Black Sunday (1961)

There was a time and not that long ago when one could see foreign films on BBC2, although the powers that be seem to have given this up for Lent.  The above Italian film, also known as "Mask of Satan", used to be aired regularly although dubbed, but is no longer available in any format.  More's the pity as it is one of the most important horror movies of all time.  It was the first directorial effort from Mario Bava who was originally a cinematographer and who did the camerawork here, and it is one of the most beautiful and atmospheric films ever.  The story is one we have seen often: a woman is burned as a witch and swears revenge on the descendants of her accuser who happened to be her brother; however this witch was not an innocent and a mask of nails was placed over her face.  She is played by horror icon Barbara Steele, a British beauty with a patchy career, largely in Italian films.  Steele also plays her descendent 200 years later, and after a drop of blood reawakens her from her tomb, all stops are pulled out to achieve her ends: to slaughter all who stand in her way and and to possess the young woman.  The movie was only ever released in its English dub here and the voice is not even Steele's own, but the image of her punctured face and her striking beauty are unforgettable.  Bava has created an enduring work that still terrifies and it is criminal that this movie is not more readily accessible.  The holy grail would be a copy in the original Italian with subtitles.