Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

The epitome of Italian cinema, and for that matter, the entire horror genre.

Practically every country has made a unique contribution to the film industry: France brought us Auteur Theory, Spain perfected surrealism, Korea created abstract slasher films, Japan trumpeted its "holy trinity" of directors, the USA is home to Hollywood, India to Bollywood, and so forth. Italy's claim on film history is horror, and Mario Bava's "Black Sunday" (also called "Mask of Satan") continues to be internationally hailed as THE greatest horror movie of all-time.

"Black Sunday" begins with an introductory sequence showing a 17th century witch-burning. We see two bound witches, Asa and her husband Igor, surrounded by robed inquisitors. Just prior to inquisitors' branding and executing Asa, the doomed witch places a curse on her brother (the chief inquisitor) that states her intent to return from the grave and destroy his descendants. After reciting her infamous curse, Asa is killed by a mask of nails being hammered onto her face. As the witch's lifeless body is propped up to be burned at the stake, a huge rainstorm mystically appears and vanquishes the cleansing flames - the inquisitors flee in terror.

200 years pass since Asa and Igor's execution and we find ourselves sometime around the late 1800's.

Enter the Doctor and his assistant, our hero, Andre. While traveling to Moldavia, these two doctors decide to instruct the carriage driver to take a shortcut through the supposedly haunted woods. After journeying midway through the dreaded forest, the carriage's wheel breaks and the scientists decide to explore a nearby ruined chapel while they wait out the repair. Exploring the ruin, the Doctor and Andre come across an old tomb with dust and coffins galore. Unknowingly, the Doctor breaks into one of the coffins and takes off the mask of its occupant (Asa), releasing the witch's spirit from eternal imprisonment.

A few hundred yards away from the tomb, The Lord of Moldavia (descendant of Asa's brother) lives with his son Constantine and his daughter Katia in a sizeable castle. The nobleman becomes paranoid as he begins to see things - signs that his greatest fear is almost realized. The story begins to unfold.

Mario Bava's style is what brings "Black Sunday" its legacy of being the greatest horror film ever. Mario Bava combines the supernatural elements of silent-era cinema with the methods and camera techniques of the 1960's. Bava's revived old-school portrayal of the supernatural is exceptionally done: blank faced antagonists, slow-motion ghost carriages, secret passageways, time-lapse effects, etc. The film's cinematography stems out of French Auteur influence - the moving camera explores the nooks and crannies of the dark setting, hinting at where the next big scare will be. This beautiful combination of modern camerawork with silent-era cinema is what brings the spooky world of "Black Sunday" alive.

As highly coveted as this film may be, its two major flaws cannot escape my critical eye. The biggest inadequacy of "Black Sunday" is its awfully dated score. The sweeping symphony that infests the soundtrack is typical 1950-60's cheese. This music's grand melodrama accomplishes the exact opposite of its intent - it detracts from the suspense and horror. The other flaw that I noticed within "Black Sunday" is terrible execution of the romance scenes between Katia and Andre. It seems that Bava took ill-advised notes on Hollywood cinema of the 50's, as these overly-dramatic love sequences draw laughter instead of tears. These two problems are the only reason for the 4-star rating in an otherwise 5-star film.

Italy is home to the best cinema of the horror genre. Don't miss this Brava classic, the critically-acclaimed "Citizen Kane of horror." Personally not my favorite, but a must-see foundation of giallo cinema.

IMPORTANT NOTE: "Black Sunday" is best-viewed with subtitles. Try to get your hands on a subtitled version at all costs. A DVD version probably exists, but I'm not sure. I have also viewed the dubbed English version and rest assured that if my rating was based on that version alone, "Black Sunday" would only get 3 stars. The original vocal performances of the Italian actors are ten times better and more authentic than the voice-overs.





Recommended: Yes

Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older
Special Effects: Well at least you can't see the strings