MARIO BAVA
BARON BLOOD and LISA & THE DEVIL
2-Laserdisc Double Feature Set
Early 70s Sexploitation Featuring Elkie Sommer
& Telly Savalas
Here is a Still Factory Sealed Digitally Mastered 2-Laser Disc Double Feature
Set of MARIO BAVA films titled: Baron Blood (36 Chapters), and Lisa & The
Devil (35 Chapters). Manufactured by Elite Entertainment (Catalog #EE1234).
Released 8-1-95. Cinemascope Aspect Ratio 1.85:1 Extras: Deleted scenes,
Workprint of the trailer for Lisa & The Devil. Original List Price: $59.98.
Now Out-Of-Print (OOP).
Background: Through the suggestion of Tim Lucas of Video Watchdog
Magazine, Elite contacted producer Alfredo Leone and acquired the rights
to two of his most-famous productions from director Mario Bava. "Baron Blood"
and "Lisa and the Devil". These were also two of Bava's most savaged films;
Baron Blood was available only in severely cut versions and Lisa.. could
only be seen in the inferior heavily-edited, re-shot version known as "House
of Exorcism". Elite presents these films here in their full uncut versions
for the first time in the United States. Pioneering Italian horror director
Mario Bava shot this double dose of early 1970s Euro style Gothic horror
following his classics "Blood And Black Lace"; "The Mask Of Satan" aka "Black
Sunday"; and "Bay of Blood" aka "Twitch of the Death Nerve", which subsequently
invented the "body count" genre popularized by "Friday The 13th"; "Nightmare
On Elm Street"; The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", and many others.
BARON BLOOD is a wonderfully atmospheric horror shocker, set in Austria,
about a castle that's being restored (including the torture chamber!). Elke
Sommer stars as a Eve Arnold, a local who spends a little bit too much time
with visiting American Peter Kleist, who's somehow convinced that it would
be a good idea to visit the castle in the dead of night to read an incantation
aloud in the room where the sadistic "Baron Blood" was burned alive by angry
villagers. The supposed effect of the chant? Why, it's to bring the Baron
back to life, of course! Joseph Cotten as Baron Otto von Kleist (an Austrian
Vlad the Impaler!), is perfectly cast as the edgy & ghastly beyond belief
sadist, up to his old tricks. The screenplay by Vincent G. Fotre (Missile
to the Moon) may have a simple plot, but in the hands of director Mario
Bava, it is a marvelous exercise in style. Bava makes full use of the medieval
castle setting, placing the camera to assure the most visually interesting
compositions. "Baron Blood" also features a wonderful sequence where the
sexy Elke Sommer is pursued through the streets by the Baron. During the
chase, Bava uses light, shadow and fog to startling effect.
This exclusive Elite Laser Disc Edition was transferred from the original
film negative, and restores all the scenes that were cut from the film's
original American release by American International Pictures (AIP) as "The
Torture Chamber of Baron Blood". The digital monaural soundtrack is good,
considering the bad reputation for sound on Italian productions. Additionally,
this edition of "Baron Blood" features the original musical score by Stelvio
Cipriani, not the Les Baxter score used in the AIP version. Other cast members
include: Antonio Cantafora; Umberto Raho; Luciano Pigozzi; and others. Also
Known As: Gli Orrori del castello di Norimberga; The Blood Baron; Chamber
of Tortures; The Thirst of Baron Blood, The Torture Chamber of Baron Blood.
There's no doubt that Mario Bava is one of the greatest director's around.
It's not fair to call him a great "horror" director because Bava did a whole
lot more than just horror. Many fans consider "Lisa and the Devil" to be
the director's best and most loved film. A haunting study of death, decay
and necrophilia, it lacked commercial appeal when originally released. When
the film failed at the box-office it was placed on the shelf. Then, later
that year the world was turned upside down by the release of "The Exorcist".
Lisa and the Devil's producer Alfredo Leone then thought of a way to cash
in on the success. He re-edited the film and added footage (not shot by
Bava). Doing this without Bava's permission or blessings, the film would
become known as "The House of Exorcism", which Bava really had nothing to
do with.
The original LISA AND THE DEVIL is Mario Bava's most difficult film to
see in an unadulterated form, and is one of the most beautiful & surreal
horror films ever shot. Every corner of the soul becomes lost to the icy
clutch of the supernatural as a young woman named Lisa Reiner (Elke Sommer)
is a tourist vacationing in an ancient Spanish villa. While walking through
the town square, she sees a painting that is supposed to resemble Satan.
This painting leaves Lisa a bit unstable but she continues her walk. Lisa
then walks into an antique store where she is terrified to see a man (Telly
Savalas) that resembles the painting of Satan. Lisa rushes out of the store
only to get lost in the mazy streets, and ends up flagging down a car. Inside
this car is a man named Frank Lehar and his wife Sophia (Sylvia Koscina).
Soon, the motor in the car begins overheating and the people don't get very
far before it breaks down. Lisa finds herself stranded at an isolated &
mysterious mansion with a group of incredibly neurotic individuals, and
soon she is sucked into a vortex of deception, debauchery and evil, presided
over by the housekeeper/butler Leandre, who is the same man she encountered
at the antique store! Could he be the devil himself? A number of grisly
murders take place at the mansion, eliminating one by one, all the occupants
of the manor. During her stay, Lisa discovers that she is the exact double
of the woman who was the unfaithful lover of the mansion's owner. Bava never
makes it clear if the events of the film are real, a hallucination, or if
Lisa is already dead and in hell and among the damned. This film has a haunting
quality about it that stays with you long after it has ended. The performances
are quite good, especially Telly Savalas as Leandre, the skulking, lollipop-chewing
butler who may or may-not be the Devil. The photography on the film is beautiful
as is the music score. Bava does do a great job building up suspense and
atmosphere. There's story to spare here, with several murders, an incoherent
gimmick having to do with wax dummies that are often indistinguishable from
the corpses that start piling up, and a brash non sequitur for a climax.
Even more so than "Baron Blood", "Lisa and the Devil" is as long on atmospherics
as it is short on conventional narrative. Some of the camera angles and
fisheye lenses are most creative, and cinematographer Cecilio Paniagua lost
the zoom-lens fixation that gave "Baron Blood" a sometimes grainy look.
This 1.85:1 Letterboxed transfer of "Lisa and the Devil" is even better
than that of "Baron Blood". Other cast members include: Alessio Orano; Gabriele
Tinti; Kathy Leone. Also Known As: La Casa dell'esorcismo; Lisa e il diavolo;
The Devil and the Dead; El Diablo se lleva a los muertos; ll Diavolo e i
morti; The House of Exorcism (1976 USA: recut version).
Supplements include theatrical trailers for both films, as well as various
bits of footage that were cut from "Lisa And The Devil", including a more
graphic shot of one murder scene. The new footage is of interest mainly
to Elke Sommer fans looking for her impossibly rare & explicit nude sex
scene, part of which seems to have been only shown in early European prints
of the film, and part of which never had a soundtrack added. Theatrical
trailers, which give away pretty much the entire story of both films, are
also included, along with a section of outtakes & deleted footage.
These movies are obviously labors of love, and are quite entertaining.
Director Mario Bava is certainly recognized as one of the masters of Italian
horror cinema. Unfortunately, his work is nearly impossible to see on domestic
Laserdisc. Thankfully, Elite Entertainment Inc. has made it possible for
Laserdisc collectors to finally see two of Bava's best works in their original
form, especially "Lisa And The Devil". Kicks don't get much better than
seeing this unlikely double feature, fully restored, uncut & digitally mastered,
letter boxed to their original 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio, and released
in the video fetishist's medium of choice, the Laser Disc. Liner notes are
provided by Alfredo Leone, certainly making this something that horror fans
will want to add to their collections. 
This 2-Disc set is STILL FACTORY SEALED!
