The Whip and the Body / Kill, Baby, Kill

THE WHIP AND THE BODY (LA FRUSTA E IL CORPO) 1963, 92 min. Dir. Mario Bava. Demonic aristocrat Christopher Lee returns from the dead to whip his brother’s wife, Daliah Lavi (LORD JIM; the original CASINO ROYALE), into a sexual ecstasy in this chilling essay on the ties that bind. Amour fou is taken to its ultimate conclusion in a deliriously romantic study in perverse psychology, our choice as the most sumptuous, atmosphere-drenched Gothic chiller from the last forty years! (English dubbed print.)

KILL, BABY, KILL (OPERAZIONE PAURA), 1966, International Media Films, 83 min. Dir. Mario Bava. Forget the ridiculous title – this exquisite Gothic brings together several of Bava’s major themes: a murdered child who returns from the grave to exact vengeance, and a village blighted by its own ignorant evil. One of the most atmospheric, effective ghost stories ever filmed.