Black Sunday (film)



1960 Italian horror classic directed by Mario Bava. It was his first film where he received actual credit for his work.

In 1640, the Moldavian Princess Asa Vajda is captured and executed by her brother for practicing witchcraft and being a vampire. As she is about to die, she curses the descendents of her brother. Two hundred years later, Dr. Kruvajan and his assistant Dr. Gorobec, travel through Moldavia. After their carriage breaks down the two stumble across the tomb of Asa, whose corpse wears a metal mask and coffin is guarded by a cross. Kruvajan is attacked by a monstrous bat and kills it. However, he accidentally breaks the cross, cuts his hand and drip some blood on the body. Asa is resurrected because of the blood and begins to wreck havoc upon Moldavia and her brother's descendants.

Not to be confused with another movie about...a blimp.

This movie contains examples of:

 * Aristocrats Are Evil: Princess Asa
 * Back From the Dead: Asa and Javuto.
 * Bowdlerise: The American International Pictures release of the film, which cut down on some of the gore in the film.
 * Black Magic: What Asa is originally executed for using.
 * Burn the Witch
 * Design Student's Orgasm
 * Evil-Detecting Dog: The Vajda's dogs.
 * Everything's Better with Princesses: Asa and in extension her look alike Katia two hundred years later.
 * Evil Minions: Javuto for Asa.
 * Eye Scream: The metal mask put on Asa has spikes on the inside. Her eyes are gouged out and bleed profusely from the eye hole. Later, when the mask is removed from her body, her eyes have rotten out and bugs are crawling out of the sockets.
 * Later on, corpse is staked through the eye so that his soul could rest in peace.
 * Fainting: Katia has a dramatic faint upon the discovery that.
 * Fireplace Passage
 * Hospital Hottie: Dr. Gorobec.
 * Hypnotic Eyes: Asa.
 * Identical Grandson: Katia and (100 years prior to her) Pasha, who both look exactly like Asa.
 * Life Drinker: Asa.
 * Ominous Fog: A fog immediately rolls in when Asa's servant Javuto comes for Dr. Kruvajan.
 * A Plague on Both Your Houses: Asa curses her brother and his descendants.
 * Rapid Aging:
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning: The poster above.
 * Scenery Porn
 * Sealed Evil in a Can: A metal mask is used to diminish Asa's powers
 * Spooky Painting: The portraits of Asa and Javuto
 * Torches and Pitchforks
 * Wicked Witch: Asa.
 * She's also a Hot Witch