Product Details

• Actors: Barbara Steele, John Richardson, Andrea Checchi, Ivo Garrani, Arturo Dominici
• Directors: Mario Bava
• Writers: Mario Bava, Ennio De Concini, George Higgins, Marcello Coscia, Mario Serandrei
• Producers: Lou Rusoff
• Format: Anamorphic, Black & White, DVD, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: Image Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: December 14, 1999
• Run Time: 83 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00002NDM3
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #38,495 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  #2 in	Movies & TV > Classics > Classic Horror & Monsters > Ghosts & the Occult
  #12 in	Movies & TV > Cult Movies > Cult Directors > Bava, Mario
  #14 in	Movies & TV > Horror > Things That Go Bump > Ghosts

• For more information about "Black Sunday (aka The Mask of Satan)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The reigning masterpiece of Italian horror cinema, Mario Bava's Black Sunday remains one of the most stylishly photographed of all horror films, ranking with any other black-and-white film of lasting repute. This was the master cameraman's official directorial debut, and his striking compositions are the work of a genuine artist in peak form. Loosely adapted from a story by Nikolai Gogol, this chilling vampire tale begins in 17th-century Moldavia, where the evil Princess Asa (Barbara Steele) is executed for witchcraft and vampirism, along with her brother Javutich (Arturo Dominici). Two centuries later, a pair of traveling doctors discover Asa's crypt and inadvertently revive the evil princess, whose scheme of vampiric revenge is aimed at her own identical descendant Princess Katia, an innocent beauty (also played by Steele) whose lifeblood will ensure Asa's immortality.

Influenced by Universal's classic horror films of the '30s and British Hammer films of the late '50s, Black Sunday (released in Italy as The Mask of Satan) is a dark fairy tale, with horror queen Steele as the definitive embodiment of erotic horror. With shocking violence (tame by today's standards) and visual emphasis on tombs, secret passages, ominous castles, and unseen forces, the film offers a wealth of memorable imagery and inventive technique. Redubbed, rescored, and harshly edited for its American release in 1961, Black Sunday is presented on DVD in the original English-language director's cut of The Mask of Satan, never before available in the U.S. The perfect movie to watch on a dark and stormy night, this timeless classic is the Citizen Kane of horror films, entirely worthy of its lofty reputation. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description
From the Mario Bava Collection comes his most frightening masterpiece, a tribute to the classic horror of Universal Pictures. In 17th Century Moldavia, the evil Princess Asa is condemned to death for witchcraft and vampirism, along with her brother, Prince Igor Javutich. Two hundred years later, two doctors en route to a medical convention discover her crypt and accidentally set her resurrection in motion! With the help of Javutich and others whom she enthralls with her cold, dead kiss, Asa sets her sights on her ultimate victim--Princess Katia, her own twin descendant. Filmed in gorgeous black & white by the director himself, "Black Sunday" is a stylish and relentlessly visual film of undiluted violence starring cult film star Barbara Steele (Shivers, 8 1/2). The uncut European version--first time on video in the United States!

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Brilliant Bava, October 26, 2003

By	Jeffrey Leach (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Italian director Mario Bava exploded onto the horror scene with the wonderful black and white film "Black Sunday," also known as "The Mask of Satan" (a title I prefer because it does such a better job describing the movie). This picture borrows heavily from a Nikolai Gogol short story called "The Vij," and while I am not familiar with the story, the movie succeeds fantastically at conveying a bleak atmosphere of horror. "The Mask of Satan" was Bava's official directorial debut, giving viewers a chance to see the genius that was to come from this excellent filmmaker. Bava didn't merely direct films, however. He also worked on all aspects of movie making during his long career. The director even helped his son cut his teeth in the business immediately before his death in 1980. Fans will miss Bava terribly after viewing just a few of his films, as he was one of those rare Italian horror directors who could truly deliver the goods.

"Black Sunday," set in Romania, opens at an unspecified date in the seventeenth century. Some of the local nobles decide to get together and roast a couple of Satan's followers, but this barbecue bears a special meaning for the House of Vajda because one of its own is on the spit. The beautiful Princess Asa Vajda fell under the evil spell of the dark one, along with her unseemly lover Javutich, and both now face a painful execution. In order to insure that these two sullied creatures wear the mark of their crimes, Asa's own brother orders a metal mask of Satan nailed to their faces. Unfortunately for the Vajda family, Asa casts a curse on the family immediately before her execution, promising to come back from the dead and plague her relatives throughout the centuries. After carrying out this sordid task, the people present attempt to burn the corpses, but a rainstorm conveniently whips up and prevents the destruction of the bodies of these two satanic worshippers. In order to rid themselves of the bodies, the House of Vajda orders Asa interred in the family crypt with a few conditions: a glass pane and a cross must be placed on the sarcophagus in order to keep Asa firmly in her coffin. Javutich's corpse doesn't fare as well; his body ends up in a grave in the cemetery. All's well that end's well after this incident, as Asa and Javutich waste away the centuries in their tombs.

Flash forward two hundred years. Two doctors traveling to a medical conference stumble upon the decaying Vajda crypt. In a fit of scientific defiance to peasant tradition, one of the doctors named Kruvajan bumbles around Asa's coffin and causes some damage to it. From this point on, Bava takes his viewers on a roller coaster ride of creepy imagery, walking corpses, vampiric transformations, and oppressive atmosphere rarely seen in even the best of horror films. As the horror of "The Mask of Satan" unfolds, we meet the various characters who will play witness to the resuscitated curse on the House of Vajda: Doctor Gorobec, the young, heroic companion of Kruvajan destined to save the day; Katia Vajda, the present princess of Vajda; and her fearful father and brother. Katia's father knows about the curse of Asa, and he spends a significant portion of his time worrying about it. Moreover, several people remark on the amazing resemblance between Asa and Katia Vajda as seen in an old portrait of the Satan worshipping princess. Does this similarity have anything to do with the Asa's seemingly renewed deathbed curse? Probably, and the fun comes from watching it unfold through Bava's masterful use of cinematography, sets, atmosphere, sound effects, and gruesome special effects.

That Universal horror films influenced "The Mask of Satan" is so obvious it really doesn't need mentioning in the editorial review on this site. Throughout the movie, I continually recognized these similarities. Perhaps the surprising revelation here is that Bava's film is markedly better than many of the influences he supposedly borrowed from. Check out the coach moving through the forest in complete silence, or the trip Javutich and the doctor take through the castle. These are superb effects accomplished without the benefit of CGI or fancy prosthetics. Additionally, every movement of each character seems choreographed for maximum creepy effect. I kept wondering how Bava managed to get his actors to move so SLOWLY while making it look so natural. Special mention goes to the eerily effective Barbara Steele, the actress who plays both Asa and Katia. I wouldn't go as far as a few horror fans and say that this woman is drop dead gorgeous, but she is pretty and the make-up effects used on her face give her a ultra creepy appearance when she is playing Asa. I could go on and on about the things I liked in this movie. Everything works masterfully, giving "The Mask of Satan" a classic feel right from the start.

The DVD version of the film I watched carries a "Special Edition" label, meaning that you get a Mario Bava biography and filmography, a trailer, a photo and poster gallery, and a commentary by Bava historian Tim Lucas. The package claims this is the uncut version of the film, always a good thing when you decide to watch a horror movie. Mario Bava went on to make a slew of films in a wide range of genres, but so far "The Mask of Satan" has been my most satisfying experience with this director. With Halloween right around the corner, this film would nicely fit the bill for a home horror movie marathon.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This deluxe DVD is a must for any serious collector, February 24, 2000

By	Michael Noble (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

Black Sunday is an engrossing, well-crafted, and suprisingly beautiful horror film. This DVD is testament to that fact and a sharp back-handed slap at those who automatically dismiss genre movies as trash. The respect Black Sunday and director Mario Bava are given is long overdue.

I won't bore you with tedious plot summarys. All I will tell you is that if you haven't seen Black Sunday, you must, and that if you have seen it, you must see it again in this presentation (because you've been missing plenty both in content and quality).

Presented in its origanal 1:66:1 theatrical aspect ratio, viewers for the first time can see this classic in ALL its macabre glory. The image quality is absolutely astounding when one compares it to the VHS editions floating around. The audio is also presented in pristine condition gaurenteed to sound excellent in any stereo thanks to the various formats.

All this makes one wonder exactly how much time went into this? If Video Watchdog editor/publisher Tim Lucas's liner notes and commentary are any indication, then the answer has to be a lot! Both are well-informed and thorougly entertaining.

It is a wonderful feeling to know that someone took the time to give you your money's worth -- that is exactly what the people behind this gorgeous DVD have done.

As an avid fan of the writings of Tim Lucas, I would like to strongly encourage fans of Mario Bava and like-minded artists to check out his magazine, Video Watchdog and his post-modernistic vampire novel, Throat Sprockets.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bava, Steele, and Lucas make this movie a keeper, April 17, 2002

By	C. Clark (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"Black Sunday" is widely regarded as one of Mario Bava's strongest films in a career filled with over a dozen bona fide horror/giallo/goth classics. On one level, "Black Sunday" is something of a red herring for the director, a black and white film which reminds one more--on first glance--of the classic '30s Universal horror stories than of later color-laden works like "Black Sabbath" or "Planet of The Vampires." However, "Black Sunday" is where Bava began as a solo director, and he hits a home run the first time out with this eerie tale.

Barbara Steele is perfectly cast as both the evil vampiress risen from the dead as well as her modern descendant, a more demure but surprisingly strong heiress. This performance cemented her reputation as one of the earliest "scream queens," and in this film there are plenty of opportunities to display her talents as one of the finest reactors (as opposed to actors) in cinema history. Her expressive eyes and eyebrows--and voice-- always let the viewer know exactly what her character is feeling.

Modern viewers may be wary that the film is in black and white, but this remains one of the most beautifully shot films I've ever seen. When done the right way, black and white photography can be far more evocative than color photography--not to slight such Bava devotees as Argento, who obviously have copied his later penchant for color. The camerawork, especially a 360 turn displaying the entire dungeon, is always impressive; rumor has it that Bava often used a child's wagon as a dolly to save money.

The DVD of "Black Sunday" is exemplary not only due to the beauty of the transfer but also Tim Lucas' commentary. This is one of the finest commentaries done by an "outsider" (i.e. someone who did not direct or star in the film) I have ever heard. Lucas, a historian, is known by many as the author of fine liner notes for DVDs for Bava and Jess Franco (eg, "Vampyros Lesbos"); here, he talks almost nonstop about every aspect of the film and its director. Never dull, sometimes funny, this is a commentary which will teach you more about Mario Bava in 80 minutes than you could learn surfing the web all day.