This week’s retro trailer is for the 1963 Mario Bava-directed film Black Sabbath. This is one of my favorite horror films and if you’ve never watched it, you have to check it out!
This is an anthology horror film composed of three distinct stories, each exploring different aspects of fear and the supernatural. I love the terrifying visuals that this movie delivers.
The first story, “The Telephone,” follows a woman named Rosy who receives a series of threatening phone calls from a mysterious stalker, leading to a tense psychological thriller.
The second segment, “The Wurdulak,” is a Gothic horror tale about a nobleman who encounters a family haunted by the legend of the Wurdulak, a vampiric creature that preys on its loved ones.
This story, set in a bleak, rural landscape, stars Boris Karloff who gives a chilling performance as the patriarch who may be turning into a Wurdulak himself.
The final story, “The Drop of Water,” is a supernatural horror segment, focusing on a nurse who steals a ring from the corpse of a dead medium, only to be tormented by the vengeful spirit of the deceased. The story culminates in a nightmarish conclusion.
Black Sabbath blends psychological tension, gothic horror, and supernatural terror, with each tale evoking different forms of fear.
The film is renowned for Bava’s masterful use of color and shadow, as well as its influence on later anthology horror films.
