No, Girls, It Was Not "The Quiet Man," But......................

                          We certainly had a fun, and very different St. Patrick's Day. After the traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner, we retired, in front of the TV set, where we watched, uncut,  Mario Bava's "Black Sunday."

                             I had never seen it all the way through.  The opening is still the best part, but how the art direction and set decoration never got an Oscar nomination is beyond me.

                              This is kind of the "Patty Duke Show" of horror films, where Barbara Steele, she of those eyes, portrays two roles--Princess Asa Vajda, condemned in 1630 Moldavia as a witch/vampire, and her good descendant, two centuries later, Princess Katia., the good Princess.  I can tell you, Steele has much more fun playing Asa; this is the role I would have gone for.  All poor Katia has to do is moon around about her father, and faint, like no one else I have ever seen faint, at the sight of his corpse popping out of the coffin.  Asa, on the other hand, gets to be tied to wooden crosses by burly hunks, while delivering lines like, "My brother, it is you whom I repudiate! In the name of Satan, I place a curse on you!"  Who could resist this???????  And when the mask of Satan (the film's other titles) is placed on her face, and she screams...well. this is a new height in horror. Not to mention, the searing brand burned onto her back.  No wonder, my parents would not let me see this, at the age of six!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               From there, the story is routine--deceased witch returns to seek vengeance on all her descendants.  You've seen this before.  It is the set design, art direction, music score, and Barbara Steele that make this the classic experience you girls need to see for yourselves.  Hey, if you look on line, you can get a scale model Asa doll, (I don't know if it has to be assembled, or not!!!!!!!!!) tied to the stake!  You bet I want one!   I will be the talk of my neighborhood!  Even more, I want a real Mask Of Satan!  I have a couple of uses I could put it to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Heh! Heh! Heh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

                                This movie even does a riff on the torch carrying villagers from the old Universal back lot. They capture the now dead, but arisen Asa, tie her to the stake, and burn her. But, being dead already, what good can it do???? And with those skeletal remains underneath, there is not much to burn, anyway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    To think I watched this movie, during Lent!  That has probably earned me some demerits, but, hey, I completely forgot.  And, of course, I will make up for it on Easter, with "The Song Of Bernadettte."

                                       Remember from this film, girls, if you make a deal with the Devil, you get burned along the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         But, such fun to watch, dolls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!