Rating: 
Summary: Rather uneven and rough Bava viewing
Review: As much as "Blood and Black Lace" has influenced Italian Giallos and slasher films, it is nevertheless one of Bava's more uneven and sometimes even sloppy films. The story itself may seem depressingly derivitive from today's viewers' eyes, but you must remember this film was made over thirty years ago. This is one of the film's assets. The now cliche plot of a madman stocking beautiful women is a springboard for some memorably tense and suspenseful moments. Also, Bava's penchant for moody lighting helps create a bizarre juxtaposition. The film has candy-colored, beautiful lighting set against some of the most gruesome and horrific (and misogynist) murders of the time. One woman's face is repeatedly smashed against the bark of a tree, while another is repeatedly scalded against an iron grill. The murders are horrific, while the look of the film is beautiful and almost youthful, making an uneasy clash of themes. But for all these positive points, the film nevertheless almost falls flat. The acting (and dubbing) is far worse than usual for a Bava film. Couple that with some very pokey pacing, and some downright boring and static scenes, and the impact (and star rating) of the film goes down. Don't get me wrong, the film has a good amount of aspects that make it worth seeing, but the faults of the film can't be ignored, and subsequently slightly diminish the enjoyment of the film.
Rating:
Summary: Blood and Black Lace.
Review: Blood and Black Lace is often described as the original 'body count' movie. I'm not really sure how this credential was bestowed, but you can certainly sense an early Friday the 13th aura about the movie. The young models are stalked and dispatched by a hooded maniac, much as you've seen in countless 'slasher' flicks. But it's important to realize that this film was made in 1964, 14 years before John Carpenter would introduce his Halloween to the universe. But, while this movie certainly earns respect for being an innovator in the genre, much of Blood and Black Lace is pretty slow moving. Not scary, but ammusing and very funny. Great Black Comedy.
Rating: 
Summary: Classic Giallo
Review: Blood and Black Lace was my introduction to the late, great Mario Bava, minus his collaboration with Argento on Inferno. I'm a fan of his son, Lamberto Bava. This is a textbook example of how to shoot a horror film in color. He uses color to much the same effect as Argento in Suspiria. It's a murder mystery centering around a fashion house. If you're a fan of gialli, you simply can't go wrong with this.
Rating: 
Summary: Early pre-cursor to the modern slasher / mad killer genre
Review: Crazed killer invades a fashion house in this Italian chiller. Even though some of the dubbing and motivation of the characters is weak, the overall style of the film is excellent. There is enough suspense and jumps without being overly gory, especially by the standards of today. There is a good sense of brutality towards women in this one, however. This one is probably more for the fans of Dario Argento and the Italian genre of slasher flicks, but based on the recent video dreck that comes your way, this is far better. The way the camera floats around the fashion house is one many examples of how director Bava uses his camera to invoke confusion and forshadow the mayhem that is about to erupt. There is a subplot about drugs that goes nowhere and other red herrings, but you should enjoy this endeavor in the horror video market.
Rating:
Summary: ALOVINO
Review: Here is the movie that began everything. Without italian director Mario Bava's BLOOD AND BLACK LACE, maybe HALLOWEEN and the FRIDAY THE 13TH serie would have never been shot. This DVD is consequently a must for the horror movie fan or simply for the curious movie lover. VCI has given an excellent treatment to the copy considering the high number of night scenes in BLOOD AND BLACK LACE. The sound is also above-average and does justice to the superb musical score very 60's. As bonus features, you will find an interview of Cameron Mitchell who starred in 6 Mario Bava movies and an interview of Mary Harden, one of the poor victims. Filmographies, trailers, dubbed versions, subtitles and a commentary complete this special edition. Firstly, there are the incredible initial credits, with the presentation of the actors, lost amidst the dozens of mannequins of the italian mansion house. Then the models, described as drug addicts or hiding shameful secrets. One must also admire the scene of the handbag that contains the desired secret diary, left on a table in the middle of the crowd : the travellings of Mario Bava are simply genial, exploring without pity faces and gestures of the characters. The scenes of the murders are perfect, the director creating under our eyes an aesthetics that will be imitated by hundreds of directors in the seventies and the eighties. I could speak for hours of BLOOD AND BLACK LACE but then you would say that I'm not objective so if you still don't know Mario Bava, take a look at at this movie and become another fan of this italian Maestro who deserves to stay in Movie History. A DVD for your library. NB: I didn't have any problem with my Denon DVD-3000 during the screening.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Giallo
Review: I knew this was going to be a unique movie experience as soon as the opening credits started to roll. Also, the soundtrack is listed as Dolby mono but the music has sort of an enveloping presence. Nice clarity, good sound, and a soundtrack that I didn't have to push the volume up to maximum on my speakers. In this feature, the women are not dressed as stimulating as the other Bava movies I've seen (even though the movie is about models) but they are nice-looking actresses and the lead female is a powerful, dominant woman. She controls everybody and it's rather exciting. I cannot reveal her fate. What odd sets! What strange colors! Bava did another film featuring mannequins that I am going to research and purchase based on this film. The film doesn't seem dated at all. I just thoroughly enjoyed the music, lighting, and especially Eva Bartok's performance (the dominant owner of the model agency) who was in control until the very end. They don't make many movies like this any more, and I've rarely seen any that are as engaging. I prefer to comment on the quality of the DVD rather than disclose plots and key points. For a 1964 film, this widescreen DVD will be a real treat in your collection if you like the horror/terror/murder genres.
Rating:
Summary: Jazzy, Sexy, Intriguing, sometimes Delicious
Review: I knew this was going to be a unique movie experience as soon as the opening credits started to roll. Also, the soundtrack is listed as Dolby mono but the music has sort of an enveloping presence. Nice clarity, good sound, and a soundtrack that I didn't have to push the volume up to maximum on my speakers. In this feature, the women are not dressed as stimulating as the other Bava movies I've seen (even though the movie is about models) but they are nice-looking actresses and the lead female is a powerful, dominant woman. She controls everybody and it's rather exciting. I cannot reveal her fate. What odd sets! What strange colors! Bava did another film featuring mannequins that I am going to research and purchase based on this film. The film doesn't seem dated at all. I just thoroughly enjoyed the music, lighting, and especially Eva Bartok's performance (the dominant owner of the model agency) who was in control until the very end. They don't make many movies like this any more, and I've rarely seen any that are as engaging. I prefer to comment on the quality of the DVD rather than disclose plots and key points. For a 1964 film, this widescreen DVD will be a real treat in your collection if you like the horror/terror/murder genres.
Rating:
Summary: A forgotten gem
Review: I saw this movie at a Mario Bava film festival in San Francisco 5 years. Of all the great Bava films that I saw, Black Sabbath and Kill Baby Kill were the two films that impressed me the most. Black Sabbath is essentially an anthology film with three short stories. The first story concerns an old dead lady who will not stay dead. It has a bizzare looking corpse and great lighting effects. The second story is about a woman who is harassed on the phone by a killer. This story is not as compelling as the other two, but Video Watchdog has documented that this is because American distributors viciously cut it before its release. Let's hope that this DVD version is uncut, in Italian with English subtitles, and widescreen, the way, I'm sure, Bava would have wanted it. The last story stars Boris Karloff as a strange vampire and it's the most suspenseful and shocking of the three stories. If you are a Bava fan, then I'm sure you've already ordered this. If you have never heard of Bava and love horror movies, then you must buy this movie. As far as I'm concerned, Mario Bava is as important to the horror genre as John Carpenter and Stephen King.
Rating:
Summary: A movie so good it makes me want to make movies
Review: I'll start off with stating that in my opinion Mario Bava (the director) is a genius. This film and his works have already influenced the likes of Scorsese and TARANTINO (my living personal Christ). 'Halloween' and 'Friday the 13th' and just about every teenie bopper mainsteam horror film owes a huge debt to Bava. I feel I don't even need to say this movie was phenomenal. It definitely ranks with my favorite movies of all time (and I take my movies seriously). This is without a doubt a much lesser known film. Take the leap. If you are disappointed, than I can say I wouldn't know a good movie even if I was $hi**ing DVD's
Rating:
Summary: Great movie, Great DVD
Review: If you are like me and are a fan of this movie and for years had to rely on an old, faded video for your repeated viewing------REJOICE. This movie has been released on DVD. It was like watching it for the first time. The reds (and if you are a BAVA fan you know about the reds) are so vidid they will make you weep. And that widescreen. WOW. Thank you to whoever was responsible. The picture is so clear and crisp, sound is great, and loaded with extras like trailers, interviews, and bios.
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