Greetings, Boils & Ghouls...
...welcome to 'Day Twenty-Eight' of "Awesome Horror Streams for Hallowe'en Screams on Roku" in which I will suggest my top picks of the fright flicks from the carefully curated catalogue of macabre movies available via the 'Shudder UK' streaming service - any of which can then be streamed to your television using the magic of Roku player - so, let's dim the lights... and prepare for some frights! :-O
If you read my Hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - published on 30th September, then you will know that I plan to post one Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, each featuring one horror movie from the current 'Shudder UK' content library. With recommendations for thirty-one of the best fright flicks I can find, by the end of the month, this means you should have plenty of great choices for your macabre movie viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring some top-notch cinematic scares come October 31st! ;-)
If you read my Hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - published on 30th September, then you will know that I plan to post one Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, each featuring one horror movie from the current 'Shudder UK' content library. With recommendations for thirty-one of the best fright flicks I can find, by the end of the month, this means you should have plenty of great choices for your macabre movie viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring some top-notch cinematic scares come October 31st! ;-)
A fashion house of glamorous models becomes a terror house of blood!
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [Movie Still] - PHOTO CREDIT: Gruesome
For my twenty-eighth instalment in this series of posts I'm going to suggest another feature-length movie from Italy, once more directed by Mario Bava, except this one was first released in 1964 under the title of "Sei donne per l'assassino"... although, British and American audiences will (perhaps) be more familiar with it under the alternative title of "Blood and Black Lace" which was the English title reserved for this movie, also used in Ireland and the United States. Based on a story & screenplay that was written by Marcello Fondato in collaboration with the director and Giuseppe Barilla, it revolves around a masked killer dressed in black, with a metal-claw glove, who stalks and brutally murders the models working at a fashion house in Rome, managed by Contessa Cristina Como (Eva Bartok) and her lover Max Marian (Cameron Mitchell). Inspector Silvester (Thomas Reiner) is assigned the task of investigating these violent murders and, as he does so, all of the various sins of the fashion house, including: corruption, abortions, blackmail and drug addiction, begin to come to light. It turns out that Isabella, the young model who who was first to become a victim of the mysterious masked murderer, had been keeping a diary which detailed all of these vices and, once it became common knowledge, many of the employees get nervous about their own secrets getting out. Consequently, the diary is highly sought after by almost everyone involved... not least of which is the murderer, who fears it may contain incriminating evidence and must continue to kill in an attempt to locate the diary! :-O
If you haven't seen the film before, here is a brief taster in the shape of a video trailer for this classic horror mystery thriller, courtesy of an upload by 'Arrow Video' to their official 'YouTube' channel:-
If you'd like to know more... there's a full list of the cast & credits on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) listing for "Blood and Black Lace" (1964), FOUND HERE, which also includes a full storyline / plot summary as well as box office stats, technical specs & much more. For die-hard fans, there's even more info to be had from the Wikipedia Page for Mario Bava's "Blood and Black Lace" (1964) which is available VIA THIS LINK, and may help to fuel your appetite for (yet) another screening. Although, if you're as much a fan of this film as I am, or enjoy watching Gialli films in general, it probably won't take too much persuading to watch this horror mystery thriller again! ;-)
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [British Quad Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Lost Boy
If you haven't seen the film before, here is a brief taster in the shape of a video trailer for this classic horror mystery thriller, courtesy of an upload by 'Arrow Video' to their official 'YouTube' channel:-
If you'd like to know more... there's a full list of the cast & credits on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) listing for "Blood and Black Lace" (1964), FOUND HERE, which also includes a full storyline / plot summary as well as box office stats, technical specs & much more. For die-hard fans, there's even more info to be had from the Wikipedia Page for Mario Bava's "Blood and Black Lace" (1964) which is available VIA THIS LINK, and may help to fuel your appetite for (yet) another screening. Although, if you're as much a fan of this film as I am, or enjoy watching Gialli films in general, it probably won't take too much persuading to watch this horror mystery thriller again! ;-)
Ariana Gorini and Mary Arden in "Blood and Black Lace" (1964)
PHOTO CREDIT: IMDb.com
Anyway... you probably guessed already but, if not, this film (like the others from this series of posts) is also available via the 'Shudder' streaming service and can be easily viewed on any Roku device via their dedicated channel (app) for these streaming media players. There are other opportunities for UK Roku users to view "Blood and Black Lace" (1964), including multiple options from 'Amazon Video' so feel free to simply "Rent" for £0.99 in either 'SD' or 'HD' quality (the cost is the same, either way) or else "Buy & Keep" it for £4.99 (SD) / £5.99 (HD) - the choice is entirely yours. Having said that, I'd suggest taking a look at the possible alternatives before parting with any money... because there might be some free sources available online that offer file formats compatible with Roku. However, as my idea for this month-long blogathon was to suggest thirty-one great Hallowe'en / Horror movies from the fang-tastic 'Shudder UK', I recommend you stream it via their channel - if possible! ;-) :-)
If you haven't already added it to your channel selection, you will find "Shudder" listed among the "Film & TV" channels in the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store. You can easily install it on your Roku by navigating to the built-in 'Channel Store' (accessed via "Streaming Channels" from the home screen on your Roku device) and scrolling through the options until you see the channel icon (pictured above). It's completely FREE-TO-ADD so, once you've located it in the list of channels, just click the "OK" button on your Roku remote to select it and then click "OK" again where it says 'Add channel' to install it on your Roku player(s). Having done that, it's simply a case of launching the channel via the 'Go to channel' option and navigating the on-screen menu to log-in (if you already have an account, but haven't yet done so) or start your free trial (if you are new to the service) and, once you see 'Shudder TV' playing on the screen, just push the "DOWN" arrow on your Roku remote to get to the main menu... from where you can 'Search' for "Blood and Black Lace", then press 'OK' on your remote to select and 'Play' this superb Italian Giallo which, for the record, runs to 1h 24mins.
LINK TO WATCH 'Blood and Black Lace' (1964) VIA THE 'SHUDDER UK' WEBSITE
Unfortunately for Roku users in the United States and/or Canada, "Blood and Black Lace" (1964) is unavailable to stream via the 'Shudder' service in either country. However, at the time of writing, this horror mystery thriller does appear to be available via the 'Fandor' subscription platform in both the United States and Canada. So, if you're either an American or Canadian subscriber to the 'Fandor' film streaming service, then you at least have an alternative means of enjoying this movie. If you're new to the service, you can even take advantage of their FREE TRIAL to watch this without incurring any fees! That said, there are numerous other Roku streaming sources at your disposal so, as suggested in previous posts from this month-long blogathon series, it might be worth checking for any additional free options that could be available before you pay to watch this film. If you get stuck, message me via Twitter: @ukrokuchannels and I'll see if I can sort you out with a link if need be! ;-)
Meanwhile, for that full cinema experience, here's a few film posters and other images movie-goers in 1964 (and more recently) would have encountered depending on their location around the world:
Finally, to round-off the twenty-eighth instalment in my blogathon on 'Day Twenty-Eight' for this edition of 'Countdown To Halloween', here's more FRIGHTENINGLY FUN FILM FACTS... for example: did you know that "Blood and Black Lace" (1964), or "Sei donne per l'assassino" as it was originally known, was the film that started the whole 'Giallo' genre? Or that, to this day, the genre of 'Gialli' films remains Italy's longest running cinematic movement? That's not a bad run, considering the movie, "Sei donne per l'assassino", which started the movement was filmed in only six weeks! :-O
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [Italian Poster #1]
PHOTO CREDIT: Subscene
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [Italian Poster #2]
PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [German Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Kino Images
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [Spanish Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Sensacine
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [Mexican Lobby Card]
PHOTO CREDIT: From Zombo's Closet
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [Danish Poster)
PHOTO CREDIT: Filmplakater
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [French Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [Desktop Wallpaper]
PHOTO CREDIT: Beyond Horror Design
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [Pulp Fiction Cover - Based on DVD Jacket]
PHOTO CREDIT: Beyond Horror Design
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [Arrow Video - Special Edition Box Set Cover]
PHOTO CREDIT: Amazon
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [Dutch Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Deep Fried Movies
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [Special Screening - Norrköping, Sweden]
PHOTO CREDIT: Art of the Beautiful Grotesque
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [USA Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [USA Poster #2]
PHOTO CREDIT: Wrong Side of the Art
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [USA Half Sheet Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: 3B Theater Poster Archive
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [USA Lobby Card]
PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [USA Lobby Card #2]
PHOTO CREDIT: Kult Guy's Keep
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [USA Lobby Card #3]
PHOTO CREDIT: 3B Theater Poster Archive
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [USA Lobby Card #4]
PHOTO CREDIT: Kult Guy's Keep
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [USA Lobby Card #5]
PHOTO CREDIT: Kult Guy's Keep
"Blood and Black Lace" (1964) [USA Insert Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: 3B Theater Poster Archive
Finally, to round-off the twenty-eighth instalment in my blogathon on 'Day Twenty-Eight' for this edition of 'Countdown To Halloween', here's more FRIGHTENINGLY FUN FILM FACTS... for example: did you know that "Blood and Black Lace" (1964), or "Sei donne per l'assassino" as it was originally known, was the film that started the whole 'Giallo' genre? Or that, to this day, the genre of 'Gialli' films remains Italy's longest running cinematic movement? That's not a bad run, considering the movie, "Sei donne per l'assassino", which started the movement was filmed in only six weeks! :-O
Other interesting tidbits of trivia include the fact that the burn makeup for Mary Arden's face would take four hours to apply. One evening, after shooting, Arden was too tired to have it removed from her face and instead went home still wearing the grisly makeup. You can get some idea of how it looked from the monochrome movie still shared in this post. Anyway, unsurprisingly, Arden's mother (who was living with her at the time) was very alarmed when she saw her daughter come in! :-O ;-)
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Still, that's all I've got time for today... but do remember to come back again tomorrow, for my next macabre movie recommendation from the 'Shudder UK' streaming library, when I will suggest a film for 'Day Twenty-Nine' of "Awesome Horror Streams for Hallowe'en Screams on Roku" right here on this blog. Meanwhile... please be sure to visit the Countdown To Hallowe'en website & show your support for this annual online Hallowe'en extravaganza PLUS don't forget to use the links you find there and check out all the other 'Cryptkeepers' taking part this year. I know they'll appreciate it, if you visit their blogs and share your thoughts on the contribution(s) they've made.
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ONE LAST THING, BEFORE I GO: Don't forget that, aside from the Hallowe'en / Horror-themed ghastliness going on around these parts for the next month, you can also keep up with the UK Roku action (as it happens) by following the companion Twitter Feed: @ukrokuchannels where you will find that up-to-the-minute info on all things Roku-related is posted on a daily basis (well, almost).
Until the next time, then...
That's all folks !!
