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A rogue gallery of suspicious characters set to Carlo Rustichelli's jazzy soundtrack becomes the opening sequence to the official giallo thriller from Mario Bava. A house of fashion becomes a house of murder when a faceless killer stalks and kills beautiful models. There are two scenes that have really left me terrified as the film continually unfolds from beginning to end. One murder contains the poor but beautiful Mary Arden's hand being burned by a cast-iron. And another murder involves the drowning of Vulcanesque model Arianna Gorini to death. Those scenes are indeed disturbing and shocking for 1960s audiences then and modern audiences now. The acting on the other hand, is a completely different story. Bava regular Cameron Mitchell and the sensual Eva Bartok come off quite well as the scheming couple. Thomas Reiner gives his best performance in the film as a tall, deadpan police investigator. But the Italian actor who played one of the boyfriends gives a Shatneresque performance almost to the point of lunacy. Cinematographer Ubaldo Terzano brilliantly combines film noir lighting with psychedelic colors of dark purple and green in such an over-the-top expressionistic way that the audience cannot take their eyes off the screen. However, there is a prime example of low-budget Italian filmmaking: an ingenious Kubrick-style tracking shot showing the dressing rooms. The most surprising part is that it's done on a red wagon. Who knew? Despite some setbacks, BLOOD AND BLACK LACE is one of Bava's best no doubt about it.Read full review
A must have for fans of giallo films and Mario Bava. Great story, great atmosphere. The lighting and camera work are prime examples of Bava's style.
So intriguing and lush
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