The AIP version of BLACK SUNDAY is one of my most vivid memories from watching horror movies on TV. I don’t remember it playing in the theaters in my home town of Greenville, SC but I’m sure it did but it would have been of no consequence as I wasn’t old enough to see it. AIP trumpeted the fact that “impressionable young minds” might be harmed by the film and “no one under 14” would be permitted to see it. That intro is still on the AIP print.
I had never heard of the film until I saw it late one night on local TV. I was absolutely riveted and terrified and the powerful B&W imagery stayed with me for years. It was far more graphic than the old Universal horrors and had an edge that the color Hammer movies didn’t have. From then on I became a big Euro-Gothic fan thanks to this movie but lost my affection for Mario Bava after he turned to Giallo with BLOOD & BLACK LACE.
It took a while for BLACK SUNDAY to come to DVD and when it did it was the British version known as THE MASK OF SATAN ( it’s LA MASCHERA DEL DEMONIO in Italian) yet it was still marketed as BLACK SUNDAY. This version had the original title sequence and the original score by Roberto Nicolosi. It contains a little extra gore and has better dubbing. I have this version as part of a Image Entertainment set of Bava’s movies.
Despite having the British version, I wanted to see the AIP version again. It has a different credits sequence and a different score from Les Baxter which is not as atmospheric. Some of the dubbing is not synchronized but that doesn’t bother me. While the uncut Image version is superior (and 6 minutes longer), it’s the AIP release that first introduced me to the film so it holds a special place in my heart. Which version you prefer will be up to you.
The Capsule Critic 