Maschera del demonio, La (Black Sunday)

There is a damn good reason why Mario Bava is loved so, it's because he's a fuckin' great director! This guy gets horror and it's amazing just how many people have ripped his style off over the years. This was released in 1961 and it manages to have that classic look of a Universal film of the Thirties only it has the guts and balls to go with it. Perhaps one of the most famous aspects of this film is the still photo of Barbara Steele with all of the holes in her face from the devil mask. As a kid, seeing this picture in FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND magazine I always thought she was a victim of the plague as the film is known as BLACK SUNDAY here, hence the stretch between "black" and "plague" is not a large one. It's amazing how still images we encounter in childhood stick with us throughout our lives and even though I've seen this film a half a dozen times in my adult life I STILL think it is about the black death. A classic for sure!