Kaglines: This is the night of the nightmare…
Black Sabbath movie storyline. 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.
Black Sabbath (Italian: I Tre Volti della Paura, lit. ‘The Three Faces of Fear’) is a 1963 horror anthology film directed by Mario Bava. The film is centered on three separate tales that are introduced by Boris Karloff. The first, titled “The Telephone”, involves Rosy (Michèle Mercier) who continually receives threatening telephone calls from an unseen stalker.
The second is “The Wurdulak”, where a man named Gorca (Karloff) returns to his family after claiming to have slain a Wurdulak, an undead creature who attacks those that it had once loved. The third story, “The Drop of Water”, is centered on Helen Corey (Jacqueline Pierreux), a nurse who steals a ring from a corpse that is being prepared for burial and finds herself haunted by the ring’s original owner after arriving home.
Being a low-budget horror film with multiple stories, an international cast and foreign financial backing, Black Sabbath follows numerous trends of 1960s Italian film productions. The film is credited to various writers, but is predominantly based on several uncredited sources, and changes were made to the script after filming commenced.
American International Pictures and Titra Sound Corporation suggested changes to Bava during filming to make the film palatable for American audiences, and created their own English-language version of the film, which replaced Roberto Nicolosi’s score with music by Les Baxter, removed several depictions of graphic violence and made alterations to other scenes. This version greatly changed the plot of “The Telephone”, giving it a supernatural element and removing all references to lesbianism and prostitution.
Black Sabbath was a commercial failure upon release in Italy, and performed below expectations in America. A spiritual sequel to the film, based on “The Dunwich Horror” and provisionally titled Scarlet Friday, was set to reunite Bava with Karloff and co-star Christopher Lee, but AIP distanced themselves from Bava following the failure of Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs and eventually produced the film without Bava, Karloff or Lee’s involvement. Plans for a remake were announced in 2004 with Jonathan Hensleigh attached to write the script.
About the Story
The Telephone
Rosy (Michèle Mercier), a French call-girl, returns to her basement apartment at night. She receives a series of strange phone calls. The caller eventually identifies himself as Frank, her former pimp who has recently escaped from prison. Rosy is terrified; it was her testimony that sent Frank to prison. Rosy phones Mary (Lydia Alfonsi) for solace.
The women have been estranged, but Rosy is certain that only Mary can help her. Mary agrees to come over that night. Seconds later, Frank calls again, promising that no matter what Rosy does he will have his revenge. Rosy doesn’t realize that Mary is impersonating Frank on the telephone. Mary arrives at Rosy’s apartment and attempts to calm Rosy’s nerves. Mary provides Rosy with a large knife for protection before she goes to sleep.
As Rosy sleeps, Mary writes a confession explaining that she made the calls to force a reunion, knowing that Rosy would call on her for help. While she is writing, an intruder enters the apartment. The intruder is Frank (Milo Quesada),[2] who strangles Mary. The sound of their struggle awakens Rosy, and Frank realizes he murdered the wrong woman. Frank approaches Rosy’s bed, but she seizes her knife and stabs Frank. Rosy drops the knife and breaks down in hysteria.
The Wurdulak
In 19th-century Russia, Vladimir Durfe (Mark Damon) is a young nobleman who finds a beheaded corpse with a knife plunged into its heart. He takes the blade, and finds shelter in a small cottage. Durfe is approached by Giorgio (Glauco Onorato), who explains that the knife belongs to his father, who has not been seen for five days. Giorgio offers a room to Durfe and introduces him to the rest of the family: his wife (Rika Dialina), their young son Ivan, Giorgio’s younger brother Pietro (Massimo Righi), and sister Sdenka (Susy Andersen).
They all await the return of Gorca, who has gone to fight the wurdalak, a living cadaver who feeds on human blood, especially of close friends and family members. At midnight, Gorca (Boris Karloff) returns to the cottage with a sour demeanor and unkempt appearance. After the family goes to sleep, Ivan and Pietro are attacked by Gorca, who flees the cottage with Ivan. Giorgio chases after Gorca but only returns with Ivan’s corpse. Giorgio plans to stake and behead Ivan to prevent him from reviving as a Wurdalak, but is prevented from doing so by his wife. The two agree to give their son a burial.
That same night, their child appears outside and begs to be invited in. Giorgio is stabbed by his wife while she attempts to let in her son. On opening the door, she is greeted by Gorca, who bites her. Vladimir and Sdenka flee from their home and hide in the ruins of a cathedral. As Vladimir sleeps, Sdenka walks outside and finds Gorca and his family surrounding her. Vladimir awakens and searches for Sdenka, finding her lying motionless in her bed at home. Sdenka awakens and, upon receiving Vladimir’s embrace, she bites into his neck.
The Drop of Water
In 1910s London, Nurse Helen Chester (Jacqueline Pierreux) is called by the maid (Milly Monti) of an elderly medium to prepare the latter’s corpse for burial. As she dresses the body, she notices a sapphire ring on its finger. Chester steals it, accidentally tipping over a glass of water which drips on the floor; she is then assailed by a fly. Chester takes the ring home to her flat and witnesses strange events.
The fly returns and continues to pester her, and the lights in her apartment go out as the sound of the dripping water is heard from various locations. Chester finds the woman’s corpse lying in her bed. It rises and floats toward her. Chester begs for forgiveness, but ultimately strangles herself.
The next morning, the concierge (Harriet White Medin) discovers Chester’s body and calls the police. The pathologist (Gustavo De Nardo) arrives to examine the body and only finds a small bruise on her left finger where her ring once was. As the doctor (Alessandro Tedeschi) announces this observation, the concierge appears distressed and hears the dripping of water.
Black Sabbath (1963)
Directed by: Mario Bava
Starring: Boris Karloff, Mark Damon, Michèle Mercier, Lydia Alfonsi, Susy Andersen, Glauco Onorato, Jacqueline Pierreux, Harriet Medin, Gustavo De Nardo, Massimo Righi
Screenplay by: Marcello Fondato, Alberto Bevilacqua, Mario Bava
Production Design by: Riccardo Domenici
Cinematography by: Ubaldo Terzano, Mario Bava
Film Editing by: Mario Serandrei
Costume Design by: Tina Grani
Art Direction by: Giorgio Giovannini
Music by: Roberto Nicolosi
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures (Italy) The Rank Organisation (France)
Release Date: August 17, 1963 (Italy), November 17, 1965 (France)
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