The Long Hair of Death (1964) User Reviews

Burning witches, Barbara Steele, creepy castles, and ghosts - What more could you ask for?

[bensonmum2 · 7/10 · 17 October 2005]

A woman is burned for being a witch. Her daughter, Helen Karnstein (Barbara Steele) vows revenge, but is pushed off a cliff before she can carry it out. The younger sister, Elizabeth (Halina Zalewska), grows up and is forced to marry the man who framed her mother. Then one stormy night, Helen rises from the grave. Elizabeth's husband immediately falls for Helen and together they plot to get rid of Elizabeth. Will Helen really help kill her sister, or is it part of a plot to finally get revenge for her mother's death?

If you're a fan of either Italian B&W ghost stories or Barbara Steele, there's a lot here to enjoy. There's just something about B&W that seems to work for me in a ghost story. B&W makes Gothic lookwell, more Gothic. Color never works as well for me with this kind of movie. The eerie passageways of the castle, the witch burning scene, and the dead corpses in the burial chamber are especially creepy in The Long Hair of Death. But my favorite scene, filmed in all its B&W glory, has to be Helen's appearance in the chapel after having been brought back from the dead. To quote Martha Stewart, "It's a good thing."

Barbara Steele made a boatload of horror films that I enjoy. In fact, she's in my all time favorite - Black Sunday. I have no way of knowing if this is true, but she appears to be having more fun with her role in The Long Hair of Death than I've noticed in some of her other movies. Regardless, there's no denying how mesmerizing she is here. It's impossible not to focus on her in every scene in which she appears.

I suppose I should give the usual warning to those more accustomed to the pace of modern horror. The Long Hair of Death is slow going. Those who require a killing or an explosion every five minutes should probably just skip it.

Lovely looking Gothic yarn

[The_Void · 7/10 · 22 February 2007]

Well, it's obvious that The Long Hair of Death takes a lot of its influence from the Mario Bava masterpiece 'Black Sunday', but even so; Antonio Margheriti's film manages to deliver a good horror story in its own right. The plot is pretty much your classic Gothic horror yarn, and focuses on a small village. A woman is accused of being a witch and promptly put to death. However, her eldest daughter knows the real reason for her death revolves around the lord, and she's promptly killed also. The youngest daughter survives and is taken in by the murderous lord's family, eventually marrying his son. Soon after, a deadly plague threatens the village; and the older daughter reappears to avenge her mother's death. The main standout of this movie is definitely the atmosphere - director Antonio Margheriti does an excellent job of giving the movie a foreboding feel through the eerie black and white cinematography and the imposing sets. The plot can drag a bit at times, which is a shame; and so it's lucky that Margheriti was able to give the film an atmosphere as it keeps it going when the plot takes a downturn.

Another standout about this film is, of course, the fact that it has a leading role for Barbara Steele. Of course, she was almost certainly cast because of her success in Black Sunday, and as such; this isn't her greatest performance, but she's always nice to see and she does play the resurrected woman well. It does quite often seem like Margheriti is dragging the plot out and this is a shame as the film is overlong as a result and it has to be said that The Long Hair of Death would have benefited from a shorter running time. Antonio Margheriti made some good films in his career, though the fact that he doesn't get good recognition along with the likes of Sergio Martino and Lucio Fulci doesn't surprise me. This film was released in between Margheriti's successes with The Virgin of Nuremberg and Dance Macabre, and although I prefer both of the mentioned films; this one is still worth seeing for the Italian Gothic horror fan. The film boils down to a somewhat predictable ending, but it's a nice ride getting there and overall, despite the fact that The Long Hair of Death may not be the most successful film of it's type - it's still worth a watch.

Very rewarding Gothic Horror

[avidnewbie · 7/10 · 5 September 2014]

After hearing so much about the often ballyhooed Black Sunday film which predates this one I finally got the chance to check out both films for myself. Black Sunday a.k.a the Mask Of Satan is also a Gothic b/w Italian horror film that features Barbara Steele as it's main character. Every review that I came across recommended the Mario Bava movie without any reservations whatsoever and made constant references to it's beautiful cinematography, period detail and atmosphere. I was super anxious to see this unanimously lauded classic. However, once viewed, I did not find the Mask of Satan to be that great of a movie. Yes, it was beautifully filmed and yes it was quite atmospheric but it was also flat, boring and predictable. It's dated violence and special effects did very little to help liven things up. The eerie soundtrack that seemed to constantly be playing was too loud and it actually served to slaughter, in it's infancy, any tension that possibly might have been building. The film felt like a major let down after hearing so much about it. It was o.k. but nearer to a novelty than a classic. The Long Hair Of Death was a film which I had heard absolutely nothing about. I only just learned of it's existence when it was recently scheduled to be released on blu ray in the near future. The cover art was intriguing and there was Barbara Steele again. So I found the movie on YouTube and set out to see if it was worth adding to my collection. Little did I know what a treat I was in for. This movie is similar in look and feel to Bava's film yet it is superior to that film due to it's character development and it's bizarre and intermittent flashes of kinky eroticism. The pacing is glacial in this one also and yet it doesn't feel quite as moribund as "Sunday". The camera work is lovely and lush and is perfectly enhanced by vividly detailed decorative sets and costumes. The acting is better in this one too although the dialog is pretty standard for this type of fare. All in all, I prefer The Long Hair of Death to Black Sunday on any given day and will be purchasing a copy on blu ray ASAP.

Italian Psychological Horror

[Tommy-5 · 2 August 2007]

Long Hair of Death is a great film. I have to disagree with other reviewers regarding this, both those here on the IMDb and some in printed publications. This is 1960s Italian horror at its very best and, to me, that means it is among the very best, period. I can understand why many in today's impatient, multi-task oriented audience would not like slow moving, atmospheric films which are very dull compared to the current era's action and gore oriented offerings. Films such as these require a cultivated taste of sorts and I realize they are not for everybody.

Long Hair of Death is outstanding because it is exactly what those who do not like it say that it is. It is slow moving, contains little action and there are long periods of -- not much. Not much, except for a feeling of dread and unease that begins immediately after the story begins and does not end until literally the film's end. The slowness is the main reason the viewer sits in uncomfortable agony waiting for something bad to happen, which eventually does.

The story concerns a woman burnt at the stake in 16th century Italy, falsely accused of murder. That she happens to be a count's wife and the count's son the real villain of the story are of great importance in the storyline. Giorgio Ardisson as the evil Kurt Humboldt is one of the big screen's most despicable characters, as throughout the film he commits multiple murder and rape, but sadly most persons not interested in obscure cinema will never know this or experience his splendid performance. The great Barbara Steele (How I wish she had done a greater body of work!) plays a dual role, her characters being pretty much the same as they were in 1960's Black Sunday, (La Maschera del Demonio), as Helen Karnstein, wife of Count Humboldt and also as her daughter Mary. Again, the story is pretty much the same as Black Sunday, with the emphasis being on the executed Helen and the curse she places upon the Count and his son Kurt Humboldt. Daughter Mary, who is a lookalike for her mother, assists in the revenge by playing upon the Count's guilt to destroy him emotionally and getting Kurt to fall in love with her. The fact that Kurt is already married to Mary's sister Elizabeth, herself abused by Kurt, adds dramatically to the sense of moral decay in the Humboldt castle.

The ultimate revenge is as creative as it is brutal. Watch the film to see what it is, I won't provide SPOILERS here.

Barbara Steele remains to this day the standard which all horror (scream) queens are judged, and that is interesting because she does very little screaming and performs little if any violence in her films. She is to horror acting what Alfred Hitchcock was to suspense directing. They frighten you with "What if . . . ," instead of actual brutality and exaggerated acting. From the moment she first appears on screen in any of her films one knows trouble will soon follow and it has nothing to do with anything she says or does. Whatever "it" is, she has it in abundance. Long Hair of Death will remind some viewers of 1972's Lisa and the Devil, (Lisa e il Diavolo) another story of a decaying household but set to modern times. One wonders how much better that film would have been with Ms. Steele in the lead instead of Elke Sommer, a fine actress but out of her depth in psychological horror.

Director Antonio Margheriti has never received the credit he deserves as a fine director of subdued horror. Margheriti will take you on a painstaking walk through the dreariest of castles and make you feel the suspense of every hesitant step and so it is with Long hair of Death. I recently viewed Long Hair of Death after having not seen it in awhile and was emotionally drained by the time the end credits rolled.

If you are unfamiliar with this type of film and are unimpressed with the sensationalism of today's cinema, then find Long Hair of Death or any of the other fine films of Margheriti or Mario Bava. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised and join me in my admiration of Italian horror cinema of this period.

Gripping but Lots of Wasted Space

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 31 January 2007]

I've just recently discovered the Italian horror film. This one is pretty decent. I could have been much improved with a little effort at editing. Everything is set up nicely for revenge. You have the evil of witch burning as an innocent victim is set afire. She curses the people who put her there and we all know she'll be back. Nasty stuff begins to happen in the dukedom as the plague begins to decimate the population. The bad guys prosper pretty well, isolated from the rest of the rabble, but then a young woman (Barbaba Steele) returns. To keep her quiet, the patriarch of the castle pushed her off a cliff. She comes back to help her sister who has been forced into an ugly marriage with the young master. There are a series of efforts to kill this woman and things come to a satisfactory ending for the audience. The problem is the pacing. It drags on and on. There are these meandering trips through the castle, seemingly going nowhere. The whole effort to cover up a murder seems so convoluted. Let's just say there are simpler ways to go about these things, especially when you wield a lot of power. Still, I mostly liked it. Visually it is interesting and the acting is quite good.

The Long Hair of Death

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 3 April 2009]

Perhaps director Antonio Margheriti's answer to Mario Bava's BLACK Sunday, THE LONG HAIR OF DEATH features a witch destroyed for the death of Count Humboldt's brother, framed for the murder by the real killer, Kurt Humboldt(George Ardisson)vying for a power of position in the kingdom. The witch vows revenge, cursing the Humboldts and calling on her daughter, Helen(Barbara Steele)to wreak vengeance on them. Having failed at her attempt to dissuade Count Humboldt of passing sentence on her innocent mother, Helen is then pushed off a cliff, into a rushing river, by him. Poor Elizabeth Karnstein(Halina Zalewska), as a child, had to watch her mother burn alive, and attend the funeral of her sister, Helen. As an adult, life hasn't improved much as Elizabeth has followed the commands of Count Humboldt, often fighting off the sexual advances of Kurt, who proclaims his intended desire to have her regardless of the young woman's disgust towards him. Under marriage, Elizabeth endures Kurt's control over her body, awaiting possible revenge down the road..it comes in the form of Mary(Barbara Steele). Helen's body awakens as the rains fall bringing hope to a village riddled with the black plague, and her corpse rises in the form of Mary, interrupting a church sermon, causing an already guilt-stricken Count Humboldt to collapse in a state of shock, his death providing Kurt with the throne. Kurt becomes enamored and infatuated with Mary, lustfully desiring her, soon plotting to kill Elizabeth. Mary, at first hesitant, soon joins Kurt in his scheme to poison her, suffocating her within a closed crypt. Thoroughly pleased with their "success", Kurt awakens the next morning in horror as the maidservant, Grumalda(Laura Nucci)exits her room after having a conversation with Elizabeth! How could this be?! The rest of the film shows Kurt's progressive state of unease as others mention seeing and talking with a wife that's supposed to be dead.

Admittedly, Margheriti's film takes it's time developing the plot, but I truly enjoyed the Gothic trappings of the massive castle and the secret walls which seem to exist throughout, leading to rooms as an exit from the burial chamber. Steele is featured in quite a grand style, Margheriti allowing her to seduce Kurt with her feminine wiles(..she is positively beautiful in this movie, and enchanting)and embellish in his torment at the end as a spirit whose finally seeing her enemy squirm. Ardisson, as the conniving, lecherous, egotistical, back-stabbing, underhanded Kurt Humboldt is a perfectly loathsome creature easy to root against, with the ending providing a feeling of satisfaction that justice was served. I wonder if those behind THE WICKER MAN saw the ending to this movie. I would definitely warn those with little tolerance for characters moving throughout a castle at great length, because this film follows them almost from one complete place to another. I had a feeling that Margheriti wanted to establish the importance of a medieval palace and how the characters move throughout, displaying the ability to cleverly hide adultery and fornication, while also showing how one could concoct a scheme to successfully murder someone without getting caught. And, to be honest, I think Margheriti simply enjoyed shooting within the castle, hoping to engage the viewer in the atmosphere within the walls. Above all, THE LONG HAIR OF DEATH is still a revenge story through and through, with the director building his story, bit by bit, allowing Kurt to follow his rotten father(..who at least felt sorrow and guilt for actions he committed)to his own tragedy, just as the witch he put to death promised.

Another effectively atmospheric Italian Gothic horror starring Barbara Steele

[Red-Barracuda · 7/10 · 15 March 2015]

The Long Hair of Death was one of the cycle of Gothic horror films released by Italian studios in the 1960's. Like the majority of them, it was filmed in black and white for budget reasons although from today's perspective this does give the film a certain atmosphere and classy look. Set in the 15th century, a young woman is accused of being a witch and is burned to death. She casts a curse on the house of the men responsible and returns from the grave many years later to enact deadly revenge.

The director here was Antonio Margheriti working under his anglicised moniker Anthony Dawson. Margheriti was a director who made films in most of the Italian genres, from peplums and spaghetti westerns to gialli and poliziotteschi amongst others. He displays some care with the Gothic horror genre taking care to build a moody atmosphere and slowly constructing the story. But the main draw here is probably Barbara Steele. This British actress was the queen of the 60's Gothic horror film, appearing in movies from both sides of the Atlantic although she is primarily associated with the Italian strain of the sub-genre. Her strong, seductive features were perfectly suited to these films and, once again, she is more aggressor than victim here.

This is a fairly typical entry in the Italian Gothic sub-set. It's a solid entry, if not in the upper bracket. It does have some well-staged scenes and nice location photography though and it ends on a satisfyingly macabre note. While it obviously benefits considerably by the presence of Steele. The title doesn't really mean an awful lot but it sounds good.

death

[kairingler · 5/10 · 12 July 2013]

a woman is being put to trial for being accused of being a witch,, a man who has some other interests, makes sure she dies, the eldest daughter get's tricked to her death,, now it's the younger daughter's turn to take vengeance for her mother. our villain has his eyes on a younger girl, so he sees her and starts to neglect his wife,, the younger girl and him decide that they wanna do away with his wife so they concoct a plan to get rid of her,, this wasn't a bad movie,, it had interesting twists, and turns, but I found it hard to watch in spots as the movie seems to drag on , and not move the plot forward. it almost seemed like two different movies.

The Unique Aura of Barbara Steele

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 9/10 · 17 November 2009]

The great Antonio Margheriti, Italy's second-greatest Gothic Horror director (right after the unmatched Mario Bava), and the wonderful Barbara Steele, Horror's single greatest leading lady ever made two magnificent films in 1964. One was the insanely brilliant "Danza Macabra" (aka. "Castle of Blood"), which doubtlessly ranks among the greatest Gothic Horror films ever to be made. The other is this atmospheres and wonderfully macabre gem called "I Lunghi Capelli Della Morte" aka. "The Long Hair of Death". Maybe not quite as essential a masterpiece as "Danza Macabra", "The Long Hair of Death" is yet another glorious film by Margheriti, which once again proves that Barbara Steele is the ultimate goddess of Horror.

The film is magnificently set in the 15th century, when accused witch Adele Karnstein is burned in a rather bizarre stake ritual. While she is being lead to the stake, her oldest daughter Helen Karnstein (Barbara Steele)is forced into sex with the Count whom she has begged to set her mother free. Just before being consumed by the flames, however, the condemned witch puts a curse on the responsible Count and his ruthless son, vowing to take revenge from beyond her burning grave...

This is only a very vague description of the first ten minutes of the film, but since I would hate to spoil any of this gem's wonderful spooks, I will leave it there. The storyline is fascinating and truly macabre, and includes trademark Gothic elements such as curses, resurrection and revenge as well as the black plague. As in all Gothic Horror films by Margheriti, the atmosphere is incredibly eerie and haunting, yet beautiful at the same time. Gloomy castle corridors and dark tombs make an excellent setting for this film's wonderfully creepy storyline. Barbara Steele is, as always, brilliant and absolutely wonderful. As always when reviewing a film with my favorite actress, I get the feeling of not finding the right words, since I simply cannot praise this wonderful actress enough. The other performances are good too, especially Halina Zalewska, who plays the second female lead, is worth mentioning. It's also fun to see a small supporting performance by Italian Cult-cinema regular Nello Pazzafini. Pazzafini's name isn't very well-known, but he was omnipresent in Italian films of many genres in the 60s and 70s, mostly in Spaghetti Westerns, Gialli and Poliziotteschi. This is one of the earlier films I've seen him in. It is, of course, Barbara Steele who is the main attraction, however. As said above, the atmosphere is wonderfully eerie and the settings are great. The film is beautifully shot, even though my copy isn't in the best quality. The score is also very cool and contributes a lot to the film's haunting mood. For all the horny Horror fans out there, an additional quality of this film should be revealed: In one love-making scene Barbara Steele's left breast is revealed! (I am not sure, however, whether it belongs to Barbara Steele or a body double). All things considered, this is yet another great Gothic Horror gem with the genre's undisputed goddess, Barbara Steele, and no Horror/Cult-cinema lover should consider missing it. 8.5/10

Good Gothic Witch Film

[Rainey-Dawn · 7/10 · 4 May 2016]

I think this is one of Barbara Steele's better horror films. It does have a creepy Gothic atmosphere - and great Gothic music to go with it. I like quite a few of the Italian horror films from the 1960s - 1970s - this is one of them.

This film surrounds a witch and lust. A woman with two daughters is taunted by a man who lusts for her - so much so he would force her into making love to him. She refuses him and is accused of witchcraft and therefor put to death. The older daughter is later put to death and leaving the youngest daughter alive. She grows up and marries... later on the older daughter (apparently a witch) comes back from the dead to seek revenge on those who harmed her family.

Good late night flick!!

7/10

Don't Mess with Witches

[wes-connors · 4/10 · 9 August 2008]

"A woman is put to death after bring accused of witchcraft. Her daughter confronts the man who accused her mother of the crime, and discovers the true reason for the accusation, but loses her life in doing so. The youngest daughter is taken in by the man's family and raised by them, with the intent to marry her off to the man's son. When the girl comes of age, her decreased sister returns to exact her revenge upon the family," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.

"This story takes place at the end of the fifteenth century," we are advised. Director Antonio Margheriti and the crew give it a great look. That, an attractive cast, and the moody atmosphere can't make up for the fact that the film plays itself out very slowly, and winds up nowhere special. Barbara Steele (as Mary / Helen Karnstein) looks particularly stunning; probably, she inspired the US title: "The Long Hair of Death" (but, what a way to go). Strange how drastically Halina Zalewska (as Elizabeth Karnstein) changes her mind about George Ardisson (as Kurt Humboldt), after Ms. Steele (re)emerges on the scene.

**** I lunghi capelli della morte (1964) Antonio Margheriti ~ Barbara Steele, George Ardisson, Halina Zalewska

Like father, like son

[unbrokenmetal · 8/10 · 14 June 2008]

"I lunghi capelli della morte" by Antonio Margheriti is a classic b/w Gothic movie. Take a flickering candle, go down into the crypt, past the spider webs - and you wouldn't be surprised if Bela Lugosi was lurking in the shadow. Actually it's Barbara Steele which you can't complain about, either. Giorgio Ardisson plays Kurt, the son of a Count, who commits a murder, blames it on a witch, the witch is burnt and leaves a terrible curse behind - maybe the story is not something new, but it matters most in this movie to show how a man is slowly trapped in a revenge plan - so slowly that for most of the running time, he doesn't even realize the torment already began. That not much is happening, as sometimes reviewers do say, is done on purpose: Kurt would like to move, but he is becoming aware more and more of his helplessness, his inability to hide. "I lunghi capelli della morte" is a movie with intensity, atmosphere and beauty in its black and white imagery, and while I just wanted to check out the first chapter for the disc quality when the DVD arrived in the mail, I ended up watching it till the end - it was mesmerizing and really that good. Fans of the genre, don't miss it!

fear, excitement and terror all at the same time

[christopher-underwood · 6/10 · 8 September 2017]

Very disappointing and surely one of Antonio Margheriti's less effective films. The beginning is great and the ending even more so, while Barbara Steele looks fantastic throughout. Its what happens between the start and finish that is of concern. This is a revenge movie where the main protagonist appears not to realise there is a task in hand. Lots of walking along corridors and up and down stairs and stone steps - some admittedly stylishly Gothic with flowing robes and dark shadows. But we seem to be treading water all the time, silently urging Babs to get her act together. Watching Steele go about the castle it is once again so evident that that face can literally convey fear, excitement and terror all at the same time. It is quite uncanny, but sadly not made enough of here.

Too much wandering, not enough chills

[Bezenby · 5/10 · 7 September 2017]

I was looking forward to this one and can't help but feel a little disappointed considering the director involved and Barbara Steele being in it. It's yet another Gothic horror set in an old dusty castle, and gets off to a good start, but starts meandering about halfway through and doesn't quite recover.

As I said though: Good start. Barbara Steele's mum has been a ccused of being a witch following the death of a count (who was actually killed by his nephew). While Steele is trying to get her mother a reprieve by hitting on the count's brother, her mum is lit up like a good cigar and curses the count's family (wait – does that not mean she was a witch?) . Steele herself thinks she's off the hook before the count's brother (who is now the new count) throws her off a waterfall, leaving only her younger sister to fend off these horny noblemen.

Anybody who knows anything about Barbara Steele knows that she never stays dead for long and while we start getting bogged down in the plot involving the nephew wearing down and marrying Steele's now grown up sister, Steele comes back to life and some sort of murderous pseudo love triangle develops which involves an awful lot of people wandering around a castle (including of course, secret passages, crypts, and all that stuff). My attention started wandering around the time the nephew and Steele started conspiring.

However, this is an Antonio Margheriti film and therefore there are a few elements to keep you going, like the plague that strikes the people, and Umberto Raho as the local 'told you so' priest, and a corpse suddenly growing back it's flesh, but I was expecting more ghostly goings on and less love triangle, wandering about stuff.

Disappointing, though not bad..

[haxan · 2 May 2002]

Being a fan of Italian horror, particularly from the 50s and 60s, I was looking forward to this film having recently located a copy of it. However, it was somewhat disappointing. Most European horrors from this era don't move terribly fast, so a slow pace was neither surprising nor a problem in and of itself. This one, however, lacked something to keep it very interesting. The atmosphere wasn't bad; there was a castle and tomb that looked alright. The mood just didn't live up to expectations. It lacked the spooky feel of the greater films of this type such as Mario Bava's Black Sunday and Black Sabbath.

The plot, roughly, concerns a supposed witch burned at the stake in the late 1400s. She vows revenge, which it is assumed will take form in her two daughters, one of which being Barbara Steele (Black Sunday, Shivers, Castle of Blood). Barbara is as lovely as ever, particularly her long black hair. I prefer not to say more since I personally like seeing a film knowing as little as possible about it. The plot is nothing new anyway; originality in plot is rarely ever the reason fans of the macabre watch this type of film anyway.

For fans of gothic horror, and Barbara Steele, this is worth seeing though I would not say it is at the top of the list.

The Short Hair of Death.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 6/10 · 22 May 2018]

After watching Terror-Creatures from the Grave last night,I got set to continue exploring the Barbara Steele box set. Recently seeing his very good Euro Spy movie Operazione Goldman,I was pleased to find a title which had Steele team-up with director Antonio Margheriti,which led to me cutting the hairs of death.

View on the film:

Displaying his eye for attention-grabbing openings by surrounding the viewer with flickering flames that place them in the middle of the burning, director Antonio Margheriti reunites with his regular cinematographer collaborator Riccardo Pallottini to brew an icy Gothic Horror vibe via stylishly shooting tracking shots from the ground up that place a bewitching "floating" expression on Karnstein. Appearing to visibly lose interest during the romantic mid-section,Margheriti and Pallottini re-gain their footing in the slithering ending, with ghostly dissolves being triggered by zoom-ins over rats and bugs running along the decaying practical effects.

Stamped with the mark by Margheriti (who did un-credited re-writes) that he found the script poor quality, the writers Ernesto Gastaldi and Tonino Valerii appear undecided over what the film should be,as the beginning and the ending offers a lively Gothic Horror revenge tale of the Karnstein,that is toned down in the middle for an ill-fitting attempt at costume drama romance. Arrogantly snarling at the Karnstein's,George Ardisson gives a very good performance as Baron Kurt Humboldt,who stands out by Ardisson allowing a level of fear to be cast across his face. Playing two roles again, Barbara Steele gives a transfixing performance as the Karnstein's,whose ambiguities Steele turns into starling screams as the long hair of death grows.

Probably too slow for modern audiences, but has its pleasures

[lemon_magic · 6/10 · 10 December 2019]

The title was so odd that it caught my attention, and the presence of Barbara Steele (whose name rang a bell, but whom I had never actually seen) prompted me to give this a look.

Others have raved about the quality of the recent DVD reissue/remaster, but the version I saw (on Amazon Prime) was smeared and grainy. I am of the opinion that you shouldn't hold that against the movie itself, but it did make things harder to enjoy.

OK, the movie itself: After a lurid and sensationalist (but utterly conventional) start, the movie settles down into a slow, slow grind towards a predictable end. Seriously, anyone who doesn't see the ending coming probably hasn't seen very many horror movies.

Another problem is the music: given the task of sustaining our interest in individual scenes where the unease and dread are meant to build (but not much is actually happening), the score often goes way overboard with the shrieking violins and the organ. By the time things get rolling near the end, there isn't any kind of "peak" or climax left to hit, and I was pretty tired of it. (But that may just be me).

The movie does have strong performances going for it. Steele's ("reborn") character undergoes a remarkable transformation in the last 20 minutes, and the handsome actor playing the EVIL BAD GUY WITHOUT AN OUNCE OF REDEEMING QUALITIES is wonderfully despicable. It's almost worth the long, long buildup to watch him fall apart and get what's coming to him at the end.

So: not a lot of actual horror, quite a bit of atmosphere, some very nice touches here and there, and a couple of fine performances. And Steele is quite striking; it's easy to see why directors would build a film around her.

I felt it was worth my time, but my tastes and preferences are modern enough that I probably won't watch this again. Your mileage may vary.

Grim and better than average Euro-horror with a lot of surprises , plot twists and creepy events

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 9 April 2021]

Cult Favorite Barbara Steele enhances this atmospheric chiller . It is set in 15th century in the Middle Age, in a thunderous land plagued by deadly illness , drought and famine . There a woman : Nucci is accused of being a witch who has killed an aristocrat and condemned to burning pole . Then his daughter : Barbara Steele swears vendetta against the true killer . Later on , a younger daughter : Hilana Zalewska marries a lord , Baron Kurt : George Ardisson , but this one has other plans to carry out his ominous purports , but he finds an unwelcome surprise lurking in the haunted castle .

This is a classic Italian Gothic with thrills , chills , burning witches , necromancy , witchery , fantasy and anything else . It contains a moody and eerie atmosphere with gorgeous cinematography in black and white . Interesting and sinister script from prolific Ernesto Gastaldi , Western expert Tonino Valeri and director Margheritti or Anthony M Dawson himself . Barbara Steele is terrific in her usual style as the witch's daughter seeking for vengeance in similar style to her first big hit : The Mask of the Demon and following other horror successes as Black Sabbath, Castle of Blood , Pit and the Pendulum, The Ghost and The horrible secret of Doctor Hitchcock . Barbara Steele is well accompanied by a good cast, such as : Halina Zalewska , George Ardisson, Umberto Raho, Raffaelli and Nello Pazzafini , all of them giving decent interpretations .

It displays a frightening and chilling musical score by composer Carlo Rustichelli . As well as adequate and really atmospheric photography by cameraman Riccardo Pallotini. The motion picture was competently directed by Antonio Margheritti who often uses pseudonym Anthony M Dawson. He was a professional artisan who directed exploitation movies and ordinary italian genres , such as Sci-Fi : Yor the Hunter from the Future , Assignment outer space , Wild Wild Planet . Adventure : Ark of the Sun God , Hunters of the Gold Cobra, Treasure Island . Western : The Stranger and the gunfighter, Dakota Joe, And God said to Cain, Take a Hard ride. Terror : Cannibal Apocalypse , Castle of Blood , The Long Hair of Death, Seven Deaths in the cat's eye , The Virgin of Nuremberg , Andy Warhol's Dracula . Thriller : The Squeeze , Killer Fish , Rip-off , Death Rage . Warfare : Tiger Joe , Tornado , The Last Hunter , Jungle Raiders , Codename Wildgeese , among others . Rating : 7/10 . Above average Italian Gothic . The flick will appeal to Barbara Steele fans .

Dull and lifeless hair.

[BA_Harrison · 4/10 · 30 April 2018]

The Long Hair of Death opens at the end of the 15th Century, with Helen Karnstein (horror icon Barbara Steele) begging Count Humboldt for mercy regarding her mother Adele Karnstein, who is to be tried as a witch (trial by fire), having wrongly been accused of killing the count's brother. As the Count takes advantage of Helen, promising that nothing will happen to her mother until he is present at her trial, his son Kurt (George Ardisson) goes ahead and burns Adele in front of her youngest daughter Lizabeth. As she goes up in flames, Adele curses the count and his son. Later, the Count disposes of troublesome Helen by pushing her over a waterfall, but allows Lizabeth to live, the girl growing up on his estate.

Years later, the now adult Lizabeth (lovely Halina Zalewska) attracts the attention of loathesome Kurt, who pressurises her into marrying him. What he doesn't know is that Helen has returned from the grave and, with Lizabeth's help, is out for revenge.

Despite stylish direction from Antonio Margheriti and impressive black and white cinematography by Riccardo Pallottini, Italian gothic horror The Long Hair of Death is a dull affair, with a deathly slow pace and a hum-drum plot that delivers clichés by the creaky cart-load: a creepy castle complete with secret passageways, vengeful descendants of a woman wrongly executed for witchcraft, a plague laying waste to the population, and a murderous aristocrat with designs on a beautiful but unwilling maiden. While such tried and tested horror ingredients can equal a lot of fun, here it proves boring and disappointing, Margheriti failing to bring much life to proceedings. The director did the whole gothic thing much better the very same year with Castle of Blood.

Long Live The Queen!

[ferbs54 · 8/10 · 30 January 2013]

In a taped interview that she gave at Toronto's Festival of Fear 2009, cult actress Barbara Steele mentioned that of her 40-odd films, only 11 have been in the field of horror (the clip is currently viewable on YouTube), the inference being that Babs today wonders just WHY her legion of fans insists on calling her "the Queen of Horror." By my count, however, Steele has appeared in at least 14 horror pictures, and is perhaps best remembered for the string of nine Italian Gothics that she appeared in, from her breakthrough appearance in the 1960 Mario Bava masterpiece "Black Sunday" to 1966's "An Angel for Satan." The picture in question here, "The Long Hair of Death" (just one of eight films that Steele appeared in in 1964!), is a perfect demonstration, however, of just why Steele remains the undisputed Queen of Horror to this day, despite her pooh-poohing of the title.

In the film, as in several of her others, Babs plays what are essentially two roles. In the late 1400s, in what seems like a Germanic kingdom, young Helen Karnstein (our Barbara) sees her mother burned as a witch (interestingly, NOT at the stake, but rather at the center of a ring of entwined branches). The cruel nobleman Kurt Humboldt (very well played by handsome George Ardisson) had recently killed his own uncle and blamed it on this supposed daughter of Satan, but Helen's dreams of vengeance are cut short when Kurt's father, the Count (Giuliano Raffaelli), kills her shortly thereafter by tossing her down a waterfall! Flash forward 10 years or so, and Helen's sister, Elizabeth (Halina Zalewska, who looks very much to me like Kirstie Alley, of all people!), also harboring thoughts of a long-deferred vengeance, is forced into an unholy marriage by Kurt, the very man who killed her mother! And shortly after, on a stormy night, a woman named Mary, the spitting image of the deceased Helen (Babs again, natch), appears at the castle door, capturing the fickle Kurt's heart and paving the way for poisonings, deceit and assorted mayhem....

"The Long Hair of Death" (the title is triply significant!) was the second collaboration between Steele and director Antonio Margheriti; their first, the truly spooky "Castle of Blood," had been released earlier that same year. In both films, Margheriti exhibits a definite flair for these Gothic affairs, and he is hugely abetted here by the art direction and set design of, respectively, Giorgio Giovannini and Henry Fraser. The castle chambers and underground crypts on display in the film are things of morbid and dreary beauty, wonderfully shot in B&W by cinematographer Riccardo Pallottini (who had also served as the DOP on "Castle of Blood"). And while I'm name-dropping, I may as well add that the truly creepy score by famed composer Carlo Rustichelli (who, that same year, worked on Mario Bava's protogiallo "Blood and Black Lace") adds immeasurably to the sinister goings-on, despite the fact that it IS repeated at least a dozen times during the course of the picture. The film features any number of startling sequences--including several burnings and the awesome sight of Babs' decayed corpse being reanimated in her newly opened grave by lightning--and various gross-out shots (Babs' maggot-filled corpse face, reminiscent of the puss she sported in "Black Sunday" as the witch Asa, as well as a skeleton being jittered by some frisky rodents). There is also a surprising flash of toplessness on display here (again, as in "Castle of Blood"), probably thanks to Barbara's body double, and I must add that the vengeance that the two sisters ultimately wreak on Kurt is a doozy, prefiguring a classic scene in 1973's "The Wicker Man" by almost a decade. Essentially an exemplar of the Italian Gothic, "The Long Hair of Death" has both style and atmosphere to spare, and is of course stolen by the magnificent Barbara Steele, who is both captivating and beautiful in every scene that she graces. And how chilling she is, when she appears to Kurt near the film's end and intones "You're going to die"! Wonderful stuff, indeed! The further good news is that this film can now be found in a nice-looking print (although poorly dubbed) on a DVD from a company known as Midnight Choir...AND paired with the Steele rarity "An Angel for Satan," her last Italian Gothic! Watching these two films together will certainly satisfy any viewer that, despite her denial in Toronto, Barbara Steele really IS the Queen of Horror!

How many times can we sit through Gothic schlock horror?

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 28 July 2015]

Well, the answer to that question is probably once per individual film, but I am delighted to say that "The Long Hair of Death" was surprisingly good. The back story is set up with a chilling scene of supposed witch Barbara Steele facing the wrath of society for a crime she claims she did not commit, set to face the ultimate Godly test while being surrounded by fiery bales of hay. As the aging count prepares to make love to her own daughter (also Steele), she calmly bellows out her final curse which includes famine, plague and pestilence. Later, the count brutally murders her oldest daughter and makes the mistake of taking in the younger daughter (Halina Zalewska) whom his heir (George Ardisson) is very much in lust with and ultimately marries. On the eve of the old count's painful death from plague, a crash of thunder and lightening reveals the presence of a dark, ailing woman entering the castle, and with his last vision of earth, the old baron sees that it is the apparent return of the older daughter from the grave. Ardisson, not having any idea of who she is, begins to have an affair with her and together they plot the death of Zalewska who is really a part of the plot to solidify the curse and bring an end to this evil royal family's reign of terror.

Steele, the queen of 1960's Gothic horror, acted mainly with her eyes, so deeply set into her face and filled with hatred in each of the films for the men who had abused her or lead her along into paths of self-destruction. You never know with her villains if they are simply just evil or insane with anger, lust and greed, and even with her heroines, there's something inside them that makes you not fully trust them. She should have been utilized in more than just campy horror films; Imagine her playing some of the greatest seductresses of history who were only using men to get their own power. Ardisson is handsome yet cold in his desire for lust and power, and as the supernatural element of revenge takes its own force against him, the fear of what he is facing becomes very much written on his face. One horrific scene only involves eyes of fear as the character's destiny becomes apparent to them, even with an inside glimpse of their hidden tomb that nobody is aware contains anything living. While Zalewska is beautiful and vulnerable as Steele's younger sister (apparently unaware she even had a sister), I really wanted to see Steele in all three parts, altered to look more innocent as the younger sister. But when you've got Steele as two characters, that's sinister enough, and I certainly got my money's worth for chills in this one.

Maybe something's lost in the translation

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 26 July 2021]

"The Long Hair of Death" was originally " I lunghi capelli della morte"...an Italian horror film. I mention this because in many of these old dubbed foreign films, the story itself is often different than it was originally...and I do wonder if this is the case with this film. This is because the plot meanders and makes little sense....perhaps it made a lot more sense when it was originally an Italian film.

Baron Kurt and his father are jerks. First, Kurt has a woman burned for murder and witchcraft...and he knows she didn't commit the murder, since he was the killer. Second, the father forces himself on the dead woman's daughter. Later, this same father kills this daughter. Finally, years pass and Kurt forces the youngest daughter of the dead accused witch to marry him and he treats her abominably. All this worked...but what follows with the reincarnation of the older dead sister...well, most of it was confusing and nonsensical...though the ending was good.

As I said above, perhaps the something was lost when they translated the film into English. All I know is that the film seemed to dance around in circles and really wasn't very satisfying nor enjoyable despite its nice atmosphere.

An Italian Gothic Nightmare Masterpiece

[josephbrando · 10/10 · 27 February 2012]

Italy brought us many excellent Gothic horror classics in the 1960's. The Long Hair Of Death is a perfect exemplification of what made them so. The thoughtful, eloquent and creepy black and white photography shines in this 60+ year old film, immersing you into a sumptuous, frightening nightmare. Psychologically terrifying, yet gorgeous to look at. It's quite a sensory thrill! Barbara Steele, with those creepily beautiful eyes (those eyes!!!) leads an equally excellent cast of medieval meanies who do some genuinely pretty nasty stuff. Of special note is Laura Nucci, playing the icy black-haired sinister housemaid of this nightmare castle.

Watch this one to reaffirm your love of Gothic horror.

Atmospheric Gothic Italian Horror Movie

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 1 October 2022]

In the end of the 15th Century, the brother of the feudal lord Count Humboldt (Jean Rafferty) dies and his wife Adele Karnstein is accused of witchcraft and sentenced to be burnt at the stake. Her older daughter Helen Karnstein (Barbara Steele) asks Count Humboldt to postpone the sentence since she will get evidence to prove that her mother is innocent, and is forced to have sex with him. However, his son Baron Kurt Humboldt (George Ardisson) orders Adele's execution and she curses the Humboldt family while dying. Meanwhile Count Humboldt kills Helen to protect himself, throwing her in a river. The servant Grumalda (Laureen Nuyen) collects the ashes of Adele and the body of Helen and buries them together. She tells to Adele's younger daughter Lisabeth Karnstein (Halina Zalewska) where her mother is and raises the girl. When Lisabeth grows older, she is forced to marry Kurt Humboldt that confess to his father that he poisoned his brother, and not Adele. The plague arrives in the feud and, in a stormy night, a mysterious woman named Mary (Barbara Steele) arrives in the village and seduces Kurt, in the beginning of Helen's revenge.

"I lunghi capelli della morte", a.k.a. "The Long Hair of Death", is an atmospheric gothic Italian horror movie. The ghost story of injustice and revenge is very good. The high-quality direction of Antonio Margheriti uses the black-and-white cinematography with shadows in a magnificent way. Barbara Steele is very beautiful and the tension is built until the climax in the conclusion. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Máscara do Demônio" ("The Demon Mask")

Good, but Could Have Been Better

[ldeangelis-75708 · 5/10 · 3 December 2022]

I love movies set in past centuries, as well as gothic films from past decades, so I checked this one out and while I liked the atmosphere and creepy music, the dubbing made everyone sound so stilted and unnatural. I'd rather the movie have had subtitles.

Barbara Steele was her usual enigmatic self, with those incredible eyes, and the other actors were okay, I guess, though the Kurt character got on my nerves, vacillating from bully to coward to coldhearted creep to lovesick fool, it just got too ridiculous.

As soon as Barbara makes her second appearance (after her lookalike is thrown into the watery depths by the man who sentences her mother to burn at the stake) you just know something macabre is going on. But the kid sister part of the story was a bit much, kind of unnecessary. Elizabeth grows up and is forced to marry her cousin (YUCK!!) who happens to be the man who murdered her father (double YUCK!!) and let her mother be executed for it (triple YUCK!!) Then, he falls for the mysterious Mary (a.k.a. Big sister) who appears out of nowhere and suddenly he wants to be rid of Elizabeth and plots her murder, whereas before this he wanted to conquer both her body and her heart. Too over the top.

It's not bad, but don't expect too much.