Black Sunday (La maschera del demonio; also known as The Mask of Satan and Revenge of the Vampire)
Mario Bava, Italy, 1960, 87 min

‘In 1630 Russia, Princess Asa (Barbara Steele), a beautiful, dark-haired, young woman is condemned for practicing witchcraft. The grand inquisitor is none other then her estranged brother, Prince Vajda, who renounces his ties to his sister. As the executioner ties her down to the stake, Asa defiantly swears retribution by returning from the dead one day. The executioner positions a spike-lined metal mask over her face. On her brother’s command, a swift hammer blow drives the mask into her skull, killing her instantly. She is then interred in the family crypt in a coffin equipped with a window, thought which the sign of the cross is visible. With the cross forever visible to her lifeless body, it is said that the witch will never return to life’ …