The Whip and the Body (1963)

Christopher Lee plays one of his most scary characters here as Kurt, the black sheep of a family living in one of those numerous scary castles you get in Italy. He's been banished for some time, but the family are still suffering from his antics.At the request of his father, Lee's brother has now married his old love Navenka, even though he's really in love with his cousin Ida Galli. Even the servants seem to have suffered, with the old maid cursing Lee's name as he seems to have caused her daughter's suicide. She even keeps the dagger her daughter used to kill herself in a jar.As you would expect, Lee returns from his exile to everyone's horror, and it looks as if he's out to get revenge on the family that hate him until someone sticks a knife through his throat. Death of course is a kind of mild hindrance in a Gothic horror, so shortly afterwards Lee's ghost starts appearing everywhere...so far so normal, right?It would be your standard Gothic horror if Lee didn't like whipping the crap out of his old girlfriend Daliah Lavi. When he returns he manages to get her down on the beach, and even though she protests, Lee states in his loud Shakespearean voice "Yeah, ya like that, dontcha bitch?" which gives this film a weird S&M flavour way ahead of the pervy excess of Jess Franco. This being a Mario Bava film the cinematography is probably better than any film of it's time, with every frame looking like some demented oil painting. This just adds to the atmosphere, however, as does Lee's huge, hunky, evil frame.Bava always found some angle to make his films stand out from others and although I wouldn't put this among my personal favourites of his films, it's another example of him being way ahead of his time, and a true master of Italian cinema. I would have gone mental at all those muddy footprints everywhere. There's only so much Shake N Vac can do.

This is a very good early film with Christopher Lee who portrays in this film a very evil man who loves to cause troubles an simply enjoys giving one particular young pretty woman a whipping on her back after tearing off her blouse. This whipping goes on and on and then they manage to make love right after she is almost beaten to death. This woman who is getting all the beatings is a newly wed to another man however, she did know Christopher Lee from her past and liked his rough and horrible way of making love. This is a very good Christopher Lee classic where he is not really the star of the film, but manages to take complete control of almost every situation right to the bitter ending. The beatings get boring after awhile and it is really too drawn out, but lets remember it was 1963 and there really was no sexy scenes at all, only BEATINGS!

As much as I love Italian horror, I have never been too keen on the films of Mario Bava, who is often considered the grandfather, guru, and all-superior being behind the genre/subculture. The specific Gothic stylings of "Black Sunday" (well-loved, but not by me) and the latter-day bloodletting of "Bay of Blood" (gory yet boring) were not my cup of tea; however, I have a lot of appreciation for "Kill Baby Kill" and "Shock," two wonderfully surreal rides into madness. "The Whip and the Body" is an excellent entry from Bava (I'd go so far as to say it's his best work, based on the few films I've seen by him), who merges his signature style (specific color schemes, spooky set decoration, a period setting) with a surprisingly rich story line. Anyone who thinks Euro-horror can't branch out from its primal urges (that being extreme bloodletting and excess talk), owe it to themselves to see this film. Never--not even in the early works of Argento--have I seen such a gripping story (a married woman murders her ex-lover only to be haunted by his ghost) told with such unflagging skill. The plot explores obsession, true love, S&M, and the supernatural with great passion; it is a bonus that "Whip" is also fittingly spooky and a treat for the eyes. A young, handsome Christopher Lee gives a wonderful performance as the deceased lover; ditto Daliah Lavi as the object of his obsession--when together, these two exhibit a chemistry that is absent from much of cinema (not just the Italian school).

Irresistible and genuine Gothic scares, combined with atmospheric camera-work and breath-taking scenery… Welcome to yet another visual masterpiece directed by the greatest horror genius of all time: Mario Bava! "The Whip and the Body" isn't the man's most mentioned achievement, it's not even in my personal Bava-top 3 and yet I still rated it a solid 9 out of 10. That should give you somewhat an idea of how excellent his total repertoire in fact is. "The Whip and the Body" is a unique film in many ways, but particularly because of the controversial substance it dared to bring forward. Don't forget that the year of release was 1963 and Mario Bava unscrupulously introduces characters with taboo-fetishes like S & M. The story is terrifically set in the 19th century, where Kurt Menliff returns to his eminent family after being banished for several years. The family's hate towards Kurt's vile behavior is only surpassed by their fear and only the gorgeous Nevenka has a secret desire towards his wicked sexual preferences. In a particularly astonishing sequence, he whips her repeatedly (and roughly...) before continuing with making love. Terror overcomes the Menliff family when Kurt is found murdered in his room and when the tormented Nevenka begins to see his appearance in nearly every chamber of the castle. As it usually is the case in Bava's films, the plot contains quite a few holes and illogical moments, but they're totally forgivable if you acknowledge the intensity and power of the wholesome. Especially praiseworthy is Mario Bava's unequaled talent to turn totally natural things into terrifying atmosphere-elements… Blowing wind, pouring rain, footprints covered in mud...all these ordinary things turn into suspicious omens in the hands of this masterful filmmaker. With his skilled cinematographic eye, Bava perfectly knows how to raise an unbearable tension that grabs you by the neck immediately and it doesn't let go until the very last scene fades away. All the other typical Bava-trademarks are clearly present as well, namely an authentically creepy score, a minimum of stylish gore (burning, rotting corpses!!) and – last but not least – a stunning use of color shades. Mario plays with colors like he invented them and this emphasizes the spook-effect even more. "The Whip and the Body" is a more than just a shocking horror film. It's an offbeat love-story, a Gothic poem AND an unsettling horror tale all in one! If you love beautiful cinema, don't miss "The Whip and the Body".