Black Sunday (1960)

It's a familiar old story, sad to say-get rid of two vicious Devil-worshiping monsters, supposedly forever-and a mere 200 years later some well-meaning but naive fools stop by to meddle with forces they cannot comprehend...

Directorial genius Mario Bava was destined for a long and successful career-and it was Black Sunday that first placed him on the radar of film fans and critics alike. All of the classic elements that would make Bava famous are here in his first full credited feature film- the moody, Gothic horror, the amazing control of light and shadow, the intimate camera angles, lighting and optical mastery of the medium. This 127 minute feature would also launch the hauntingly beautiful and talented Barbara Steele into her long career as a horror icon-and Ms. Steele would work with Bava to great effect in many later films.

Luckily, Italy(and much of the rest of the world) has more lenient Copyright laws than the Disney-influenced United States...and so this relatively modern film is internationally recognized as Public Domain, allowing me to share one of my personal favorite movies with you...B&W, Sound.