Another horror film set in the world of fashion, as a killer is trying to retrieve the diary of a murdered model.

Mario Bava’s 1964 has a massive reputation among those who know a thing or two about the horror genre. And it fully deserves it. Why can’t more horror movies look and feel as amazing as Blood and Black Lace? A colour palette to die for, gorgeous direction, photography and framing, and a feeling that the filmmaker actually credits his audience with a modicum of intelligence. There’s a strong emphasis on the use of shadow in the film, which makes the most ordinary of occurrences extremely sinister.

The film also deals with issues that would have been viewed as massively taboo back then. The narrative involves drug addiction, impotence and abortion, which would have shocked audiences.

The killer has one of the most iconic giallo looks ever- the fedora, the overcoat, the face covering (one character states that he saw the killer and he didn’t seem to have a face), the gloves. This killer knows a thing or two about style.

Blood and Black Lace was cut by a massive 4 minutes by the BBFC, which was testament to the film’s deaths being so graphic for the mid-1960s. The film was very influential for subsequent filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, who referenced the bath death in his film, Kundun. Brian De Palma was also influenced massively by this Bava classic.

Highly recommended.

4.5 out of 5 stars