Severin Films conjures candelabras, crypts and cobwebs – and again summons definitive presentations of four Italian Gothic Horror classics in either an 11-disc UHD or 7-disc Blu-ray collection.

Terror-Creatures from the Grave (1965): Massimo Pupillo is mainly known for three horror films: Terror-Creatures from the Grave, Bloody Pit of Horror and La vendetta di Lady Morgan. Afterward, he claimed to be done with horror forever before making Django Kills Softly and the mondo Love: The Great Unknown. He claimed to be disgusted by his films and went into television. He may or may not be dead, as some claim that he died in 1999. There’s no evidence, though. There was some confusion when the producer of this movie, Ralph Zucker, died. Pupillo had given up the directing credit for this film and let Zucker take credit. His Americanized credits list him as Max Hunter in other movies.

Luciano Pigozzi plays one of the servants. I am duty-bound to report that he would go on to play Pag in Yor Hunter from the Future.

The main reason to watch this is Barbara Steele. The producers were aware of this, as she’s on every poster. This is yet another role where she’s an unfaithful wife, but I think if you were married to her, you’d probably let her do anything she wished.

In this one, an attorney arrives at a castle to settle the estate of its recently deceased owner, whose spirit is still roaming the cobwebbed halls of the castle and summoning the spirits of plague sufferers. And then, as usually happens, people start to die.

Extras include audio commentary from Rod Barnett of NaschyCast and The Bloody Pit, as well as Dr. Adrian Smith, co-author of Norman J. Warren: Gentleman of Terror. There’s also a featurette With director Massimo Pupillo, actor Riccardo Garrone a film historian Fabio Melelli; selected scene commentary with Barbara Steele and Barbara Steele archivist Russ Lanier; a video essay by Matt Rogerson, author of The Vatican Versus Horror Movies; The Original Boutique Video Label, which has critic Alan Jones talk about Vampix and Italian and U.S. trailers.

Night of the Damned (1971):  This is Filippo Walter Ratti’s last movie, but man, just from the opening, where a couple hides and strange faces show up amongst flames while a woman screams a James Bond-like song? This makes me want to stay up even later than 3:14 AM, which I figure is probably the best time to watch Satan-themed Italian horror movies.

When this was released in France as Les Nuits Sexuelles, it had plenty more sex and skin. Just a warning, if you find that version.

Jean (Pierre Brice, who played Winnetou in a series of spaghetti westerns) and Danielle Duprey (Patrizia Viotti, Amuck!) love solving mysteries. Well, they get one right away, as Jean receives a letter from Guillaume de Saint Lambert that arrives in the form of a riddle that references the book Les Fleurs du mal by Charles Baudelaire. This leads them to the prince’s castle, where Jean’s old friend is dying from a disease that impacts everyone in his family over the age of thirty-five. It has lasted for three generations, and the doctors can’t help him.

Then there’s a painting of a man being burned at the stake, and Danielle starts dreaming about it. And oh yeah — it turns out that the prince’s wife is a witch that his family had burned at the stake. It’s not worth falling in love in an Italian gothic horror romance.

I was wondering — how can a movie called Night Of The Sexual Demons be this slow? Then I saw a review that suggested trying to hang on past the first thirty minutes. And then I thought, well, this does have a pretty great poster, so I held on for a little more. Luckily, I was rewarded with exactly the kind of movie I was hoping for, complete with a killer that has razor-sharp claws that he or she uses to eviscerate nude victims, as well as an attempted sacrifice. Thank you to whoever in the nine circles made that finally happen.

Extras include an audio commentary with Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn of The Naschycast, an interview with Fabio Melelli, a video essay by Matt Rogerson, author of The Vatican Versus Horror Movies, satanic orgy outtakes, and a trailer. In case you are wondering, will Sam order this? Yes. Satanic orgy outtakes is what does it.

The Devil’s Wedding Night (1973): Supposedly, The Devil’s Wedding Night (AKA Full Moon of the Virgins) was all Mark Damon’s idea. After starring in House of Usher, Damon moved to Italy and appeared in movies such as Black Sabbath and Johnny Yuma.

Perhaps this idea marked the beginning of his producing career, which was more successful than his acting career. Damon was planning on selling the movie to an American production company. Luigi Batzella (Nude for Satan, The Beast in Heat) was initially picked to direct, but most people believe that Joe D’Amato stepped in and completed the film.

I’m a firm believer in this theory because there’s a moment near the end of the movie where an otherworldly Countess Dolingen De Vries rises from a bathtub of blood and fog, writhes near-nude on the screen, and somehow transcends the confines of the screen to destroy my mind. I generally try my best not to turn reviews of movies with attractive women into male gaze spectacles, but Rosalba Neri is absolutely iconic in this moment, a perfect scene that is never discussed nearly enough.

There’s also a magic vampire ring of the Nibelungen, which is gigantic costume jewelery and therefore better than any Hollywood baubles, village girls with sacred amulets of Pazuzu (yes, really), five virgins getting sacrificed all at once in an express line of bloodletting magic, three different twist endings in a row, tripped out Dr. Who looking tunnel moments, D’Amato billing himself as Michael Holloway and going absolutely wlld capturing every inch of womanly curves and an incredible setting, the Castello Piccolomini Balsorano, the same place Lady Frankenstein, Bloody Pit of Horror, Crypt of the Vampire, The Lickerish Quartet, The Blade Master, Sister Emanuelle, The Bloodsucker Leads the Dance, The Reincarnation of Isabel, Farfallon, Pensiero d’amore, Lady Barbara, 7 Golden Women Against Two 07: Treasure Hunt, C’è un fantasma nel mio letto, Baby Love and Put Your Devil Into My Hell were all shot at.

Plus, Xiro Papas, the monster of Frankenstein 80, plays a vampiric giant.

If you’re a fan of films like the harder side of Hammer, then allow this female vampire to obsess you as well.

Extras include audio commentary by Martyn Conterio, author of Black Sunday and Kat Ellinger, author of Daughters Of Darkness; interviews with Rosalba Neri, Aristide Massaccesi (AKA Joe D’Amato) and producer Franco Gaudenzi; An Open Letter To Rosalba Neri’s T*ts, a video essay by Dr. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, author of 1000 Women In Horror, 1895-2018 and Italian and U.S. trailers.

Baba Yaga (1973): Originally simply the girlfriend for the superhero Neutron, Italian comic book character Valentina took over her series in 1967 and never looked back. Creator Guido Crepax moved her stories away from science fiction and into a world of the erotic tinged with hallucinations, dreams and BDSM.

Director Corrado Farina had previously made a documentary on Crepax, titled Freud a Fumetti, before this movie. That artist had drawn the storyboards for Tinto Brass’ Deadly Sweet, a filmmaker who felt that Crepax’s visual style was nearly impossible to put on the screen.

Of recent comic adaptations — one would assume Barbarella and Danger: Diabolik amongst them — Farina would disparagingly say, “None of the filmmakers who embarked on that task had been able to deepen the relationship between the language of comics and that of film.”

In this film, Farina was committed to showcasing the fantastic side of Crepax, not just its erotic aspects.

Valentina Rosselli (Isabelle De Funes) is no stranger to controversy. Her photos are guaranteed to shock and she’s unafraid to get into trouble. One night, her car gets into an accident with a mysterious blonde (Carroll Baker), who announces herself as Baba Yaga and claims that their meeting was destiny.

After taking a garter belt from Valentina’s home, Baba Yaga worms her way inside our protagonist’s head, controlling her via a teddy bear in bondage gear. Yes, you read that correctly. Baba Yaga also has a bottomless pit in her home, which is a common feature among Italian witches.

Valentina’s lover — the director Arno — is played by George Eastman. That was enough to get me to watch the movie.

Sadly, we may never see the complete vision that Farina had for this movie. After completing shooting and post-production, he left for a vacation. When he came back, the producers had hacked away half an hour directly on the negative of the film. Although he and assistant director Giulio Berruti tried to save the movie, Farina felt that he could never recapture what was lost.

Extras include commentary by Emma Westwood, editor Of Bride Of Frankenstein and film scholar Sally Christie Farina; interviews with director Corrado Farina Valentina; film critic; Luigi Montefiori; editor/co-writer Giulio Berruti; a trailer; alternate and extrended scenes; a photo gallery; comic book comparisons; a video essay by Dr. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and three short films by Corrado Farina: Freud In Color, Science Fiction Is Us and It Was Called Earth.

There’s also a Quattro Di Umiliani soundtrack compilation CD in this!

You can preorder the UHD and Blu-ray box sets of DANZA MACABRA VOLUME FOUR  at Severin.