Bava Box Set, Vol. 1 [5 Discs]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

This collection presents five giallo classics from legendary Italian horror director Mario Bava: BLACK SUNDAY (1960), BLACK SABBATH (1963), THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1963), KNIVES OF THE AVENGER (1965), and KILL BABY KILL (1966). See individual titles for plot synopses.

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 5
• Screen: Color
• Audio: DDM2.0

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Barbara Steele - Asa / Katia
       Fausto Tozzi - Aghen
       Giana Vivaldi - Baroness Graps
       Andrea Checchi - Dr. Tomas Kruvajan
       Arturo Dominici - Javuto
       Enrico Olivieri - Constantin
       Antonio Pierfederici - The Pope
       Clara Bindi - The Innkeeper
       Germana Dominici - His Daughter
       Mario Passante - Nikita
       Mariella Panfili
       Amedeo Trilli

• Director:

  Mario Bava, John M. Old

• Producer:

  Massimo de Rita, Salvatore Billitteri, Luciano Catenacci, Nando Pisani, P. Tagliferri

• Screenwriter:

  Mario Bava, Ennio de Concini, Mario Serandrei, Alberto Bevilacqua, Marcello Fondato, Mino Guerrini, Franco E. Prosperi, Eliana DeSabata, Enzo Corbucci, Romano Migliorini, Roberto Natale, John Hart, Giovanni Simonelli, Giorgio C. Simonelli, Alberto Liberati, John M. Old

• Cinematographer:

  Mario Bava, Ubaldo Terzano, Antonio Rinaldi

• Composer (Music Score):

  Les Baxter, Roberto Nicolosi, Carlo Rustichelli, Marcello Giombini

• Editor:

  Mario Serandrei, Romana Fortini, Otello Colangeli, Othello

• Art Director:

  Giorgio Giovannini, Sandro dell'Orco

• Set Designer:

  Giorgio Giovannini, Riccardo Domenici, Luigi D'Andria, Sandro dell'Orco

• Costume Designer:

  Trini Grani

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Romano Pampaloni

• Makeup:

  Otello Fava, Maurizio Giustini

• First Assistant Director:

  Lamberto Bava

• Camera Operator:

  Ubaldo Terzano

• Sound Editor:

  Kay Rose

• Short Story Author:

  F.G. Snyder

REVIEWS:

• A fun and beautifully shot mystery-thriller from gothic horror maestro Mario Bava, The Girl Who Knew Too Much successfully utilizes the general conventions that would come to be known as giallo to genuinely effective results. Much less explicit than many films which share the genre (including Bava's subsequent giallo-defining classic Blood and Black Lace [1964]), The Girl Who Knew Too Much opts more for subtle humor and swelling tension to create a convincing mood of menacing uncertainty than brutal violence. The final film that cinematographer-turned-director Bava would shoot in black-and-white, The Girl Who Knew Too Much serves as much as a fitting love letter to it's striking Rome locations as it does an assurance that Bava could capture the beauty of Italy's capitol as effectively as he could portray the menace of a fog-enshrouded tomb. Though his films generally take place in confined, dark spaces, the outdoor photography offers carefree lightness that strikes a fine balance when offset by some remarkably tense nighttime sequences. With a convincing mystery that features sympathetic characters (somewhat rare for a Bava film) and reaches a remarkable tension as it edges towards a satisfying twist ending, The Girl Who Knew Too Much is both a fine introduction into the world of Bava for the uninitiated, and a rewarding little-seen gem to those who can't get enough of the man who would inspire such filmmakers as Dario Argento and Tim Burton. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
• Directed by Mario Bava, this chiller is an eerie and atmospheric effort that reflects many of the elements that have made the popular Italian director's films so compelling: excellent cinematography and strong performances from the talented cast. Set in a small Transylvanian village that believes it is cursed by the vengeful ghost of a little girl, the mystery concerns a series of murders that have occurred in the 20 years since the child's death. Early on, Bava allows the ghostly girl to be seen to chilling effect. Many of the scenes are accompanied by a goosebump-inducing piece of music and a bouncing ball -- the same ball that led to the girl's death in the first place. Bava's signature visuals are particularly noteworthy in two scenes -- one featuring a number of dizzying views from the top of a spiral staircase and another in which the main character chases a man through several rooms, only to realize after catching him that he's looking at himself! The performances are serviceable, but somewhat lost amidst the scary atmosphere. A great music score by Carlo Rustichelli (Blood and Black Lace) includes a brief interlude from his romantic composition used in Bava's The Whip and the Body. ~ Patrick Legare, Rovi
• La Maschera del Demonio was released in 1960, the same year as Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, and serves as a primary example of the divergent paths taken by European and American horror films of that era. Where Hitchcock was more concerned with the psychology of the characters in his horror story, Mario Bava seems more concerned with the psychology of the audience, creating a visual feast of the strange and forbidden that unleashes an adolescent-like interest in the unreal world. The film made a star of sorts of the stunningly beautiful Barbara Steele, who agreed to appear in the film without a salary, instead receiving per diem expenses. A note of caution: numerous version of this film exist under various titles, many of them adversely altered by distributors and censors. In whatever form you watch it, La Maschera del Demonio is easily among the most influential films of the Italian Gothic horror era. ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi
• This trilogy of horror stories from Mario Bava serves as an interesting look at a trio of varying filmmaking styles that later became signatures of the director's work. The first tale, "The Telephone," was one of Bava's first attempts at a giallo film, which he made famous a year later with his masterwork Blood and Black Lace. The red telephones that always seem to play supporting props in Bava's other gialli are here given top billing as star Michele Mercier is threatened by a caller who claims to be her psycho ex-lover. A lesbian subtext provides some interesting moments and Bava builds the tension up well, but "Telephone" is only an average tale that follows through to a predictable twist. "I Wurdulak" is by far the best of the three and features one of the last great performances by Boris Karloff. This story takes the vampire legend to another level -- in which those afflicted by the creature's bite return to attack the ones they love. Karloff, who also appears in an introduction segment at the opening of the film, is wonderfully evil as the family head whose ghostly visage provides several unforgettable scares. Bava's wonderful camera work recalls his 1961 hit Black Sunday, and capitalizes on beautifully designed sets that lend a lot to the atmosphere. "The Drop of Water" is another good shocker about a nurse who steals the ring off an old occultist woman's hand only to have her grinning corpse torment her from beyond the grave. The initial shock of seeing the old witch is truly bone-chilling and though the tale is a short one, it remains scary and suspenseful throughout. Jacqueline Pierreux turns in a great performance as the salty nurse. The U.S. version of Black Sabbath depicted the segments in a different order. ~ Patrick Legare, Rovi