The City of the Dead

One of the first horror films (I even read somewhere that it was the very first) that introduced the theme of reincarnated witches who sacrifice an innocent girl on the Sabbath to prolong their eternal life. In Italy, Mario Bava responded directly to this film with Black Sabbath and started a popular wave of gothic horror. The story is not flawless, though. The villain and the victim are clear right from the start (as the period poster for the film unhappily reveals), but the atmosphere is priceless. Beautiful scenery of dilapidated houses of a city obsessed with Satanism, thick fog rolling low over the ground, a sinister underground dungeon and a beautiful gloomy cemetery with giant crosses. The music interestingly alternates jazz passages with horror symphonic ones, supported by choral singing. It's interesting how the scenes are repeated in both visits to the cursed city – the same looks from the citizens, the same ritual elements, all pointing towards the inevitable. The ending is really great, it builds up perfectly, with flames shooting out of the cross and the ominous singing of the choir. Christopher Lee is god (as usual), although he plays more of a second fiddle. The clear trump card is Patricia Jessel, you'd be hard pressed to find a more demonic witch. (08/10/2018)

Yeah, the skeleton of the story is pretty much the same as Psycho, but the supernatural coat gives it something that makes The City of the Dead deserve at least a little more attention; what I mean by this is the very well put together mystical atmosphere. A village covered by fog, a cellar with cobwebs, a cult in a black chapel… I have a weak spot for all that and enjoyed the film, even though the years have made it lose much of its effect. 7/10 (17/11/2010)