Mill of the Stone Women (1960), A Rediscovered Italian Horror Classic (Review)

As we approach the end of the year, Arrow is helping us all get into the seasonal spirit with an uncovered gem from 1960, Giorgio Ferroni’s Mill of the Stone Women, released on a double-disc Blu-ray and to stream on Arrow Player. There are four versions of the film: the original Italian; a slightly shorter French dub; an English export that also had a far more generic alternative title, Drops of Blood; and another English dub released in America with an incredibly intrusive sub-Rod Serling introductory voiceover. I watched the Italian version as there’s little difference in the running time in the other versions, it seems little has been altered, though I leave it to others to discover any differences for themselves.

For all that this film is relatively unknown in comparison to the more lavish work of Mario Bava, whose Black Sunday was released in the same year, it is striking how influential it seems on horror cinema. We follow Mr Hans von Arnim, a student, visiting a professor of art, Gregorious Wahl, who owns and lives in the titular windmill. As Arnim enters the windmill, it is as if we have stepped into the creepy house of Vampyr or the lived-in strangeness of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre house. The set design is impeccable, mixing art deco and imposing mechanisms in this building cluttered with statues, costumes, skulls and paintings. By far the eeriest aspect of this setting is the automated waxwork carousel, an exhibit began by Wahl’s ancestors and a hundred years in the making. They are an eerie presence throughout and reminiscent of the theatrical masks from earlier films Eyes Without a Face or The Phantom of the Opera.

From the very beginning, the film establishes an evocative Gothic atmosphere superbly scored by Carlo Innocenzi with a recurrent tinkling sting used to chilling effect. The film looks gorgeous and, as the first Italian horror film made in colour, it makes full use of its colour palette which I’m sure those who know more about giallo than me can point to as setting a clear precedent. Ferroni only directed two horror films in his career but shows great skill with creating scares as doors open and close independently, hallucinations and visions occur without warning, and there’s even a dabbling of vampiric imagery throughout.

The aesthetic beauty does a lot of the work in holding your attention as the plot is fairly straightforward. Our handsome lead becomes the centre of a love triangle that begins a descent into a nightmare. It’s a fairly traditional story with familiar beats but self-consciously so, to the extent that the publicists decided to put in the credits that it was adapted from a story of ‘Flemish Tales’, even though the book and author never existed. Nonetheless, it has the feel of an old fashioned horror tale populated by straightforwardly defined characters: Elfie the mysterious daughter; roguish student Raab as comic relief; Lottie as the love interest and childhood friend of von Arnim; and sinister escort Dr Bohlem. As actress Liana Orfei engagingly explains in one of the numerous interviews included with the film, there was an expectation that “while it was a dramatic scene, you still had to look beautiful” suggesting that visuals were prioritised over plot.

Shallow it may be, but it is notable that the film is not visually exploitative with excessive and sensational violence and nudity as was common for the period. This restraint is appreciated even if the narrative is ultimately still dependant on damselling its female characters. This is a traditional though colourful Gothic tale of a father too overprotective of his fragile daughter and it is a testament to the chemistry that the actors have with each other that the story remains engaging. The last act provides exposition in the old-fashioned horror way, providing a rational explanation for the mysterious events, though there remains a fantastical element that means it doesn’t jar too much with the theatricality of the rest of the film.

Accompanying the film is a terrific video essay from Kat Elinger, entitled ‘Mill of the Stone Women & The Gothic Body’ that provides useful context and intriguing interpretations for the film. In less than half an hour, she explores how the film draws on a tradition of romanticised depiction of victimized female corpses, uncanny doubling in waxworks and paintings, and the gothic fantastique. It is well researched and informative in examining Ferroni’s macabre visual poetry. This release was a real treat and is a great addition to any horror collection, I hope this release gives the film greater attention and recognition as a stylish spin on familiar tropes.

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THANK YOU FOR READING MIKE’S REVIEW OF MILL OF THE STONE WOMEN