Black Sabbath (I Tre volti della paura) (The Three Faces of Fear) (The Three Faces of Terror) poster & wallpaper
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Boris Karloff, Michele Mercier, Mark Damon, Lidia Alfonsi, Jacqueline Pierreux ... see more see more... , Susy Andersen , Rika Dialina , Milli Monti , Glauco Onorato , Massimo Righi

This anthology features three chilling horror stories. "Il Telefono" is credited to Guy de Maupassant, although he never wrote such a story, and concerns a woman (Michele Mercier) receiving telephone ... read more read more...calls from beyond the grave. "Wurdulak", by Alexei Tolstoi, stars Boris Karloff as an aging vampire who can only feed on those he loves. Co-starring Mark Damon and Susy Andersen, it is clearly the best story of the three. The final tale, "La Goccia d'Acqua," is falsely credited to Anton Chekhov. It features Jacqueline Pierreux stealing a ring from a corpse she is preparing for burial, only to be murdered by the old woman's ghost. The American version differs in four major areas: the print is shorter, the stories appear in a different order, there is a linking device with Karloff speaking directly to the audience from a foggy void, and Roberto Nicolosi's musical score is replaced with one by lounge-icon Les Baxter. The American release of the film is also missing a comic coda featuring Karloff riding on horseback (or is he?); this appears in most Eurpoean prints of the film, including Mario Bava's original cut. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

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75% liked it

5,155 ratings

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83% liked it

12 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 39 min.

Directed by: Mario Bava, Salvatore Billitteri

Release Date: May 6, 1963

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DVD Release Date: August 1, 2000

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Stats: 247 reviews

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susy andersen and matt damon Bava directs Karloff Boris Karloff and Mario Bava Jacqueline Pierreux and Mario Bava Harriet Medin in 'Black Sabbath' italian horror michele mercier italian horror poster "The Drop of Water" susy andersen Black Sabbath (I Tre volti della paura) (The Three Faces of Fear) (The Three Faces of Terror) italian horror - vhs swedish old vhs
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Flixster Reviews (247)

  • DrBenway
    October 15, 2011
    DrBenway
    Mario Bava's "Black Sabbath" or "I Tre volti della paura" is an old school form of horror filmmaking. I don't mean that in the sense of it being "old". I mean it's horror done in a fashion that's seemingly long gone. Slow takes, nail-biting tension and skin crawling atmospher... read moree as one would expect from the director. It also shows a different side to Boris Karloff rather than the Universal Monsters depiction most of us have come to immediately recognize him for. He is macabre yet somehow remains charming.

    Black Sabbath is a great film and one of the few genuinely gothic horror films in existence. If you like horror films, you need to see this one. And if you don't like horror films you need to see this one even more. 3 great stories designed for late nights.



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  • TheDudeLebowski65
    October 15, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Mario Bava's Black Sabbath is a definite horror classic. This horror film is an anthology with three terrific, horrifying stories. Brilliantly directed with a good dose of atmospheric dread for each story, and narrated by legendary horror icon, Boris Karloff; Black Sabbath is an ... read moreeffectively chilling horror anthology and is one of the best horror anthologies that I have seen in quite some time. Black Sabbath has got three stories that will terrify you. Each story is brilliantly acted and leaves you in a state of dread. My personal favorite of the three stories is the third one, "The drop of water"; I thought that was the most chilling of all. A woman is haunted by the vengeful ghost of a dead medium after she steals a sapphire ring from her finger. The moments of that story are chilling and are some of the most terrifying in the horror genre. Mario Bava has made one of the best anthologies with Black Sabbath and this is a must see classic for horror fans. The stories are chilling, and they definitely build up good tension and a feeling of dread in the viewer. This is a terrific horror film and I consider one of the key Italian horror films. This is a well constructed horror film, one that is chilling and memorable. The film is brilliantly acted and directed and the stories are terrifying and original. As far as horror anthologies are concerned, Black Sabbath is by far one of the best that has ever been filmed. If you haven't seen this classic, then you should head to your local video store and rent it, you'll be in for one terrifying night of eerie and bone chilling stories.
  • matertenebraum
    April 14, 2011
    matertenebraum
    Three macabre tales."the telephone".a woman is plagued by threatening calls but all is not what it seems."the wurdaluk".in 18th century Russia a family wait for their father, now a vampire to come home and claim his loved ones and suck their blood."a drop of water". a nurse robs ... read morea corpse of a ring and soon regrets it. This film continuously eluded me for many years and i finally managed to see it in it's original form, beautifully restoredand it's worth the wait. the first story is the weakest, although not without interest. the second is the best , very atmospheric and contains a powerful scary performance from Boris Karloff who plays the lead vampire for the only time in his career and this role is one of his best.The last story is short but creepy and features the most scary corpse you'll ever see in a film.This is easily director Mario Bava's best film.only a silly last scene with Karloff dents it a little.
  • mjgildea
    November 28, 2010
    mjgildea
    Great almost camp horror movie. Of the 3 stories, "The Drop of Water" is definitely the best because the last 5 minutes of it actually freaked me out. I haven't been that scared in years. The intro and the outro bring down the movie. Boris Karloff comes out like he's Dean Martin... read more or some shit. The last 5 minutes of the last story laid down such frightening imagery and hypnotize you into such a state of fright then we've got this pruny son of a bitch telling me we're going to be friends! It was actually kind of heartbreaking. Still scary with repeated viewings and Jesus, that corpse dummy is scary as all hell. Some of Mario Bava's best work...
  • ajv2688
    November 25, 2010
    ajv2688
    This is an anthology horror movie, some of the stories are good, and some aren't so good, but overall it's a pretty good movie.
  • ceWEBrity
    July 21, 2010
    ceWEBrity
    I had to wade through two pages of shitty Black Sabbath documentaries to get to this movie. Fuck your neckbeard metal band! Anyway, this movie is great fun. Telephone is bare and effective in its minimalism, The Wurdalak is beautifully shot (though it felt overlong and not all th... read moreat involving), and A Drop of Water, with the incredibly creepy corpse and a tense depiction of a woman's unraveling sanity, was my favorite. Boris Karloff is delightfully over-the-top in The Wurdalak and a real treat to see, and the ending is really fucking cute. This whole movie is cute, really, and I don't care how strange that makes me sound. It's a creepy, entirely wholesome slice of 1960s Italian horror, without a drop of mean-spiritedness to its name. I really enjoy anthologies; why don't I watch them more often?
  • ScoopOnline
    December 15, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    There are very few classic Horror Movies that creep me out and this was hmm..50-50
  • flixsterman
    December 12, 2009
    flixsterman
    Old school Gothic horror classic. Mario Bava presents three separate tales of terror, with a little something for everyone. A psychological thriller, a 'Wurdulak' adventure (as near as I can tell, they're a cross between a zombie and a vampire), and a ghost story. Campy, creep... read morey fun.
  • bbcfloridabound
    October 19, 2009
    bbcfloridabound
    This is a 3 short film collection (about 30 Min Each) from Mario Bava, and who better to narrate the beginning but Boris Karloff. These having been filmed in the 1960 time frame I can see where a lot of the short story TV Films came from ie Tales of the Crypt just to name one. Th... read moreese 3 are far better and my belief that a number of Directors got ideas from Bava to be successful in America. The first movie the Phone about a Lesbian affair that went bad, and even worst for both as the film went on. The second The Wurdalak stars Boris Karloff (The only one he's in) and Mark Damon, the interview with Mark Damon opened my eyes to someone who slip through the cracks. This is about vampires and a pretty cool film at that. The Last was The Drop of Water, something I would have expected to have been written my Edgar Allen Poe, I can't pick out the best one, all 3 were 4 1/2 star films and some of the Best I've seen to date by Bava.
  • rubystevens
    November 10, 2007
    rubystevens
    somewhat campy but still cool italian 'trilogy of terror.' beautiful atmospheric lighting

View All Black Sabbath (I Tre volti della paura) (The Three Faces of Fear) (The Three Faces of Terror) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Steve Biodrowski
July 9, 2008
Steve Biodrowski, ESplatter

Only one episode [of this anthology] reaches the critical mass that explodes into the kind of absolute terror that will satisfy skeptic and fan alike, but that is more than enough to make this essenti... Full Review

Nick Schager
February 14, 2008
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

An exemplar of expressionistic visual storytelling. Full Review

David Nusair
February 6, 2008
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

...a trilogy of sporadically chilling yet ultimately ineffective horror tales... Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
April 12, 2007
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

I'm not easily scared, but this one gave me chills. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
September 18, 2006
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

... chilling horror story anthology. Full Review

Staci Layne Wilson
July 12, 2006
Staci Layne Wilson, About.com

A Drop of Water is definitely the most atmospheric and creepy of the three tales. Full Review

February 9, 2006
Time Out

Vintage Bava. Full Review

Steve Crum
October 23, 2004
Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan

Later Karloff features him in name only

Ken Hanke
August 22, 2002
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Uneven, but the 'Drop of Water' sequence is about the creepiest thing ever filmed

Emanuel Levy
July 6, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

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