During his four-decade career as a cinematographer, special effects designer and director, Italy’s Mario Bava created some of the most beautiful and macabre films ever to grace the silver screen, with unsettling images that transcended the boundaries of land and language. He is celebrated by horror and cinema fans the world over and his influence can be seen in the works of Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Tim Burton and Dario Argento. Now, Anchor Bay Entertainment and International Media Films proudly present The Mario Bava Box Set: Volume 1, a 5-disc DVD collection of five landmark films from the first half of Mario Bava’s impressive career. Bowing April 3rd, The Mario Bava Box Set Volume 1 features new transfers of the original international versions, along with brand-new bonus materials, of such seminal Bava classics as The Mask of Satan (Black Sunday), The Three Faces of Fear (Black Sabbath), The Girl Who Knew Too Much, Knives of the Avenger and Kill, Baby…Kill!. SRP is $49.98 with pre-book on February 21st.

On the same day, Anchor Bay will also release Mario Bava’s cult thriller Kidnapped, produced by longtime collaborator Alfredo Leone. Available for the first time on DVD, Kidnapped (aka Rabid Dogs) features two versions of the film: Bava’s original cut and a previously unreleased uncut version. SRP is $19.98, and pre-book is February 21st.

The Mario Bava Box Set Volume One is the perfect primer for "The Master of the Macabre" with five films that introduced Bava’s frightening visions to horror fans the world over:

The Mask of Satan (Black Sunday)

Mario Bava’s 1960 directorial debut film The Mask of Satan introduced audiences to a new type of horror film – lyrical in imagery, terrifying in impact. Starring British actress Barbara Steele, John Richardson and veteran character actor Arturo Dominici, The Mask of Satan set a different course for gothic horror films, pulsing with stunning cinematography and landmark special effects. Anchor Bay is honored to present Bava’s uncut and uncensored international version of The Mask of Satan, featuring the original Italian score and English dubbing.

The Three Faces of Fear (Black Sabbath)

Horror icon Boris Karloff is our guide for Bava’s 1963 trilogy of terror, taking us through three journeys into the supernatural. In "The Telephone," a woman is terrorized by incessant phone calls that may or may not foretell greater danger. In "The Wurdalak," based on a Leo Tolstoy story, Karloff stars with Mark Damon as the patriarch of a family of bloodthirsty ghouls. "The Drop of Water," adapted from an Anton Chekhov short story, stars Jacqueline Pierreux as a nurse who avails herself to take a ring off the finger of a dead medium – only to realize that sometimes the dead can take it with them!

The Girl Who Knew Too Much

Bava’s fourth film as credited director is a Hitchcockian thriller that many film scholars cite as the first true giallo. Leticia Roman stars as an American tourist in Rome who witnesses a serial killer’s latest killing and convinces a young doctor (John Saxon) to help her investigate the city’s "Alphabet Murders." For the first time anywhere, Anchor Bay presents Bava’s original international version of La Ragazza Che Sapeva Troppo (The Girl Who Knew Too Much) in Italian with English subtitles.

Knives of the Avenger

Veteran Bava collaborator Cameron Mitchell stars in their third and last pairing in this Norse variation on the "sword-and-sandal" epics so popular in the 1960’s. Mitchell stars as a Viking drifter torn between guilt, vengeance and his love for a peasant woman and her young son. Co-written by Bava (as "John Hold"), Knives of the Avenger re-imagines the American Western as a Viking epic – complete with pillaging and violence, but with a uniquely humanist slant. It features both the English language audio track and the Italian language audio track with English subtitles, presented together for the first time on DVD.

Kill, Baby…Kill! aka Curse of the Living Dead

Giacomo Rossi-Stuart and Erika Blanc star in Bava’s final gothic masterpiece, a hallucinatory tale of a remote village tormented by the specter of a dead little girl. Alternately known as Curse of the Living Dead and Operazione Paura (Operation Fear), Bava’s 1966 stunner has been plagued for decades by inferior public-domain transfers. For this release, Anchor Bay created the definitive presentation, remastered from all-new elements to create the highest quality version ever seen in North America.

Available as a separate DVD, Kidnapped (aka Rabid Dogs) has a history equal in drama and scope to its explosive narrative. The harrowing story of a botched robbery by three criminals and the aftermath – taking three hostages during their desperate getaway – Kidnapped was never finished due to a dispute with the estate of the film’s financier who died during production. Anchor Bay’s presentation of Rabid Dogs includes both Bava’s original film – now with newly created opening and end credit sequences – as well as the version known as Kidnapped featuring footage shot by producer Alfredo Leone and Mario’s son and longtime assistant Lamberto Bava.

Equally impressive to the feature presentations are the wealth of bonus materials available on The Mario Bava Box Set Volume One DVD:

MASK OF SATAN (BLACK SUNDAY)

• International version with English dubbing

• Widescreen presentation (1.66:1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions

• Audio commentary by Mario Bava biographer Tim Lucas

• U.S. and International trailers

• TV spot

• Mario Bava & Barbara Steele bios

THE THREE FACES OF FEAR (BLACK SABBATH)

• International version in Italian with English subtitles

• Widescreen (1.77:1) presentation, enhanced for 16x9 televisions

• Featurette: "A Life In Film - An Interview with Mark Damon"

• Audio commentary by Mario Bava biographer Tim Lucas

• International & U.S. trailers

• TV spot

• Radio spot

• Poster and stills gallery

• Mario Bava & Boris Karloff bios

THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH

• International version with English subtitles

• Widescreen (1.66:1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions

• Featurette: "Remembering the Girl with John Saxon"

• Audio commentary by Mario Bava biographer Tim Lucas

• International and U.S. trailers

• Poster and still galleries

• Mario Bava bio

KILL, BABY…KILL!

• Widescreen presentation (1.85:1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions

• English and Italian soundtracks with English subtitles

• International trailer

• TV spots

• Mario Bava bio

KNIVES OF THE AVENGER

• Widescreen presentation (2.35:1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions

• English and Italian soundtracks with English subtitles

• International trailer

• Mario Bava bio

KIDNAPPED

• Two versions: Mario Bava’s original film (aka Rabid Dogs) and a previously unreleased uncut version

• Widescreen presentation (1.78:1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions

• In Italian with English subtitles

• Featurette: "End of the Road: Making Rabid Dogs and Kidnapped"

• Audio commentary by Mario Bava biographer Tim Lucas

• Mario Bava bio