Black Sabbath (1963)
Black Sabbath (AKA I tre volti della paura) is a 1963 horror anthology film directed by Mario Bava. Although an Italian production, the film was co-financed by American International Pictures and as such was conceived to appeal to US audiences. Hence, the English dialogue edit of the film which was released in America differs significantly to the original Italian version. Despite the presence of the legendary Boris Karloff and the popularity of both anthology and gothic horror at the time,the film was only a modest success at the US box office and did not do well in Italy. However, in more recent years there has been a critical reappraisal of Black Sabbath, especially the Italian dialogue version. Many aspects of the film which are standard genre tropes today, were in fact novel at the time. Also despite the production mainly being studio bound, the film oozes style and has a striking visual aesthetic.
Black Sabbath (AKA I tre volti della paura) is a 1963 horror anthology film directed by Mario Bava. Although an Italian production, the film was co-financed by American International Pictures and as such was conceived to appeal to US audiences. Hence, the English dialogue edit of the film which was released in America differs significantly to the original Italian version. Despite the presence of the legendary Boris Karloff and the popularity of both anthology and gothic horror at the time,the film was only a modest success at the US box office and did not do well in Italy. However, in more recent years there has been a critical reappraisal of Black Sabbath, especially the Italian dialogue version. Many aspects of the film which are standard genre tropes today, were in fact novel at the time. Also despite the production mainly being studio bound, the film oozes style and has a striking visual aesthetic.
The Italian version starts with “The Telephone”, in which upmarket call-girl Rosy (Michèle Mercier) returns to her basement apartment at night and starts to receive a series of menacing phone calls, allegedly from her former pimp Frank who she testified against and had jailed. She calls an ex-lover, Mary (Lidia Alfonsi), and asks for her help but things are not as they appear to be. The second story, “The Wurdulak”, features a 19th century Serbian nobleman Vladimir D'Urfe (Mark Damon) who takes shelter for the night with a peasant family in their farmhouse. They await the return of their father Gorca (Boris Karloff) who has gone to kill a Turkish bandit who has been terrorising the area. When Gorca returns his family fear that he has become a Wurdulak; a living corpse that feeds on blood. The final story “The Drop of Water”, is set in 1910 London, features her nurse Helen Chester (Jacqueline Pierreux) who steals a sapphire ring from an elderly deceased medium she is preparing for burial. On returning home she is plagued by the sound of dripping water and a ghostly apparition.
The most immediate difference between the US and Italian versions of Black Sabbath is the colour timings. The Italian print which was processed by Technicolor Roma and supervised by Mario Bava, has a vibrant, more flamboyantly nightmarish colour palette. The cinematography by Ubaldo Terzano and Mario Bava is fluid and often uses movement to create atmosphere. The use of vivid, saturated hues and dramatic lighting, particularly the contrast between light and shadow, creates a foreboding and menacing atmosphere, making the visuals themselves participants in the horror. Karloff’s entrance as Gorca is a masterfully composed sequence. He steps into frame with his back to the camera and the limps ominously towards the farmhouse. His imposing demeanour is enhanced by makeup that contrasts with being lit from below. These details are more pronounced in this version.
The Italian edit also has the stories in a different order to the US release. The film begins with “The Telephone” and in this version the sexual subtext is far more apparent. Rosy is clearly a prostitute. Mary is possibly a former client who subsequently fell in love with Rosy. Themes that were excised from the US prints. This story plays out in many respects as a giallo, bearing many narrative hallmarks. Next is “The Wurdulak”, the most gothic of the three vignettes. The Italian version has a little more violence, when Gorca reveals the head of the dead bandit. Finally “The Drop of Water” is identical in both versions of the film, as its shock lies in jump scares, rather than violence. The US release has a different introduction by Boris Karloff and he links each new story. The Italian version has him appear at the start and end of the film only. The original score by Roberto Nicolosi is present in the Italian release but was replaced in the US version by a new soundtrack by AIP stalwart Les Baxter.
Overall the Italian release of Black Sabbath, is the superior version. It delivers three supernatural tales, featuring adult themes with style and atmosphere. The US version is tamer in tone, mainly because horror films at the time were aimed at the teenage market. The visual impact of the Italian version is greater due to the more vivid use of colour and the original score is less intrusive and melodramatic than the new American soundtrack. If Mario Bava’s version has one failing it is the dubbing of Boris Karloff into Italian. Although a necessity for the film’s release in its home market, it does have an impact upon Karloff’s performance. Modern audiences may consider some of the ideas, especially those in “The Telephone”, to be a little tired and overused However, the notion of a stalker in this instance predates most US films by a decade.
The artistry and structure in Black Sabbath, particularly its blend of suspense and supernatural horror, directly influenced the Italian giallo genre and the wider global horror aesthetic. Beyond the supernatural, the film masterfully explores themes of guilt and the encroaching forces of evil, making the terror deeply relatable and psychologically disturbing. Mario Bava continued to have a significant impact upon cinema throughout the sixties and seventies. He pre-empted the US slasher genre with the gory giallo A Bay of Blood (1971) and clearly had an influence upon Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979) with his atmospheric science fiction film, Planet of the Vampires (1965). Black Sabbath is a fine example of the stylish European approach to gothic horror and is therefore “must see” viewing for horror aficionados. Seek out the Italian version if possible.
