Baron Blood [1972]

There's a lot for the discriminating fan of Italo-gothickry to enjoy in Mario Bava's "Baron Blood." Were I pressed--probably at gun point--to choose an all-time favorite director, I'd have to name Bava. He balances elegant chills with graphic grue in a way that honors the tradition of black-and-white chillers ("Black Sunday") while laying the groundwork for modern horror ("Twitch of the Death Nerve"--seriously, THAT is a movie title, lieblings). "Baron Blood" is a movie that's best appreciated as a vehicle for Bava to demonstrate his mastery of employing evocative lighting and sumptuous mise-en-scene to elevate standard spooky fare above its presumed-by-too-many "B Grade" class.

In this film, handsome young American Peter Kleist (Antonio Cantafora) returns to his family's native Austria to reconnect with his heritage. His uncle Dr. Karl Hummel (you can tell he's a professor on account of his tweedy attire and textbook on Ancient Greek Culture, in spite of the fact that he's shown teaching a class on neuroscience later in the film) brings him to the ancestral home--the awesomely-ominously-named Schloss des Teufels. Fascinated with his ancestor Baron Otto von Kleist, a fiendish character whose chief amusement was the torture and murder of unfortunate villagers, Peter and mini-skirted architecture student Eva Arnold (played by groovy, leggy Teuton Elke Sommer) recite an incantation to bring the evil noble back from the grave. Twice. You know, just to be sure. Within minutes of his resurrection, the Baron is hell-bent on a kill-krazee rampage through the village--you know what they say about Germanic Efficiency! Now it's up to Eva and Peter to undo their titanic occult stupidry and lay the Baron to rest.

"Baron Blood" is not what you'd call a fast-paced thrill flick--its success rests on the fact that Bava fills the expositional moments with beautiful backdrops and ominous cinematograpy. It's all about well-considered composition and stark shadows here. Shadowy hallways, authentic medieval architecture and ornate decorative details are used to gorgeous effect. In fact, this film could be seen as a valentine to the castle in which it was filmed, the Burg Kreuzenstein in Austria (for more photos of this amazing castle, view the German site and click the link labeled "Bilder"). This beautiful building is a character of its own as the camera peers through wrought iron gratings or positions itself within towering pointed archways. After plans to turn the building into a hotel come to an abrupt and grisly halt, the Schloss des Teufels is purchased for a mere $600,000 ("including the dungeons," as Eva helpfully points out) by a mysterious wheelchair-bound stranger named Alfred Becker (Joseph Cotten). Need I say that, in my neck of the woods, one would have a difficult time buying a two-bedroom house in the 'burbs for that much...? Add one more item to the "Reasons I Want To Live in Movie World" list.

Like all truly enjoyable genre fare, the devil's in the details, and Bava does not scrimp on the details. In addition to the amazing use of on-location filming, the casting is spot on. Elke Sommer is always easy on the eyes, and has several great scream queen moments throughout the film, with her fog-and-light pursuit by the undead Baron proving to be a highlight. Eerie little girl du jour, Nicoletta Elmi ("Flesh for Frankenstein," "Twitch of the Death Nerve"), is on hand as an early adapter of the "Baron Blood has risen from the grave" school of thought. She is given several moments in which she lends her trademark stare to a scene. Say what you will about Samara from "The Ring"--this kid wins for sheer creeposity. Add in several dozen bonus points for the Baron's amazing taste in hats, and you've got more WIN than any one movie should rightfully contain.

I really appreciate that this is not a "Scooby Doo" mystery, where the ghost is unmasked at the end as being a profiteering land developer or somesuch--"Baron Blood" is set in a universe of supernatural happenings. Eva and Peter's incantation works, and they pretty much immediately resort to magical means in order to stop the creeping evil they've unleashed.

If you're looking for a satisfyingly spooky way to spend an evening, you can't do any better than selecting a Mario Bava film, and "Baron Blood" is certainly a showcase of the director's trademark style. For more "Baron Blood" images, check out the Flickr gallery here.