Version DA·V·0001
I tre volti della paura vs Black Sabbath
A comparison of the Italian release (1963) and AIP’s American release (1964): episode order, dubbing, removed implications, music, introductions and ending.
The two versions compared
I tre volti della paura
- 1 Il telefono
- 2 I Wurdalak
- 3 La goccia d’acqua
Black Sabbath
- 3 La goccia d’acqua
- 1 Il telefono
- 2 I Wurdalak
| Aspect | I tre volti della paura | Black Sabbath | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|
Episode order | Il telefono → I Wurdalak → La goccia d’acqua | La goccia d’acqua → Il telefono → I Wurdalak | PRIM: Primary source |
Karloff’s introductions | Opening presentation | Opening presentation and introductions to each episode | DOC: Documented |
Film ending | Break in the illusion: the camera reveals the set and crew | Conventional sign-off, without revealing the set | DOC: Documented |
Episode genre | Thriller: the calls are a deception | Supernatural story: Frank calls from beyond the grave | DOC: Documented |
Rosy and Mary’s relationship | A relationship between the two women is implied | The implication is removed from the dialogue | DOC: Documented |
Rosy’s profession | Allusions to prostitution | Allusions removed | DOC: Documented |
Letters | — | Introduced to support the supernatural explanation | INC: Incomplete information |
Karloff’s voice | Italian dubber | Karloff’s original voice | DOC: Documented |
Dialogue | Italian text | English rewrite, not a translation | DOC: Documented |
Score | Roberto Nicolosi | Les Baxter | DOC: Documented |
Overall running time | To be verified against prints | To be verified against prints | INC: Incomplete information |
Cuts and inserts | — | Changes to violence and details; to be catalogued shot by shot | INC: Incomplete information |
Title | I tre volti della paura | Black Sabbath | PRIM: Primary source |
Reasons for the changes | — | Widespread critical reading: adaptation to the US market and censorship | ATTR: Critical attribution |
Why two versions matter
The two releases are not one original and one translation: they are two films that share the same images but not always the same meaning¶ Editorial interpretationAn editorial reading, identified explicitly as interpretation.. The clearest case is «Il telefono», which changes genre as it moves from one market to another.
The comparison above separates differences documented from the prints from those that still need to be verified. Each row has a reliability level; substantive differences are highlighted.
Connections
8 direct connections · 23 further links. Dashed lines indicate weak or unproven links.
- Film
- Creature · ritual
- Motif
- Source
- Person
- Weak link
Films (2)
Black Sabbath
I tre volti della paura · Les Trois Visages de la peur
Black Sabbath
I tre volti della paura · Les Trois Visages de la peur
Glossary (7)
Literary adaptation
Censorship
Dubbing
Alternate cut
Dubbing
Alternate cut
Censorship
People (1)
American International Pictures
Motifs (1)
The threatening telephone
Collections (1)
Films changed by dubbing
- Mario Bava person · via Black Sabbath
- Boris Karloff person · via Black Sabbath
- La famiglia del Vurdalak source · via Black Sabbath
- A. K. Tolstoy person · via Black Sabbath
- Anton Chekhov person · via Black Sabbath
- Guy de Maupassant person · via Black Sabbath
- Vurdalak creature · via Black Sabbath
- Vampire creature · via Black Sabbath
- Revenant creature · via Black Sabbath
- The family vampire motif · via Black Sabbath
- The vampire child motif · via Black Sabbath
- Theft from the dead motif · via Black Sabbath
- The sound that announces the supernatural motif · via Black Sabbath
- The threshold and invitation belief or ritual · via Black Sabbath
- Italian Gothic collection · via Black Sabbath
- The Vurdalak, from folklore to cinema bloodline · via Black Sabbath
- Eastern Europe place · via Black Sabbath
- Rome place · via Black Sabbath
- Black Sunday film · via Black Sabbath
- Night of the Devils film · via Black Sabbath
- Black Sabbath (band) person · via Black Sabbath
- The Chekhov credit: a source that cannot be found journal · via Black Sabbath
- Why Dread Atlas begins with I tre volti della paura journal · via Black Sabbath
Revision history
- First draft of the comparison.— Dread Atlas Editorial Team
How to cite this page
Redazione Dread Atlas, «I tre volti della paura vs Black Sabbath», Dread Atlas, Entry DA·V·0001, updated 8 October 2026. https://macabralia.com/en/versions/i-tre-volti-della-paura-vs-black-sabbath/