Episode 38: The Spiral Staircase (1946) & Blood & Black Lace (1964)

Welcome to episode 38 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their partsThis week we are returning to the world of the 1940s horror noir and the Italian giallo, with two highly influential movies that would shape some of the tropes that we now see as standard in many filmsFirst up, we have The Spiral Staircase from 1946 directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Dorothy Maguire, Ethel Barrymore, George Brent, and Kent SmithThen we follow this with Six Women for the Killer, also known as Blood and Black Lace from 1964 and director Mario Bava. This stars Cameron Mitchell, Eva Bartok, Ariana Gorini and Thomas Reiner.RecommendationsThe Killers: https://youtu.be/qN8CKO-_th8?si=bSjwl02I927bTgmGThe Girl Who Knew Too Much: https://youtu.be/kHolwKaXHHw?si=uiiNHwREjIZaWhInThe Whip & The Body (1963)Black Sabbath (1963)References The File on Robert Siodmak by Joseph GrecoAmerican Gothic Six Decades of Classic Horror Cinema by Jonathan Rigbyhttps://metrograph.com/the-strange-affair-of-robert-siodmakhttps://offscreen.com/view/siodmak-spiral-staircasehttps://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/dec/21/christmas-holiday-my-favourite-christmas-film-gene-kelly-robert-siodmakhttps://www.dasmagazin.de/magazin-historie/https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2003/great-directors/siodmakhttps://www.deutsche-biographie.de/pnd11861472X.html#ndbcontenthttps://abergavennylocalhistorysociety.org.uk/gallery/Ethel%20Lina%20White.pdfhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/obituaries/ethel-lina-white-overlooked.htmlThe Haunted World of Mario Bava by Troy HowarthSo Deadly So Perverse by Troy HowarthBlood and black Lace by Roberto Cuti (Devils Advocates Series).Special features and interviews on the blu ray release of the film from Arrow VideoThe Aurum Film Encyclopedia of Horrorhttps://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-mario-bavahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Bavahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spiral_Staircase_(1946_film)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Siodmakhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_and_Black_Lace Instagram: @thehorrordoublebillemail: [email protected]: @thehorrordoublebillartwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)