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Blood and Black Lace
DVD/APPROX. 90 MINS/1965/ITALY R18+
DVD/APPROX. 90 MINS/1965/ITALY R18+
Welcome to Giallo year zero and a film of such vast cinematic influence that it's in danger of looking hokey and cliched because it's been ripped off
so many times. Blood & Black Lace is a classic that all horror fans should see, even if it's too dated for some viewers they'll still enjoy spotting the
shots, lighting techniques, plot devices and murderous set pieces that have been reused by lesser filmmakers than the Italian master of candy
coloured suspense who made this milestone...Mario Bava.
The lightweight story is a typical murder mystery plot which has been injected with a healthy dose of leering sleaze thanks to the amoral nature of
many of the characters. Set in a fashion house, as so many Giallo to follow would be, the central roll call of self-obsessed, vain and sometimes drug
addled designers, models, minor royals and antique dealers are all vile and loathsome in their own ways and elicit very little sympathy as we wait
for the grisly killing to start.
Any further explanation of plot would destroy the twisting, turning nature of plot. All we need to know is that people are dying, everyone harbours
a guilty, scandalous secret and the killer will be unmasked before the end. Fans of the genre will know the drill; Everyone's a suspect, the
explanations of the murders get wilder and more unlikely as the investigators scramble about looking for answers and it's always the most
stupefying and illogical person who ends up being the blood hungry protagonist. It's a reversal of the old Sherlock Holmes saying...in Giallo when
you have eliminated all logical possibilities, the completely ridiculous has to be the answer!
Released in the early 60s, Blood & Black Lace is years ahead of it time in terms of violent imagery. I knew it was going to be stronger and nastier
than a Hammer movie of a similar vintage but nothing prepared me for the sadistic throttling, vicious stabbing's, faked wrist cutting suicides and
face burning on offer. The first murder of the movie sets the fetishistic tone as a beautiful model is assaulted in the grounds of the sumptuous
fashion house.
Wearing a kinky red plastic mac, she is violently strangled from behind then her body is dragged through the undergrowth. Her skirt rides up as
she is pulled through the dirt, revealing suspenders and stocking tops. All the murders work on a similar premise...that killing beautiful women has
great cinematic impact on the audience and the hints of twisted sexuality are easily spotted despite the vintage nature of the piece preventing
them from being overt.
The killer sports a rakish hat, long black raincoat, black gloves and a pair of pale tights over his head and face. This cheap but effective mask
makes the murderer truly frightening as he stalks and kills. Bava's uses of multicoloured lights means that the murderers face takes on whatever
colours the filmmaker uses in a scene, leading to the horrifying vision of a faceless and blood red slayer looming in for another kill.
It's the colours and cinematography that really make this film as the screen is constantly awash with eye scorching hues of red (Like the weird
crimson mannequins used by the clothes designers) and vibrant purples. The opening shot of the bright red fashion house sign falling away in the
wind to reveal a fountain and a grand house sets the technical tone for the rest of the film in which the camera drifts effortlessly through almost
painterly set ups. A great panning shot backstage at a fashion show is a standout as the camera wanders past a set of changing cubicles and we
get to hear the gossip from the models within.
A film that anyone with even a passing interest in horror films that weren't written by committee in a Hollywood boardroom then distilled to remove
anything interesting before being sold with a generic photo-shopped poster, should buy this movie. VCI's region 1, 2-disc set has a decent picture.
It's a little fuzzy in places but the colours pop out so much that the odd slightly blurred moment is more than compensated for. The English Dub
track is laughable and should be viewed after the Italian version or you'll never take the film seriously again. I haven't seen dialogue fail to match a
persons lip movements this severely since I bought a stack of old school Kung Fu movies from Poundland. A commentary is included on the first disc.
The second disc has galleries, interviews, Bava trailers and some isolated music which is probably the best extra on the set as the score for the
movie is fantastic. The theme music is sleazy night club jazz music, all queasy cha-cha rhythms and lonely trumpet. The rest of score see this theme
return along with the usual stabs of orchestra when anyone nasty pops out of the shadows.
Black & Black Lace is a seminal movie which opened the door for a great many Italian sleaze hounds and B-movie hacks to churn out some of my
favourite movies. Mario Bava is a genuine cinematic genius whose films (Including the Gothic classic Mask of Satan, Danger: Diabolik and Bay of
Blood) set the standard for pasta horror. This film must be seen at least once in your life!
so many times. Blood & Black Lace is a classic that all horror fans should see, even if it's too dated for some viewers they'll still enjoy spotting the
shots, lighting techniques, plot devices and murderous set pieces that have been reused by lesser filmmakers than the Italian master of candy
coloured suspense who made this milestone...Mario Bava.
The lightweight story is a typical murder mystery plot which has been injected with a healthy dose of leering sleaze thanks to the amoral nature of
many of the characters. Set in a fashion house, as so many Giallo to follow would be, the central roll call of self-obsessed, vain and sometimes drug
addled designers, models, minor royals and antique dealers are all vile and loathsome in their own ways and elicit very little sympathy as we wait
for the grisly killing to start.
Any further explanation of plot would destroy the twisting, turning nature of plot. All we need to know is that people are dying, everyone harbours
a guilty, scandalous secret and the killer will be unmasked before the end. Fans of the genre will know the drill; Everyone's a suspect, the
explanations of the murders get wilder and more unlikely as the investigators scramble about looking for answers and it's always the most
stupefying and illogical person who ends up being the blood hungry protagonist. It's a reversal of the old Sherlock Holmes saying...in Giallo when
you have eliminated all logical possibilities, the completely ridiculous has to be the answer!
Released in the early 60s, Blood & Black Lace is years ahead of it time in terms of violent imagery. I knew it was going to be stronger and nastier
than a Hammer movie of a similar vintage but nothing prepared me for the sadistic throttling, vicious stabbing's, faked wrist cutting suicides and
face burning on offer. The first murder of the movie sets the fetishistic tone as a beautiful model is assaulted in the grounds of the sumptuous
fashion house.
Wearing a kinky red plastic mac, she is violently strangled from behind then her body is dragged through the undergrowth. Her skirt rides up as
she is pulled through the dirt, revealing suspenders and stocking tops. All the murders work on a similar premise...that killing beautiful women has
great cinematic impact on the audience and the hints of twisted sexuality are easily spotted despite the vintage nature of the piece preventing
them from being overt.
The killer sports a rakish hat, long black raincoat, black gloves and a pair of pale tights over his head and face. This cheap but effective mask
makes the murderer truly frightening as he stalks and kills. Bava's uses of multicoloured lights means that the murderers face takes on whatever
colours the filmmaker uses in a scene, leading to the horrifying vision of a faceless and blood red slayer looming in for another kill.
It's the colours and cinematography that really make this film as the screen is constantly awash with eye scorching hues of red (Like the weird
crimson mannequins used by the clothes designers) and vibrant purples. The opening shot of the bright red fashion house sign falling away in the
wind to reveal a fountain and a grand house sets the technical tone for the rest of the film in which the camera drifts effortlessly through almost
painterly set ups. A great panning shot backstage at a fashion show is a standout as the camera wanders past a set of changing cubicles and we
get to hear the gossip from the models within.
A film that anyone with even a passing interest in horror films that weren't written by committee in a Hollywood boardroom then distilled to remove
anything interesting before being sold with a generic photo-shopped poster, should buy this movie. VCI's region 1, 2-disc set has a decent picture.
It's a little fuzzy in places but the colours pop out so much that the odd slightly blurred moment is more than compensated for. The English Dub
track is laughable and should be viewed after the Italian version or you'll never take the film seriously again. I haven't seen dialogue fail to match a
persons lip movements this severely since I bought a stack of old school Kung Fu movies from Poundland. A commentary is included on the first disc.
The second disc has galleries, interviews, Bava trailers and some isolated music which is probably the best extra on the set as the score for the
movie is fantastic. The theme music is sleazy night club jazz music, all queasy cha-cha rhythms and lonely trumpet. The rest of score see this theme
return along with the usual stabs of orchestra when anyone nasty pops out of the shadows.
Black & Black Lace is a seminal movie which opened the door for a great many Italian sleaze hounds and B-movie hacks to churn out some of my
favourite movies. Mario Bava is a genuine cinematic genius whose films (Including the Gothic classic Mask of Satan, Danger: Diabolik and Bay of
Blood) set the standard for pasta horror. This film must be seen at least once in your life!
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| "A fashion house of glamorous models becomes a terror house of blood!" |
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