Blood and Black Lace

(Sei donne per l'assassino)

Italy/Monaco/France/Germany 1964. Dir Mario Bava.


With Mary Arden, Cameron Mitchell, Eva Bartok. 88 min.

Camp as its title may sound, this creation from the Italian horror maverick Mario Bava is considered a quintessential giallo thriller and a masterpiece, and has a cult following among the likes of Quentin Tarantino. Filmed under the working title “The Fashion House of Death”, it revolves around dubious secrets involving a group of nerve-wracked fashion models, and a certain red diary. Like the sumptuously baroque fashion salon, the murder scenes are meticulously staged, with bodies often re-arranged for yet more breathtakingly spectacular effect. Son of Eugenio Bava, an accomplished cinematographer in Italian silent cinema, Mario himself was a brilliant and innovative technician, highly regarded for his use of colour and lighting.