Apparently American International Pictures (AIP) kind of made a mess of Bava's horror anthology. They rearranged the order of these short films, cut some of the blood and trimmed a lesbian subplot. AIP's grand old horror man Boris Karloff provided introductions for each of the stories which wasn't in the original version of the film and naturally they dubbed it for American audiences.
The Drop of Water, the first film is a ghost story about a nurse who steals a ring off of a corpse she is preparing for burial. The film is photographed with Bava's usual fascination with the colors green and blue. Bava also adds an interesting soundtrack to the film.
The Telephone, is almost a short version of a giallo film. A prostitute is harassed on the phone by her supposedly dead ex pimp. This was apparently the film that AIP altered the most. When film buffs talk about Bava being the father of the modern horror film, they are kind of referring to the "beautiful woman stalked by an unseen killer" genre.
The Wurdalak, is based on a story by Tolstoy of all people. This was probably the best film of the three. Boris Karloff plays the head of a Russian family. He may or may not have been infected by vampirism and turned into a wurdalak, a vampire that only drinks the blood of family members. Bava really goes for all the gothic atmosphere in this film and it's a very effective horror story.
92 minutes.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment