Mario Bava Collection [DVD]

This is a superb collection of five early films from the Italian master of the macabre, Mario Bava.

First up is The Mask Of Satan (a.k.a. Black Sunday) which is about a witch and vampiress who is burnt at the stake and then resurrected, giving her the opportunity for revenge. This film features a haunting performance from horror icon Barbara Steele in the dual roles of Princess Asa and Katia. An extremely spooky atmosphere pervades through the entire film and the opening scene is particularly memorable.

Black Sabbath (a.k.a. I tre volti della paura - The Three Faces Of Fear) consists of three creepy stories, the most famous of which is `The Wurdalak' story - a vampire tale starring the late great Boris Karloff. This apparently was Mario Bava's favourite of his own films and it provided the name for a Brummie heavy metal band led by a certain Mr. Osbourne!

La ragazza che sapeva troppo (The Girl Who Knew Too Much a.k.a. The Evil Eye) is widely acknowledged as being the first `giallo' film. Leticia Roman plays a young American woman who travels to Rome to visit her aunt and then becomes embroiled in a murder mystery. There is some excellent black and white photography in this movie and there are lots of twists and turns in the plot. This film also stars cult actor John Saxon who went on to appear in such cult classics as Enter The Dragon, Cannibal Apocalypse and A Nightmare On Elm Street. La ragazza che sapeva troppo had a huge influence on Dario Argento when he directed his first film l'uccello dalle piume di cristallo (The Bird With The Crystal Plumage - recently referenced in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof) and twenty years after La ragazza... Argento cast John Saxon in a significant role in one of his own giallo films, Tenebre. John Saxon's characters wear the same type of hat in both films! This DVD features the original Italian version of La ragazza... (with optional English subtitles) which is more serious in tone than the re-edited overseas version.

Knives Of The Avenger is basically a revenge western but instead of cowboys with six-guns it has Vikings armed with swords and daggers! This engrossing and beautifully-photographed film stars Bava regular Cameron Mitchell (who is probably best known for his role as Buck in the western series High Chaparral) and features some great action set-pieces.

The final film in this set is Kill Baby Kill which is about a village haunted by the ghost of a little girl. There is some wonderful use of lighting and colour in this evocative movie which helps to create a sinister, almost dream-like atmosphere.

There are some very good extra features on each disc. Each film has an introduction by horror journalist and Fright Fest organiser Alan Jones and other extras include audio commentaries, biographies, trailers, tv and radio spots, poster and still galleries and interviews.

This collection of films from one of the greatest and most important Italian directors really should form a part of any serious film fan's DVD collection. I cannot wait for Volume 2.

Language & Subtitle Options:
The Mask Of Satan - English language/no subtitles.
Black Sabbath - English or Italian language/English subtitles.
The Girl Who Knew Too Much - Italian Language/English subtitles.
Knives Of The Avenger - English or Italian language/English subtitles.
Kill Baby Kill - English or Italian language/English subtitles

I won't attempt an actual review as that has already been done quite adequately elsewhere, however, for those of you to whom aspect ratios are important, and I am one such person, the following information might be of interest:-

The Mask of Satan (aka Black Sunday & Revenge of the Vampire) 1.66 Anamorphic

Black Sabbath and The Girl Who Knew Too Much are both presented in 1.77 Anamorphic

Kill, Baby.. Kill! 1.85 Anamorphic

Knives of the Avenger. 2.35 Anamorphic.

Contrary to the otherwise excellent review by Jeremy - only Black Sunday and Knives of the Avenger have english soundtracks... the cases do list the languages for the movies as 'English and Italian' but I think the english part only applies to the Alan Jones introductions. Still an excellent set - well worth purchasing if you have not seen any Bava movies before.