DEVILS ADVOCATES
DEVILS ADVOCATES is a series of books devoted to exploring the classics of horror cinema. Contributors to the series come from the fields of teaching, academia, journalism and fiction, but all have one thing in common: a passion for the horror film and a desire to share it with the widest possible audience.
The admirable Devils Advocates series is not only essential and fun reading for the serious horror fan but should be set texts on any genre course.
Dr Ian Hunter, Reader in Film Studies, De Montfort University, Leicester
Auteur Publishings new Devils Advocates critiques on individual titles offer bracingly fresh perspectives from passionate writers. The series will perfectly complement the BFI archive volumes. Christopher Fowler, Independent on Sunday
Devils Advocates has proven itself more than capable of producing impassioned, intelligent analyses of genre cinema quickly becoming the go-to guys for intelligent, easily digestible film criticism. HorrorTalk.com
Auteur Publishing continue the good work of giving serious critical attention to significant horror films. Black Static
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ALSO AVAILABLE IN THIS SERIES
The Blair Witch Project Peter Turner
Carrie Neil Mitchell
The Descent James Marriot
Halloween Murray Leeder
Let the Right One In Anne Billson
Saw Benjamin Poole
The Silence of the Lambs Barry Forshaw
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre James Rose
The Thing Jez Conolly
Witchfinder General Ian Cooper
FORTHCOMING
Antichrist Amy Simmonds
The Curse of Frankenstein Marcus K. Harmes
Dead of Night Jez Conolly & David Owain Bates
Near Dark John Berra
Nosferatu Cristina Massaccesi
Psychomania I.Q. Hunter & Jamie Sherry
DEVILS ADVOCATES
BLACK SUNDAY
MARTYN CONTERIO
Acknowledgements
Martyn Conterio would like to thank John Atkinson of Auteur Publishing. Many thanks also to Louise Buckler at Arrow Video, Josh Saco (Cigarette Burns programmer), and the BBFCs Edward Lamberti and Fiona Liddell, who were very helpful in granting me access to the organisations files on Black Sunday and clearing quotations.
For generally being awesome and kind, Im grateful for knowing these fine folk: Lorraine Conterio, Adriana de Barros, Anton Bitel, Katherine McLaughlin and Neil Mitchell.
This monograph is dedicated to Mario Bava.
First published in 2015 by
Auteur, 24 Hartwell Crescent, Leighton Buzzard LU7 1NP
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Copyright Auteur 2015
Series design: Nikki Hamlett at Cassels Design
Set by Cassels Design www.casselsdesign.co.uk
Printed and bound in Great Britain
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the permission of the copyright owner.
E-ISBN 978-1-906733-89-6
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-1-906733-83-4
ebook ISBN: 978-1-906733-89-6
CONTENTS
Mario Bava made his officially credited directorial debut with La maschera del demonio (The Demons Mask). The film took inspiration from a 19th century short story, Viy, written by Ukrainian author Nikolai Gogol. In the United States, American International Pictures released the picture as Black Sunday. The film starred Barbara Steele, John Richardson, Arturo Dominici, Andrea Checchi and Ivo Garrani.
A WORD ON THE FILMS TITLE
The Italian-language title, La maschera del demonio, can be read as a pun, a homage to, or rip-off of Hammers 1957 production The Curse of Frankenstein, exhibited in Italy as La maschera di Frankenstein. The Warner Bros. 3D horror marvel, The House of Wax (1953), also bore La maschera in the title when released as La maschera di cera (The Wax Mask).
American International Pictures (AIP) purchased North American distribution rights and re-edited scenes, redubbed the soundtrack and dialogue, changed character names and gave it an entirely new identity: Black Sunday. In England, during 1968, it received a theatrical run as Revenge of the Vampire. (There are other alternative titles floating around including House of Fright.)
Whatever ones overall judgement of the AIP cut, Black Sunday, as a title, fits the Gothic and plangent mood much better than The Mask of Satan or the utterly naff Revenge of the Vampire. I would even argue it is better than La maschera del demonio. Black, in this context, too, resonated with the saturnine but elegant countenance of Barbara Steeles role as Katia, as well as a suitably apt description of evil and dead sexy ancestor Asa (also played by Steele). AIPs alteration also aligned the film closer to Gogols tale, by virtue of the creation of a faux folkloric tradition that gave context to the overall plot action. Fixing narrative events around a historical date bestowed upon the movie a wonderful portent of doom: One day in each century, it is said that Satan walks the earth. To the God-fearing, this day is known as Black Sunday. The clever alteration to The Mask of Satans soundtrack (Tim Lucas suggests either dubbing producer Lou Rousoff or director Lee Kresel made the change) produced a satanic frisson: a reversal of Christs resurrection from beyond the grave on Easter Sunday. We witness the Passion of Asa and her return two hundreds year later on Black Sunday.
If the Italian-language title attached itself to Andr de Toths House of Wax
