La Maschera del demonio (Black Sunday) (House of Fright) (Mask of the Demon) poster & wallpaper
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Barbara Steele, John Richardson, Ivo Garrani, Andrea Checchi, Arturo Dominici ... see more see more... , Enrico Olivieri , Antonio Pierfederici , Clara Bindi , Germana Dominici , Mario Passante , Tino Bianchi , Amy Steel

Generally considered to be the foremost example of Italian Gothic horror, this darkly atmospheric black-and-white chiller put director Mario Bava on the international map and made the bewitching Barba... read more read more...ra Steele a star. Steele plays Princess Asa, a high priestess of Satan who is gruesomely executed in 1600s Moldavia by having a spiked mask hammered into her face. Before she dies, Asa vows revenge on the family who killed her and returns from the grave two centuries later to keep her promise. In a striking resurrection scene replete with bats, scorpions and fog, Asa rises from the tomb to claim her bloody vengeance. With vampires, bubbling flesh, dank crypts, undead servants and torch-bearing mobs, the plot is a little ripe, but the visuals are Bava's primary consideration. The atmosphere is so heavy and the imagery so dense that the film becomes nearly too rich in texture, but the sheer, ghastly beauty of it all is entrancing. Although this was only the second of Bava's twenty-six films as director, it is undoubtedly his best and the one upon which most of his considerable reputation rests. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

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79% liked it

5,961 ratings

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15 critics

R, 1 hr. 23 min.

Directed by: Mario Bava

Release Date: December 31, 1960

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DVD Release Date: December 14, 1999

Stats: 328 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (328)

  • DragonEyeMorrison
    October 12, 2011
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Bava's influential tale of gothic horror has aged far better than other horror movies from the time. This is thanks to Bava's atmospheric direction, along with a good use of good ol traditional movie sets. The story gets a bit erratic in the second half, and the resolution is not... read more as thrilling as it could be. Neverless, this one still deserves it's reputation as being a classic of the genre.
  • cosmo313
    September 13, 2011
    cosmo313
    The story here concerns a (vampire) witch who, in 1630 is sentenced to death along with her male accomplice. Just before dying she vows revenge. Two centruies later, some guys go stumbling around in a decrepit castle crypt and accidentally bring the woman back from the dead, who ... read moreproceeds to go aroudn feasting upon her descendants.

    That's pretty much it as far as the plot goes. Not very original or complex, but that's fine. Where the film really shines though, is in the art direction, set design, and cinematography. They are the real highlight. This was shot in alck and white, and everything looks gorgeous. This has a wonderful atmosphere and mood, and I can definitely see why this is such an influential movie, especially on Tim Burton, who has said it is one of his favorites.

    This is a nice gloomy gothic chiller, and it's comparable to some of the Hammer films, though this is an Italian film, and often considered one of the best. I'm not sure about all that, but I did enjoy it, and found it to be pretty entertaining.

    Yeah, the story could be better, and some of the acting is a little over the top (same goes for the dialogue), but maybe that's because I watched the English dub. The performances are okay though, and Barbara Steele (in a dual role) is quite a looker. For what's it's worth, Winona Ryder kinda resembles her a bit, This has some decent special effects for 1960 as well, and some of this must have been rather shocking for its time.

    I give major credit for the mise en scene stuff, but the film's faults bring the overall rating down to 4 stars. You should still give this one a watch though, especially if you're into old school horror chillers.
  • matertenebraum
    April 14, 2011
    matertenebraum
    "The sound that you hear is dripping blood. This...is the beginning of Black Sunday !!" ...These two very atmospheric and mood-setting sentences are heard when the Black Sunday DVD is put into the player. No need to tell you that a better and more tense opening has yet to be crea... read moreted. This movie is an undeniable masterpiece in its kind. A powerful and terrifying experience that was way ahead of its time back in 1960 and now - almost 45 years later - it still stands for an hour and a half of pure terror, devlish fun and sinister fascination. I respect the opinion and dislikes of everyone but not when it comes to this movie...you either admit that Black Sunday is a masterpiece or you're wrong !!

    I could give you a thousand reasons why this movie should be seen as the most important horror movie ever made but I'll just stick to the most important ones. Black Sunday ( or The Mask of Satan, as you prefer ) is the debut of Italian genius Mario Bava...Well, not really his debut but the first full length movie after a series of short films and project he didn't get credit for. In it, Bava presents us on a stylish and visually stunning story with an extremely macabre and dark topic. It contains passages of torturement, curses, witchburning, vampirism, massacres and resurrection but it's all brought to us in a very artistic fashion. Bava's profesionalism and style reminds me about the true masterpieces from Universal...Maybe also because the whole movie is filmed in beautiful black and white but merely because of the creepy atmosphere and the morbid topics. Black Sunday does contain rather many violent and sadistic scenes, but it becomes unwatchable or disgusting. Actually, when you look closer at it...it's a fairy tale !! Think about it...: evil witch, ominous castles, dark forests and - on top of it all - a tale of true love at first sight ! Barbara Steele should get as least as much credit and praise though. This stunning beauty can easily considered "Queen of Horror" if it were only for her performance here. Steele has a double role here ( the evil, vampiric Prinses Asa and the virgin Katia ) and her appearance can only be seen as on of beauty and pureness. Barbara Steele - once spit out by the glory of Hollywood - succeeds in convincing the audience that she stars as both an innocent virgin as well as a demonic ancient witch. The cinematic value attached to her character comes extremely close to Karloff's Frankenstein and Lugosi's Count Dracula. After all, Princess Asa was the first true female monster and she has - literally - become immortal.

    You're not a horror fan if you haven't seen the perfection of Black Sunday.
  • ceWEBrity
    January 26, 2011
    ceWEBrity
    Perhaps less challenging than it should be, giving its cutting-edge gore, Black Sunday's only claim to notoriety is its intermittent graphic violence and its frank depiction of Satanism. The rest of the film doesn't push too hard, and though the delicious Gothic construction (cas... read moretles with hidden passages and all!) will sustain a viewing for fans of old horror, there's nothing incredibly interesting happening with the plot or characters. The movie is too grounded and narrative to be a work of pure atmosphere, which is unfortunate. As a walk through a surrealist-horror Europe, this might have been a real smash, but Black Sunday's B-movie aspirations are clear and the plot sort of drags its feet. A great stepping stone for Mario Bava and a touchstone film for much of the genre's work, but devalued somewhat by what came after it.
  • ajv2688
    November 22, 2010
    ajv2688
    Bava knows his horror movies, this movie is really creepy and the story is good too. I loved Steele, she's the perfect horror actress. I liked this movie.
  • DrBenway
    October 19, 2010
    DrBenway
    One of Italian horror's most celebrated titles, Mario Bava's directorial debut still stands as one of the most influential and important works. Despite its' age, it stands up well to repeat viewings 50 years after the original release. Kinda hard to believe that this is Bava's f... read moreirst feature, as it's so well done. It brings to mind the classic black and white Universal films, filled with fog, beautiful women, menacing monsters and gorgeous sets. The ominous mood is set from the opening scene all the way through to the finale.

    Photobucket
  • newvogueravyn
    December 11, 2009
    newvogueravyn
    The gorgeous setpieces, charmingly silly effects and over-the-top dialogue make for an entertaining piece of horror history.
  • cancercapricorn2002
    September 27, 2008
    cancercapricorn2002
    Mario Bava's "La Maschera Del Demonio" aka. "Black Sunday"/"The Mask Of Satan" of 1960 starring Barbara Steele is, without exaggeration, one of the most brilliant horror milestones in motion picture history, one of the most atmospheric masterpieces ever brought to screen, and an ... read moreabsolute must-see for any lover of film.

    Any true horror fan will agree that Mario Bava is one of the greatest cinematic geniuses of all-time. Bava's knew to combine terror and beauty and create a haunting, mesmerizing atmosphere like no other, and his other masterpieces, such as "The Whip And The Body", "Kill Baby... Kill!" or "Lisa And The Devil", just to name three, all stick out as the brilliant work of a cinematic genius. His feature-length debut as a director, "La Maschera Del Demonio" is arguably the greatest film by this brilliant director, and without doubt one of the most important horror films ever brought to screen.Not only is this the debut of the arguably greatest Horror director of all-time, it rose the Italian Horror to international fame. The movie furthermore brought Horror's greatest female icon, Barbara Steele, to fame. The incomparable Barbara Steele, who has a unique ability of combining stunning beauty and eeriness, is one of my favorite actresses of all-time, and this film is one of the main reasons for my admiration of her.

    In Moldavia of 1630, Princess Asa Vajda (Barbara Steele) and her lover Javutic (Artuto Dominici) are sentenced to death for witchcraft. Before an iron mask, the 'Mask Of Satan' is nailed to her face on her execution site, Asa vows revenge and curses her brother, the prince and inquisitor who has sentenced her to death and his descendants. Two centuries later the Vajda family is still living in the castle near the tomb where Asa was buried, and the young princess Katja (also Steele) is Asa's living image...

    Barbara Steele was the perfect choice to star as the innocent Katja and the vengeful witch Asa. No other actress could have fit in this double role even nearly as greatly as Steele, the stunning beauty who is yet so capable of being eerie. Arturo Dominici is also very, very creepy in his role. The performances are all very good Andrea Checchi and Ivo Garrani are great in their roles and John Richardson makes a good hero. It is definitely Barbara Steele, whose brilliant performance gives this film immortality. Mario Bava was an exceptionally brilliant director, and the atmosphere in "La Maschera Del Demonio" is unique. The impressive black and white photography is as essential for the haunting atmosphere of this masterpiece as the brilliant, mesmerizing and incomparably eerie score.At the time of its release, this movie was controversial for its macabre topic and its morbidity and the graphic depiction of violence. The violence is very graphic for 1960, and the reason that it may seem tame for today standards is mainly the fact that the film is shot in black and white, which also makes morbid and gruesome scenes very elegant.

    I can not find enough words to praise Mario Bava as a director, Barbara Steele as an actress, and "La Maschera Del Demonio" in particular appropriately, but I assure any true lover of film that this is a movie that must be seen. This mesmerizing gothic masterpiece is a unique experience that no lover of horror and film fan in general can afford to miss, and if I was to make a list of my favorite movies of all-time, "La Maschera Del Demonio" would be one of the films to rank at the very top. All said, this is a movie that is pure gothic perfection, and, in one word, Essential.
  • kenstachnik
    April 7, 2008
    kenstachnik
    Bava where have you been all my life?
  • bbcfloridabound
    March 14, 2008
    bbcfloridabound
    Great Vampire Movie, Different then Most, but the again a Bava Movie. The Acting was great for 1961, A Barbara was hot. A Good rainy Storming outside movie, What was that, just the wind you say, ha. Add it to your collection.

View All La Maschera del demonio (Black Sunday) (House of Fright) (Mask of the Demon) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Eugene Archer
May 10, 2005
Eugene Archer, New York Times

It will leave its audiences yearning for that quiet, sunny little motel in Psycho. Full Review

October 19, 2009
Film4

Although Italian director Bava is somewhat overrated, this is his one undisputed masterpiece. Full Review

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

...a melodramatic, thoroughly overwrought horror flick that's aged incredibly poorly in the years since its 1960 release. Full Review

Nick Schager
February 5, 2008
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

One of the cinema's preeminent examples of gothic horror. Full Review

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

Though shot in black-and-white, it demonstrates Bava's extraordinary skill with light and motion and shadow, used to suggest unholy things. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
September 17, 2006
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

The most influential figure in Italian exploitation horror movies would never again match the success of this venture. Full Review

Derek Adams
February 9, 2006
Derek Adams, Time Out

The visual style still impresses, but the story beneath it has become too formularised for the film to retain all its original power. Full Review

Ken Hanke
September 4, 2003
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

The gorgeous black-and-white imagery is so remarkable that it overrides the bad acting, barely coherent story and the awful dialogue. Full Review

July 30, 2003
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Hypnotic and compelling. Full Review

Christopher Null
February 13, 2003
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

Mario Bava's first film is gorgiously photographed and often eerie, but it fails to scare much by today's standards. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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