SEVERIN EXHUMES INFAMOUS LAMBERTO BAVA ANTHOLOGY SERIES WITH WORLDWIDE BLU-RAY PREMIERE

SEVERIN EXHUMES INFAMOUS LAMBERTO BAVA ANTHOLOGY SERIES WITH WORLDWIDE BLU-RAY PREMIERE

New Box Set Includes 4 Uncut Films Directed by The Maestro of the Macabre With First-Time-Ever English Tracks, 5+ Hours of Special Features & Bonus CD 

Los Angeles, CA (May 23, 2025) Severin Films today unveiled High Tension, a 4-disc box set showcasing The Official Worldwide Blu-ray Premieres of an infamous quartet of films directed by Italian horror icon Lamberto Bava. 

In the late ‘80s, Lamberto Bava agreed to direct a four-part anthology series for Italian TV under the title High Tension. But when executives saw the completed features’ extreme themes and graphic violence, their broadcast was blocked for nearly a decade and they have only existed as grey market bootlegs since. Tomas Arana stars as a horror director stalked by evil forces in THE PRINCE OF TERROR, written by Dardano Sacchetti and featuring grisly FX by Sergio Stivaletti. In THE MAN WHO WOULDN’T DIE, adapted from a short story by poliziotteschi novelist Giorgio Scerbanenco, the survivor of a home invasion seeks vengeance. Daria Nicolodi stars in SCHOOL OF FEAR about a student academy with a dark secret. And in the giallo shocker EYE WITNESS, Barbara Cupisti stars as a blind woman who ‘sees’ a murder. All four films are scanned in 2K from the original camera negatives with Italian and first-time ever English tracks, plus over 5 hours of Special Features and a Soundtrack CD curated by Simon Boswell featuring music from High Tension, THE MASK OF SATAN, DEMONS 2, DELIRIUM and more. 

Pre-orders for HIGH TENSION begin today at SeverinFilms.com

 

DISC 1: THE PRINCE OF TERROR

“A MUST-HAVE GEM… Lamberto Bava’s one-surprise-after-another spook show has scenes so outrageous they can make you break out into applause.” DVD Exotica

For the first film in the series, director Lamberto Bava and screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti (THE BEYOND, DEMONS) delivered “a wild ride” (Euro Fever) that’s part home-invasion thriller, part supernatural shocker and one totally over-the-top gorehound blast: ‘Prince of Terror’ Vincent Omen (Tomas Arana of THE CHURCH and THE SECT) is cinema’s top horror director. But when a disgruntled screenwriter – a no-holds-barred performance by David Brandon of STAGEFRIGHT – attacks Omen and his family in their secluded villa, it will unleash a grisly maelstrom of graphic brutality courtesy of special effects maestro Sergio Stivaletti (THE MASK OF SATAN, CEMETERY MAN). Carole André (YOR: THE HUNTER FROM THE FUTURE) co-stars in “one of the rarest of Bava’s ‘80s horrors” (The Bloody Pit of Horror), now scanned in 2K from the original camera negative with a first time-ever English language track. 

Special Features for THE PRINCE OF TERROR:

  •  Audio Commentary With Mondo Digital's Nathaniel Thompson And Troy Howarth, Author Of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years Of Italian Giallo Films
  • The Adventure Of Anfri – Interview With Director Lamberto Bava On High Tension
  • We Call Him Maestro – Lamberto Bava On THE PRINCE OF TERROR

Feature Specs for THE PRINCE OF TERROR:

  • Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
  • Audio: English Mono, Italian Mono
  • Closed Captions: English SDH
  • Subtitles: English Subtitles
  • Runtime: 92 mins
  •  Region: A/B/C

 

DISC 2: THE MAN WHO WOULDN’T DIE

“VERY EXCITING… This is one of Lamberto Bava's more successful films. He manages to walk the tightrope of evil violence without excessive splatter.” ItaloCinema

In the early ‘70s, the legendary Mario Bava began adapting a savage short story by poliziotteschi novelist Giorgio Scerbanenco (CALIBER 9) for a film project. When Lamberto Bava eventually directed it in 1989 – from a screenplay by Gianfranco Clerici (HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK, THE NEW YORK RIPPER) – Italian TV refused to broadcast the violent thriller for nearly 20 years: After an art heist in a luxury villa goes horrifically wrong, a gang member (Gino Concari of Andrea Bianchi’s MASSACRE) left for dead will hunt down his accomplices in a mission of brutal revenge. Keith Van Hoven (Fulci’s THE HOUSE OF CLOCKS), Lino Salemme (DEMONS) and Martine Brochard (THE VIOLENT PROFESSIONALS) co-star in “the rarest film in the High Tension series” (FilmTV), now scanned in 2K from the original camera negative with a first time-ever English language track. 

Special Features for THE MAN WHO WOULDN’T DIE:

  • The Scerbanenco Touch – Interview With Director Lamberto Bava
  • Stephen King Italian Style – Interview With Screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti

Feature Specs for THE MAN WHO WOULDN’T DIE:

  • Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
  • Audio: English Mono, Italian Mono
  • Closed Captions: English SDH
  • Subtitles: English Subtitles
  • Runtime: 95 mins
  • Region: A/B/C

 

DISC 3: SCHOOL OF FEAR

“UNDESERVEDLY OBSCURE… With SCHOOL OF FEAR, Bava becomes a skilled professional. He is expert at staging atmospheric set-pieces.” Tim Lucas, Video WatchBlog

 In the most unsettlingly creepy film of the quartet, producer/director Lamberto Bava – along with screenwriters Roberto Gandus (MACABRE, PAPAYA: LOVE GODDESS OF THE CANNIBALS), Dardano Sacchetti (THE PSYCHIC, ZOMBIE), Giorgio Stegani (CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, EYE WITNESS) and composer Simon Boswell (DEMONS 2, SANTA SANGRE) – present a private academy where the curriculum is defined by unadulterated evil: When an idealistic young teacher (Alessandra Acciai of Luigi Cozzi’s THE BLACK CAT) arrives mid-semester at an exclusive school, she’ll anger the stern principal (Italian horror icon Daria Nicolodi), unlock a nightmare of trauma and discover that child’s play can be the deadliest game of all. Stefano De Sando (Bava/Cozzi’s Night Shift) co-stars in this “absolutely wild” (B&S About Movies) shocker, now scanned in 2K from the original camera negative with a first time-ever English language track.  

Special Features for SCHOOL OF FEAR:

  • The Tale Of Evil Children – Interview With Director Lamberto Bava
  • Play The Game – Interview With Screenwriter Roberto Gandus
  • When Bava Met Boswell – Interview With Composer Simon Boswell

Feature Specs for SCHOOL OF FEAR:

  • Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
  • Audio: English Mono, Italian Mono
  • Closed Captions: English SDH
  • Subtitles: English Subtitles
  • Runtime: 100 mins
  • Region: A/B/C

 

Disc 4: BOSWELL/BAVA Compilation CD

DISC 5: EYE WITNESS

“EXCEPTIONAL AND EXTREMELY CINEMATIC… A well-constructed thriller saturated with Hitchcockian touches  and a magnificent performance by Barbara Cupisti.” FilmT

For his final film in the High Tension series, director Lamberto Bava crafted a unique twist on the giallo genre with a screenplay by Giorgio Stegani (SCHOOL OF FEAR, CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST) and Massimo De Rita (BLASTFIGHTER, STREET LAW) from a story by Bava, a haunting score by Simon Boswell (PHENOMENA, STAGEFRIGHT) and an outstanding performance by Barbara Cupisti of CEMETERY MAN, THE CHURCH and OPERA fame: When a blind woman (Cupisti) is the only witness to a murder, the cops – and the killer – set their sights on ending her ordeal forever. Mary Sellers (THE MASK OF SATAN), Alessio Orano (LISA AND THE DEVIL) and Antonella Antinori (BURIAL GROUND) co-star in “one of the best Bava films ever” (ItaloCinema), now scanned in 2K from the original camera negative with a first time-ever English language track. 

Special Features for EYE WITNESS:

  • Audio Commentary With Mondo Digital's Nathaniel Thompson And Troy Howarth, Author Of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years Of Italian Giallo Films
  • The Last Giallo – Interview With Director Lamberto Bava
  •  Love Is Blind – Interview With Actress Barbara Cupisti

Feature Specs for EYE WITNESS:

  • Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
  • Audio: English Mono, Italian Mono
  • Closed Captions: English SDH
  • Subtitles: English Subtitles
  • Runtime: 100 mins
  • Region: A/B/C
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