Try and imagine Halloween in this modern age without thinking of something that wasn't influenced by the mult-talented genius Boris Karloff! It's quite unthinkable if not almost sacrilegious. One word, FRANKENSTEIN! I rest my case!
The opening footage is the coolest lookin' Boris you'll ever lay your eyes on, even if his voice is dubbed in Italian, and the guy responsible for it once again, working doubletime as Director and Cinematographer is the genius Mario Bava!!!
Black Sabbath" is actually a triology of tales, and the first one entitled "The Telephone" is the only one that really has any cool music in it, and was composed by the Masestro Roberto Nicolosi, who had a long history in sword and sandal films like "La Rivolta Dei Gladiatori"(The Warrior and The Slave Girl), and "La Regina Delle Amazzoni" (Colossus and the Amazon Queen), and also gets credit for the terrific music in "Caltiki-The Undying Monster" and "Black Sunday," and above all not to forget "Costa Azzurra" aka "Wild Cats on the Beach!"
The English version has music by yet another equally swingin' cat we've spoke of many times, Les Baxter! Hey! I've got a two tone rotary phone too!!
"The Telephone" is about a woman being pestered by crank threatening calls, played by the fabulous Michèle Mercier, also known by millions of adoring fans, as "Angélique," her most famous and recurring role!
Michèle answers the phone.............
Then she has a smoke!!
Is it Milo Quesada as Frank Rainer making the calls??
Ex good friend Lidia Alfonsi comes by to lend a hand, and give Michèle a sleeping pill and some comforting words to no avail!
So, Michèle does what anyone else would do in a situation like this, have another smoke!!!
It
was Frank, but that's not even close to giving away this twisted storyline!!!
Boris Karloff wasn't only the narrator but also played the role of Gorca "The Wurdalak" in the second mini-feature!!
"The Wurdalak" is a Vampire story about what Al Green would express later in 1972: "Make you do right, make you do wrong, make you come home early, make you stay out all night long, the power of love! Love & Happiness!!"
And once you sign this contract, kids, you will know the true meaning of being in love
forever and ever and
ever again!!!
The third story in this Ménage à trois is more like an EC Comic crossed with a Twilight Zone episode, and translates as "The Drop Of Water!"
It's a short story about a pretty ring that keeps getting stolen off of a dead person's hand, and how once you take the ring, Karma kicks in, and you're the next victim haunted to death by your very own greed!!
I'm really quite surprised that not more people have died from this affliction, but then again, maybe they're just not telling us!!!
Indeed we do, Boris, Indeed we will!! One of the funniest closing scenes in any film I've ever witnessed!!!
Try and imagine Halloween in this modern age without thinking of something that wasn't influenced by the mult-talented genius Boris Karloff! It's quite unthinkable if not almost sacrilegious. One word, FRANKENSTEIN! I rest my case!
The opening footage is the coolest lookin' Boris you'll ever lay your eyes on, even if his voice is dubbed in Italian, and the guy responsible for it once again, working doubletime as Director and Cinematographer is the genius Mario Bava!!!
Black Sabbath" is actually a triology of tales, and the first one entitled "The Telephone" is the only one that really has any cool music in it, and was composed by the Masestro Roberto Nicolosi, who had a long history in sword and sandal films like "La Rivolta Dei Gladiatori"(The Warrior and The Slave Girl), and "La Regina Delle Amazzoni" (Colossus and the Amazon Queen), and also gets credit for the terrific music in "Caltiki-The Undying Monster" and "Black Sunday," and above all not to forget "Costa Azzurra" aka "Wild Cats on the Beach!" 
The English version has music by yet another equally swingin' cat we've spoke of many times, Les Baxter! Hey! I've got a two tone rotary phone too!!
"The Telephone" is about a woman being pestered by crank threatening calls, played by the fabulous Michèle Mercier, also known by millions of adoring fans, as "Angélique," her most famous and recurring role! 
Michèle answers the phone.............
Then she has a smoke!!
Is it Milo Quesada as Frank Rainer making the calls??
Ex good friend Lidia Alfonsi comes by to lend a hand, and give Michèle a sleeping pill and some comforting words to no avail!
So, Michèle does what anyone else would do in a situation like this, have another smoke!!!
It was Frank, but that's not even close to giving away this twisted storyline!!!
Boris Karloff wasn't only the narrator but also played the role of Gorca "The Wurdalak" in the second mini-feature!!
"The Wurdalak" is a Vampire story about what Al Green would express later in 1972: "Make you do right, make you do wrong, make you come home early, make you stay out all night long, the power of love! Love & Happiness!!"
And once you sign this contract, kids, you will know the true meaning of being in love forever and ever and ever again!!!
The third story in this Ménage à trois is more like an EC Comic crossed with a Twilight Zone episode, and translates as "The Drop Of Water!" 
It's a short story about a pretty ring that keeps getting stolen off of a dead person's hand, and how once you take the ring, Karma kicks in, and you're the next victim haunted to death by your very own greed!!
I'm really quite surprised that not more people have died from this affliction, but then again, maybe they're just not telling us!!!
Indeed we do, Boris, Indeed we will!! One of the funniest closing scenes in any film I've ever witnessed!!!
ahhh..I go back and forth with this and Kill Baby Kill being my favorite Bava..The Telephone used to be the one back in old TV days,that I couldn't wait to be over,but now it my be my favorite segment,thanks to the rich colorful italian language dvd..and the the dead Medium in The Drop of Water is still one of the few things that can make the hair on the back of my neck stand on end!..But now i notice more the creative color and lighting in that one..
ReplyDeletepoetry in posting!...
ReplyDeleteCaltiki is big time favorite of Tabonga!!
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