Featured Audience Ratings

• Cassandra M

  
  Visually, this may be one of the most stunning films you will ever see. The photography, framing, lighting and use of colour is unequalled in this genre of film making from this era. The fluidity of the camera-work is remarkable and repays repeated viewings to appreciate it fully. The… More
  Visually, this may be one of the most stunning films you will ever see. The photography, framing, lighting and use of colour is unequalled in this genre of film making from this era. The fluidity of the camera-work is remarkable and repays repeated viewings to appreciate it fully. The only thing that may make this difficult going for some is the English dubbing so see it with subtitles if you can. The acting is not great and in some places will bring about laughter where it was not intended ditto the actions of some of the victims. The murders are gruesome and graphic even in the cut version of this film and must have been truly shocking to audiences in 1964. The excellent music score fits perfectly with the fashion house setting of the story and the models are beautiful.

• David L

  
  Blood and Black Lace is a well-executed giallo, which literally translates to the word "yellow" in Italian. This color reference is a result of cheaply-made murder mysteries published in the 1920's that contained yellow covers. The common usage of the word giallo in… More
  Blood and Black Lace is a well-executed giallo, which literally translates to the word "yellow" in Italian. This color reference is a result of cheaply-made murder mysteries published in the 1920's that contained yellow covers. The common usage of the word giallo in terms of horror mostly involves a sadistic string of murders with an interesting final act that explains the motives behind them. In this particular film, Bava manages to deliver stylish camera work and a stunning layout. Imagine a cross between Roger Corman's set design during his Poe adaptation lineup, and pair it up with a composition that bares a striking resemblance to Dario Argento's artistry. Bava actually served as a huge inspiration for Argento which makes sense considering. Argento is responsible for 1982's Tenebre, another favorite giallo of mine. The plot of this film concerns a deranged madman who is killing off young fashion models. In typical giallo fashion, red herrings or false leads are thrown at you to build an exciting climax. I mentioned a likeness to Argento and that's precisely why Bava served as a point of influence - there are several scenes that act like mood triggers; exploring the palette in terms of lighting to generate a certain atmosphere. And while Bava wasn't partial to just one color, the selection he chose from coordinated seamlessly with the environment. I really appreciate this artistic approach and the cultural differences in film making. I enjoy a good art house flick from time to time but Bava manages the feature's run-time wisely by expressing himself and maintaining relevance simultaneously. Fans who are familiar with Italian giallos come to expect that many of them are dubbed in English...especially from this era. Luckily, I had the privilege of watching the uncut version of Blood and Black Lace in Italian with English subtitles on a old videotape years ago; upholding cinematic integrity flawlessly. If you love an entertaining giallo, or maybe you're curious about the sub-genre, Bava's classic is undoubtedly high on the list - just make sure you grab the version in Italian if you can find it.

• A.D. V

  
  Artsy drivel that doesn't quite work as a Giallo or a slasher. Other than some creative eye candy (and where Dario Argento got his inspiration from) this is a bore pure and simple.

• Conner R

  
  A great slasher for its time. It feels like the quality of an old Hitchcock film, only with more gore. The faceless killer was extremely interesting and reminded me of an evil Question (DC Comics). The death scenes were really well orchestrated and revolutionary for their time and the… More
  A great slasher for its time. It feels like the quality of an old Hitchcock film, only with more gore. The faceless killer was extremely interesting and reminded me of an evil Question (DC Comics). The death scenes were really well orchestrated and revolutionary for their time and the story was extremely captivating.

• Adam M

  
  colored lighting is incredible and camera moves beautiful, every character is sketchy

• Ken S

  
  One of the most incredibly shot films of all time. Bava uses color to accent the beauty of the victims and the plainness of the murderer. However this is not one of Bava's most enjoyable fims to watch from a story sense, but then again story has never been the Italian films… More
  One of the most incredibly shot films of all time. Bava uses color to accent the beauty of the victims and the plainness of the murderer. However this is not one of Bava's most enjoyable fims to watch from a story sense, but then again story has never been the Italian films strongest point.

• Stephen M

  
  I came to "Blood & Black Lace" fully expecting it to be Bava's best giallo but I found it surprisingly disappointing. It's certainly stylish and has some great grisly set-pieces, but it's pretty po-faced and much less fun than "The Girl Who Knew Too… More
  I came to "Blood & Black Lace" fully expecting it to be Bava's best giallo but I found it surprisingly disappointing. It's certainly stylish and has some great grisly set-pieces, but it's pretty po-faced and much less fun than "The Girl Who Knew Too Much". Whereas the earlier film had an appealing and plucky heroine, the cast here is completely charmless and we aren't really given a protagonist, male or female, to identify with.

• Dr Blood  

  
  More overrated Bava artiness with no plot worth mentioning and very bad actors. Some of the killings are quite good though but this is really all just about lensing some nice looking scenes with pretty women in them.

• Michael G

  
  A really great slasher flick that doesn't get too ridiculous. You can't expect too much storywise, but still not bad. It's all glamour and classic beauty (especially Eva Bartok) but the real star is the movie itself, courtesy of Bava, who does a fantastic job lighting… More
  A really great slasher flick that doesn't get too ridiculous. You can't expect too much storywise, but still not bad. It's all glamour and classic beauty (especially Eva Bartok) but the real star is the movie itself, courtesy of Bava, who does a fantastic job lighting the whole thing up and creating frighteningly beautiful imagery. The red mannequin was haunting.

• Matthew Y

  
  Blood and Black Lace is one of the earliest establishing films of what would become the Italian Giallo genre that blends both Thriller and Horror elements. This film more than any other set what would become iconic elements of Giallo's, the masked killer, the young beautiful… More
  Blood and Black Lace is one of the earliest establishing films of what would become the Italian Giallo genre that blends both Thriller and Horror elements. This film more than any other set what would become iconic elements of Giallo's, the masked killer, the young beautiful female victims, the close-ups of knives or other sharp instruments before striking their victims and most importantly the shocking twist ending of the mystery to confound both characters and audience members alike. Giallo's would dominate the early 70's and would impact many American filmmakers to latter create yet another film sub-genre the Slasher picture. Still entertaining and frightful to this day Blood and Black Lace has one of the more memorable endings of revenge and betray of any Giallo or Slasher pic created after it.

• Ryan M

  
  9.0/10 From the moment "Blood and Black Lace" begun, I knew I was watching a special kind of Giallo horror movie, which is particularly good, because I love a good Giallo once in a while. But great Giallo horror movies are not common; so that's why this… More
  9.0/10 From the moment "Blood and Black Lace" begun, I knew I was watching a special kind of Giallo horror movie, which is particularly good, because I love a good Giallo once in a while. But great Giallo horror movies are not common; so that's why this movie, among others, is so oddly exquisite. I liked its approach to its thematic material; and it was actually scary. So it's a true entry to its genre, complete with rich atmosphere and a very nice story as well. Horror movies used to be so driven by narrative. What happened to them? Perhaps they died a little bit after "Blood and Black Lace"; which came out in the days of "Pyscho" and "Bloody Sunday". Funny I mention the second film, because it was also directed by Mario Bava. Now, in my review for "Bloody Sunday", I claimed that it was essentially the best film that Bava ever made. I retract those words. While I liked "Bloody Sunday" a lot and found it an atmospheric work of art, this is a film that is so much better; in so many ways. I don't know why; but "Blood and Black Lace" just strikes me as something genuinely awesome, maybe because it kind of is. The story is pretty simple, and sticks to being fairly basic throughout. So let's get down to it; and have fun with it. The film involves the murder of a fashion model, which leads to a thorough investigation of the crime. The victim apparently had a diary which contained information that the killer might want to get rid of, although other models get involved and begin to get killed off one-by-one by the psychopath, perhaps because the killer believes they might know something, and he/she can't have that. Yeah, this film is essentially the story of a body-count. But at least it's a classic body-count. Before mindless bull-shit like "Friday the 13th" plagued screens in the 80's, we had fine pieces of work like this. While there are many brutal, sadistic killings; what I like most about "Blood and Black Lace" is that it doesn't exploit itself too much, leaving room for tension and atmosphere. The film pays a lot of attention to colors and cinematography for its creepy, coming-up-behind-you feeling. I liked the rush that it gave me, and it felt alive. But it is also well-acted, and superbly directed by Bava, who might as well be one of the major stars of the film himself. He put this thing together; he is responsible for its success. He also co-wrote the script, and it's a pretty good one. I mean, there are no doubt BETTER scripts; but who gives a damn? "Blood and Black Lace" is a masterpiece of the Italian Giallo horror-thriller; a mad, erotic work of high cinematic art. It stands as more than a classic; but also just a damn great movie in general. In films where serial killers brutally kill off women, the act is almost always interpreted as the work of a misogynistic filmmaker, but not this time. There's enough flare and substance to "Blood and Black Lace" to allow it to NOT be tame, but still NOT exploitative. It's not misogynistic, which is good. And it's not a pain in the ass to watch either. It is violent, but also smart and highly entertaining as long as you can look past the content and move on to the substance. Can everyone do this? I don't think so. But if you can, then you've earned my respect. I guess this film was not made for everyone, but I believe that anyone who calls themselves a horror fan should give it a go. Some horror fans might even dislike it; who knows. All I know is that I found it rather fascinating, in a gory, Giallo sort of way. It is like a wondrous orgy of corpses; a celebration of the mad and macabre realms of horror, when they still truly existed. Nowadays, horror has been reduced to something less than it was probably ever intended to be. There are horror films out right now, new ones, which are even more violent than "Blood and Black Lace"; yet this is still the better film. And if you've been reading this review all along, then you should know why that is.

• Quinto W

  
  Absolutely loved this movie, kept me intrigued the entire time. Beautiful, stylish, violent and suspenseful.

• John M

  
  "Blood and Black Lace" is a stylish Mario Bava's giallo. It is atmospheric, dark, obscure, thrilling and has an incredible use of color. The killings are fairly brutal and intense but not gory. The soundtrack, a great recurring jazzy theme of the bolero/dancing… More
  "Blood and Black Lace" is a stylish Mario Bava's giallo. It is atmospheric, dark, obscure, thrilling and has an incredible use of color. The killings are fairly brutal and intense but not gory. The soundtrack, a great recurring jazzy theme of the bolero/dancing music kind, fits perfectly into the movie, and makes the whole flick even more suspenseful.

• Anthony V

  
  A style over content movie. Practically invented the Giallo genre.

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