Quote:
A trio of atmospheric horror tales about: A woman terrorized in her apartment by phone calls from an escaped prisoner from her past; a Russian count in the early 1800s who stumbles upon a family in the countryside trying to destroy a particularly vicious line of vampires; and a 1900-era nurse who makes a fateful decision while preparing the corpse of one of her patients – an elderly medium who died during a seance.

John Knoff wrote:
Mario Bava did rather a lot in his time. He co-directed the first Italian horror movie (I Vampiri in 1957), was cinematographer on the first Italian sci-fi movie (The Day the Sky Exploded in 1958) and then, when he had five minutes to spare, he invented the giallo genre with The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963). Not only that, most of his movies were quite good and proved massively influential to boot. In 1963 he also had a bash at a horror portmanteau with I tre volti della paura (The Three Faces of Fear), as it was known in Italy. Everywhere else it was known as Black Sabbath and inspired the Birmingham band Earth to change their name. Blimey, he even invented British Heavy Metal.

The whole thing is linked together with Boris Karloff in jovial form as our host and the stories are allegedly all from literary sources (if you’re liberal with your references). The Italian and US releases are so different that the stories aren’t even in the same order, but sticking with the Italian running order, we have…

The Telephone: Slightly odd one as, in its Italian form, it isn’t even supernatural. A woman gets some disturbing phone calls from the mysterious Frank who can see what she’s up to. Set in modern times this is really just a giallo short and so the first to bring that important colour to the genre.

The Wurdalak: Boris is actually in this one (and it’s the only time he played a vampire, we believe). The longest story here and a genuinely chilling tale of vampires that only kill the ones they love.

The Drop of Water: The real gem. A nurse in (an unconvincing) Victorian London attends to the body of an old lady who was a medium before she left this mortal coil. As she also looks absolutely terrifying even as a dummy made for the film, the last thing you’d do is nick her ring. Oh, what is she doing? What did we just say? This is great fun and far more frightening than it has any right to be.

Bava’s use of colour was something of a signature and became a hallmark of giallo so in all honesty, Blu-ray is the only way to watch these movies nowadays and the quality is pretty good. You also really need both versions because the Italian version is better even if there’s only so much dubbed Boris Karloff you can put up with. In fact, the differences are so great that this disc gives you a handy 30-minute split screen feature to point out where they’re different in case you weren’t taking notes. Throw in Tim Lucas’s informative commentary and the only other thing you could want is the comedy ending with Boris Karloff on a fake horse. Don’t worry, it’s there on the Italian version.

	
Black.Sabbath.(1963).European.Cut.REPACK.720p.UHD.BluRay.SDR.DTS2.0.x264-DON-KG.mkv

General
Container:  	Matroska
Runtime: 	1 h 32 min
Size: 	6.44 GiB
Video
Codec: 	x264
Resolution: 	1280x692 
Aspect ratio:  	1.85:1
Frame rate: 	24.000 fps
Bit rate: 	8 613 kb/s
BPP: 	0.405
Audio
#1:  	Italian 2.0ch DTS @ 1 344 kb/s (DTS 2.0)
#2:  	English 2.0ch AAC LC SBR @ 48.0 kb/s (Commentary by Bava Biographer and Expert Tim Lucas (fdkaac -m 3))

https://nitro.download/view/414E4889A6FC7FB/Black.Sabbath.(1963).European.Cut.REPACK.720p.UHD.BluRay.SDR.DTS2.0.x264-DON-KG.mkv

Language(s):Italian
Subtitles:English

Many thanks to @Marcio for this copy

The post Mario Bava – I tre volti della paura AKA Black Sabbath (1963) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

American student Peter Kliest travels to Austria to find out about his great-grandfather, the infamous Baron Otto Von Kliest, who tortured and murdered over a hundred people before being cursed by a witch and himself being tortured to death. He finds an incantation which, if read after midnight, can supposedly bring the Baron back to life, and with Eve, a woman who works at the Baron’s castle, he goes to the castle and recites it. Realising what they have done, they try to recant the incantation using an alternative spell but a wind blows it into the fireplace. The Baron, who is hideously disfigured, is now loose to torture and kill again. The following day at an auction, a mysterious wheelchair-billionaire called Alfred Becker buys the whole castle and sets about restoring it…

2.33GB | 1h 37m | 1000×576 | mkv

https://nitro.download/view/F42A0877EEF2D36/Gli_orrori_del_castello_di_Norimberga_AKA_Baron_Blood_(1972).576p.BDRip.Italy_KG.mkv
or
https://fikper.com/wLjpdo4dTS/Gli_orrori_del_castello_di_Norimberga_AKA_Baron_Blood_(1972).576p.BDRip.Italy_KG.mkv

Language(s):Italian,English,German
Subtitles:English (SRT Muxed as Optional)

The post Mario Bava – Gli orrori del castello di Norimberga AKA Baron Blood (1972) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

In 1981, RAI-TV presented six hour-long films based on stories by 19th century horror/fantasy authors from such directors as Giulio Questi (DJANGO, KILL!), Marcello Aliprandi (A WHISPER IN THE DARK) and Giovanna Gagliardo (STREET OF MIRRORS), starring actors that included Veronica Lario (TENEBRE), Saverio Vallone (ANTHROPOPHAGUS) and Stefano Madia (THE DEVIL’S HONEY). But it was the mini-series’ second episode that remains its most celebrated: The final work of legendary director Mario Bava – and the debut of his son Lamberto Bava as co-director – LA VENERE D’ILLE/THE VENUS OF ILLE stars Daria Nicolodi (DEEP RED) and Marc Porel (DON’T TORTURE A DUCKLING) in an elegantly chilling tale of supernatural love. Five episodes have been sourced from broadcast masters, with Bava’s swansong restored from a 16MM print discovered in the RAI vault by film preservationists Simone Starace and the late Michele De Angelis.

EPISODE 1: The Sandman
Dir. Giulio Questi

Hotheaded, romantic student Nathaniel conceives a passion for the professor’s daughter, Olympia. Others, though, say she has no soul, even that her singing and dancing are mechanical. When he stumbles on the professor and his assistant fightin over the automaton’s disassembled body, Nathaniel becomes even more unhinged.

EPISODE 2: Venus of Ille
Dir. Mario Bava & Lamberto Bava

Wealthy landowner Mr. De Peyhorrade uncovers a bronze statue of Venus on his property. Afterwards, De Peyhorrade asks an antique expert, named Matthew, from another village to examine the statue and confirm its wealth. Upon arrival, Matthew is striken with love by Clara, Mr. De Peyhorrade’s daughter-in-law, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the statue.

EPISODE 3: The Perfect Presence
Dir. Piero Nelli

Based on Henry James’ “Sir Edmund Ore,” it concerns the eerie experience of upper class, pipe-smoking Henry (William Berger, Five Dolls for an August Moon) when he becomes entangled in the lives of Annie Marden (Rada Rassimov, The Cat o’ Nine Tails) and her daughter, Charlotte (Emenuela Barattolo), who seem to be haunted by an apparition from the mother’s past. This one is very low key and chatty, but the solid cast and sumptuous production design make it a classy little ghost story on the non-menacing side.

EPISODE 4: The Possessed Hand
Dir. Marcello Aliprandi

The Possessed Hand is essentially a remake of the magnificent 1943 French horror film La main du diable (Carnival of Sinners) about a mysterious man showing off a ghastly, seemingly sentient severed hand to a group of guests at an inn during a snowstorm. Through flashbacks we learned the story of the diabolical limb and its origins with a Mephistopholean carnival barker played by the fantastic Gabriele Ferzetti (who makes this episode worth a look all by himself). While the earlier episodes were all shot in scenic locations with convincing period interiors, this one shifts gears for the rest of the stories by being obviously stage-bound with more minimal, stylized sets.

EPISODE 5: The Bottle Imp
Dir. Tomaso Sherman

Based on a short story by Robert Louis Stevenson. In Samoa, Stevenson (Mario Santella) relates the story of Keawe (Stefano Sabelli), manages to acquire a seemingly unbreakable bottle from an elderly rich gentleman who informs him that it contains an imp capable of granting his dearest wishes. However, the owner will be damned for eternity if he dies while the bottle is still in his possession. Obviously inspired by Powell and Pressburger films (especially The Tales of Hoffman), this is very theatrically staged and often feels more like a ballet with the camera moving back and forth between the stylized action and the narrator.

EPISODE 6: The Dream of Another
Dir. Giovanna Gagliardo

An adaptation of H.G. Wells’ “The Story of the Late Mr. Elvesham.” Here we have the saga of medical student Edward Eden (Stefano Madia), who is approached by the aging and wealthy Albert Elvesham (José Quaglio) in search of the perfect heir. Of course, that arrangement comes with a very big hitch that turns into an metaphysical nightmare. Again this one is shot on very spare sets, often shrouded in darkness or with a Magritte-style cloud backdrop that gives it a weird, dreamlike feeling throughout.

https://nitro.download/view/61670EE28B8C378/S01.E01.The.Sandman.(Giulio.Questi).mkv https://nitro.download/view/B172ADD19DB559B/S01.E02.Venus.of.Ille.(Mario.Bava.&.Lamberto.Bava).mkv
https://nitro.download/view/9D952737624DDA3/S01.E03.The.Perfect.Presence.(Piero.Nelli).mkv
https://nitro.download/view/C8B803EEB53C526/S01.E04.The.Possessed.Hand.(Marcello.Aliprandi).mkv
https://nitro.download/view/7AA040EE8E7B2CA/S01.E05.The.Bottle.Imp.(Tomaso.Sherman).mkv
https://nitro.download/view/3A48D998D5EC7F9/S01.E06.The.Dream.of.Another.(Giovanna.Gagliardo).mkv

Language(s):Italian, English commentary
Subtitles:English

The post Lamberto Bava & Mario Bava & Marcello Aliprandi & Giovanna Gagliardo & Piero Nelli & Giulio Questi & Tomaso Sherman – I giochi del diavolo AKA The Devil’s Game (1981) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

Young man found in Baghdad in a lamp with a Genie Pony which help the Prince to defeat evil and the good Sposaro Grand Vizier of the Sultan’s daughter. Modest variations in the history of the Arabian Held in special effects at night with Mario Bava, Italian edition that the royal signature, and characterizations of gigionesche Vittorio. De Sica and Aldo Fabrizi.

+Commentary with film historian Tim Lucas

2.69GB | 1h 33m | 1024×402 | mkv

https://nitro.download/view/3641353F44F0FE0/Le.meraviglie.di.Aladino.AKA.The.Wonders.of.Aladdin.1961.576p.BluRay.AAC.x264-HANDJOB.mkv

Language:English
Subtitles:English

The post Mario Bava & Henry Levin – Le meraviglie di Aladino (1961) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

Synopsis:
The American fan of mystery novels, Nora Davis, travels from New York to Rome to spend vacation with her mother’s friend Ethel Windell Batocci. On board the airplane, she accepts a pack of cigarettes from the passenger on the next seat and in the airport she finds that the man is a drug dealer. When she arrives at Ethel’s place, she meets Dr. Marcello Bassi and finds that the old lady is on her deathbed. During the night, Ethel has a heart attack and dies; Nora runs to the hospital to call Marcello. However, she is attacked and robbed on a staircase by a thief and faints. She awakens to witness a woman being stabbed, a man is after her. At the hospital, however, nobody believes her. At Ethel’s funeral, a stranger (Laura Craven-Torrani) introduces herself as a friend of Ethel’s and invites Nora to stay in her apartment while she travels to Switzerland to meet her husband. Nora accepts the invitation and decides to investigate the murder. She believes that the serial-killer of the so called Alphabet Murders is chasing her and she will be the next victim.

2.39GB | 1h 28mn | 960×576 | mkv

https://nitro.download/view/3585E47D97A08B5/La_ragazza_che_sapeva_troppo_(1963)_–_Mario_Bava.mkv

https://rapidgator.net/file/79b7d36f278597a18ce0414766d3e114/La_ragazza_che_sapeva_troppo_(1963)_–_Mario_Bava.mkv

Language:Italian+commentary
Subtitles:English (muxed)

The post Mario Bava – La ragazza che sapeva troppo AKA The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

A young model is murdered by a masked, black-gloved figure in the grounds of a high-class fashion house. When the victim’s diary, which apparently contains secrets of people connected to the fashion house, appears, the killer goes on a killing spree trying to hide his tracks and keep the diary from falling into wrong hands.

1.53GB | 1h 25mn | 1016×572 | mkv

https://nitro.download/view/D177FA7DFBD177B/Blood.and.Black.Lace.1964.with.Commentary-KG.avi https://nitro.download/view/39440204869D481/Blood.and.Black.Lace.1964.with.Commentary-KG.srt

Language(s):Italian
Subtitles:English, German, French, Portuguese, Spanish

The post Mario Bava – Sei donne per l’assassino AKA Blood and Black Lace (1964) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

Wealthy landowner Mr. De Peyhorrade uncovers a bronze statue of Venus on his property. Afterwards, De Peyhorrade asks an antique expert, named Matthew, from another village to examine the statue and confirm its wealth. Upon arrival, Matthew is striken with love by Clara, Mr. De Peyhorrade’s daughter-in-law, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the statue.

1.02GB | 1 h 0 min | 760×570 | mkv

https://nitro.download/view/9DAAC6ACE38A1A5/La_Venere_d’Ille.mkv

Language:Italian
Subtitles:English

The post Lamberto Bava & Mario Bava – “I giochi del diavolo” La Venere d’Ille AKA The Venus of Ille (1979) first appeared on Cinema of the World.