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Black and white image of hands holding a woman's face while someone puts a mask on her

Black Sunday

Duration: 1h23m
Dates: Sun 11 May 2025 12:30

Part of Dundead Film Festival 2025 - see the full programme and book a Festival Pass. 

Mario Bava’s 1960 film Black Sunday is perhaps the greatest example of the kind of films which formed the roots of the Italian horror movement. While future films from the likes of Dario Argento would be noted for their swinging sense of modernity, they were growing out of a horror tradition not unlike that of Britain’s – a black and white world of the gothic.

Bava (who spent many years as a cinematographer) is rightly remembered for his latter-day mastery of colour – but with Black Sunday (his first film as solo director) he proves just as masterful with black and white, delivering iconic image after iconic image. Based on Nikolai Gogol’s fairytale Viy, the film stars the English actress Barbara Steele (referred to as “Britain's first lady of horror”) as a Satanic princess who curses future generations when she is sentenced to death. Steele also plays the princess’ descendent Katia 200 years later, when two doctors unwittingly awaken the dead princess from beyond the grave.

This is Steele’s most iconic performance, with Bava employing sensationally expressive light and shadow in framing her striking face, and the practical effects feel years ahead of 1960. The film is a fascinating insight into a cultural crossroads in cinema history, with one foot in the ghostly, supernatural past, and one in the gory, hyper-violent future.

Black and white image of a woman looking over a man in a coffin
Black Sunday
Black and white image of a man infront of an ornate building / carriage
Black Sunday
A masterpiece of the macabre that showed Bava's sheer mastery of the terror medium, it had censors worldwide up in arms over its still powerful opening torture sequence, in which a mask of nails is hammered onto Steele's screaming face.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Radio Times
Illustrated red eye with reflection of a figure in the pupil

Dundead Festival Passes 2025

Depending on how brave you're feeling, you can immerse yourself in the festival with a Full or Half Pass. These include Dundead merch featuring this years artwork by Dundee-based illustrator Katriona Gillon.

There are special pass prices for DCA Members and 18-25 Members too and they get priority booking from Tue 24 March at 10:00. General sale will begin from 10:00 on Fri 28 March. Make sure you are logged in to access priority booking.

Full Pass: £102 (DCA Members: £96 / 18-25 Members: £75)

  • See all 12 screenings, plus get a festival t-shirt and print
     

Half Pass: £54 (DCA Members: £51 / 18-25 Members: £37.50)

  • Tickets for six films of your choice from the programme and a festival t-shirt

 

Book your pass here

Dundead 2025 Festival Listings

Download our festival listings to find out more about the films and plan your Dundead trip.
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1.1 MB (PDF)

DCA Membership £25 PER YEAR

colourful seats in DCA cinema

Become a DCA Member and enjoy a range of benefits, offers and discounts across our programme while supporting us to enrich people’s lives through art, culture and creativity. Benefits include:

  • One free standard cinema ticket per year
  • £1 off your standard or over 60s ticket for regular Cinema screenings*
  • Priority booking on selected cinema seasons and gallery events
  • 10% off in DCA Shop when you spend £10 or more
  • 10% off DCA publications
  • 15% off Print Studio courses
  • 10% off Craft Sunday workshops
  • 10% off food in Jute Café Bar
  • Further offers and discounts at DCA’s discretion

 

Membership costs £25 for one year.
*One discount per Member per event.

  • Membership Period: 1 year
  • Price: £25.00

Sign up and receive these benefits and more for

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