Blood and Black Lace

Somewhere at the intersection of stylish and camp, you'll find Mario Bava's 'Blood and Black Lace.' There is a sophisticated color palette and a certain panache in the string of murders we see committed, but it's put alongside uneven acting and overdubbed English which doesn't do it any favors. Maybe that's all a part of the charm. I loved the look of the mysterious killer, with that trench coat, fedora, and blank face, and the little twists towards the end were a nice touch. It got a little ponderous at times though, and the connective tissue between the big events was a little weak. A fun film overall, and doesn't overstay its welcome at 88 minutes.

My Rating : 7/10

'Blood and Black Lace' has all the spice and style I like in slashers/thrillers. Giallo filmmaking at its apex.

This is some damn fine atmospheric murder mystery filmed in true Mario Bava style.

Superb. Love this movie!

Watching this film it's amazing how much cinema has changed in the past 30 years. This is the film that inspired the entire giallo genre, where the visual drive of film takes priority over the narrative. The script is therefore extremely perfunctory, with atrociously dubbed dialogue, minimalistic characterisation and outmoded sexual politics to say the least. If the script lacks sophistication however, visually this film is nothing short of stunning. Bava eschews rapid editing for a more langorous style of long gliding tracking shots and pans. Surprisingly ungraphic as well, considering its successors; the build up to the murder is more important than the act itself. What I find most amazing is how so much is achieved on a cinematic level on such a low budget. Every shot is planned to make the most of the sumptuous sets as possible; there is always something of visual interest onscreen, from the inspired use of foreground in the moving camera shots to pictural composition and the masterly use of colour and lighting. The second murder in the antiques shop is particularly stunning. Ultimately, as in a lot of the films of the genre (the early Argento films for example), the lack of any real narrative focus means that the film loses momentum towards the end. Still, stylistically a masterpiece.

The flick deals with a respected house of style (managed by Eva Bartok and Cameron Mitchell) where happens several bloody murders and gruesome executions . A diary seems to implicate about anybody fashion models are dying . Then the diary disappearing originates a real massacre of the remaining fashion girls . An inspector (Thomas Reiner) investigates the strange killings with numerous suspects (the usual baddies Franco Ressel and Luciano Pigozzi or Alan Colins , Massimo Righi , among others).

Bava's second great success (the first was ¨Black Sunday¨ or ¨Mask of Demon¨)is compellingly directed with startling visual content . This frightening movie is plenty of thrills, chills, high body-count and glimmer color in lurid pastel with phenomenal results . This is a classic slasher where the intrigue, tension, suspense appear threatening and lurking in every room, corridors and luxurious interior and exterior . This genuinely mysterious story is well photographed by Ubaldo Terzano and Mario Bava with magenta shades of ochre , translucently pale turquoises and deep orange-red .

The movie belongs to Italian Giallo genre , Bava (¨Planet of vampires¨, ¨House of exorcism¨) along with Riccardo Freda (¨Secret of Dr. Hitchcock¨ , ¨Il Vampiri¨) are the fundamental creators . In fact , both of whom collaborated deeply among them , as Bava finished two Fedra's films ¨Il Vampiri¨ and ¨Caltiki¨ . These Giallo movies are characterized by overblown use of color in shining red blood , usual zooms and utilization of images-shock . Later on , there appears Dario Argento (¨Deep red¨, ¨Suspiria¨,¨Inferno¨), another essential filmmaker of classic Latino terror films . Rating : Good, this is one more imaginative slasher pictures in which the camera stalks in sinister style throughout a story with magnificent visual skills.

Blood and Black Lace (1964)

**** (out of 4)

Mario Bava's ground-breaking murder-mystery takes place around a model agency where one by one women begin to be murdered by a person dressed in black and a haunting white mask. A police inspector appears to have a list of suspects narrowed down but soon he realizes that there are many twists ahead of him.

BLOOD AND BLACK LACE might not have been the first giallo ever made but there's no question that it had the biggest impact on the genre and it influenced everything that was to follow. It's easy to watch this film and see how it would influence the likes of all Italian mysteries going forward and especially those of Dario Argento. It's been said that Bava was a genius with the camera and that's obviously true by watching this Technicolor gem that jumps off the screen from the opening shot to the very last.

To me the real star here is the actual look of the film. From the opening shot to the very last you're greeted with some of the greatest and more lured images that you're ever going to see. Several directors were able to work wonders with Technicolor but I really can't think of too many who used the colors so well. Just take a look at the great detail in the various red colors throughout the picture. Whether it's a diary, a phone or blood flowing through a tub, the color just jumps out. The solid black look of the killer is something else that really stands out in the picture and just take a look at the sequence where a light flickers on and off to highlight the killer.

The film offers up some very good performances from the cast. Even though Cameron Mitchell is the only "name" here, everyone does a very good job in their roles. The death scenes are quite poetic in their own right and there's no doubt that the mystery keeps you guessing right up to the end. Another thing I've always loved about this picture is Bava's style. It really just seems as if the camera is floating from one scene to the next in a poetic way that captures the beauty of everything we're seeing on the screen but also ties everything together.

BLOOD AND BLACK LACE is one of those landmark films that has been copied dozens of times over the years but it's lost none of its luster. The film is as impressive today as it was the day it was released.