The Horror genre is perhaps one of the most dynamic forms of film ever produced. While some think of it as jump scares or blood and gore, the truth is that there are so many different sub-genres within Horror, you probably could not even name all of them. Of course, you have your classic monster films like 1931’s Dracula and Frankenstein, must-see ghost pictures like 1959’s House on Haunted Hill, and revolutionary later entries like 1968’s essential zombie film, Night of the Living Dead. With so many more dark corners left to uncover, there is also the Gothic style of Horror, which takes you into stories of classic Folklore, often set in castles and dressed in tales of romance, the supernatural, and more.
Perhaps one of the more overlooked forms of Horror in present-day cinema, while England excelled in the Gothic Horror world with a heavy hand of Hammer Horror films in the 1950s into the 1970s, you also had Italy doing a fine job in their own right, nestled along the Mediterranean Sea. Often recognized for their Giallo-themed Horror films or Zombie films during the 1970s and 1980s, there was also a period between the late 1960s and the 1970s where they crafted some delightful films often referenced as Gothic Fantastico or Cinema di paura (translates to fear cinema).
An Italian movement often associated with the great Mario Bava, who created such iconic Gothic Horror films as 1960s Black Sunday and 1963’s Black Sabbath, among others, there were also many other talented filmmakers during this period who deserve attention. Some with more prolific filmographies than others, a few names worth looking into would include Domenico Massimo Pupillo, Filippo Ratti, Luigi Batzella, and Corrado Farina.
Each unique to the other, there is Pupillo, who had a brief but impactful career as a Horror director in the mid-60s before turning his attention to documentary filmmaking. There was also Ratti, who did some directing but primarily worked heavily as a screenwriter. Then you had Batzella, who transitioned from an actor in the 1960s to a steady filmmaker in the 1970s, with a list of erotic-themed horror films. Finally, there was Farina, who made only two feature films but was active in commercials and authored nine novels.
Each carving their own path in artistic creation, the one thing they do have in common is that they each created a classic Gothic Horror film in their time, well worth seeing. That is why it is exciting to learn that Severin Films has honored these unsung directors with the new Danza Macabra Volume Four: The Italian Gothic Collection. Available either as a Blu-ray or 4K set, the latest release arrived on September 30, 2025, just in time for spooking season.
The fourth edition in a series Severin Films began back in May 2023 with Danza Macabra Volume One, this new set offers 1965’s Terror-Creatures from the Grave (directed by Pupillo and starring Barbara Steele), 1971’s The Night of the Damned (directed by Ratti and starring France’s Pierre Brice and the lovely Patrizia Viotti), 1973’s The Devil’s Wedding Night (directed by Batzella, with co-direction from Joe D’Amato, starring Mark Damon in double roles as well as Rosalba Neri), and 1973’s Baba Yaga (directed by Farina and starring Isabelle de Funès and American Actress Carroll Baker).
Together, the four films make a lovely box set with each scanned in 4K from the original camera negatives, offering you the most superb imagery and sound. Furthermore, you get more than twelve hours of new and archival special features for each film, including interviews, alternative versions, short films, and a CD featuring the Baba Yaga soundtrack. Housed in a solidly built box with original artwork, each film also comes with its own case and artwork within the set.
A great way to showcase each film’s artistry, this approach, rather than a universal box set, offers a fantastic overall representation. With that in mind, each film is different than the others, featuring unforgettable imagery, moods, and mesmerizing film sequences. Each having a touch of eroticism mixed into the Horror, you get vampires, witches, and ghosts sprinkled into stories that engage the senses. That is why Cryptic Rock highly recommends Severin Films’ Danza Macabra Volume Four: The Italian Gothic Collection, giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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