Antonio Cantafora plays Peter Kleist, a young American who travels to Austria to research his heritage. There he hooks up with his uncle Karl (Massimo Girotti), a professor, and a very sexy blonde woman, Eva Arnold (Elke Sommer). Although we know right away that he'll be playing with fire, he and Eva recite an incantation that will help to resurrect Peters' ancestor, the Baron of the title. "Baron Blood" was a 16th century sadist who tortured victims in a dungeon, and now he stalks the family castle that has been purchased by an eccentric old American man, Alfred Becker (Joseph Cotten).
When it comes to technical execution, director Mario Bava is firing on all cylinders here. Paying tribute to the Gothic horror films that were so popular in the 1930s and 40s, and infusing the plot with a gory 70s sensibility, Bava creates a visually sumptuous, striking entertainment. The castle setting is just as good as anything seen in horror films of decades past, and naturally the Technicolor process really helps to bring it to life. The lighting (by Bava himself, uncredited) and use of camera angles are exemplary. The music by Stelvio Cipriani is effectively moody. There are some wonderful moments, but overall "Baron Blood" is not as thickly atmospheric as Bavas' best horror films. What prevents it from really being great, though, is that the plot just isn't that interesting. The big "twist" is obvious right from the start.
The performances are sound. Cotten is amusing, and Cantafora and Sommer sure do make a good looking pair. Girotti is superb, as is Luciano Pigozzi as the weaselly Fritz and Umberto Raho as the standard issue police inspector character that we always expect to see in stories like this. That's a very young Nicoletta Elmi playing Uncle Karls' daughter.
Certainly this is worthy viewing for any fan of Bava or Italian horror in general.
Seven out of 10.
When it comes to technical execution, director Mario Bava is firing on all cylinders here. Paying tribute to the Gothic horror films that were so popular in the 1930s and 40s, and infusing the plot with a gory 70s sensibility, Bava creates a visually sumptuous, striking entertainment. The castle setting is just as good as anything seen in horror films of decades past, and naturally the Technicolor process really helps to bring it to life. The lighting (by Bava himself, uncredited) and use of camera angles are exemplary. The music by Stelvio Cipriani is effectively moody. There are some wonderful moments, but overall "Baron Blood" is not as thickly atmospheric as Bavas' best horror films. What prevents it from really being great, though, is that the plot just isn't that interesting. The big "twist" is obvious right from the start.
The performances are sound. Cotten is amusing, and Cantafora and Sommer sure do make a good looking pair. Girotti is superb, as is Luciano Pigozzi as the weaselly Fritz and Umberto Raho as the standard issue police inspector character that we always expect to see in stories like this. That's a very young Nicoletta Elmi playing Uncle Karls' daughter.
Certainly this is worthy viewing for any fan of Bava or Italian horror in general.
Seven out of 10.