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Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath

1963
Horror
1h 37m
A trio of atmospheric horror tales about: A woman terrorized in her apartment by phone calls from an escaped prisoner from her past; a Russian count in the early 1800s who stumbles upon a family in the countryside trying to destroy a particularly vicious line of vampires; and a 1900-era nurse who makes a fateful decision while preparing the corpse of one of her patients - an elderly medium who died during a seance. (imdb)
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Black Sabbath

1963
Horror
1h 37m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 58.18% from 498 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(498)
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Rated 21 Jul 2016
88
95th
Classic horror brilliance with absolute class. The first tale projects paranoid claustrophobia to a delicate giallo vignette transforming a telephone into a medium of internal terror. The second piece is a flawless invocation of gothic romance where vampirism eerily infects a patriarchal family unit through ties of love. The final chilling segment is almost like a lost expressionist gem in which intense guilt elegantly manifests as a calamitous ghostly apparition. Pure mastercrafted gorgeousity.
Rated 10 Jan 2010
75
75th
Watching the European version: The first story is a little tame but nicely shot and paced. The second story is much more interesting but goes on for a little too long. The final story is fucking terrifying.
Rated 18 Mar 2010
100
99th
Now this is what I'm talking about! The first part is elegant, like an Argento with silk gloves. The second part is more overwhelmingly great. The landscape seems to have been dunked in a paint bucket. The occult oozes out of every expressive image, prowl in every controlled tracking shot... Romantic horror. The third and last part is the most intense, and absolutely some of the most virtuoso shit I've seen. Little dialogue - just badass images and loud sounds of water dripping..
Rated 03 Jul 2014
73
66th
Watched the AIP version - will see the Euro version soon. The craft evident in other Bava films is present; great cinematography, sound and and setting. I'm a fan of anthologies, and this is a pretty good example. The giallo-style story was fine, and I enjoyed the Wurdulak story (based on the same tale as 1972's Night of the Devils) - Karloff was great here. My fave was "A Drop of Water", which was beautifully shot, and certainly the creepiest of the trio. This is a bit cheesy, but recommended.
Rated 04 Aug 2009
75
54th
The first is one of those "twist" stories, not too thrilling but it looks nice. The second and longest is a vampire tale with Boris Karloff. Kind of fun but also kind of predictable. The best is saved for last. The lighting and cinematography is absolutely gorgeous, the atmosphere tense and creepy, and a whole the piece is quite satisfying (a little silly, but in a good way). Overall it's worth watching for the third story alone, but the other parts aren't too bad either.
Rated 31 Jul 2010
80
65th
Classic tales of terror. Not really horror but definitely a must for fans of classic audio/radio series such as Inner Sanctum and Lights Out. All three stories have been the base for many, MANY, modern films, from Don't answer the Phone, and Once Past Midnight; to Babysitter. Enjoy in whatever format you can grab it in.
Rated 07 Feb 2012
73
75th
It's Boris Karloff that steals the show, but honestly, I thought the first segment was the best. I love Bava either way, so just watch a classic will you?
Rated 27 Oct 2014
92
76th
Great anthology, one that I really enjoyed. All of the stories are well done, although "The Wurdalak" is the best of the bunch. "The Telephone" is nice and creepy and "The Drop Of Water" is terrifying. One of Bava's best films, and is also the 2000th movie I've ranked on this site.
Rated 15 Dec 2007
86
90th
Amazing film, the cinematography is better than Hollywood horror efforts of the time. Excellent craftsmanship just oozes from every frame; Some great special effects giving vampire lore just enough of an eastern euro feel. Telephone is a pitch perfect giallio; rather surprising how risque its depictions of sex and violence were. Drop of Water has excellent cinematography but frankly that episode doesn't do it for me.
Rated 04 Apr 2009
78
62nd
Much on the corresponding, similiar and identical page as Creepshow (Which I believe is a notch better than this), Black Sabbath is a creepy and sensational horror show of three seperate and unique sections of short fictional anecdotes. The second and third ones are specifically the ones that will certainly make your heart stop in its place. A great anthology of events and accounts from Mario Bava and I will check out more movies from under his arrangement of filmmaking. Amazing if you ask me.
Rated 29 Oct 2009
70
65th
Three frightening tales, but this is a too fast movie. In the end, we want more.
Rated 16 Aug 2010
86
82nd
One of the all time greatest horror anthologies. The first segment is a little bland, but things really get rolling with the second one. Karloff is great, and the moody atmosphere Bava crafts is legitimately creepy and undeniably awesome. When segment 2 ended, I doubted whether part 3 could live up to it. Surprisingly, it did. Squeezing every bit of atmosphere out of each frame, Bava creates one of his most chilling pieces of film making with this last act.
Rated 27 Oct 2014
67
75th
The Telephone is a suspenseful story with a couple of twists and a moral lesson about deceiving. It's the only story of the trio that feels contemporary with the film and has nothing supernatural in it. Gorgeous production design! The Wurdalak - a gothic vampiric demon tale is my least favorite. Characters do annoyingly stupid shit like they're asking to be killed. Beautiful cinematography and production design. The best is kept for the last, genuinely scary fable. Great make-up effects!
Rated 07 Oct 2020
62
42nd
average anthology made notable for Bava coating the screen in a kaleidoscope of hues—red, green, purple, blue.* It’s essential viewing for fans of Bava, his style permeates every single frame, making it a damn fine dark film to look at. The tone is just right for a light bit of creepy-crawly. The plots are where it fails. The stories are bland, the characters downright dumb. So while it’s a must for Bava fans, it’s only a “catch it if it happens by” mild recommend for broader 60s hor
Rated 08 Oct 2020
85
51st
A step down from Kwaidan but at half the runtime I'd just as readily recommend it
Rated 31 Mar 2007
60
47th
Uneven horror anthology
Rated 30 Nov 2007
40
25th
Nothing here as cool as the name.
Rated 13 Feb 2009
80
83rd
With the exception of the telephone segment, I thought that this was an excellent movie. The cinematography was much better than I thought this was going to be. Heck, this whole movie was much better than I thought it was going to be. The ghost story was pretty creepy, but the last story with the little boy saying outside, "Mama, I'm cold." was extremely creepy. If kids are handled right in a horror movie, they are very creepy.
Rated 16 Feb 2009
3
31st
My first Bava is a bore; uneven could be putting it lightly. Rarely strikes upon any instance of originality or suspense, and damn does this cast suck.
Rated 17 Jul 2009
67
33rd
Il tri volti della paura
Rated 27 Jul 2009
65
29th
Not really much to it. Was a bit housebound for the first two episodes--just stick somebody in a room and freak them out in various ways. Lots of spy music. They should've made one full-length feature out of the third story.
Rated 21 Aug 2009
70
61st
I liked each segment almost equally, with the Wurdulach (I don't know how to spell it, but the vampire story) being my favorite. Moves really fast, so you never really have much time to take in the atmosphere, but the chills do happen. At the end of the day, a poor man's Kwaidan-- not that there's anything wrong with that.
Rated 31 Aug 2010
71
50th
Above average.
Rated 21 Feb 2011
67
49th
Boris Karloff is excellent as a crazy old guy who just happens to present these three stories.. The first two are so-so, in the vein of classic Twilight Zone, but the last one really sticks out.. It's a neat twist on the whole vampire-legend and it has everything going for it- to name a few features; A kid gets it, the word "Wurdalak" appears more than once, Boris Karloff, Liam Neeson(?!), two Eastern-European prostitutes (I think) and the most swagging count in a cape to ever grace the screen
Rated 18 Oct 2011
77
59th
77.250
Rated 12 Apr 2012
66
14th
Boring tripe.
Rated 25 Apr 2014
80
64th
79.500
Rated 25 May 2014
87
82nd
Assim como não consigo ser muito fã de contos, não o sou de "portmanteau film", por alguma razão só consigo me ater à narrativas mais elaboradas, mas aqui algo me apeteceu, especialmente o segundo episódio.
Rated 07 Sep 2014
58
21st
I kind of wish there were more stories as opposed to three long ones. I felt the story about the deceased medium was the best, while I found the other two just ok.
Rated 11 Oct 2015
83
72nd
An anthology of three 30 minute scary tales, all of which are pretty good. They take their time in building up to the payoff but they're all very lean, without a wasted moment or beat. I like this style of story, where everything relies on creepiness and suspense more than gore or scares, though there are a few scary moments as well.
Rated 18 Oct 2015
61
26th
The final segment almost makes up for making me sit through the first two.
Rated 14 May 2016
67
27th
The first and last stories are good, but the second one is AWFUL! It is predictable, not scary, and filled with plot holes. However, the first and last stories should definitely be checked out. Good stuff. Also, this may be the most visually beautiful film I have ever seen.
Rated 26 Oct 2016
80
81st
watched: 2016, 2022
Rated 08 Jun 2017
50
35th
Not bad.
Rated 14 Jun 2017
75
63rd
'The Telephone' and 'The Drop of Water' are masterpieces of set design and atmospheric direction. Karloff is fun in 'The Wurdalak' but something is off and not on par with the other two there. Nonetheless, Bava is KING.
Rated 24 Dec 2017
46
48th
This anthology of three horror films relies more on sets and music than gore and prosthetics to capture a mood of fear.
Rated 02 Jan 2018
58
35th
Well made film of three stories. I found 'drop of water' the best of the three as it built up tension well. One can appreciate the filming techniques used and the good use of music, but to call this the scariest movie you've ever seen is a stretch.
Rated 11 Oct 2019
40
14th
There's a lot to like in Black Sabbath: Boris Karloff gives it his usually spooky A-game and the use of colour makes everything seems hyper-real and dreamlike. It's a 60s horror movie through and through. But I was too bored to finish watching Black Sabbath. I made it to the final segment and I just didn't care anymore. I personally did not feel any tension or horror while watching and it left me cold.
Rated 25 Oct 2020
75
44th
"The Drop of Water" is far and away the best of the three stories, so given the choice, I'd watch the Italian release that ends with that segment rather than the American release which begins with it.
Rated 30 Jan 2021
3
42nd
The English version (AIP) is better overall than the Italian (Euro) because the weakest story (The Wuderlak) is put last in it. Also the intro before each story in the English version helps with The Wuderlak. The best is "A Drop of Water", which is good in either of the versions. The remaining story "The Telephone," is significantly different in both the versions, and I liked both of them. Overall the English version is recommended, and The Wuderlak spoils the party.
Rated 26 Aug 2021
70
56th
Visually it's a treat in a lot of ways and the sense of nostalgia is real. The best story was the last one for certain, but overall it's still feels quite dated unless this kind of thing is just your jam. It wasn't scary as much as it was just interesting.
Rated 25 Sep 2021
70
75th
The cinematography, lighting, set, and the atmosphere was all on point. The first segment was very repetitive and I felt myself getting bored 5/10. The second segment was better mostly due to Karloff. 6.5/10. The third one was by far the best. What a high note to end on 8/10.
Rated 17 Dec 2021
43
31st
40,45,45
Rated 18 Oct 2022
50
29th
'The Telephone' is decent but the two other parts of Bava's anthology didn't do much for me.
Rated 30 Oct 2022
93
88th
This was a lot of fun, I really enjoyed the foreboding intro from Boris Karloff at the beginning of things. I think the first story is a bit of a letdown compared to the other 2 but it still had some suspense the pay off was just a little odd. Filled with atmosphere, which is always a welcome addition. I'm excited to watch more Bava films after this.
Rated 27 Feb 2023
76
46th
Creepy and enchanting but too mild to be convincing in fear.
Rated 06 Apr 2023
54
21st
Can't recommend it. Boris Karloff's performance as a vampire is pretty good, but even that story is a bit silly.
Rated 19 Feb 2024
40
19th
Not usually one for anthology films. These all feel TV grade.

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