Black Sabbath (I Tre Volti della paura)

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Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Mario Bava

Writer:

Anton Chekhov, Aleksei Tolstoy, Guy de Maupassant

Release Date:

May 6, 1964

Runtime:

1hr 37m

Synopsis

Boris Karloff hosts a trio of horror stories about a stalked call girl, a vampire-like monster who preys on his family, and a nurse who is haunted by her ring's rightful owner.

Cast

  • Michèle Mercier
  • Lidia Alfonsi
  • Boris Karloff
  • Mark Damon
  • Susy Andersen
  • Massimo Righi
  • Rika Dialyna
  • Glauco Onorato
  • Jacqueline Pierreux
  • Milly

Letterboxd User Reviews

3.6
53.5K
33.4K
16.5K
RATINGS 133 FANS
3.6
  • Oct 17, 2020

    The drop of water. 💧 💧 💧 💍 💀

    629 Likes
    Ian West
    Ian West
    Apr 22, 2020

    An anthology of very moody, meticulously-stylized horror shorts by Bava which opens with grounded, domestic psychological torment (the first murderous Giallo phone stalker thriller short has to have been an inspiration for the opening scene of Scream as much When A Stranger…

    511 Likes
    Josh Lewis
    Josh Lewis
    Jun 5, 2023

    watch this if you love beautiful italian and french women

    426 Likes
    sarah squirm
    sarah squirm
  •
    Jun 13, 2021

    the first story ripped off scream. the second story ripped off the vvitch. and the third story ripped off autopsy of jane doe. its no wonder the ripoff band black sabbath, who copied electric wizard, would  choose to name themselves after such an unoriginal movie...

    340 Likes
    cameron fetter
    cameron fetter
    Nov 13, 2016

    88 Cobweb Theater. Three stories. One dream-world. One master painter, but composed of light instead of acrylic. Bava escalates via the absence of light, beginning with a shining, radiant apartment of dangers and sly sensuality and concluding with throbbing colors…

    280 Likes
    SilentDawn
    SilentDawn
    Nov 7, 2019

    Damnation and the erosion of reality, both will arrive slowly and take you over. Bava most labored film, every image careful thought and cultivated with so much care actors appear to move in slow motion even in face of jump scares. This might be the first movie that was…

    186 Likes
    Filipe Furtado
    Filipe Furtado
  •
    Oct 2, 2014

    Years ago, on a dreary Autumn afternoon, a boy, in his early teens, sat down to watch television. What he found, alone in a shadowy living room, was a horror film. Marked by age, the film was not contemporary, but it was immediately engrossing. Shadows mixed with pastel…

    160 Likes
    Travis Lytle
    Travis Lytle
    Nov 22, 2025

    There was something so right about watching this on a cold winter’s night, in the dark, under a blanket, with cats curled around me. Just, perfect mood creation to wallow in the eerie beauty of it all. Fog, pink and green lighting, beautiful people, large crumbling houses,…

    160 Likes
    Lexzilla
    Lexzilla
    Oct 12, 2020

    Mario Bava's Black Sabbath is first and foremost a fun night out at the movies, opening with Boris Karloff talking right to the audience, welcoming you to this gnarly anthology just before Bava's signature colour-blown lighting starts to saturate Karloff's entire face.…

    142 Likes
    Bob McCully
    Bob McCully
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Queue Community Reviews

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Top Reviews
  • parkersherrod
    parkersherrod liked
    Black Sabbath

    Great variance in quality of stories, but the overall tone was consistently eerie and brash. Not bad, fun for a spooky evening.

    1M
    Vogue Italia
    Vogue Italia liked
    Black Sabbath

    8/27/26: Gorgeous!! Rip Mario Bava <3

    11D
    Luca Tosti
    Luca Tosti liked
    Black Sabbath

    8/10

    2Y
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Atom Users Reviews

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Metacritic

82
metacritic
Based on 8 Critics
8.3

USER SCORE (4)

Universal acclaim based on 4 Reviews
70

Even with Boris Karloff providing a lighthearted introduction and sign-off, Black Sabbath is fraught with fatalism.

View full review
Metacritic review by Noel Murray
Noel Murray
The Dissolve
88

Black Sabbath speaks to the vastness of Bava’s abilities in the realms of the terrifying and the supernatural.

View full review
Metacritic review by Chris Cabin
Chris Cabin
Slant Magazine
See All Critic Reviews on Metacritic.com

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is Black Sabbath (I Tre Volti della paura) (1964)?
The movie is 1hr 37min long.
What's Black Sabbath (I Tre Volti della paura) (1964) about?
Boris Karloff hosts a trio of horror stories about a stalked call girl, a vampire-like monster who preys on his family, and a nurse who is haunted by her ring's rightful owner.
Who's the cast of Black Sabbath (I Tre Volti della paura) (1964)?
  • Michèle Mercier as Rosy (segment "Il telefono")
  • Lidia Alfonsi as Mary (segment "Il telefono")
  • Boris Karloff as Gorca (segment "I Wurdalak")
  • Mark Damon as Vladimir D'Urfe (segment "I Wurdalak")
  • Susy Andersen as Sdenka (segment "I Wurdalak")
  • Massimo Righi as Pietro (segment "I Wurdalak")
  • Rika Dialyna as Maria (segment "I Wurdalak")
  • Glauco Onorato as Giorgio (segment "I Wurdalak")
  • Jacqueline Pierreux as Helen Chester (segment "La goccia d'acqua")
  • Milly as The Maid (segment "La goccia d'acqua")
Who's the director behind Black Sabbath (I Tre Volti della paura) (1964)?
Mario Bava directed Black Sabbath (I Tre Volti della paura) (1964).