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Author
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Topic: Le Masque du Demon
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Hugh Thompson Scott
Film God
Posts: 3063
From: Gt. Clifton,Cumbria,England
Registered: Jan 2012
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posted March 23, 2012 05:50 PM
This is a review of my latest purchase from France,a complete
European cut of the film "The Mask of Satan",Revenge of the
Vampire"or "Black Sunday" This obviously has the French title
and it's a stunner.The dialogue is Gallic as expected,but the
print itself is excellent,and just has the edge on my own std 8mm
copy with slightly better definition.Both prints have very good
contrast and deep blacks which shows the excellent photography at it's best.The film is supplied on 5x400' spools and was released by "Le Grande Film Classique"
This was the film that brought Barbara Steele to international
fame and acclaim,apart from putting director Mario Bava on a
firm footing.The story concerns a 17th century vampire/witch and her lover/brother condemed to death by their other sibling for crimes
that are unspeakable and have the mask of satan nailed onto
their faces,but not before the condemned witch has placed a curse on her own family for their execution as heretics.
We are not talking "The Waltons" here,just as they are to be burned at the stake,a storm extinguishes the flames and the
bodies of the witches are buried separately,Asa the witch is
placed in the family crypt, in a sarcophagus with a stone cross
visible to the witch through a glass window,while her accomplice is buried in unconsecrated ground.The centuries
pass and two doctors unwittingly set in motion a chain of events by removing the safeguards that were placed years before to ensure the witch's incarceration, and so setting in
motion the curse that the Princess Asa had made years earlier.
This synopsis doesn't do justice to the feeling of dread and fear
that this film conjures up,and is a well made piece of horror
that well deserves to be called Classic in all departments and
every sense of the word.Being the original cut, there are slightly
longer,scenes like the nailing of the mask to Asa is bloodier,
insects that have made a home under said mask when it is removed is longer,the eyeball piercing is bloodier and the
old Prince's face being burned off in the fireplace is longer.
A fine time was had by all you might be thinking,but this is a
film to savour,like a fine wine and even if viewed on DVD it still
packs a punch but doesn't repel like a lot of horror films now
which I find verging on the pornographic.A viewing experience
which I look forward to repeating.
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