Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath

Year: 1964

Runtime: 92 min

Language: Italian

Director: Mario Bava

Horror

This eerie horror anthology presents three unsettling tales of terror, narrated by Boris Karloff. The first story explores the dark secrets of a haunted nurse, while the second follows a vulnerable call girl pursued by an unseen presence. Finally, a timeless curse is unleashed as a vampire relentlessly hunts his prey, creating a chilling and unforgettable experience.

Black Sabbath (1964) – Spoiler-Free Movie Summary & Plot Overview

Get a spoiler-free look at Black Sabbath (1964) with a clear plot overview that covers the setting, main characters, and story premise—without revealing key twists or the ending. Perfect for deciding if this film is your next watch.

In the dimly lit corridors of classic horror, Boris Karloff serves as the solemn raconteur, guiding the audience through three self‑contained nightmares that pulse with an unmistakable 1960s gothic chill. The anthology’s structure lets each story breathe on its own, while a single, echoing voice ties the unsettling moods together, suggesting that terror is as much a matter of atmosphere as of the unseen forces that linger just beyond perception.

The first segment transports us to a fog‑shrouded Victorian city, where a diligent nurse named Helen grapples with the oppressive weight of duty and the whisper of something far more unsettling than ordinary infirmary woes. As she moves through creaking hallways and candle‑lit chambers, the line between compassionate care and uncanny dread begins to blur, hinting at secrets that refuse to stay buried beneath the soot‑blackened streets.

In a starkly different setting, the second tale follows a Parisian call girl called Rosy, whose glamorous façade masks a fragile vulnerability. The glittering lights of the city contrast sharply with an invisible pressure that seems to track her every step, creating a palpable sense of paranoia. Her world is one of fleeting connections and hidden anxieties, where the ordinary becomes a stage for the extraordinary as unknown forces linger just out of sight.

The anthology concludes with a timeless curse that awakens in the cold expanses of 19th‑century Russia. Here, the enigmatic vampire Gorcha embodies an ancient, relentless hunger that casts a long shadow over a remote household. The narrative drifts between the stark beauty of a snow‑covered landscape and an ever‑present sense of impending doom, suggesting that some predatory instincts are destined to outlast the ages. Each story, bound by Karloff’s unmistakable presence, invites viewers to linger in the uneasy spaces where the ordinary meets the eerily unknown.

Last Updated: August 10, 2025 at 14:19

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Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Dark horror anthologies like Black Sabbath

Collections of short, unnerving tales that build towards bleak conclusions.If the chilling, multi-story format of Black Sabbath appealed to you, this collection features similar movies. These films present a series of unsettling tales, often narrated or framed together, that deliver a cumulative sense of supernatural terror and psychological doom, perfect for fans of classic and modern horror anthologies.

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Narrative Summary

Movies in this thread typically feature a framing device that introduces several distinct narratives. Each story operates with its own set of characters and conflicts but shares a common tone of darkness and inevitability. The narrative structure allows for efficient tension-building within each segment, leading to tragic or horrifying payoffs that contribute to the film's overall bleakness.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped by their foundational anthology structure and their commitment to a uniformly dark, unsettling vibe. They share a pacing that is steady due to the segmented nature, a high intensity of fear, and a thematic focus on the macabre, making the viewing experience feel like a curated tour through various chambers of horror.

Gothic psychological horror movies like Black Sabbath

Stories where supernatural evil preys upon human guilt and frailty.For viewers who loved the gothic terror and psychological depth of Black Sabbath, this list curates similar stories. These movies explore themes of guilt, consequence, and the uncanny, often set against a backdrop of classic horror elements where supernatural forces expose the darkest corners of the human psyche.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves vulnerable characters confronting a malevolent force—be it a ghost, a vampire, or a curse—that is intimately tied to their psychological state or personal history. The conflict is not just about survival but also about grappling with shame, betrayal, or a monstrous legacy, often leading to a fate that feels both horrifying and inevitable.

Why These Movies?

They are united by a fusion of gothic horror aesthetics and deep psychological themes. The tone is consistently dark and eerie, the emotional weight is heavy, and the intensity is high, driven by a focus on the internal torment of the characters as much as the external threat they face.

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Black Sabbath Summary

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Black Sabbath Summary

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Black Sabbath

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Black Sabbath

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