Kino Lorber has officially announced and detailed their upcoming Blu-ray release of Italian director Mario Bava's U.S. version of the horror classic
Black Sunday (1960), starring Barbara Steele, John Richardson, and Andrea Checchi. This alternate, re-edited version of Bava's influential and groundbreaking directorial debut will be available on Blu-ray in new HD transfer from original 35mm elements on February 24.
This version of the film represents the changes made by American International Pictures, the studio that distributed the film in its initial U.S. release. (Kino Lorber already released on Blu-ray the original Italian release version. You can see our listing and review of this release
here).
In addition to re-editing the film, AIP created a new English-dubbed track and introduced a new musical score by Les Baxter, today recognized as a master of Ultra-Lounge music, and who was instrumental in popularizing the Exotica sound.
Widely recognized as one of the true masters of the genre, for his distinctive visual style and his talent for atmospheric horror, Bava created a strong and enduring body of work that continues to entertain new audiences. Kino Lorber is proud to offer Bava's impressive directorial debut in an edition that does justice to the incredible visual power of his cinematic style.
Synopsis: In one of the most auspicious directorial debuts in movie history, Mario Bava bridged the gap between the gothic horror picture and the European art film with
Black Sunday (aka
La maschera del demonio or
The Mask of Satan). Made in 1960 and now considered a cult classic, it continues to reverberate through the cinema inspiring and
influencing new generations of filmmakers.
Black Sunday stars Barbara Steele as Asa Vajda, a beautiful woman tortured and executed as a witch -- but not before pronouncing a curse upon those who have condemned her, a curse that is fulfilled 200 years later.
Bonus features:
- Mario Bava theatrical trailers