CollectingDanza Macabra Collectionsreleased on 4K and Blu-ray by Severin Films
Severin Films’ Danza Macabra Blu-ray collections span five volumes celebrating European gothic horror, with a focus on rare Italian and Spanish films. Each set features high-quality restorations, bringing new visual life to obscure genre classics. Bonus content includes expert commentaries, interviews, video essays, trailers, and soundtrack CDs. Highlights include Castle of Blood in 4K UHD and several overlooked Spanish chillers. Though priced for collectors, the sets are widely praised for their curation, presentation, and deep genre value.
Volume One: The Italian Gothic Collection
Murder and mystery stalk the halls of an opera house in The Monster of the Opera (Il mostro dell’opera, 1964), where a touring troupe finds itself threatened by a monstrous presence lurking behind the scenes. A writer investigating a series of strange events is drawn into a web of murder, deception, and the supernatural in The Seventh Grave (La settima tomba, 1965), where the past refuses to remain buried. Gothic romance and supernatural terror intertwine in Scream of the Demon Lover (Il castello dalle porte di fuoco, 1970), following a young woman who arrives at a remote castle and becomes entangled in a legacy of violence, forbidden desire, and dark family secrets. Scientific obsession and moral corruption drive Lady Frankenstein (1971), a provocative reimagining of the Frankenstein myth in which a determined young scientist pursues her father’s experiments with increasingly ruthless ambition.
Volume Two: The Italian Gothic Collection
A skeptical journalist accepts a deadly wager in Castle of Blood (Danza macabra, 1964), spending a night within a haunted castle where the restless dead reenact the passions and tragedies that bind them to the past. Scientific ambition and divided identity lie at the heart of Jekyll (1969), Giorgio Albertazzi’s four-part Italian television adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale, following an investigation into the disturbing relationship between a respected physician and his increasingly dangerous alter ego. The horrors of modern society take on a vampiric form in They Have Changed Their Face (Hanno cambiato faccia, 1971), where a businessman uncovers the sinister forces behind a powerful industrial empire. Occult rituals and forbidden passions drive The Devil’s Lover (L’amante del demonio, 1972), following a traveler drawn into a web of witchcraft, seduction, and supernatural vengeance within a remote countryside estate.
Volume Three: The Spanish Gothic Collection
A grieving nobleman returns to his ancestral home in Necrophagous (Necrophagus, 1971), only to uncover empty graves, missing bodies, and a labyrinth of dark secrets surrounding the death of his wife. Cake of Blood (Pastel de sangre, 1971) presents four eerie tales spanning different eras and settings, using witchcraft, ghosts, monsters, and ancient legends to explore fear, fanaticism, and the supernatural. Folklore and violence collide in Cross of the Devil (La cruz del diablo, 1975), where a centuries-old curse tied to a notorious noble family unleashes terror upon those drawn into its bloody legacy. Rural superstition and living nightmares haunt The Night of the Walking Dead (El extraño amor de los vampiros, 1975), following a scientific expedition that stumbles upon an isolated community whose ancient rituals conceal a terrifying threat.
Volume Four: The Italian Gothic Collection
A former convict returns to a remote estate in Terror-Creatures from the Grave (5 tombe per un medium, 1965), where accusations of fraud, lingering resentments, and reports of supernatural activity draw him into a web of revenge and occult terror. Desire, isolation, and vampiric corruption shape Night of the Damned (La notte dei dannati, 1971), an atmospheric gothic horror tale set within a secluded coastal community haunted by secrets and bloodshed. Erotic obsession and the supernatural collide in Baba Yaga (1973), where a young photographer becomes entangled with a mysterious woman whose influence blurs the boundaries between reality, fantasy, and nightmare. Ancient curses and aristocratic decadence drive The Devil’s Wedding Night (Il plenilunio delle vergini, 1973), following twin brothers whose search for a legendary relic leads them into a secluded castle ruled by dark rituals and vampiric desire.
Volume Five: The Spanish Gothic Collection
A chance encounter and an impulsive act set the stage for Strange Voyage (El extraño viaje, 1964), an offbeat blend of black comedy, mystery, and small-town intrigue in which buried secrets gradually emerge beneath the surface of an isolated community. Possession, guilt, and family tragedy haunt Exorcism’s Daughter (Las melancólicas, 1971), where two sisters become entangled in a disturbing series of events linked to death, obsession, and the supernatural. Gothic horror and vampiric desire intertwine throughout The Dracula Saga (La saga de los Drácula, 1973), a dark reimagining of the Dracula legend that unfolds within an aristocratic family burdened by a sinister inheritance. Psychological uncertainty and spectral dread define The Turn of the Screw (Otra vuelta de tuerca, 1985), following a governess who begins to suspect that the children in her care may be under the influence of malevolent forces tied to a troubled past.
