Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Lucia Ayala It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Bezenby Christopher Lee plays one of his most scary characters here as Kurt, the black sheep of a family living in one of those numerous scary castles you get in Italy. He's been banished for some time, but the family are still suffering from his antics.At the request of his father, Lee's brother has now married his old love Navenka, even though he's really in love with his cousin Ida Galli. Even the servants seem to have suffered, with the old maid cursing Lee's name as he seems to have caused her daughter's suicide. She even keeps the dagger her daughter used to kill herself in a jar.As you would expect, Lee returns from his exile to everyone's horror, and it looks as if he's out to get revenge on the family that hate him until someone sticks a knife through his throat. Death of course is a kind of mild hindrance in a Gothic horror, so shortly afterwards Lee's ghost starts appearing everywhere...so far so normal, right?It would be your standard Gothic horror if Lee didn't like whipping the crap out of his old girlfriend Daliah Lavi. When he returns he manages to get her down on the beach, and even though she protests, Lee states in his loud Shakespearean voice "Yeah, ya like that, dontcha bitch?" which gives this film a weird S&M flavour way ahead of the pervy excess of Jess Franco. This being a Mario Bava film the cinematography is probably better than any film of it's time, with every frame looking like some demented oil painting. This just adds to the atmosphere, however, as does Lee's huge, hunky, evil frame.Bava always found some angle to make his films stand out from others and although I wouldn't put this among my personal favourites of his films, it's another example of him being way ahead of his time, and a true master of Italian cinema. I would have gone mental at all those muddy footprints everywhere. There's only so much Shake N Vac can do.

Leofwine_draca Mario Bava once again creates a poetic, moving film; a Gothic chiller with plenty of atmosphere (the use of shadows here to evoke fear figures predominantly, even more than in Bava's other work) and with a romantic, tragic love story at its centre. THE WHIP AND THE FLESH highlights Bava at his most sensual, as he focuses the film on a masochistic relationship, something which was not taken lightly when the film was first released.The film is deliberately ambiguous, and offers us no explanations. It's never made clear whether Kurt has indeed come back as a ghost, or whether he is just a figment of a disturbed imagination; but in any case, the fact is that love is far stronger than death. The film has the usual Bava trappings; a remote castle, full of empty rooms full of shadows, characters who are not heroic but indeed flawed, a heavy feeling of nostalgia, and of course supernatural occurrences, and a character who may or may not be dead.Good performances are given by all of the cast members, especially Lavi as the tormented Nevenka, who hates herself for enjoying the whippings that Kurt gives her. Pigozzi registers as a limping manservant, while Gustavo De Nardo paints a sorrowful picture of an old man with only his memories left to keep him company. Christopher Lee's performance makes a strong impression on the film, indeed he is the key figure in the proceedings. Lee has said that this was one of his favourite films, and he gives one of his best performances here, despite the fact that he was dubbed by an American actor. Lee's Kurt is a noble man, distinguished in appearance, and very dignified; yet at the same time he's totally depraved, delighting in the pain of others. It's this dual role which makes Lee all the more interesting. The doomed romance between Kurt and Nevenka is touching, despite the masochistic basis for the relationship; you get the feeling that the pair really are deeply in love with each other.Of course, Bava couldn't make a film without it being controversial, and the sadistic scenes (of whipping) are a typical trademark of his; powerful, yet important, it's not just violence for violence's sake. There are plenty of shocks, faces appearing in windows and ghostly green hands reaching out of the dark, as well as creepy scenes, such as the muddy footprints of a ghost appearing on a wooden floor. The film reaches an eventual climax of Gothic melodrama, and Bava does a good job of weaving the two plot strands of a murder mystery and a supernatural shocker into one satisfying concoction. THE WHIP AND THE FLESH is a woefully underrated film, and remains powerful, moving, and perhaps one of the most striking horror films ever made, one of the few to actually reach out and touch your heart, and not with revulsion, instead with mixed feelings of love and hatred; in fact, you're torn between the genuine love between Kurt and Nevenka and the hatred of the sadistic activities that Kurt enjoys. Added to this one of the most romantic and moving scores ever composed, and you have one cracker of a film.

TheFinalAlias They say that the most timeless cinema is that of the heart, and here, Italian horror maestro Mario Bava; a director famed for the elements of Gothic romance seen in his work; has crafted one of the world's most strange and terrifying love stories.Yes, for that is what this film, so often called a horror film is at it's core: A love story.But that does not mean for a second that the 'love' it conveys is not a terrifying one. In fact, it may be the most disturbingly poignant of all of Bava's films, as even today it recounts a lifestyle that puts to shame anything that can be accomplished in a giallo film in sending a chill down one's spine, mostly because, it happens every day in real life in some shape or form. Only the era is different.A film that describes something like that is truly timeless. But that doesn't mean it's touching like other love stories you see in heartbreak magazines, no, it's not touching; but it definitely is heartbreaking.On an eerie twilight-lit coast somewhere in Italy, estranged aristocrat Kurt Menliff(Christopher Lee) returns to the family castle, where several years earlier, he drove the daughter of the family maid; Tania, to suicide with a dagger. The details are never explicitly explained on how Kurt's treatment drove her to suicide, but they become chillingly clear quite soon. Of course, it's not just the maid who bears a grudge against Kurt, but his entire family, his father has disowned him, his brother Christian despises him and his former betrothed can't wait to dismiss him. However, his father agrees to let him stay, grudgingly.The Waltons they are not.However, when away from prying eyes, it turns out that family member Nevenka(Dahlia Lavi, playing pretty much the same type of role you'd expect to see Barbara Steele in)is still very much in love with Kurt, so, alone on the beach, he expresses his gratitude the only way he can: He savagely attacks her and starts beating her senseless with a whip!!!!! This would be disturbing enough, except for the fact that, and this becomes clear quicker than you'd think; Nevenka LOVES it. And as Kurt says 'You've always loved violence', it becomes clear this is something Nevenka has had a fetish for for a long time and not just tolerance for an abusive man she thinks she can change; this is how she gets off, and Nevenka continues to fantasize about Kurt day and night.Even after he turns up dead with the same dagger Tania killed herself with jammed in his throat. Kurt's beatings were an addiction she can't live without, what will she do now that he's dead? This is where the film's horror element comes into play: What if Kurt isn't dead? And if he is, who stabbed him? Everyone in the household is a suspect. And things begin to get even more complicated when more and more members of the household turn up dead. Is it Kurt? Tania's ghost? As Christian investigates, the answers begin to grow more and more disturbing.'The Whip & The Body' is on the whole, a rather grim affair, with the truly sordid subject matter contrasted with the beautiful coastal setting and fairy tale castle. The fact that a truly beautiful romantic tune(later re-used in several Bava films)plays during Nevenka's fantasies makes for a morbid bit of humor. The film will also likely bore many viewers expecting a giallo-type of film(as I've seen this referred to as a giallo or proto-slasher in some circles since it involves a hidden killer using a knife) with it's long passages of silence and talkiness(not to mention that Christian is the blandest hero in a Bava film I've ever seen). Still, typical top-notch direction from Bava, the usual gorgeous cinematography and use of color, along with a moving performance by Lavi and a brief, but unforgettable turn by Lee as Kurt(dubbed in some scenes and not in others) make this more than worth your time.But what gives the film it's lasting power is the disturbing fact that there are men like Kurt, and many women in positions like Nevenka(willingly or unwillingly)in real life who suffer and inflict suffering daily, many of whom cannot even get out of the web of abuse they are in if they have the chance, and some of whom cling to it. And knowing this goes on is more horrifying than anything in any of Bava's more straightforward horror films.Truly ahead of it's time and certainly not for everyone, 'Whip' is a great exploration of many of Bava's recurring themes like the destruction of a family, deceptive appearances(Christopher Lee has never been more handsome), obsession, and ultimately, what Bava called his greatest fear: That of someone alone in a room confronting the darkest aspects of themselves. It may not scare you, it may not even grab your attention, but this film is one of the most haunting pieces of celluloid you will ever see. It's a strange mix of 'Psycho', 'Wuthering Heights' and the relationship between Kurt & Nevenka feels like a prequel to 'The Innocents'. All in all, it's worth seeing.Enjoy, if you can.~

Witchfinder General 666 With Italy being my favorite Horror-producing country, and Gothic Tales and Gialli my favorite sub-genres, it is not surprising that I regard Italian Horror-pioneer Mario Bava, sublime master of the first- and inventor of the second category, as one of the greatest geniuses in the history of Motion Pictures. Unlike any other Horror director, Bava made most of his films so ingeniously that it is very hard to name favorites, simply due to the fact that this great man's repertoire includes so many flawless masterpieces. Bava's doubtlessly most brilliant film is the 1960 masterpiece "La Maschera Del Demonio" (aka. "Black Sunday"), which is, as far as I am concerned, one of the greatest films ever made, but the man created several other flawless films that no Horror lover or even cinema-fan in general could afford to miss. Such as this overwhelming film, for example. In 1963, the same year in which he invented the Giallo-sub-genre with his milestone "La Ragazza Che Sappeva Troppo" and furthermore created the arguably most memorable Horror omnibus ever with "I Tre Volti Della Paura", Bava also brought us this wonderful Gothic gem named "La Frusta E Il Corpo" (aka. "The Whip And The Body"), a film which perfectly illustrates what a brilliant director he was. "The Whip And The Body" is the absolute proof that, unlike any other director, Mario Bava had a unique talent of combining beauty and terror in a most mesmerizing manner. The need of a a high quality copy is something i seldom find essential, and yet I would highly recommend to watch "La Frusta E Il Corpo" in the highest possible quality. Whenever using the pause-button on the remote control, one has the impression of looking at a beautifully haunting painting. This is no exaggeration, but merely the only proper description of how visually overwhelming this dream-like Gothic masterpiece is.Horror-icon Christopher Lee, as far as I am concerned one of the greatest actors ever, gives a brilliant performance as one of his most haunting and sardonic characters here. The ravishing Daliah Lavi is as stunningly beautiful as the film itself, and she also delivers a stunning performance in the female lead. The supporting performances are also great, the cast includes Italian genre-regulars as Tony Kendall and Ida Galli. I will not give a long plot description as everybody should be capable of drifting into the dreamlike Horrors of Castle Menliff on their own. I do want to say though, that "The Whip And The Body" is a unique and fascinating mix of Gothic Horror and S&M love-story. The eerie castle is the perfect setting for this wonderful film, which takes place in the early 19th century. The brilliant score is as mesmerizing and hauntingly beautiful as the film's visual style - "The Whip And The Body" simply is a film that overwhelms all senses a film possibly can. This was originally intended to resemble the story of Roger Corman's 1961 masterpiece "The Pit And The Pendulum" (another favorite of mine), but it turned out entirely different, the brilliant Gothic eeriness, castle setting and great acting being the only mutual elements. Mario Bava created many masterpieces in his impressive career, and all of them have something particularly essential about them. "La Frusta E Il Corpo" is a film that shows this man's unique talent for atmosphere and the combination of the beautiful and the uncanny. This is one of the most visually overwhelming Horror films ever made, and easily deserves the highest rating of 10/10!