Blood And Black Lace – UHD (Arrow)

Directed by: Mario Bava
Written by: Marcello Fondato, Giuseppe Barilla, Mario Bava
Starring:  Cameron Mitchell, Eva Bartok, Thomas Reiner, Ariana Gorini, Dante DiPaolo, Mary Arden
Year: 1964
Country:  Italy
Running time:  88 mins
BBFC Classification: 18

Alongside Dario Argento, Mario Bava is possibly one of the more well known directors whose works fall into the giallo subgenre of Italian made thrillers. Aside from the decidedly giallo A Bay of Blood, however, Bava’s work bears far more of the gothic hallmarks, with the likes of Kill, Baby, Kill! and Black Sunday being two standout examples of the genre. Blood and Black Lace, tries to have it both ways, combining giallo intrigue with gothic stylings, creating a stunning looking film that unfortunately falls just a little short of the mark to be an absolute stone cold classic.

Set in a Rome fashion house, Blood and Black Lace tells the story of a masked killer bumping off models in an attempt to prevent a scandal from coming to light and potentially topping the business. It’s a stylish film from the get go, with a jazzy soundtrack and one of possibly the finest opening title sequences I’ve ever seen from the era. The cast are all on top form, delivering performances that range from cool to hysterical when the story needs it and the sets and lighting are immaculate, with Bava shooting the action in a way that only elevates the brooding tension of the story.

It’s an intriguing tale as well, an extravagant who-done-it with aspects of melodrama thrown in that throws multiple curve-balls while the audience tries to figure out who the masked killer is. The killer themself feels almost like a direct precursor to the likes of Myers and Voorhees, with perhaps a hint of Alan Moore’s Rorschach in their hat, trenchcoat and lycra mask, and they display a spectacular sadism in their methods of offing their victims.

The film is clearly influential to its genre successors, with a group of double crossing and manipulative characters that instruct Bava’s later A Bay of Blood, and a setting which feels like a prototype for the ballet school seen in Argent’s superb Suspiria. Sadly the story ultimately loses track of the main McGuffin, an incriminating diary which would u

ltimately reveal the identity of the killer, resulting in a saggy middle act and a finale which, while absolutely bonkers feels like it’s from a completely different film and seems to forget about many of the characters we’ve previously seen.

It’s a superb looking film, with colours that are only elevated here with the HRD in Arrow’s gorgeous UHD transfer, but it’s ultimately a little to waveringly plotted to be one of the absolute greats.

Bonus Features

• Brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative by Arrow Films
• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Restored original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks
• Optional English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
• Audio commentary by Mario Bava’s biographer Tim Lucas
• Psycho Analysis – a documentary on Blood and Black Lace and the origins of the giallo genre featuring interviews with directors Dario Argento (Suspiria) and Lamberto Bava (Demons), screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi (All the Colours of the Dark), critics Roberto Curti and Steve Della Casa, and crime novelists Sandrone Dazieri and Carlo Lucarelli
• An appreciation by Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani, the creative duo behind Amer and The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears
• Gender and Giallo – a visual essay by Michael Mackenzie exploring the giallo’s relationship with the social upheavals of the 1960s and 70s
• Blood and Bava – a panel discussion on Mario Bava featuring Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava and Steve Della Casa, recorded at the 2014 Courmayeur Film Festival
• The Sinister Image: Cameron Mitchell – an episode of David Del Valle’s television series, devoted to the star of Blood and Black Lace and presented in full
• The alternative US opening titles, sourced from Joe Dante’s private print
• Original theatrical trailer
• Image galleries
• Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ilan Sheady
• Limited edition 60-page perfect bound book featuring writing on the film by Howard Hughes, Alan Jones and David Del Valle, plus new writing by RachaelNisbet and Kat Ellinger
• Fold-out double-sided poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ilan Sheady
• Six double-sided collector’s postcards

As usual, Arrow have delivered a sumptuous set here, with a brilliant selection of documentaries and library material to add background to the production, the era and the genre itself. The included US opening titles are an interesting curio but only serve to cement how superb the Italian title sequence is.

The packaging itself is beautiful, with a reversible sleeve featuring artwork directly influenced by the aforementioned opening title sequence, making this another essential set for collectors.