Vintage original 11x14 in. US lobby card from the 1960's Italian-produced horror/mystery thriller, THE EVIL EYE, released in the US in 1964 by American International Pictures (AIP) and directed by Mario Bava. A mystery novel-loving American tourist witnesses a murder in Rome, and soon finds herself and her suitor caught up in a series of killings.

As indicated in the center of the bottom border, this is lobby card #8 from the set of 8 cards. The image depicts cast members Letícia Román, Gustava De Nardo, and Dante DiPaolo standing next to the body of a dead woman inside of a morgue. It is unrestored in fine+ condition with a Canadian censor stamp in the bottom left corner; a 2.5 in. vertical crease with a smaller crease on the top left corner; and a 1.5 in. vertical crease on the top right corner.

Mario Bava (31 July 1914 – 25 April 1980) was an Italian filmmaker who worked variously as a director, cinematographer, special effects artist and screenwriter, frequently referred to as the "Master of Italian Horror" and the "Master of the Macabre." His low-budget genre films, known for their distinctive visual flair and stylish technical ingenuity, feature recurring themes and imagery concerning the conflict between illusion and reality, as well as the destructive capacity of human nature. He was a pioneer of Italian genre cinema, and is regarded as one of the most influential auteurs of the horror film genre. After providing special effects work and other assistance on productions like Hercules (1958) and Caltiki – The Immortal Monster (1959), Bava made his official feature directorial debut with the horror film, Black Sunday, released in 1960. He went on to direct such films as The Girl Who Knew Too Much, Black Sabbath, The Whip and the Body (all released in 1963), Blood and Black Lace (1964), Planet of the Vampires (1965), Kill, Baby, Kill (1966), Danger: Diabolik (1968), A Bay of Blood (1971), Baron Blood (1972), Lisa and the Devil (1974), and Rabid Dogs (1974).

 

According to the British Film Institute, "Bava took a vital role in the creation of the modern horror film. If there was to be a Mount Rushmore-style monument dedicated to four directors whose work pioneered a new form of big screen chills and thrills, those giant faces etched in granite on the mountainside would be: Bava, Alfred Hitchcock, Georges Franju and Michael Powell.”