Black Sabbath
Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath
No, this isn't a review of a live DVD
of the band Black Sabbath. Geezer Butler is not a werewolf, Tony Iommi, is not
a zombie, Bill Ward is not the Blob, and Ozzy Osbourne is, well, Ozzy
Osbourne. While that sounds like the best horror movie ever, today's
review is actually for the movie from which the famous heavy metal
band took their name. I always thought that this movie was British
because the band was British, but to my surprise, it is actually from
Italy. Originally titled “I tre volti della paura”, Black Sabbath
is three unconnected tales of terror. It must be good if the original
heavy metal band took their name from it, right?
Black Sabbath is a 1963 horror
anthology directed by Mario Bava (Baron Blood, Shock). Dubbed in
English from the original Italian, Black Sabbath tells three horror
tales. An older Boris Karloff introduces us to each of the stories:
“The Drop Of Water”, “The Telephone”, and “The Wurdalak”.
In “The Drop Of Water,” Nurse Helen Chester is called to the
house of a supposed medium and witch who has recently died. The old
woman lays dead on her bed with her eyes wide open and a sickly grin
frozen in place. As Helen prepares the body, she steals a sapphire
ring off the corpse and hides it on her person. As she does, she
knocks over a glass, causing water to drip on the floor. She is also
harassed by a fly in the room that lands directly on the finger where
the ring used to be. When she returns home, Helen is once again
bothered by the fly. Strange events occur, such as flickering lights
and the dripping sound of water. She begins to see the dead old woman
in her house, her eyes wide and her grin still fixed to her face.
What will happen to Helen? The second story, “The Telephone”
tells the story of a beautiful woman named Rosy who is harassed by a
phone-caller. The caller makes sexual comments and threatens Rosy,
saying he will get her before the police arrive. Terrified, Rosy
calls her friend Mary to come stay with her. Rosy believes the caller
is Frank, her dead husband. As Rosy sleeps, Mary writes her a note
begging for her to seek help. She is unaware that the caller is even
closer than Rosy thought. What will happen to Rosy and who has been
calling her? In the final story based on a story by Tolstoy, “The
Wurdalak,” a young nobleman named Vladimir Durfe discovers a
beheaded corpse with a sword stuck in it's back. He takes the sword
and when he enters a village later that night, a man, Giorgio,
recognizes the sword as his father's who had not been seen for five
days. Vladimir stays the night with Giorgio and his family who
explain their father, Gorca (Boris Karloff, Frankenstein, The Mummy)
went to fight the wurdalak (vampire) Ali Beg. At the stroke of
midnight, Gorca returns to the home, looking gravely pale and
carrying the head of Ali Beg. His unkempt appearance, harsh
disposition, and the baying of hounds convince the family that Gorca
has in fact become a wurdalak. Gorca picks off the family, one by
one, leaving only Vladimir and beautiful Sdenka. What will happen to
them?
Ozzy looks terrible!
Black Sabbath is a prime example of how
to correctly do a horror anthology. Each story manages to establish
the characters and get to the point quickly. Director Mario Bava is
able to craft each story well, with a good mixture of different
horror styles. All three stories are both visually and
psychologically appealing with plenty of fear. Boris Karloff is
wonderful introducing each story adding a wry sense of humor not seen
in his classic works. All three of the stories are simple, yet
effective. If you read scary stories as a child, each of these should
sound somewhat familiar. It's important to keep in mind that this
movie came out in the early sixties and the stories were based on
much older tales, so no need to scream about originality. I never
like movies being dubbed as I find it distracting, but thankfully it
wasn't too bad in Black Sabbath.
The Drop Of Water is colorful and
atmospheric, making for a creepy feel. The woman's distorted face is
unnerving and far scarier than any computerized effect. The Telephone
is your typical “scary caller” horror story, made most popular by
1973's “When A Stranger Calls” with the addition of a ghost
story. If the story doesn't really make sense (why would a ghost call
his former wife and then try to kill her?) it's because the English
version has been hacked to pieces and reworked. The original Italian
version has Rosy and Mary in a lesbian affair and Frank escaping from
prison. That makes much more sense than the version I watched. I
suppose American/British audiences weren't ready for that type of
subject matter. The Wurdalak is the longest of the stories, but
probably the best. Karloff is fantastic as the vampire Gorca creating
a real sense of dread in the audience. There is a good amount of fear
and action in this story with some good sets and costumes.
Paranoid
Black Sabbath is a fun movie with a set
of good, basic stories. There are some good chills and a decent
amount of action. There are some changes from the original version,
so if you are able to, watch that one instead of the altered version.
Boris Karloff is very enjoyable, showcasing his range as an actor,
from clever host to terrifying monster. The directorial talent of
Bava is on display as well, mixing up different styles, but still
capable of delivering the horror goods. Black Sabbath is quite
enjoyable and well worth your time.
8/10
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