Here's a nice treat, compliments of VCI; Mario Bava's Blood and Black Lace, one of my personal favorites of Bava's ouvre', presented uncut and remastered and lookingbetter than ever! And the real treat was that I scored this baby for $10 bucks! Can
you scream BARGAIN? I thought so.

For all of you who are seeking a bucket of blood and boobies, stear clear. This is a fairly innocent Bava, although the film has been dubbed "the first slasher ever!" bymany fans. B&BL is a Giallo, with less emphasis on the violence and more focus
on the mystery (Bava, in my opinion, has always been the most coherent storyteller in Italian cinema, and this film is a superb example of that).

The story begins with a brutal murder of a beautiful model from the Haute CoutureFashion House (gotta love that name) run by Max Marian (Mitchell) and Contessa Christina (Bartok). When the police announce the model's death to the other models and
staff of the House, we are introduced to a veritable potpourri of unsavory characters, from the drug addicted to the gambling indebted, and, of course, the models themselves who all seem to harbor some motive for the killing. As the list of suspects dwindles with subsequent murders, the beautiful edifice of the Haute Couture crumbles, exposing a dark world of greed and ambition and a secret that must be kept hidden at any cost.

Bava's always been known for his lush visual style and B&BL is no exception. From the bright pastel interiors of the Haute Couture, to the moodily lit crime scenes, Bava is working on all cylinders and the VCI edition does the film's complex color pallette justice.
The murder scenes, while light on the gore, are as inventive and convincing as anything in the genre, and have the added bonus of being orchestrated by a truly gifted conductor of the macabre. Add to that a wonderful and "Hitchcock-Beautiful" cast and all the of the elements for an entertaining horror/mystery are present.

Be warned, however, as the film does move slowly at times, and has a habit of veering off into melodrama (Think Valley of the Dolls meets Deep Red), but it is a must-own for fans of Bava and the Giallo genre.

VCI did a remarkable job with the transfer, and even managed to wrangle up some nice extras that surprised me, given the age of the film, and the budget price tag! First, we get a very interesting audio commentary by Bava expert Tim Lucas, who offers more
than a few glimpses inside the mind of the legendary director, and could not be better suited for his role here. There are also a pair of interviews with stars Cameron Mitchell and Mary Arden and an isolated track featuring the film's ginchy musical score by
composer Carlo Rustichelli. Throw in a theatrical trailer, and stills gallery and you get a package that bests most DVD's on the market, all for less than a pack of smokes and a six pack of Corona (although I grabbed those as well)!