Black Sunday (1960) – Italian Horror Film Summary and Review

Also distributed under various other names, including The Mask of Satan and Revenge of the Vampire, Black Sunday is an Italian horror film set in Moldavia. Mask of Satan is probably the most fitting name because the original Italian title (La Maschera del Demonio) translates as The Mask of the Devil.

Although the original soundtrack is in Italian, these days, it’s easy to get hold of versions that have been dubbed in English. Personally, I prefer to go with subtitles but many people find them annoying.

Barbara Steele stars in the dual role of Princess Katia Vajda and Asa Vajda. Black Sunday was Steele’s first horror film but it would not be her last. Nor was it the only time she took on dual roles. She did the same in The Long Hair of Death (1964), Nightmare Castle (1965), and An Angel for Satan (1966).

The film begins in the 17th Century, during troubled times when vampires and other evil forces were active in Moldavia. In witch trial fashion people turned against close family members, condemning them to death, in an attempt to rid the land of evil. The accused were first branded with the mark of Satan. Next, they had a spike-laden mask hammered onto their faces before finally being burned at the stake.

Asa Vajda suffers this fate, accused by her brother, Prince Vajda, who is the grand inquisitor. Asa’s lover, Igor Javutich, has just received the same sentence. However, there is no miscarriage of justice. Both are in league with Satan and, before the mask of Satan is hammered onto her face, Asa curses her brother and his bloodline, vowing to return to carry on her evil acts.

A sudden storm rages, putting out the fire beneath Vajda and Javutich. Filled with fear, the inquisitors flee and the bodies of Vaja is interred in the family crypt, still wearing the mask. A window in the lid of her coffin is ensures her face always remains under a cross. As for Javutich, he is buried in unconsecrated ground, at a place reserved for murderers.

Two hundred years later, Dr. Choma Kruvajan and his assistant, Dr. Andrej Gorobec are passing through Moldavia on their way to a conference in Moscow, when one of the wheels on their carriage comes off. While the coach driver replaces it, they go and explore a nearby crypt, where they find Asa’s body. Chroma removes the mask from her face and, although her eye sockets are now home to scorpions, her face is still remarkably preserved.

Chroma cuts his hand while fighting off a giant bat and a few drops of his blood land in Asa’s eye socket. You can probably guess the implications of this and the fact that the cross gets broken during the fight removes one of the obstacles preventing the witch’s return.

As Chroma and Gorobec are leaving, they meet Katia and apologise for the intrusion. Kruvajan is taken aback by her beauty and hopes they will meet again soon.

Katia lives in the family castle with her father and brother and later that night her father realizes evil forces are at work. It’s not long before, he becomes ill. Responding to Katia’s summons, Chroma leaves the inn he and Gorobec are staying in and heads back to the castle. Unfortunately, before he gets there, he is turned into a vampire and ultimately kills the prince instead of saving him. Gorobec returns to the castle the next morning, looking for his friend, and also keen to seek Katia again.

All the while, the vampire-witch, Asa, lies in her tomb growing stronger, while Javutich attempts to bring Katia to her so that Asa can steal her life, revitalize herself and fulfil the promise she made at the stake.

Black Sunday is a typical gothic horror film that’s nice and creepy and should appeal to most people who enjoy watching old-style horror flicks.

The film is tame by modern standards but some of the scenes are quite unpleasant. However, although they may cause some viewers to shudder, they are not graphic or gory. For instance, when the mask of Satan is hammered onto Asa’s face, the camera shows the mallet swinging and then, after a thud, shows the mask already hammered in place. It does not show the nasty bit as a modern film would most likely do.

If, like me, you enjoy classic black-and-white horror films, the chances are you will love Black Sunday. If you normally watch newer films, it may be a stretch, but if you give it a chance, you may be pleasantly surprised.