Starring Barbara Steele, John Richardson, Andrea Checchi, Ivo Garrani, Arturo Dominici
Directed by Mario Bava
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A Moldavian princess is condemned to death by her own brother for her supernatural crimes, but places a curse upon him, promising revenge in the name of Satan.
Mario Bava's black and white ode to classic horror films still stands up well today, thanks to its beautiful cinematography, fantastic castle sets, and Barbara Steele's memorable performance, which launched her on the path to becoming the queen of Italian gothic horror. It had to have broken new ground for screen shocks at the time it was released, with the scene of the nail-concealed "Mask of Satan" being hammered onto Steele remaining unnervingly potent on each viewing. Steele was perhaps never better showcased as she is by Bava here, with the camera capturing her formidable luminous eyes excellently, and although her characterization of the innocent Katya doesn't compare to her dual performance as that girl's evil ancestor, Asa, she nevertheless dominates the screen in every scene. So many eerie visuals complement Steele's performance, from the special effects transforming the sunken eyeholes in Asa's molding corpse to Dominici's fevered driving of a coach kidnapping Checchi's character to the eerie exploration of Asa's ancient crypt. It's a great film, worthy of study by generations of filmmakers to come.
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