Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful, Brilliant Bava
Review: Italian director Mario Bava exploded onto the horror scene with the wonderful black and white film "Black Sunday," also known as "The Mask of Satan" (a title I prefer because it does such a better job describing the movie). This picture borrows heavily from a Nikolai Gogol short story called "The Vij," and while I am not familiar with the story, the movie succeeds fantastically at conveying a bleak atmosphere of horror. "The Mask of Satan" was Bava's official directorial debut, giving viewers a chance to see the genius that was to come from this excellent filmmaker. Bava didn't merely direct films, however. He also worked on all aspects of movie making during his long career. The director even helped his son cut his teeth in the business immediately before his death in 1980. Fans will miss Bava terribly after viewing just a few of his films, as he was one of those rare Italian horror directors who could truly deliver the goods. "Black Sunday," set in Romania, opens at an unspecified date in the seventeenth century. Some of the local nobles decide to get together and roast a couple of Satan's followers, but this barbecue bears a special meaning for the House of Vajda because one of its own is on the spit. The beautiful Princess Asa Vajda fell under the evil spell of the dark one, along with her unseemly lover Javutich, and both now face a painful execution. In order to insure that these two sullied creatures wear the mark of their crimes, Asa's own brother orders a metal mask of Satan nailed to their faces. Unfortunately for the Vajda family, Asa casts a curse on the family immediately before her execution, promising to come back from the dead and plague her relatives throughout the centuries. After carrying out this sordid task, the people present attempt to burn the corpses, but a rainstorm conveniently whips up and prevents the destruction of the bodies of these two satanic worshippers. In order to rid themselves of the bodies, the House of Vajda orders Asa interred in the family crypt with a few conditions: a glass pane and a cross must be placed on the sarcophagus in order to keep Asa firmly in her coffin. Javutich's corpse doesn't fare as well; his body ends up in a grave in the cemetery. All's well that end's well after this incident, as Asa and Javutich waste away the centuries in their tombs. Flash forward two hundred years. Two doctors traveling to a medical conference stumble upon the decaying Vajda crypt. In a fit of scientific defiance to peasant tradition, one of the doctors named Kruvajan bumbles around Asa's coffin and causes some damage to it. From this point on, Bava takes his viewers on a roller coaster ride of creepy imagery, walking corpses, vampiric transformations, and oppressive atmosphere rarely seen in even the best of horror films. As the horror of "The Mask of Satan" unfolds, we meet the various characters who will play witness to the resuscitated curse on the House of Vajda: Doctor Gorobec, the young, heroic companion of Kruvajan destined to save the day; Katia Vajda, the present princess of Vajda; and her fearful father and brother. Katia's father knows about the curse of Asa, and he spends a significant portion of his time worrying about it. Moreover, several people remark on the amazing resemblance between Asa and Katia Vajda as seen in an old portrait of the Satan worshipping princess. Does this similarity have anything to do with the Asa's seemingly renewed deathbed curse? Probably, and the fun comes from watching it unfold through Bava's masterful use of cinematography, sets, atmosphere, sound effects, and gruesome special effects. That Universal horror films influenced "The Mask of Satan" is so obvious it really doesn't need mentioning in the editorial review on this site. Throughout the movie, I continually recognized these similarities. Perhaps the surprising revelation here is that Bava's film is markedly better than many of the influences he supposedly borrowed from. Check out the coach moving through the forest in complete silence, or the trip Javutich and the doctor take through the castle. These are superb effects accomplished without the benefit of CGI or fancy prosthetics. Additionally, every movement of each character seems choreographed for maximum creepy effect. I kept wondering how Bava managed to get his actors to move so SLOWLY while making it look so natural. Special mention goes to the eerily effective Barbara Steele, the actress who plays both Asa and Katia. I wouldn't go as far as a few horror fans and say that this woman is drop dead gorgeous, but she is pretty and the make-up effects used on her face give her a ultra creepy appearance when she is playing Asa. I could go on and on about the things I liked in this movie. Everything works masterfully, giving "The Mask of Satan" a classic feel right from the start. The DVD version of the film I watched carries a "Special Edition" label, meaning that you get a Mario Bava biography and filmography, a trailer, a photo and poster gallery, and a commentary by Bava historian Tim Lucas. The package claims this is the uncut version of the film, always a good thing when you decide to watch a horror movie. Mario Bava went on to make a slew of films in a wide range of genres, but so far "The Mask of Satan" has been my most satisfying experience with this director. With Halloween right around the corner, this film would nicely fit the bill for a home horror movie marathon.
Rating:
Summary: BAVA - HAMMER : 1 - 0
Review: At least, one scene of italian director Mario Bava's BLACK SUNDAY will haunt your memory for a long time : Javutich, played by a sepulchral Arturo Dominici, kidnaps a doctor and drives him to the castle's chapel in a diligence. The hellish trip is partly filmed in slow-motion without any sound. Astounding ! and a great homage to the german director F.-W. Murnau who shot the same scene in 1922 for his NOSFERATU but in a slightly different manner. In 1961, the British Hammer Films reigned over the horror movies genre and the audience was accustomed to the Gothic made in England. So let's appreciate Bava's courage ; with a screenplay vaguely inspired by a story of Nicolaï Gogol, he was aiming at the same goal than Terence Fisher & Co. : frighten the audience ! In my opinion, Mario Bava is clearly the winner of this cinematographical battle. BLACK SUNDAY is the masterpiece of this director and deserves to stay in any curious movie lover's secret library. An excellent copy and edifying bonus features will complete your pleasure. A DVD dedicated to Tim Burton.
Rating: 
Summary: Black sunday
Review: Scary? No. Beautiful, well done black and white horror film? yes. This DVD was extremely well done for the movies time period. The effects used in the movie are wonderful, I especially liked the silent running horses and coach and the very beginning of the movie is really good. If you love black and white classics such as Dracula then you need to see this movie just for the visuals.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully atmospheric horror
Review: Not quite the classic some would have it (I prefer Bava's BLACK SUNDAY and KILL BABY KILL) but a beautifully atmospheric film, often very inventively shot with one great set piece after another. Scared me as a kid and really stuck with me for years.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece Of Horror
Review: "Black Sunday" is a beautifully filmed horror movie, filled with stunning visual images. The movie successfully combined the gothic sets and black and white cinematography featured in the Universal horror films, with the then current Hammer movie elements of gore, sadism and sex. This DVD version is the unedited, English-dubbed, import version. While the dubbed voices take some getting used to, getting to see all of the scenes in their entirety more than makes up for that. Many scenes stand out in particular. A spiked mask of Satan is nailed into the witch's face, causing blood to gush out and drip down her neck. 200 years later, the glass cover of the witch's stone coffin is accidentally broken. Scorpions crawl out of her eye sockets. A few drops of blood from the broken glass drip down on her face, causing her eyeballs to reappear as she is brought back to life. The witch's stone coffin explodes as she regains her powers. She summons her lover, who was executed with her 200 years before, to rise from the dead. He claws his way out of his grave in a scary scene. Later, we see the zombie driving a ghostly carriage. At first, the coach approaches silently in slow motion. After he picks up his passenger, the zombie whips the horses into a frenzy, a maniacal look on his weathered face. This movie made an international star of Barbara Steele, who played both the evil witch and her virginal descendant. It also launched the career of director Mario Bava, who went on to direct several fine films. "Black Sunday" is a classic film that serves as the perfect link between the stylish horror movies that preceded it, and the graphic horror films that were to follow.
Rating:
Summary: An eternal masterpiece !
Review: "Black sunday" is one the best horror movies ever made. The director's debut of Mario Bava is a masterpiece of gothic horror. Barbara Steele is probably the most beautifull actress of this genre. She's really The Goddess of Darkness. The quality of the DVD is very good, however there's only the English version and no Italian. The extras are not extraordinary. It would have been great to see a "making of" or an historical review of italian horror movies with perhaps an interview of the lovely Barbara.
But the fans of "good" horror movies will certainly appreciate this DVD. A pleasure for the eyes and an eternal masterpiece ! Mario Bava was really The "Maestro of the macabre". Thanks to him !
Rating:
Summary: EXPERIENCED THIS MOVIE ON THE BIG SCREEN
Review: I was about 12 years old when I saw Black Sunday in a local movie Theater in my home town. I have never forgot it, I only
saw it once, and I have to tell you it scared me almost to death! Of course, I was very young, but this movie was one of the scarest of all times. I can't wait to own it now, and I will be purchasing the film soon on DVD, the only way to go.
The begining of the film was very scary and I even had nightmares for a while and slept with the light on. I would not let anyone under the age of 16 watch this one. Barbara Steele is my favorite horror queen, she has that look about her & the voice to match. Shut the lights off, burn a candle & enjoy the show...........
Rating:
Summary: Bava made is directorial bones on this great movie.
Review: This movie represented an international breakthrough for famed Italian director and cinematographer Mario Bava. Before this movie came out he was well known in Italy and in professional circles, but not in the rest of Europe or America. It also marked the international breakthrough for British actress Barbara Steele. Black Sunday (aka La Maschera del demonio). And this movie has everything: A mean and cruel witch; vampires; zombies; gothic setting; beautiful star.... Black Sunday begins with Princess Asa Vajda (Barbara Steele) and her brother Prince Vajda (Ivo Garrani), being accused of witchcraft and then having a mask with spikes in it nailed to their face. The witchcraft accusations were true and of course centuries later they come back with a vengeance. A distant descendant, Katia Vajda (also played by Barbara Steele), becomes possessed by the witch Asa who is working on taking over her body permanently. Her brother is also brought back to life from the grave and he wanders around murdering those who would stand in the way of Asa's triumphant return. As usual, I don't like to spoil too much of the movie so I will leave it at this. The brief scene where the mask is pounded onto Asa's face has no gore, but is gruesome nonetheless. The scene was cut from most theatrical versions of the film and has recently been reintegrated for the wonderful dvd release from Image Entertainment. Mario knew he wanted Barbara Steele for the lead role in his directorial debut and he flew her from England to Italy for the part. This film ended up making her a star in Italy and the rest of the world and she made several more movies in Italy including Fellini's 8 1/2. Lots has been written about the film and it has acquired quite a cult status among horror and film aficionados. The Image Entertainment release includes a full commentary by horror film historian Tim Lucas, theatrical trailers, liner notes and a photo gallery. The print is a gorgeous 1.66:1 transfer and the sound is in Dolby Digital 2.0 mono. Many consider this one of the finest horror films of all time and some consider it one of the finest films of any genre of all time. For myself, I am very glad I own the dvd. After my second viewing of the movie recently I like it even more and I am certain I will watch this movie many times in the coming years. It retails for $ and is worth every penny. And if you can find it cheaper, all the better.
Rating:
Summary: BRAVO BAVA.....
Review: Possibly the finest of Bava's horror shockers. Beautiful b&w photography and hauntingly eerie atmosphere saturate the film with pure dread. Horror icon Barbara Steele plays two roles--one innocent and the other her ancestor burnt at the stake for witchcraft and "the Devil's Mask" nailed to her face. The witch is accidentally revived and summons her lover--also destroyed with her--from the grave to wreak havoc and revenge on the surviving family. The ultimate goal is to possess her living ancestor, the innocent Katia (Steele). Engrossing and chilling from start to finish "Black Sunday" is a classic film worthy of multiple viewings time and again. Add this to your collection.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: This is one of the scariest films I have ever had the pleasure to witness! The haunting atmosphere and the chilling musical score that peaks at several surprising moments only add to the effect. The black and white film works perfectly with this film, it feels as though you are in a old, haunted mansion! This is the perfect movie to watch on Halloween or on a rainy day or if you really want to get scared watch it all alone at night! Anyway Mario Bava does an excellent job directing this gothic masterpeice. Highly Reccomended!
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