Sei donne per l'assassino (1964)

Director:

Mario Bava

Writers:

Marcello Fondato (story)
Giuseppe Barilla (collaboration) ...

Release Date:

7 April 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The greatest shocks ever filmed

Plot:

Italian thriller about a shadowy killer in black murdering fashion models through brutal methods.

Plot Keywords:

Killer | Model | Diary | Killing | Lover

Cast

Cameron Mitchell	...	Max Marian
Eva Bartok	...	Contessa Cristina Como
Thomas Reiner	...	Inspector Silvester
Ariana Gorini	...	Nicole
Dante DiPaolo	...	Frank Sacalo
Mary Arden	...	Peggy Peyton
Franco Ressel	...	Marquis Richard Morell
Claude Dantes	...	Tao-Li
Luciano Pigozzi	...	Cesar Losarre
Lea Lander	...	Greta (as Lea Krugher)
Massimo Righi	...	Marco
Francesca Ungaro	...	Isabella
Giuliano Raffaelli	...	Zanchin
Harriet Medin	...	Clarice (as Harriet White Medin)
Mary Carmen	...	Model (as Mara Carmosino)

Also Known As:

6 Femmes pour l'assassin (France)
Blood and Black Lace (USA)
Fashion House of Death
L'atelier de la peur (France)
Six Women for the Murderer (International: English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

88 min | USA:84 min

Country:

Italy | France | Monaco

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:MA (2009) | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | France:-18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:Unrated | West Germany:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

A.T.C. Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Emmepi Cinematografica

Trivia:

The German titles for the film were 'Bloody Silk' and 'The Masked Strangler'

Quotes:

Inspector Silvester: Perhaps the sight of beauty makes him lose control of himself, so he kills.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Trapped Ashes (2006)

Where It Is Fashionable to Die...

An upper-crust European fashion salon is having a devil of a time keeping girls working for it in this unique, visually breath-taking Mario Bava film. One fashion model after another dies a horrible death: one strangled, another failing to accept the gauntlet too soon, one having her face pushed into a hot iron, and so on. After watching this film, there will be almost no doubt at all how much Mario Bava influenced modern directors - and no one more particularly than Dario Argento. Bava's use of color, his choice of murder victims, his mystery of cat with mouse and then dog chasing cat(police on trail of murderer) are all signature trademarks of Argento's work. Blood and Black Lace is perhaps the most stylish, stunning film I have seen in terms of how color is used in every frame. From the opening credits with a great rhythmic score, hues of every shade permeate the screen. Bava uses colors like no other director I have ever seen attempt to do so with the exception of Argento. Watch Suspiria by Argento and closely look at how he uses blues and reds and tell me Bava is not written all over it! Blood and Black Lace has all the colors and it is really like a moving canvas. Bava is the artist controlling lighting, shading, and depth perception. I know I am gushing, but this is one beautiful film. The story, at least for me, is a secondary matter. It is a good story. I knew who the murderer was fairly quickly, but Bava does throw in some red herrings that will at least have you second guessing yourself. The actors are all pretty good. Cameron Mitchell plays a guy running the salon with his wife, played VERY ably by the lovely Eva Bartok. I had trouble taking my eyes off her as well as the rest of the beautiful European models. Luciano Pigozzi has a small role. You might remember him as the Italian character actor with the Peter Lorre face and eyes. Blood and Black Lace is certainly one of Bava's best films. Not his best though - Black Sunday wins that hands down. But this film is definitely his greatest in terms of artistic merit. It is a visual masterpiece and Bava deserves so much more credit as an innovative, creative force in film than he receives.