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Blood And Black Lace
[VCI Video]
1965; color
Directed by Mario Bava
Starring: Cameron Mitchell, Eva Bartok, Thomas Reiner, Ariana Gorini & Dante DiPaolo
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While Mario Bava's The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963) is considered to be the first cinematic entry in the genre, Blood And Black Lace (released only a year later) is widely recognized as the first to have all of the now pre-requisite elements of Giallo film. (The masked or black gloved killer, generally bloody murders shot from the killer's POV, intense musical scores, a bushel of red herrings to keep you guessing, etc…) The film is one of Mario Bava's crowning achievements (some say his best work) and not only ignited it's own genre, but put down the roots for the modern American slasher film which would emerge some 10-15 years later. Set in an Italian fashion house, an unknown assassin begins picking off models left and right. After the first murder, another model discovers the dead model's diary. This happens maybe 20 minutes in, and by this point we've already seen hints at (or mentions of) drug abuse, adultery and blackmail attached to most of the characters. Everyone, it seems, has something to hide so it's safe to assume there's incriminating dirt about all of them in the diary. Just as safe as it is to assume whomever is in possession of it is pretty much signing their own death warrant. Bava builds up the suspense as each murder gets increasingly more gruesome (BABL is also considered to be the first "body count" movie) while the identity of the killer continues to elude the police. By the time it all winds down, some 90-minutes later, the trail of bodies concludes with the killer's - as is the rule in Giallo. The real factors that elevate this, and most of Bava's films, above your run-of-the-mill thriller are his brilliant use of lights and color; the visuals Bava constructs in virtually every frame are as much the stars of the movie as the actors. Intense colors set against a mostly black background underscore the mood and create a world that's at the very least different, if not a bit surreal. I'd venture to say that, even if you watched this with the sound off, it would be visually entertaining enough to keep your interest. Although without the quirky score it wouldn't be nearly as intense or enjoyable. Blood And Black Lace transcends genre classification with it's incredible attention to detail; highly recommended!
—Giallo Biafra
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