BARON BLOOD (1972)
Starring Elke Sommer and Joseph Cotten
Re-released by Anchor Bay, "Baron Blood" can now be seen in a clear, crisp print that the late director no doubt would have wanted. The question you need to ask yourself, gentle reader, is why you would want to see this, one of Bava's lesser efforts? Bava and sexy starlet Sommer would work again together on "Lisa and the Devil," one of the greatest horror films ever produced.By comparison, "Baron Blood" is a dull thud. It's rated PG, if that's any indication of how tame it is. When some young lovers goofing around in a castle read an incantation that brings back to life the building's former owner—a sadistic baron—they're quickly killed by the reanimated master of the house. His make-up is rather cool for an early 1970s pic.
The baron, who is a sadist, starts terrorizing other people, including the gorgeous Sommer who shows Sommer plays a lady in peril. She wears some tight sweaters, but keeps her clothes on. (We'd have to wait for "Lisa and the Devil" to see her nekkid at last). Despite some great cinematography (pic was filmed on-location at a castle in Austria), tame torture scenes (the baron has an Iron Maiden) and Sommer's sweater-clad body, there's not a whole lot to recommend here. But fans of Bava should see it. The director also made the kick-ass "Bay of Blood," which inspired the "Friday the 13th" series, along with innumerable other classics.