One of the great horror anthology films of all time hosted by the great Boris Karloff, and Mario Bava’s personal favorite of his works, Black Sabbath solidified the director’s reputation as Europe’s maestro of the macabre. In The Telephone! a woman is haunted by menacing phone calls from a former lover. The Wurdulak stars Karloff as a vampire hunter whose family is stalked by the wandering spirit of an undead ghoul. A Drop Of Water involves a nurse who steals a ring from a corpse – not realizing the curse that is carried with it.
Hatched
Five Dolls For An August Moon
FIVE DOLLS FOR AN AUGUST MOON is Mario Bava’s deliriously mod spin on an Agatha Christie-style whodunit.
Bava was so closely associated with the horror genre that this twisting mystery was never released theatrically in the U.S., but it is deliciously entertaining all the same. A space age island retreat is visited by a group of friends and business associates, one of whom is a scientist who has invented a revolutionary chemical process, and is fending off various offers to buy it. Soon the vacationers start dying, and the survivors begin to wonder who has the most to gain from these murders most foul.
Anything but a drawing room mystery, Bava’s erotic thriller is enlivened by its psychedelic set design, a hip score by Piero Umiliani, and a swinging performance by giallo goddess Edwige Fenech (All the Colors of the Dark).
Bay of Blood
Starring: Claudine Auger, Luigi Pistilli, Claudio Camaso, Anna Maria Rosati, Chris Avram, Leopoldo Trieste, Laura Betti
One of the most influential horror films of all time, Mario Bava’s A Bay of Blood (1971, aka Twitch of the Death Nerve) is the spurting artery from which all future slasher films would flow.
When Countess Federica is murdered at her isolated mansion, a gruesome battle ensues to secure the rights to her valuable property around the bay. Everyone, from illegitimate children to shady real estate agents, stakes a claim, only to be killed in increasingly bizarre ways, from simple shootings to impalement by fishing spear. The makeup effects are by Carlo Rambaldi, who would later earn Oscars for his work in Alien (1979) and E.T. (1982).
Initially scorned upon its original release because of its graphic violence, A Bay of Blood eventually became a trendsetter, the model slasher film that Friday the 13th would emulate nearly a decade later.
The Whip and the Body
Steeped in sadomasochism and lushly photographed in the vivid hues for which the director is known, Mario Bava’s THE WHIP AND THE BODY is a Gothic thriller that far surpasses the API Edgar Allan Poe films that it was intended to emulate.
Christopher Lee (Dracula: Prince of Darkness) stars as Kurt Menliff, the sadistic son of a wealthy Count, who returns to the family castle, much to the dismay of his family, their servants, and the beautiful woman with whom he shares a fondness for the lash (Daliah Lavi). When Kurt is found murdered, it brings no peace to those who had feared him, as his vengeful spirit cannot be contained by the grave, and he returns to torment those unfortunate enough to remain within Menliff Manor.
Evil Dead 2
Starring: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks
Evil Dead 2 is a comedic take on a lone survivor (the estimable Bruce Campbell) and a group of strangers who fight the undead released after reading the Necronomicon (aka “Book of the Dead”). A parody sequel to director Sam Raimi’s original feature Evil Dead (when does THAT ever happen?) this version heavily features the handsome hero Ash who must fight squirly, soaring and scary demons as well as his very own hand and a flying eyeball. Cue the chainsaw and shotgun accessories. One of the best!
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Starring: Peter Sallis, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Peter Kay
Cheese-loving eccentric Wallace and his cunning canine pal, Gromit, investigate a mystery in Nick Park’s animated adventure, in which the lovable inventor and his intrepid pup run a business ridding the town of garden pests. Using only humane methods that turn their home into a halfway house for evicted vermin, the pair stumble upon a mystery involving a voracious vegetarian monster that threatens to ruin the annual veggie-growing contest.
Day of the Dead
Starring: Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Joseph Pilato, Jarlath Conroy, Sherman Howard
In George A. Romero’s third installment of his “Dead” series, he makes commentary on the militarization of the United States and the dangers of free-range scientific experiment. In Day of the Dead, the zombies have been raging for quite some time and it should be apparent that humans are in a brave new world of the dead. Still, there’s a hold out group of soldiers, scientists, and workers in a Florida underground military base who are still clinging to the idea things will return to normal. Most go crazy in the process and the abuses of power manifest in many different, gruesome ways. Day is vivid, neon gore with heart…and an evolved zombie named Bud.
The Lure
In this bold, genre-defying horror-musical mashup — the playful and confident debut of Polish director Agnieszka Smoczynska — a pair of carnivorous mermaid sisters are drawn ashore in an alternate ’80s Poland to explore the wonders and temptations of life on land. Their tantalizing siren songs and otherworldly aura make them overnight sensations as nightclub singers in the half-glam, half-decrepit fantasy world of Smoczynska’s imagining. In a visceral twist on Hans Christian Andersen’s original Little Mermaid tale, one sister falls for a human, and as the bonds of sisterhood are tested, the lines between love and survival get blurred. A savage coming-of-age fairytale with a catchy new-wave soundtrack, lavishly grimy sets, and outrageous musical numbers, THE LURE explores its themes of sexuality, exploitation, and the compromises of adulthood with energy and originality.
Creepshow
What’s better than a horror anthology film? How about one directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King? Based on the E.C. horror comic books of the 1950s, Creepshow is a made up of five short horrifying tales told to a young kid by “The Creep” who gets in trouble for reading “Creepshow.” With Father’s Day, The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill, Something to Tide You Over, The Crate and They’re Creeping Up on You! you’ll get monsters of all shapes and sizes. Evil husbands, corpses, and outer space visitors are just the tip of this iceberg of terror!
Halloween (1978)
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence
This version is a newly restored and remastered digital print, created under the supervision of the world-renowned cinematographer, Dean Cundey.
The American slasher (as well as John Carpenter and Jamie Lee Curtis’ careers) gets solidified when the indestructible Michael Myers make his big screen debut in Halloween.
It all begins one Halloween night when little Michael murders his sister while his parents are out. Locked away in an asylum for years, he makes his escape back to the scene of his crime where he, you guessed it, terrorizes young babysitters and their dates in his modified William Shatner mask and a gas station attendant outfit. Will Dr. Loomis make it to Haddonfield in time to save lives? Who will survive? Find out this October!
