Blood and black lace [Widescreen]

Set in a glamorous Italian fashion house, Mario Bava’s garish ‘stalk and slash’ thriller is elevated by it’s vibrant colour design and lush film score. The film’s lean plot jolts into action when a young model is brutally murdered one evening, leaving behind a diary which basically incriminates everyone around her. Soon enough a masked killer is after this vital piece of evidence while murdering (in gruesome fashion, including death by red hot iron) anyone who has been in contact with it. Being the fashion world, everyone has something to hide and is therefore a potential suspect. Recognized as one of the earliest examples of the Italian ‘giallo’ thrillers (‘giallo’ or ‘yellow’ refers to the colour of the covers for a series of pulp Italian crime novels), “Blood and black lace” uses colour, in particular the colour red in startling ways. Most memorable are the eerie red mannequins that populate the fashion house and a fabulous credit sequence incorporating the principal cast. Not to be matched however is the inventive murders Bava dreams up for his hapless victims, a novel devise that eventually became the standard for the American slasher films of the 80’s and beyond. Also known as: Six women for the murderer, Fashion house of death. Cast includes: Eva Bartok, Cameron Mitchell, Leo Kruger, Mary Arden, Arianna Gorini.