Mario Bava is responsible for some of the the most chilling, and most beautiful horror films of all time. That is why I found his 'Baron Blood' somewhat of a letdown. Although some of the cinematography is appealing, especially the beautiful old castle, the movie mostly comes across as silly, and not scary at all. The story is a tired one, and it looked as though Bava was just going through the motions here. And as much as I loved Elke Sommer in the infinitely superior "Lisa & the Devil", I really grew tired of her hammy acting and constant screaming here. It was as though she read the script and somehow knew that it wasn't on par with "Lisa", so she perhaps did not give it her best effort. If you are curious about the great Mario Bava, this is not the film to start out with. I recommend his other works, such as the gorgeous and bizarre S&M laced "Whip & the Body", or the understated and creepy "Kill, Baby, Kill", or of course, "Black Sunday", the b/w Gothic horror masterpiece. 'Baron Blood is unfortunately, one of Mario Bava's weakest films.
Review of Baron Blood
