Director: Mario Bava
Year: 1960
Country: Italy
Alternate Titles: La maschera del demonio; Revenge of the Vampire; The Mask of Satan; House of Fright; Mask of the Demon; The Demon's Mask; The Hour When Dracula Comes
Genre: Witchcraft
Plot:
Centuries after being killed, a professor and his associates realize that they have inadvertently resurrected the bodies of a witch and her lover who are back to claim their revenge and forces the group to protect his girlfriend who is vital to her plans when they realize her connection to them.
Review:
This is one of the creepiest films ever. One of its biggest surprises is how well the film is photographed which is very beautifully filmed and angled for a film from this time. The inviting black & white colors draw on an even similar tone as they use the inherent creepiness it gives on viewers to meld together and create an atmosphere that decides to unnerve you with images that are creepier than anything else which is a wholly effective and impressive method to go about trying to generate some effective moments. Not necessarily filled with scares or jumps, this film goes into the type of effective atmosphere that Hollywood has overall lacked.
The opening where the punishment ceremony is dolled out to the unfortunate victim complete with the torch-lit crowd and the appearance of the iconic mask being hammered into place over the screaming victim is legendary for its effectiveness, the discovery of the castle where they discover the tomb with the buried body being found is a chilling Gothic masterpiece of a sequence and the big sequence of the helpers' resurrection during a raging thunderstorm is a simply classic example which shows the moving and heaving Earth nearby and then the rocks part and a bony skeletal hand springs forth and hauls the body out of the ground.
The black & white photography offers a different viewpoint as we are not sure what we are seeing as the film using them to harness an atmosphere in such a way that only the early Universal films had managed to recreate. Even the scenes in their underground crypt are utterly effective and chilling even before the sequence of the coffin breaking open and seducing the assistant which is a great highlight. Leading into the stellar plot line about the historical connection is rather enjoyable with the film having her in a dual role which allows us to view the deadly aspects of the witch and the beauty of her human form makes for a stellar lead-in to the discovery of their connection. The painting that so intrigues her is a great inclusion as we have the important filmmaking technique of us knowing that they're related without being explicitly told is so rarely seen that it strikes a big chord during the reveal at the very end that the two of them are related as we are never told but yet have already known for a long time due to the painting.
That, combined with the remarkable ending in which they're confronted by both forms and are about to kill the good one at the urging of the evil one, and just to make sure puts a cross to her head and it doesn't burn her head, is a chilling moment as we finally learn that the witch has been reborn is a great moment. True, the concept of a witch returning from the dead to claim vengeance is a pretty cliché story nowadays, and the special effects look incredibly dated with some rather sloppy work done to show the decay of human skin over the years but these are middling issues that don't really affect this one that much.
Overview: *****/5
One of the greatest films ever made, even true Bava won't be put off by this relatively bloodless movie as it is a classic of horror cinema. It is so well done that the hour and a half running time is thoroughly enjoyed and spent in a state of nervousness. See it if you consider yourself a fan of horror movies, fans of the creative crew or even Gothic Italian horror while only those who disapprove of the format or style won't like this one.
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