Mario Bava’s Black Sabbath

Considered one of Italian director Mario Bava’s greatest films, the horror anthology movie “Black Sabbath” ranks among the best in this sub-genre of horror.
Black Sabbath is a 1970’s trilogy of terror tales featuring three distinct stories, all with their own level of effectiveness.
The two standouts are “The Wurdalak” starring Boris Karloff in a period piece vampire tale about a man who encounters a family of blood suckers and makes the grand mistake of falling in love with one of them. Creepy and atmospheric, this segment is enhanced by Karloff’s sinister role as grandfather of the Gorca vampire clan.
Perhaps my favorite is the story entitled “The Drop of Water” wherein a nurse decides to steal a coveted ring off the hand of a recently deceased spiritualist, only to discover that even in death some people prefer to keep their possesions.
As a youngster I remember this one scared the hell out of me. The visage of the old woman (pictured above) coming after the nurse was frightening and very effective.

I believe Netflix is currently carrying Black Sabbath, and of course you can always find the DVD on sale from CD Universe.