The Mario Bava Collection: Volume One

Directed by Mario Bava
Starring Starring Boris Karloff, Barbara Steele, Mark Damon, John Saxon, Valentina Cortese, John Richardson
DVD release: 2007
Anchor Bay

In its salad days, Anchor Bay Entertainment single-handedly put Hammer Films back on the map when they released 20 superbly remastered Hammer classics on VHS and DVD. Now, the company is poised to return the name of Mario Bava to its rightful, iconic place in the classic horror pantheon. Like many Euro-Horror filmmakers, Bava (1914-1980) has his fans and his naysayers. The detractors need to take a closer look at the stunning visual beauty of his work.

Shot in black & white, Black Sunday (AIP's release title) (1960), aka The Mask of Satan (Bava's title) is a magnificent Gothic horror. A simple story is elevated to classic status by the director's brilliant use of settings, light and shadow to create a mood of death and dread. The film's castle, crypt and graveyard sets are chilling! Fortunately, Anchor Bay eschewed AIP's original, edited American release print of the film and instead offers Bava's sublime director's cut. Unfortunately, the print is English dubbed. The less than perfect dubbing may be why some view Bava as a “hack.” But the print quality is superb! European and American theatrical trailers are included. Video Watchdog's Tim Lucas, author of the about to be published tome Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark , provides an insightful commentary. Lucas is one of the horror genre's finest critics/historians, and Bava's #1 fan. His book promises to be the read of the decade!

Boris Karloff hosts the three part Black Sabbath . Here, we see how dubbing can negatively affect Bava's reputation. Visually stunning, Anchor Bay 's Italian language, subtitled print of the film features an Italian dubbed Karloff, whose unique voice was a highly recognizable and iconic part of his myth. When you hear someone else's voice coming out of Karloff's mouth, you might want to laugh! But as Black Sabbath gets underway, you'll stop laughing. Like its B&W predecessor, the color Black Sabbath is a beautifully shot Gothic wonder. The three tales are simple. The first, about a psychotic obscene phone caller, seems out of place, in comparison to the two supernatural stories that follow. But again, Bava's builds tension through atmosphere. In Black Sabbath , you feel the ever encroaching presence of evil. The ever reliable Mr. Lucas provides another fine commentary. American actor/producer Mark Damon, who co-stars with Karloff in the film's second segment, sits down for a lengthy, recently shot interview. Trailers & TV/radio spots are included. (1960s horror trailers are so much fun!)

Kill, Baby Kill! is a spooky tale of a remote Bavarian village being terrorized by the ghost of a murdered little girl. The script has a few plot holes, but again, the atmosphere is chilling! Bava's strength as a filmmaker was in his visual stylings. Few directors are able to create such an intense feeling of dread merely by pointing a camera. Bava was a master at this. He was no hack. Kill Baby Kill! is in Italian with subtitles. The international trailer, and TV spots for Curse of the Living Dead (the film's cheesy American title) are included.

The set continues with The Girl Who Knew Too Much , Bava's black and white homage to Hitchcock. Girl Who Knew is considered to be the first true “Giallo” (Italian slasher) film, a sub-genre of Euro horror that gained enormous popularity in the 1960s & 1970s. The subtitled film is in Italian. We get another commentary from Lucas and an interview with star John Saxon, plus the usual collection of trailers and TV spots.

Finally, the set concludes with Knives of the Avenger . Said to based on the Western classic Shane , Knives is Bava's contribution to the Viking adventure drama, another sub-genre popular in the 60s. Gothic horror fans may want to pass this one by, but Bava completists will enjoy it. Mario Bava was a superb craftsman who knew how to drum up some good, old fashioned scares. His horror films are well worth remembering. Anchor Bay has done right by him, and I look forward to volume two.

By David Alexander Nahmod
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