Black Sabbath (1963)

 

Yes, this is the film that gave the band its name. 

This is also one of those anthology-projects, which in this case means you get three stories from Mario Bava, one of those classic Italian masters of horror and suspense. Heck, the first story probably is the first of the Giallo, but I digress a tad. 

The first tale, simply entitled 'The Telephone', deals with Rosy and takes place almost entirely in her apartment. She gets calls and eventually someone actually threatens her, claiming to always see what she is doing and that she will die that evening. Naturally this upsets her very much, and in desperation she calls to a former friend, Mary. These two clearly have a lot of history and it is hinted at that they even had a relationship at one point. It seems as though Rosy's ex-boyfriend (a gangster) is behind the threatening calls, but not everything is what it seems... 

Second on the list is 'The Wurdulak', starring Boris Karloff. This one is the lengthiest and the most straightforward of the three tales. It is also the most predictable and even a little boring at times. This takes place in an unmentioned Eastern European country, where the grandfather of a family ventured out in order to slay a wurdulak (a type of vampire) and hasn't returned yet. A stranger comes across the house and the family, instantly becomes smitten with the daughter Sdenka and convinces her to elope with him. Meanwhile, the grandfather has returned and he is clearly not who he used to be. You can obviously tell where this all is going, even if it doesn't end on a note you might expect. So there's that, I guess. 

Third and probably the most gruesome is 'The Drop of Water'. Here, a greedy nurse steals a ring from an old lady who just passed away. But the old lady dabbled in the occult and talked to the dead, so it will not go that well for the nurse, as she is soon haunted by the sound of dripping water in her apartment and then some...

This is a fun anthology, especially thanks to a great introduction by the eloquent and marvelous Boris Karloff and it even ends with him providing some comedic tones to find closure. It is clear that the bookends are the best. They run solely on suspense and suggestion, and the use of the music, colours and sound effects are excellent. Especially the first one builds and builds, whereas the third one is a grizzly tale with some rather disturbing imagery. Doubly so if you take into account this was made in the early 60s. 

The centrepiece is a bit bland, even though Karloff once again delivers an excellent performance. But the tale has been told a million times already and this vampire-version doesn't really add anything to the mythos. It's pretty much just going by the numbers and that is a little disappointing, even if the sets are wonderful. 

You do need to find the original Italian version, though. The American one has totally fudged up the cuts and tossed around the stories. And sure, the Italian dubbing can be a little distracting, but as far as atmosphere and suspense go, they make it all work. 

Is this for everyone? No, not in the least. The slow pace and focus on suspense instead of gore and shock tactics might seem terribly outdated nowadays, but sometimes, the old ways are a lot more effective in creeping people out and in that, this film excels.