Danza Macabra Volume 1: The Italian Gothic Collection coming from Severin on May 30

[whiteberry]

In a genre known for its castles, crypts and candelabras, Italian Gothic also embraced themes of violence, madness, and sexual deviance. With these 4 films, those impulses dare to go even deeper: In 1964’s THE MONSTER OF THE OPERA, director Renato Polselli and screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi craft a surreal erotic shocker set within a contemporary dance troupe. Perhaps the genre’s rarest film, the berserk supernatural narrative of 1965’s THE SEVENTH GRAVE also makes it among the strangest. For 1970’s SCREAM OF THE DEMON LOVER, director José Luis Merino gathers classic traditions, then strips them naked and ties them to a torture rack. And 1971’s LADY FRANKENSTEIN delivers iconic EuroCult talent on both sides of the camera for one of the most luridly entertaining shockers of the decade. The films in this collection are now fully restored from their original negatives, with 12+ collective hours of Special Features.

DISC 1: THE MONSTER OF THE OPERA (1964)

Conceived as a sequel to their landmark THE VAMPIRE AND THE BALLERINA, director Renato Polselli (THE REINCARNATION OF ISABEL, DELIRIUM) and screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi (ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, LIBIDO) resurrected their gothic-fiend-stalks-a-theatrical-troupe framework for an over-the-top aria of reincarnated lovers, sheer nightgowns, sapphic hunger, interdimensional damnation and frenzied ‘opera’ that “looks like the fever dream of an oversexed choreographer” (Fantastic Movie Musings). Marco Mariani (TOMB OF TORTURE), Giuseppe Addobbati (NIGHTMARE CASTLE) and Milena Vukotic (BLOOD FOR DRACULA) star in this surreal and still potently erotic shocker now scanned in 2K from the original negative, featuring an all-new interview with Gastaldi and more.

Special Features:

• Audio Commentary With Kat Ellinger, Author of Daughters Of Darkness
• Terror At The Opera – Interview With Screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi
• Capodimonte Gothic – Interview With Italian Film Devotee Mark Thompson-Ashworth
• Radio Polselli – Archival Audio Interview With Director Renato Polselli
• French Trailer

Disc Specs:

• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Audio: Italian Mono
• English Subtitles
• Region A
• Run time: 84 mins

DISC 2: THE SEVENTH GRAVE (1965)

For more than 50 years, it has existed only via rumor, reputation and barely watchable bootlegs. It remains perhaps the strangest Italian Gothic ever made: The sole feature by enigmatic director Garibaldi Serra Caracciolo – here using the anglicized pseudonym ‘Finney Cliff’ – combines familiar murder mystery elements of THE CAT AND THE CANARY with odd dollops of mad doctors, escaped lepers, giallo-style killings and one of the most strikingly original séance sequences in the entire genre. Antonio Casale (‘Bill Carson’ in THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY), Ferruccio Viotti (SEX OF THE WITCH) and Gianni Dei (PATRICK STILL LIVES) star in this fascinating rarity now scanned in 2K from the recently discovered negative, with all-new Special Features that explore the bizarre circumstances behind the film’s production, release and half-century disappearance.

Special Features:

• Audio Commentary With Rachael Nisbet, Film Critic And Co-Host Of Fragments Of Fear
• Seven Graves And A Mystery – Interview With Film Historian Fabio Melelli
• English Aesthetic With Giallo Blood – Video Essay By Gothic Scholar And Author Rachel Knightly

Disc Specs:

• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Audio: Italian Mono
• English Subtitles
• Region Free
• Run time: 77 mins

DISC 3: SCREAM OF THE DEMON LOVER (1970)

Though he made only two horror films, veteran writer/director José Luis Merino (THE HANGING WOMAN) here embraces the genre’s classic elements and ravishes them to vivid extremes: When a beautiful biochemist (Erna Schurer of STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER) arrives at a foreboding castle to work for a sinister baron, she’ll unlock a nightmare of dark romance, sexual violence, grisly family secrets and some of the most perverse moments in ‘70s Gothic. Carlos Quiney (ZORRO THE INVINCIBLE), Agostina Belli (BLUEBEARD) and Enzo Fisichella (MALABIMBA) co-star in this Italian/Spanish co-production – also known as KILLERS OF THE CASTLE OF BLOOD and released in the U.S. by New World Pictures cut by nearly 20 minutes – now scanned in 4K from the negative for the first time ever.

Special Features:

• Audio Commentary With Rod Barnett, Film Historian And Co-Host Of NaschyCast, And Robert Monell, Writer And Editor Of I'm In A Jess Franco State Of Mind
• Scream Erna Scream! – Interview With Actress Erna Schurer
• In The Castle Of Blood – Video Essay By Stephen Thrower, Author Of Books On Jess Franco And Lucio Fulci
• Trailer

Disc Specs:

• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Audio: English Mono / Italian Mono
• English Subtitles
• Region A
• Run time: 98 mins

DISC 4: LADY FRANKENSTEIN (1971)

Co-produced by Roger Corman, “one of the most underrated horror movies of all time” (Classic Horror) features ultra-lurid direction by American-International star Mel Welles (LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS) from a story by by Dick Randall (PIECES), distinctive cinematography by Riccardo Pallottini (CASTLE OF BLOOD) and score by Alessando Alessandroni (THE DEVIL’S NIGHTMARE), a cast that includes Hollywood legend Joseph Cotten (CITIZEN KANE) alongside EuroCult icons Paul Müller (NIGHTMARE CASTLE), Herbert Fux (MARK OF THE DEVIL), Marino Masé (TENEBRAE) and Mickey Hargitay (BLOODY PIT OF HORROR), and a titular performance by the remarkable Rosalba Neri (THE DEVIL’S LOVER) for whom “only the monster she made could satisfy her strange desires!” LADY FRANKENSTEIN is now scanned in 2K from the original negative, with alternate scenes, all-new Special Features and much more.

Special Features:

• Audio Commentary With Kat Ellinger, Author of Daughters Of Darkness, And Annie Rose Malamet, Film Scholar And Host Of Girls, Guts, Giallo
• Audio Commentary With Alan Jones, Author Of Dario Argento: The Man, The Myths & The Magic, And Kim Newman, Author Of Nightmare Movies
• Meet The Baroness – Featurette With Actress Rosalba Neri And Film Historian Fabio Melelli
• Piecing Together LADY FRANKENSTEIN
• The Lady And The Orgy – Documentary Short On Director Mel Welles
• The Truth About LADY FRANKENSTEIN (2007) – German TV Documentary
• Clothed Insert Shots
• Video Short Illustrating BBFC Censorship Cuts
• Italian Opening Credits
• Bigfilm Magazine (1971) – Italian LADY FRANKENSTEIN Photo Novel
• Extensive Image Gallery
• Home Video Gallery
• Radio Spots
• TV Spot
• Trailers

Disc Specs:

• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Audio: English Stereo / Italian Stereo
• Closed Captions / English Subtitles
• Region Free
• Run time: 98 mins

https://severinfilms.com/collections...za-macabra-box

Danza Macabra Vol. 1: The Italian Gothic Collection (Official Severin Trailer) - YouTube

[DukeTogo84]

Well, Severin sure knows how to get my money.

[snipemonkey]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

Well, Severin sure knows how to get my money.

Yep. I'm a sucker for Italian gothic melodramas. Never seen any of these before, so am definitely excited!

[sb5]

That is some sweet box art.

[dallywhitty]

That artwork is gorgeous.

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by snipemonkey

Yep. I'm a sucker for Italian gothic melodramas. Never seen any of these before, so am definitely excited!

Same. Haven't seen any of these, but look right up my alley. This is also Volume 1, so there will be more. Severin has been killing it recently.

[By_His_Strypes]

I'll need some convincing to order this set, aside from that gorgeous box art....

[Video Ghoul]

I seen and own the Nucleus release of Lady Frankenstein, but the other will be new to me. To be honest though, I'm not going to be heart broken about double dipping on a Rosalba Neri film.

[cakefactory]

Hmm. Lady Frankenstein is the only one of these I'm familiar with, but I already have the Nucleus version. If Severin manage to considerably improve on that maybe I'll think about it. But, I'm guessing it will be the exact same transfer and probably just with inferior encoding.

Here's specs on that. Seems like this is mostly just a port.

See LADY FRANKENSTEIN like never before, stunningly resurrected from the original negatives in a brand new 2K restoration. We are very proud to present the complete and restored director's cut, plus the American theatrical versions packed with bonus special features!

Complete and Restored 99 min Director's Cut
Complete and Restored 84 min New World Pictures American Theatrical Cut
Audio Commentary with Alan Jones and Kim Newman
Italian and English Audio LPCM 24 Bit
Optional English Subtitles
The Truth About Lady Frankenstein (2007) - German TV Special (42 mins)
New Featurette - Piecing Together Lady Frankenstein (35 mins)
Featurette - The Lady and The Orgy (8 mins)
Bigfilm Magazine (1971) - Italian Lady Frankenstein Photo Novel
BBFC's 1972 Theatrical Censor Notes
English, Italian, German and 3 x US Trailers
US TV spots
US Radio Spots
Home Video Releases Gallery
Extensive Image Gallery

New Severin stuff highlighted in bold, though I'm not sure the Italian opening credits and that particular magazine aren't already on the Nucleus disc in some form (it is possibly in the photo gallery on the Nucleus, but I don't know, I've never gone through it myself). The Kat Ellinger commentary is definitely new. I think the interview with Neri is, too.

Special Features:
Audio Commentary With Kat Ellinger, Author of Daughters Of Darkness, And Annie Rose Malamet, Film Scholar And Host Of Girls, Guts, Giallo
Audio Commentary With Alan Jones, Author Of Dario Argento: The Man, The Myths & The Magic, And Kim Newman, Author Of Nightmare Movies
Meet The Baroness – Featurette With Actress Rosalba Neri And Film Historian Fabio Melelli
Piecing Together LADY FRANKENSTEIN
The Lady And The Orgy – Documentary Short On Director Mel Welles
The Truth About LADY FRANKENSTEIN (2007) – German TV Documentary
Clothed Insert Shots (these are on the Nucleus disc, they just aren't listed in Nucleus's description on their website)
Video Short Illustrating BBFC Censorship Cuts
Italian Opening Credits
Bigfilm Magazine (1971) – Italian LADY FRANKENSTEIN Photo Novel
Extensive Image Gallery
Home Video Gallery
Radio Spots
TV Spot
Trailers
Disc Specs:
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audio: English Stereo / Italian Stereo
Closed Captions / English Subtitles
Region Free
Run time: 98 mins

Big thing missing from Severin's seems to be the 84 Minute American cut. Nucleus's specs say their version is 99 minutes but I would be surprised if the Severin one isn't actually the same exact version and the discrepancy isn't due to logos or something being rounded off differently in their product descriptions.

[russweiss1]

Originally Posted by sb5

That is some sweet box art.

Originally Posted by dallywhitty

That artwork is gorgeous.

They used the Italian release artwork. It's interesting. 3 of the titles are rather obscure but Lady Frankenstein has been available forever. Still glad it's included in the set although I own two blu-ray releases already.

Lady Frankenstein Italian 2-panel A photo only.jpg

[RiFiFi1955]

This set has caught my attention indeed. Much more so than Arrow's Italian Gothic set.

[Kakihara]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

Same. Haven't seen any of these, but look right up my alley. This is also Volume 1, so there will be more. Severin has been killing it recently.

Yeah, never seen any of these but I feel like I must get it.

[Kakihara]

Originally Posted by cakefactory

Hmm. Lady Frankenstein is the only one of these I'm familiar with, but I already have the Nucleus version. If Severin manage to considerably improve on that maybe I'll think about it. But, I'm guessing it will be the exact same transfer and probably just with inferior encoding.

Here's specs on that. Seems like this is mostly just a port.



New Severin stuff highlighted in bold, though I'm not sure the Italian opening credits and that particular magazine aren't already on the Nucleus disc in some form (it is possibly in the photo gallery on the Nucleus, but I don't know, I've never gone through it myself). The Kat Ellinger commentary is definitely new. I think the interview with Neri is, too.

Special Features:
Audio Commentary With Kat Ellinger, Author of Daughters Of Darkness, And Annie Rose Malamet, Film Scholar And Host Of Girls, Guts, Giallo
Audio Commentary With Alan Jones, Author Of Dario Argento: The Man, The Myths & The Magic, And Kim Newman, Author Of Nightmare Movies
Meet The Baroness – Featurette With Actress Rosalba Neri And Film Historian Fabio Melelli
Piecing Together LADY FRANKENSTEIN
The Lady And The Orgy – Documentary Short On Director Mel Welles
The Truth About LADY FRANKENSTEIN (2007) – German TV Documentary
Clothed Insert Shots (these are on the Nucleus disc, they just aren't listed in Nucleus's description on their website)
Video Short Illustrating BBFC Censorship Cuts
Italian Opening Credits
Bigfilm Magazine (1971) – Italian LADY FRANKENSTEIN Photo Novel
Extensive Image Gallery
Home Video Gallery
Radio Spots
TV Spot
Trailers
Disc Specs:
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audio: English Stereo / Italian Stereo
Closed Captions / English Subtitles
Region Free
Run time: 98 mins

Big thing missing from Severin's seems to be the 84 Minute American cut. Nucleus's specs say their version is 99 minutes but I would be surprised if the Severin one isn't actually the same exact version and the discrepancy isn't due to logos or something being rounded off differently in their product descriptions.

Is the American cut worth seeing assuming the uncut version is even worth a blind buy?

[cakefactory]

Originally Posted by Kakihara

Is the American cut worth seeing assuming the uncut version is even worth a blind buy?

I dunno. It's the version that's been most visible in this country for years so it's sort of a nice historical curio. I'd compare it to something like the short version of Deep Red - most of what's cut is for pacing and in some ways it plays better. Definitely not my preferred cut of the movie, though.

[CountYorgaRules]

This is a must-have set for any serious classic horror fan! Day 1 purchase. Keep this kind of stuff coming Severin!

[kinkyqueen]

I've seen them all and they vary between a 7/10 and an 8.5/10. This is a must own for me

[Keyser Soze.]

Looks interesting, great poster art. I already own Lady Frankenstein so this boxset is a solid maybe.

[Frightener22]

Easily one of my most anticipated sets of the next few months. Everything about it just looks great!

[Mr. Thomsen]

Severin does it again!
I am grateful that there is so much competition these days among labels releasing genre movies that some of them are starting to take chances with the obscure and lesser-popular stuff (poliziotesschi, gothic horror), which has been overlooked since the heyday of the DVD.

Of course, these titles are neither among the most attractive nor the most well-known, but I am happy to finally be able to see The Monster of the Opera and The Seventh Grave, the former never having been officially available on English-friendly disc, and the latter never been available at all.

The fact that it is Volume One is very promising! I wonder what they can get for Volume Two?

Personally, I would love a release of the complete Italian cut of The Horrible Dr. Hichcock. It was released in Germany some years back, but without the English soundtrack, which still exists (it was broadcast in Australia years back and I own a bootleg of the old restored Italian DVD with the English dub added). It may be tied up with the rights of the US cut, though, which was previously released by Olive. I fear we will end up seeing a re-release of just the US cut by Kino one day, but one can always hope for something better.

Also, a complete Danza Macabra/ Castle of Blood would be amazing! There was a Kickstarter project for the restoration, and AFAIK it is currently being restored. Given the name of the box set, I feel this may actually be a very real possibility for Volume Two.

Margheriti's The Virgin of Nuremberg/ Horror Castle is also much missed.

[bergman864]

Loving all these boxsets from Severin but the way they treat them in their sales is frustrating.