Wow! Such a good movie.

I like Black Panther, but I didn't like this movie.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Well, the answer to that question is probably once per individual film, but I am delighted to say that "The Long Hair of Death" was surprisingly good. The back story is set up with a chilling scene of supposed witch Barbara Steele facing the wrath of society for a crime she claims she did not commit, set to face the ultimate Godly test while being surrounded by fiery bales of hay. As the aging count prepares to make love to her own daughter (also Steele), she calmly bellows out her final curse which includes famine, plague and pestilence. Later, the count brutally murders her oldest daughter and makes the mistake of taking in the younger daughter (Halina Zalewska) whom his heir (George Ardisson) is very much in lust with and ultimately marries. On the eve of the old count's painful death from plague, a crash of thunder and lightening reveals the presence of a dark, ailing woman entering the castle, and with his last vision of earth, the old baron sees that it is the apparent return of the older daughter from the grave. Ardisson, not having any idea of who she is, begins to have an affair with her and together they plot the death of Zalewska who is really a part of the plot to solidify the curse and bring an end to this evil royal family's reign of terror.Steele, the queen of 1960's Gothic horror, acted mainly with her eyes, so deeply set into her face and filled with hatred in each of the films for the men who had abused her or lead her along into paths of self-destruction. You never know with her villains if they are simply just evil or insane with anger, lust and greed, and even with her heroines, there's something inside them that makes you not fully trust them. She should have been utilized in more than just campy horror films; Imagine her playing some of the greatest seductresses of history who were only using men to get their own power. Ardisson is handsome yet cold in his desire for lust and power, and as the supernatural element of revenge takes its own force against him, the fear of what he is facing becomes very much written on his face. One horrific scene only involves eyes of fear as the character's destiny becomes apparent to them, even with an inside glimpse of their hidden tomb that nobody is aware contains anything living. While Zalewska is beautiful and vulnerable as Steele's younger sister (apparently unaware she even had a sister), I really wanted to see Steele in all three parts, altered to look more innocent as the younger sister. But when you've got Steele as two characters, that's sinister enough, and I certainly got my money's worth for chills in this one.

After hearing so much about the often ballyhooed Black Sunday film which predates this one I finally got the chance to check out both films for myself. Black Sunday a.k.a the Mask Of Satan is also a Gothic b/w Italian horror film that features Barbara Steele as it's main character. Every review that I came across recommended the Mario Bava movie without any reservations whatsoever and made constant references to it's beautiful cinematography, period detail and atmosphere. I was super anxious to see this unanimously lauded classic. However, once viewed, I did not find the Mask of Satan to be that great of a movie. Yes, it was beautifully filmed and yes it was quite atmospheric but it was also flat, boring and predictable. It's dated violence and special effects did very little to help liven things up. The eerie soundtrack that seemed to constantly be playing was too loud and it actually served to slaughter, in it's infancy, any tension that possibly might have been building. The film felt like a major let down after hearing so much about it. It was o.k. but nearer to a novelty than a classic. The Long Hair Of Death was a film which I had heard absolutely nothing about. I only just learned of it's existence when it was recently scheduled to be released on blu ray in the near future. The cover art was intriguing and there was Barbara Steele again. So I found the movie on YouTube and set out to see if it was worth adding to my collection. Little did I know what a treat I was in for. This movie is similar in look and feel to Bava's film yet it is superior to that film due to it's character development and it's bizarre and intermittent flashes of kinky eroticism. The pacing is glacial in this one also and yet it doesn't feel quite as moribund as "Sunday". The camera work is lovely and lush and is perfectly enhanced by vividly detailed decorative sets and costumes. The acting is better in this one too although the dialog is pretty standard for this type of fare. All in all, I prefer The Long Hair of Death to Black Sunday on any given day and will be purchasing a copy on blu ray ASAP.

a woman is being put to trial for being accused of being a witch,, a man who has some other interests, makes sure she dies, the eldest daughter get's tricked to her death,, now it's the younger daughter's turn to take vengeance for her mother. our villain has his eyes on a younger girl, so he sees her and starts to neglect his wife,, the younger girl and him decide that they wanna do away with his wife so they concoct a plan to get rid of her,, this wasn't a bad movie,, it had interesting twists, and turns, but I found it hard to watch in spots as the movie seems to drag on , and not move the plot forward. it almost seemed like two different movies.

Well, it's obvious that The Long Hair of Death takes a lot of its influence from the Mario Bava masterpiece 'Black Sunday', but even so; Antonio Margheriti's film manages to deliver a good horror story in its own right. The plot is pretty much your classic Gothic horror yarn, and focuses on a small village. A woman is accused of being a witch and promptly put to death. However, her eldest daughter knows the real reason for her death revolves around the lord, and she's promptly killed also. The youngest daughter survives and is taken in by the murderous lord's family, eventually marrying his son. Soon after, a deadly plague threatens the village; and the older daughter reappears to avenge her mother's death. The main standout of this movie is definitely the atmosphere - director Antonio Margheriti does an excellent job of giving the movie a foreboding feel through the eerie black and white cinematography and the imposing sets. The plot can drag a bit at times, which is a shame; and so it's lucky that Margheriti was able to give the film an atmosphere as it keeps it going when the plot takes a downturn.Another standout about this film is, of course, the fact that it has a leading role for Barbara Steele. Of course, she was almost certainly cast because of her success in Black Sunday, and as such; this isn't her greatest performance, but she's always nice to see and she does play the resurrected woman well. It does quite often seem like Margheriti is dragging the plot out and this is a shame as the film is overlong as a result and it has to be said that The Long Hair of Death would have benefited from a shorter running time. Antonio Margheriti made some good films in his career, though the fact that he doesn't get good recognition along with the likes of Sergio Martino and Lucio Fulci doesn't surprise me. This film was released in between Margheriti's successes with The Virgin of Nuremberg and Dance Macabre, and although I prefer both of the mentioned films; this one is still worth seeing for the Italian Gothic horror fan. The film boils down to a somewhat predictable ending, but it's a nice ride getting there and overall, despite the fact that The Long Hair of Death may not be the most successful film of it's type - it's still worth a watch.