I VAMPIRI (1956) RICCARDO FREDA, MARIO BAVA

 Italian horror godfather Mario Bava almost single-handedly ushered in a whole new genre with this moody mix of murder mystery and kinky horror. The prolific cinematographer made his directorial debut when Riccardo Freda stormed off the set with the picture only half finished, leaving Bava to rewrite the script and complete the picture in two days. It became the first Italian horror film since the silent era and a classic of the genre. The vampire of the title is not a literal bloodsucker of Dracula's lineage but a mad-scientist twist on the legend of Countess Bathory. In this modern take, the bodies of beautiful young women drained of blood leave the police baffled, while an ambitious journalist traces a chain of clues back to the familial castle of the aging Duchess Du Grand and her beautiful niece (the elegant and sultry Gianna Maria Canale). Set in Paris but shot in Rome, it's a handsome little black-and-white picture that belies its 12-day schedule with gorgeous locations, shadowy lighting, a stylish elegance, and a couple of startlingly effective transformations executed with brilliant simplicity. In later films, such as Blood and Black Lace and Lisa and the Devil, Bava's style would develop into an elaborately choreographed dance of death in black shadows and glowing color, but here he's smooth and suggestive, a model of restraint that looks to his "official" debut, the striking Black Sunday.

BARBARA STEELE: THE SHE-BEAST (1966) PLUS MONSTER MANIA-CHERRY HILL, NJ

A blood-thirsty Transylvanian witch returns from her grave to destroy the descendants of the townsfolk who executed her. For two hundred years her corpse lies in wait at the bottom of a river. A honeymooning English couple crashes their car into the water triggering the resurrection of the witch who launches into a murderous rampage, viciously attacking her prey with whatever implements are close at hand. As the grief-stricken husband searches for his missing bride, a resident of the town informs him that the witch has used his wife's soul to come back to life and that they must perform an exorcism on the monster if they ever hope to see the young woman again. Armed only with this arcane knowledge, the two follow a trail of bloodshed and carnage to the witch's lair to banish the demonic presence and reunite the couple.

I recently had the honor of meeting Barbara Steele at Monster-Mania in New Jersey. She was very kind and fun to talk to. When I told her we came all the way from Chicago just to see her, she was flattered and gave us cool Black Sunday shirts. I had her sign my Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark book too. The 13 hour drive was worth it thanks to my friend Ken Gage and his fuel efficient Toyota Prius.

A cool Jersey cemetery.