleepy
Hollow” that reminds me of this segment (Guillermo del Toro springs to
mind, too). It’ll definitely remind you of the Corman/Price/Poe cycle of
films. The music score by Roberto Nicolosi (“Black Sunday”) is
excellent, too.
Next best is the first story “The Telephone”, a
pretty straightforward giallo-esque tale. Lead actress Michele Mercier is
hotter than hell, and as per usual from Bava the segment looks absolutely
stunning. Shot by Ubaldo Terzano (Bava’s “Black Sunday” and “The Whip
and the Body”) the lighting in this particular segment is par excellence.
It’s a simple but claustrophobic tale that is occasionally rather terrifying.
It certainly gets things off to a really great start, which makes me wonder why
it isn’t the first segment in the American cut.
The third segment, “A Drop of Water” (which
apparently opens the American version) does see a bit of a dip in quality, but by
a pretty miniscule amount. Besides, “The Wurdulak” and “The
Telephone” are a heck of a tall order to measure up to. Of the three
stories it’s the most typical of horror anthologies in terms of plot and
character. It’s a rarity that a horror anthology comes along that doesn’t have
a dud or detrimentally weaker segment, but this is one of those rare occasions
because even “A Drop of Water” is enjoyable. The use of sound and
silence is particularly effective in the segment.
A great horror anthology, if this type of film is your
jam, you absolutely owe it to yourself to seek this one out as it’s top of the
pile with “Creepshow” for me. Great atmosphere, legit frightening at
times, and with the legendary presence of Boris Karloff. You can’t go wrong.
The screenplay is by Alberto Bevilacqua (Bava’s “Planet of Blood”), Marcello
Fondato (Bava’s “Blood and Black Lace”), and Bava himself.
Rating: B
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