Black Sunday (1960 film)

Black Sunday Italian La maschera del demonio also known as The Mask of Satan and Revenge of the Vampire is a 1960 Italian gothic horror film directed by Mario Bava, from a screenplay by Ennio de Concini, Mario Serandrei and Marcello Coscia who was uncredited. The film stars Barbara Steele, John Richardson, Arturo Dominici and Ivo Garrani. It was Bavas directorial debut, although he had completed several previous feature films without credit. Based very loosely on Nikolai Gogols short story Viy, the narrative concerns a witch who is put to death by her own brother, only to return 200 years later to seek revenge on her descendants.

In Moldavia, in the year 1630, beautiful witch Asa Vajda Barbara Steele and her paramour Javuto Arturo Dominici are sentenced to death for sorcery by Asas brother. Before being burned at the stake, Asa vows revenge and puts a curse on her brothers descendants. A metal mask with sharp spikes on the inside is placed over the witchs face and hammered into her flesh.Two centuries later, Dr. Thomas Kruvajan Andrea Checchi and his assistant Dr. Andre Gorobec John Richardson, are traveling through Moldavia en route to a medical conference when one of the wheels of their carriage is broken, requiring immediate repair. While waiting for their coachman to fix it, the two wander into a nearby ancient crypt and discover Asas tomb. Observing her death mask through a glass panel, Kruvajan breaks the panel and the cross above it by accident while striking a bat. He then removes Asas death mask revealing a partially preserved corpse that is visible underneath, her face staring out malevolently. He cuts his hand on the broken glass. Some of his blood drips onto Asas dead face. ........

Source: Wikipedia