Black Sabbath (1963) - Lisa's Review

So, another oldie this week.  I heard myself sigh as I put the disc in the DVD player.  If I wasn't impressed by last weeks Dracula (clearly one of the better oldie horrors), then I wasn't likely to be overwhelmed by this one.  Oddly, I was actually wrong.  I found I didn't mind this one at all.  Maybe because it consisted of 3 stories, rather than 1 long movie so I didn't find myself getting bored.   Black Sabbath - The movie from which one of the most influential British rock bands grabbed their name.  Fun fact:  Geezer Butler walked past a cinema showing this movie and an extremely long queue.  His view was... horror sells.  Seems in this case, he was right.  They ditched the name Earth and became Black Sabbath, but back to the movie.

Again, like with last weeks movie and always with Hammer movies (which this one wasn't), the movies all look wonderful.  The women are stunning with heaving bosoms, chiffony floaty dresses, the longest of fake eyelashes and the teeniest of waists.  The lighting is perfect and the cinematography is excellent.

 In the first story entitled 'The Telephone' stars Rosy, played by Michele Mercier, who is quite possibly the most beautiful woman I have ever seen!  I won't give any of the stories away as I have recommended this one  This story is one of a frightened young woman alone in her apartment, receiving threatening telephone calls from a man who is intent on revenge for her part in him being sent to prison.  All is not quite as it would seem here though.

The second story is entitled 'The Wurdulak'.  No, I have never heard of it either.  From what I can gather, it is quite simply a zombie vampire.  It is a person who is essentially dead.  They like to drink the blood of people they once loved.  The more they love an individual, the more they want to suck their blood.   Anyone who dies this way, becomes infected.  We start the movie following young Vladamir on a trip. On his journey, he comes across a beheaded corpse with a dagger stuck in its chest.  Liking the dagger, he takes it.  Later when he stops at a small cottage for shelter, he finds the owner of the small dagger and is told the story behind how it came to be where it was.  The family that live there await the return of their father, who has gone to attempt to kill a Wurdulak.   If he doesn't return within 5 days, he has instructed his family to kill him on his eventual return as he will have surely become infected.   So the fathers 2 sons, daughter, daughter-in-law, grandson and Vladamir await his return.

Story 3 is the shortest but is probably my favourite.  I found it genuinely creepy.  It is entitled 'The Drop of Water'.  We start the movie with the death of an elderly medium.   This old womans body is genuinely creepy and kind of freaked me out.  I was surprised with how effective it was.  A nurse is called to her home to help prepare her body for her funeral.  While she is there she sees a beautiful sapphire ring on her finger and can't help but prise it off.  If we've learnt anything from watching horrors over the years, it is 'Do not piss of the dead'.   Nurse Chester (who also has the teeniest of waists and tightest of skirts) finds this out to her own peril.  I won't go into any more detail, but it is worth a watch.

The stories perhaps are a bit predictable in places, but it doesn't make them any less enjoyable.  They are a visual delight.  The women are impossibly beautiful.  We have scene after scene of opulence and atmospheric sets.  I didn't expect to enjoy this AT ALL.  I'm not a fan of old movies, but this, I did like.  Weird.  So, I stick a Recommended firmly on this ones ass.   Go watch it!