Although highly praised, I think it remains a lesser Mario Bava film whose mature work and influence was seemingly more defined by Blood and Black Lace (his masterpiece) than his early work. Yet some imagery in this film offers a preview of what woul... (read more) Although highly praised, I think it remains a lesser Mario Bava film whose mature work and influence was seemingly more defined by Blood and Black Lace (his masterpiece) than his early work. Yet some imagery in this film offers a preview of what would later lead to the Italian genre known as the giallo.

It was well done for it's time. Make sure you watch the Italian version though because the English version you can't half tell that it has been dubbed. Barbara Steele fits this role perfectly.

Great atmosphere and a truly dark tale make this one of Bava's best, and a great example of gothic horror.

Aside from its classic cheesy horror moments, the film dragged. But I may be wrong, and come to realize that I was actually all along "in the presence of a mystery beyond all reasoning!"
the camera work was decent, though, and it may be enough to cau... (read more) Aside from its classic cheesy horror moments, the film dragged. But I may be wrong, and come to realize that I was actually all along "in the presence of a mystery beyond all reasoning!"
the camera work was decent, though, and it may be enough to cause me to up my rating after more time has gone by.

I was way too harsh when I first rated this movie. I can see where Raimi and Argento may have gotten influence from after watching this.

A Gothic masterpiece, this atmospheric horror movie from Mario Bava is a triumph of cinematography, set design, and mood. The story may suffer from underdevelopment, but the visuals more than make up for it. Barbara Steele's face alone evokes a sen... (read more) A Gothic masterpiece, this atmospheric horror movie from Mario Bava is a triumph of cinematography, set design, and mood. The story may suffer from underdevelopment, but the visuals more than make up for it. Barbara Steele's face alone evokes a sense of exotic evil that can't be matched.

The image of the mask being pounded into Barbara Steel's face is such a good opener that there is no way anything afterward could live up to it. For the most part this is true, but there is so much gothic style through this thing that it is definate... (read more) The image of the mask being pounded into Barbara Steel's face is such a good opener that there is no way anything afterward could live up to it. For the most part this is true, but there is so much gothic style through this thing that it is definately worth while. Bava's vampire film. Again solid black and white photography. Check it out for sure.

Black and white gothic horror at its verry best. Bava's greatest movie and a must see for all fans of the genre.

Good creepy fun, like the best Mario Bava. Beautifully & atmospherically shot, with only a couple of annoying dubbing issues (it's very well-dubbed, actually; some of the voice acting choices are, to put it kindly, ill-considered).

Maybe I'm a generation too late to truly appreciate Mario Bava. After all, I grew up with shitty slasher movies like Scream, and when I finally did get into Italian horror, it was Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci. I still appreciated this film for what ... (read more) Maybe I'm a generation too late to truly appreciate Mario Bava. After all, I grew up with shitty slasher movies like Scream, and when I finally did get into Italian horror, it was Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci. I still appreciated this film for what it was, and still is: a creepy black and white thriller with scary moments directed by the master of this sort of thing: Mario Bava. It certainly hasn't aged well, but one cannot deny the style and camerawork which definitely make up for any shortcomings in plot and acting. Well worth seeing if you like Italian horror, or horror from that era in general.