Black Sunday

Set almost entirely within the confines of an ornate castle, Black Sunday, which opens with a very effective (and surprisingly brutal) flashback sequence, follows centuries-old witch Princess Asa (Barbara Steele) as she attempts to possess the body of a modern descendant (Steele’s Katia Vajda). Director Mario Bava has infused the picture with a tremendously evocative sensibility that’s clearly the one bright spot within the proceedings, and there’s little doubt that Bava’s stark, gothic visuals have inspired a myriad of contemporary filmmakers. It’s not quite enough, however, to excuse the mediocrity of the movie’s various other elements, as there’s ultimately nothing here that wholeheartedly works (and the dreadful dubbing and laughable dialogue exacerbate the film’s problems, to be sure)  – which ultimately cements Black Sunday‘s place as a melodramatic and thoroughly overwrought misfire that’s aged incredibly poorly in the years since its 1960 release.

*1/2 out of ****