Mario Bava was an Italian filmmaker who worked variously as a director, cinematographer, special effects artist and screenwriter, frequently referred to as the "Master of Italian Horror" and the "Master of the Macabre". His low-budget genre films, known for their distinctive visual flair and stylish technical ingenuity, feature recurring themes and imagery concerning the conflict between illusion and reality, as well as the destructive capacity of human nature. He was a pioneer of Italian genre cinema, and is regarded as one of the most influential auteurs of the horror film genre.
Ernesto Gastaldi is an Italian screenwriter. Film historian and critic Tim Lucas described Gastaldi as the first Italian screenwriter to specialize in horror and thriller films. Gastaldi worked within several popular genres including pepla, Western and spy films.
The Whip and the Body is a 1963 gothic horror film directed by Mario Bava under the alias "John M. Old". The film is about Kurt Menliff who is ostracized by his father for his relationship with a servant girl and her eventual suicide. He later returns to reclaim his title and his former fiancée Nevenka who is now his brother's wife. Menliff is later found murdered, but the locals believe his ghost has returned to haunt the castle for revenge.
Danger: Diabolik is a 1968 action and crime film directed and co-written by Mario Bava, based on the Italian comic series Diabolik by Angela and Luciana Giussani. The film is about a criminal named Diabolik, who plans large-scale heists for his girlfriend Eva Kant. Diabolik is pursued by Inspector Ginko, who blackmails the gangster Ralph Valmont into catching Diabolik for him.
Hercules in the Haunted World is a 1961 Italian sword-and-sandal film directed by Mario Bava. British bodybuilder Reg Park plays Hercules while British actor Christopher Lee appears as Hercules' nemesis Lico. Shooting at Cinecittà, director Mario Bava used some of the same sets from the earlier Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis which also stars Park.
The Giant of Marathon is a 1959 international co-production sword and sandal film, loosely based on the Battle of Marathon. It was directed by Jacques Tourneur and Mario Bava. It starred Steve Reeves as Phillipides. The film was a co-production between Italy's Titanus and Galatea Film and France's Lux Compagnie Cinematographique de France and Societe Cinematographique Lyre.
Erik the Conqueror is a 1961 Italian-French epic swashbuckling film directed by Mario Bava and starring George Ardisson and Cameron Mitchell as long-lost Viking brothers in the 9th century, one of whom is raised in England, the other in Scandinavia. They finally meet after almost 20 years, as rivals on opposite sides of an English–Viking war. It is a loose remake of the American film The Vikings.
Kill, Baby, Kill is a 1966 Italian gothic horror film directed by Mario Bava and starring Giacomo Rossi Stuart and Erika Blanc. Written by Bava, Romano Migliorini, and Roberto Natale, the film focuses on a small Carpathian village in the early 1900s that is being terrorized by the ghost of a murderous young girl.
The Avenger is a 1962 film directed by Giorgio Venturini.
Hannibal is a 1959 Italian historical adventure film based on the life of Hannibal, starring Victor Mature in the title role. The film was directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia. It marks the first film pairing of Terence Hill and Bud Spencer under their real names. However they only appear in supporting roles and have no scenes in common.
Attack of the Normans is a 1962 Italian film set in England in the early 9th century. Viking incursions play a central role in the plot; "Normans" in the title is used in its original continental sense, meaning Viking.
Giorgio Ferroni was an Italian film director.
Goliath and the Vampires is a 1961 Italian peplum film directed by Sergio Corbucci and Giacomo Gentilomo.
Rome Against Rome is a 1964 Italian peplum film directed by Giuseppe Vari.
Goliath and the Rebel Slave, also known as The Tyrant of Lydia Against the Son of Hercules, is a 1963 Eastmancolor adventure peplum film directed by Mario Caiano.
Long Live Robin Hood is a 1971 swashbuckler film directed by Giorgio Ferroni. It is based on the Robin Hood legend. It also has been known under its translated Italian name Archer of Fire.
The Avenger, Zorro is a 1972 Spanish-Italian Western film written and directed by Rafael Romero Marchent.
Avenger of the Seven Seas, also known as The Executioner of the Seas, is a 1962 Italian epic adventure film directed by Domenico Paolella and starring Richard Harrison and Michèle Mercier.
Gladiators 7 is a 1962 film directed by Pedro Lazaga. The film has several elements from Akira Kurosawa's film The Seven Samurai.
Savage Gringo is a 1966 Western film starring Ken Clark. The film is about a drifter who protects a rancher couple from a ruthless landowner. Under its Italian title, Savage Gringo was one of numerous Spaghetti Westerns retitled to take advantage of the success of Duccio Tessari's successful Ringo duology.
