The Whip and The Body
Directed by Mario Bava
A sadistic count (LORD OF THE RINGS' Christopher Lee) becomes a vengeful ghost who torments the living in Italian horror godfather Mario Bava's gothic nightmare. Famous for playing Dracula for Hammer Studios, Lee was the perfect choice to play Kurt Menliff, the sadistic son of a wealthy Count, who returns to the family castle, much to the dismay of his family and the beautiful woman with whom he shares a fondness for the lash. When Kurt is found murdered, his vengeful spirit cannot be contained by the grave, and he returns to Menliff Manor for revenge.
A sadistic count (Christopher Lee) becomes a vengeful ghost who torments the living.
Cast: Christopher Lee, Daliah Lavi, Tony Kendall
Member Reviews
Beautiful movie with a romantic score that draws you in. Very impressed!
What an exquisite gothic horror-romance. Can't expect less from Bava! And Christopher Lee delivers on thrills, obsession, and sensuality.
Bravisimo, Bava! Another gorgeous masterpiece.
Considering how the world viewed BDSM when this was released, I can forgive how negative a spin The Whip and the Body put on it. However, it was really just an off-brand Dracula story trading teeth for a whip, immortality for insanity, and any semblance of an original story for a hodgepodge of watered-down Stoker and Shakespeare.
Kind of a perfect gothic melodrama! So much Bava lighting...