Mario Bava

DVD Tuesday: The Girl Who Knew Too Much

• May 1, 2007 04:52 PM ET
• by Maitland McDonagh
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Send your movie questions to FlickChickSee Maitland McDonagh and Ken Fox review this weeks new flicks in Movie TalkThis weeks DVD Tuesday pick is Mario Bavas La Ragazza che sapeva troppoThe Girl Who Knew Too Much 1963 available as part of Anchor Bays must-have Mario Bava Collection Volume 1 at least I had to have it or as a stand-alone rental Now for the why Bear with me for a moment Italian horror comes in many flavors English-style Gothic cannibal gut-crunchers extreme mondo But to my mind the high water mark of horror alItalia is the is the giallo a very particular variation on the English mystery of elimination Agatha Christies Ten Little Indians is ground zero -- a group of individuals is lured to an isolated place trapped and murdered one by one -- and the American slasher film of the 1980s is the end game In between Italian filmmakers churned out a good 15 years of variations on a theme some clever some just plain nasty and some breathtakingly b read more

If you can identify this one, ...

• Dec 8, 2005 03:00 AM ET
• by Maitland McDonagh

Question: If you can identify this one, you really are the flick diva. The film I remember was released sometime between 1964 and 1972. It was about models, or perhaps actresses, being murdered by someone wearing a pantyhose mask and a trench coat. In the end, the killer turned out to be one of the girls. Can you help me identify the film?

Answer: Mario Bava's Blood and Black Lace (1965), the template for 20 years of baroque Italian horror films.

Many years ago, I saw a ...

• Jul 28, 2005 04:00 AM ET
• by Maitland McDonagh

Question: Many years ago, I saw a short, black-and-white horror film on TV; I believe it was part of a trilogy. The setting was a mortuary; an ugly old witch lady had died and the attendant stole a ring from her finger. The dead lady eventually came to life, making faucets drip water and eventually forcing the attendant to choke herself to death; the witch's spell was then apparently passed on to the newly deceased woman. It was very creepy and well filmed. Do you have any idea what it was or how I might get a copy? Answer: You saw part of Italian director Mario Bava's horror anthology I tre volti della paura (1963); the title literally translates as "Three Faces of Fear," but it was released in the U.S. as Black Sabbath. The segment you remember is "The Drop of Water"; the other two are a gia read more