Horror is international but also affected by borders. Take 1963’s horror anthology Black Sabbath. Italian studio Galatea wanted to make a gory, taboo-busting art horror. Their American International Pictures co-producers wanted a teen-friendly drive-in flick. Galatea wanted visionary director Mario Bava as their selling point. AIP needed a recognizable name and had a good working relationship with Boris Karloff. Galatea needed the film in Italian even as AIP sold it in English markets. They couldn’t even agree on what order to run the three stories of death, ghosts, vampires, and slashers in. Yet their compromise resulted in a grotesque and eerie masterpiece that made Bava an international name and gave Karloff his last great role – or rather, roles, as he turns up as both narrator and in the segments. – Richard Whittaker
Jan. 17, 19 & 26
