mill of the stone women

Warning: SPOILERS!!! First a word of warning: If your copy of this Italy/France co-production runs 85 minutes or less, stop watching it immediately. The only version worth watching is the one that runs 95 minutes, as the 85 minute version is the TV print, which excises some very important visual information, including some surprising female nudity. While the 85 minute version doesn't hurt the plot of the film, the full version offers the viewer something they usually don't see in a film from 1960, namely the sight of female nipples and some very graphic gore (at least for the time). The film opens with writer Hans von Arnim (Pierre Brice; The Germany/France WINNETOU Western films [1962 - 1998]) arriving in 19th Century Holland to do a monograph on Professor Gregorius Wahl (Herbert Boehme; THE SECRET (PUZZLE) OF THE RED ORCHID - 1961) and his family's one hundred years of operating and creating a strange carousel of female serial killers throughout history, which takes place in a windmill. When Hans asks a local where Professor Wahl lives, he replies in the Mill of the Stone Women. When Hans asks the local why he calls it that, he says he doesn't know, it has been called that ever since he can remember, as people come from all over to watch the weird carousel of realistic-looking stone women display their crimes. When Hans arrives at the windmill, he meets housekeeper Selma (Olga Solbelli; THE THIRD EYE - 1966), who brings him inside and tells him to wait there and not wander off. Hans hears some piano music playing in the background and when it stops, a beautiful, yet pasty-faced, young woman peers out of the curtains and looks at Hans with lust in her eyes. Before Hans can approach her, Selma again appears and shows him to a room, locking the door so Hans cannot leave (or to stop someone from getting in). Hans begins hearing a woman scream as if she is in severe pain, but before he can do anything Professor Wahl appears and tells Hans that he is very busy, so he will only give him six days to write his monograph, showing him to a secluded room in the windmill where he will work. He is under no circumstances to leave the room except to leave the windmill at night when he is finished for the day. On the first day Hans is there, the beautiful white-faced woman appears again and tells him her name is Elfie (Scilla Gabel; BASTARD, GO AND KILL - 1971), the Professor's daughter. She tells Hans she must see him tonight at 11:00 PM and not to worry about anyone catching them because everyone will be asleep. Hans agrees and then goes to a restaurant to meet his girlfriend Liselotte (Dany Carrel; THE HANDS OF ORLAC - 1960) and his best friend, the womanizing Ralf (Marco Guglielmi; HOW TO KILL A JUDGE - 1974). Both Liselotte and Ralf are students at a university where the Professor teaches sculpture and life classes (i.e. drawing the naked human body). Hans asks Ralf if the Professor has a daughter and he says yes, but no one has ever seen her, as the Professor never lets her leave the windmill. Liselotte leaves in a huff because Hans is talking about another woman, so Hans sends Ralf to go to her and talk some sense into her (Yes, send a womanizer to talk sense into a hurt woman!). At 11:00 PM, Hans meets Elfie in her bedroom, where she professes her love for him and they make love. The next morning, Liselotte and Ralf meet Hans at the windmill, and when Elfie sees Hans hugging and kissing Liselotte, she becomes instantly jealous, writing Hans a threatening note and leaving it in his work room. When Liselotte and Ralf leave, The Professor pulls Hans into his office and tells him he is to have no further contact with Elfie. The Professor explains that Elfie suffers from a rare blood disease and any excitement will kill her, which is why Dr. Loren Bohlem (Wolfgang Preiss; THE BLOODSTAINED BUTTERFLY - 1971) also lives in the windmill. He is there to make sure his daughter doesn't die, but the Professor doesn't know that Dr. Bohlem loves Elfie, even though she can't stand him. Dr. Bohlem is trying to create a formula to cure Elfie of her disease, but her blood type is so rare, it is almost impossible to duplicate it or find someone with the same type blood. That afternoon, Liselotte and Ralf come to the windmill to watch the carousel in action, but it becomes too frightening to Liselotte (The stone female figures look real to her) and she passes out. The Professor gives smelling salts to Ralf to administer to Liselotte and when she comes to, the Professor sees that one of her hatpins has scratched her face, so he uses his handkerchief to wipe off the blood (HUGE clue!). While Hans is working in his room, Elfie comes in and apologizes for writing the threatening note, saying she got mad when she saw him kissing another woman. Hans tells Elfie that he can never love her and Elfie is fine with that, telling him that her love for him will sustain her. When Hans refuses to kiss her, Elfie falls down unconscious and Hans carries her to her bed, He uses a mirror to check her breathing when he sees blood trickling out of the side of her mouth, only to discover that she is dead. Not wanting to lose his job or tell the Professor what happened, he just leaves Elfie in her bedroom and says nothing, but guilt begins to drive Hans insane (he has quite the "freak-out" scene!), especially when he goes down into the windmill's basement and sees Elfie strapped to a table next to a red-haired woman, who is strapped to a table next to her. Hans' mind snaps and a doctor puts Hans on bedrest for a few days to hopefully recuperate, with Liselotte seeing to his every need. When Hans returns to his normal self, Liselotte disappears and he tells Ralf what he saw in the windmill's basement. A black & white photo in Liselotte's room shows her standing next to a woman, the same woman that Hans saw strapped to a table next to Elfie. When Hans tells Ralf she has red hair, Ralf has no other choice but to believe him, since the woman, named Annelore (Liana Orfei; HERCULES, SAMSON AND ULYSSES - 1963), was a model in one of Liselotte and his life classes that the Professor taught and Hans could only know she had red hair if he actually saw her, since the photo was in black & white. We then see how Dr. Bohlem brings back Elfie to life time after time. This time, using Annelore, they drain her of all her red blood cells and put them onto Elfie's body, but it is only a temporary solution. Professor Wahl then mummifies Annelore's body (we watch as he does it step-by-step and it's quite hard to watch) and turns her into one of the carousel's exibits, something he has done to all of the victims who brought Elfie back to life. Hans and Ralf race to the windmill, knowing that Liselotte is going to be the next victim, but what they don't know is the Liselotte is to be the final victim, as she has the type of blood needed for Dr. Bolem to create the formula to cure Elfie of her disease (Dr. Bohlem tested the blood on the Professor's handkerchief). With Liselotte strapped to the table (her naked nipples prominently displayed! If you don't see them, you have the edited version), Dr. Bohlem tells the Professor that he will cure Elfie under one condition: She will become his wife. The Professor laughs and says that will never happen; his daughter deserves someone much better than a disgraced doctor he saved from the gallows. This results in a fight where the Professor kills Dr. Bohlem. As the Professor starts the blood transference and is about to use the formula to cure his daughter, he can't find the syringe where he saw Dr. Bohlem place it, not knowing Dr. Bohlem pocketed the syringe just before he made his demands. As Elfie's life drains from her body, the Professor finds the syringe in Dr. Bohlem's lab jacket, broken during their fight. Feeling defeated, the Professor sets fire to the windmill, as Hans and Ralf rescue Liselotte and flee the burning windmill. The Professor carries a dying Elfie and they sit atop the carousel, watching the female serial killer figures burning (including Annelore's) and revealing they all have human skulls, as the fire burns all around them (try to ignore the shot of the burning windmill, which is obviously a miniature model). THE END. This very colorful Gothic horror film, directed by Giorgio Ferroni (THE TROJAN HORSE - 1961; SECRET AGENT SUPER DRAGON - 1966; NIGHT OF THE DEVILS - 1972) and co-written by Ferroni, Remigio Del Grosso (JOURNEY BENEATH THE DESERT - 1961), Ugo Liberatore (director/writer of DAMNED IN VENICE - 1978) and Giorgio Stegani (DEATH ON THE FOURPOSTER - 1964), is an adult foray into the perverse, showing us things we never thought we would see in a 1960 horror film (The more that I watch these early-'60s Italian Gothic horror films, the less surprised I become!). The nudity shown in this film comes out of left field, especially when showing Liselotte's nipples as she is strapped to the table. If you aren't looking specifically there, you may miss them, as the camera doesn't linger, but there are two scenes that show them, so it was no mistake. The TV version of this film specifically edits them out, as well as scenes of the stone figures burning and revealing their skulls (I mistakenly watched the edited version on YouTube before I found the unedited version streaming on Amazon Prime, which I had to pay for.). It even edits out a head falling off one of the figures. It shows us nothing, even though Hans picks it up, looks at it and tells Ralf that it is a mummified human head, before dropping it to the floor (the edited version does show the head lying on the floor, though). This is still a well-made film full of atmospheric sequences, especially the first time we see the carousel in action, as women in various freaky poses slide across a track, revealing themselves one-by-one. There's a woman who has her head on a chopping block, ready to have it separated from her body, another tied to a stake and ready to be burned and still another with a noose around her neck, the look on her choking face horrifying. This was one of those films that use to be a staple on TV during my childhood, but it's nothing quite like what you will see in the unedited version, including frank talks about sex. There's enough weirdness in this film for me to give it a big thumbs-up, so catch it if you can, but remember to avoid the edited version. Shot as IL MULINO DELLE DONNE DI PIETRA (a literal translation of the review title) and also known as DROPS OF BLOOD, this film gained a 1963 theatrical release in the United States by Parade Pictures Releasing, yet it had only one legitimate VHS release in the U.S. in 1985 from Paragon Video, the rest relying on gray market VHS releases by companies like Something Weird Video and Threat Theater and they were all the TV version of the film (Paragon's sleeve lists a running time of 93 minutes, but I can assure you it is the 85 minute version). There was only one legitimate disc release of the unedited film in the States, that being a DVD in 2004 by Mondo Macabro, which is long OOP. There have been no updated discs since then. While this film can be found streaming on YouTube, most prints are the 85 minute version, yet there is also an unedited version, but it is in French language only. I did manage to find the unedited version streaming on Amazon Prime, so I purchased it for $7.99 ($1.99 for a rental, even for Prime members). It's actually a widescreen version from Sinister Cinema that is blemish-free and very colorful, well worth the $7.99, because I will watch this frequently, as it has plenty of replay value. Also featuring Alberto Archetti (THE MONSTER OF THE OPERA - 1961/1964) as Konrad, the Professor's assistant. Not Rated.

I had seen this some 20+ years ago (at least) and had never forgotten it-- except I didn't know it's NAME. I'd seen it on TV eons ago and loved the "wax museum"-like chamber of horrors carousel. I'd always associated it with wax-museum movies in my memory and explored them all never able to find this movie. Ultimately I realized it was probably an obscure foreign film (I'm in the US) that would be pretty hard to locate. But then I came across some reviews of other Mondo Macabro titles (the publisher) and read the synopsis of Mill of the Stone Women. Not realizing it was this old classic I had been seeking, I ordered it and was pleased to find out it was the movie I had long been looking for. And, I realized some things about it I had not known or forgotten-- one, it was in COLOR-- I saw it on a B&W TV originally, and it was even better than I remembered-- I had forgotten most everything but the "carousel." The quality of this release by Mondo Macabro is excellent considering the movie's age, with perhaps some slight color fading or shift but not enough to detract. They also included three audio tracks, a UK english dub, a US english dub and the original French (it's an Italian-French co-op). English subtitles as well, though I haven't compared them with the various tracks to see how good they are... This disc is a real gem, I'm sure glad I finally found this movie. Never would have guessed the name though-- the original French was Le Moulin des Supplices, and "supplices" doesn't really seem to translate to "stone women," the term "torture" comes up most often in the online translating dictionaries. The scenes are mostly shot inside a Dutch windmill building (octagonal?) so there are huge wooden cranking gears and no square corners and perhaps a bit claustrophobic etc... Nice ambiance, dated spooky flick that holds up well over time-- though you can pretty much disregard the comments on the cover about "notorious" topless shots of one of the stars, as it's a bit of a stretch-- a corner of a nipple shows a little in one scene that you'll miss if you blink. Apparently what was notorious about it was it was used as a still image on a poster for the Japanese market and caused some controversy. Apparently over the years this movie has had several bad alternate soundtracks made, this one appears to be the original and I see no reason to have messed with it, I thought it was pretty good. Extras-- there are a couple of interesting alternate scenes-- not set up so you can watch it in total with them in as they are single-language-- a short French language-only scene that was cut and a US version of the "hallucination" sequence which was made cheesier with some out-of-focus transfers apparently to make it easier for the US audience to figure out it was supposed to be hallucinatory... Great flick--, if you like dated spooky and mysterious ambiance, this one should rank rather high on your list, IMHO...

Great Movie it was what I expected. Great transfer...thank you Amazon!

Without question an inappropriate, inane, or pulpy comic book style title has waylaid many a significant and otherwise worthy terror film. "Curse of the Cat People," remains affixed to a story of child psychology, "Kill Baby Kill," remains affixed to a wondrous 19th century European ghost story, and here, perhaps worst of all, "Mill of the Stone Women," is the awkward moniker stuck to this artistically accomplished film. With a clunky title like "Mill of the Stone Women," it is scarcely any wonder that the film has remained largely unknown,unremarked upon, and unavailable for nearly 50 years ! What a pity, for here is a story produced with such an aesthetically accomplished loving care that each frame breathes a compositional beauty of the highest standard. The felicitous combination of Arrigo Equini's art direction and Pier Ludovico Pavoni's photography in this picture, recalls the best of Jack Asher, Floyd Crosby, Mario Bava, Bernard Robinson, and Daniel Haller and has, in not a few of the tableaux rendered here, even surpassed these masters. Even Mario Praz would probably approve! From the opening shot of the windmill on the lake under a leaden sky, to its shadowy, beautifully appointed interior parlors, complete with the anti-heroine, Scilla Gabel, peaking mournfully through the portieres--while the soundtrack gives forth with a disquieting numinous wail--the film rarely fails to sound the genuine Gothic note. Add to that one of the most disturbing, (far more so than "House of Wax") use of a waxworks yet seen on the screen. For here we have, not merely figures of unsettling visage, but figures that mechanically encircle a stage--Joan of Arc, Cleopatra, Mary Queen of Scots, sallying threateningly towards the camera in a nightmarish parade--all to the accompaniment of a tune that might have been composed by Truman Capote! There are many exquisite scenes to savor: Miss Scabra's blood red boudoir, a scene of her beneath the lid of a dusty glass coffin holding yellow roses against her very dead, old ivory like complexion, a laboratory sequence that pulls out all the stops, a charming stop at a beer garden type pub, complete with accordions and pretzel stands, a climactic fire with the dummies melting in grotesque close-ups, not to mention a beautifully costumed, very accomplished, and handsome cast of players. Miss Gabel seems very much in the Gina Lollobrigida mold, but manages facial expressions of such uncanny yearning that is easy to imagine Mr. Brice falling under her spell. In this sense, she joins company with Barbara Steele, as one of the very few women able to combine beauty and eeriness in equal measure. Pierre Brice approaches his assignment with convincing earnestness and looks very much like a cross between Stephen Boyd and Horst Buchold. A special compliment should be paid to the Technicolor here, which never shrieks, but delivers cold blues and unearthly reds in a fashion that favorably recalls Pressburger's "Tales of Hoffmann." And take a good look at the hutch in the ante-room of Mr. Brice's bedroom; it is the same one featured in Jacqueline Pierreux's parlor in Bava's "Black Sabbath"--the one she keeps her liquor in. Perhaps Mr. Brice had a yard sale! In any case, to fans of the genre, this film is highly recommended.

i have been waiting anxiously to get this - i finally watched it - great movie - very surreal, nightmarish and scary - beautiful women - the movie gets 5 stars - fires on all cylinders - but the disc/dvd could have been better - 2 big problems that take me right out of the joy of watching the movie - first, i like watching it in french with subtitles (because the english dubs are ok but feel very unnatural) - unfortunately the french language audio track will without warnig quit and switch over to the english - usually during a chapter change - second, the picture freezes and stutters for about 2 seconds as chapter 16 quits and chapter 17 starts - the disc looks flawless - no scratches or blemishes - so im left wondering - is this just shoddy work on the pressing end or did i get a lemon? - if i send it back for a replacement will that also be flawed? - has anyone else run into this - i ordered mine from amazon directly - whats the deal?

I've had an inferior copy of "Mill of the Stone Women" on disc for some time now and never thought I'd see a good print. Mondo Macabro has delivered one and I'm quite happy with it. Beautiful print and good sound (with only minor static here and there) make this rare and unusual French-Italian horror film a collector's item. Set in Holland around the turn-of-the-century, it tells of a mad art professor (Wolfgang Preiss) who runs a windmill that serves as a "museum" of sorts with a carousel of infamous female murderers done in stone with wax faces that revolves around to eerie music. He also keeps his strangely beautiful daughter (dying of a bizarre disease) alive with blood transfusions from girls his equally mad unscrupulous assistant (a disposed physician stripped of his license) obtains for him. Once drained of blood, the professor then injects the bodies with a serum that mummifies them into statues for the carousel. A young writer (Pierre Brice) working on the history of the carousel meets the daughter, Elfie (Scilla Gabel) and unwittingly opens a Pandora's box of terror when she falls in love with him. His fiancee (Dany Carrel) is placed in danger when it's discovered that she has the rare blood type needed to restore the daughter to permanent health. "Mill" is full of wonderful imagery and creepy Gothic atmosphere primarily involving the well staged interiors of the windmill and it's macabre carousel. The film score is perfectly chilling. This is one of those nightmarish Euro horror films that relies on it's atmosphere instead of gore. Lovers of European Gothic horror should not be disappointed. It's in Technicolor and the colors are used to great effect to create shuddery mood and horror sequences like Brice's drug induced hallucination after he thinks he's killed Elfie. The DVD contains alternate sequences, cast bios and a French title sequence but I would like to have seen a booklet included with more information. However, just to have a rarely seen film like this in such fine condtion is reason enough to be satisfied. Highly recommended all round for old style Gothic Euro horror lovers. A keeper.

Excellent, obscure Euro horror film from the 1960s. I had the VHS tape, which was dark and poor quality. The Mondo Macabre DVD release is great quality and has some good extras, including a very good trailer. The color is perfect. The story involves a young student/scientist coming to a creepy old mill to examine some papers and meeting the seriously weird occupants. The first is your typical unwelcoming housekeeper, the second the daughter of the house who peers through the curtains with the most strange expression on her face and who spends her time playing a very mournful classical piece on the piano. The next is the master of the house, an artist/scientist? Lastly, some kind of offbeat doctor. The mill also is a waxwork attraction that is powered by the mill itself, to the tune of a sad, wistful carnival tune. The house and mill are on a very dreary, flat landscape that is supposedly Holland. The daughter has an obscure, unexplained illness that periodically kills her and she can only be revived by full blood transfusions from unwilling young women, who when are dead become figures in the waxworks. I bought a used copy through Amazon and was very pleased. Worth getting for fans of sixties Euro horror films. Highly recommended.

"Mill of the stone women" is a masterpiece. Everything is perfect in this landmark of italian horror movies. Pierre Brice better known (specially in Europe) as Winnetou gives a good performance. The scenes of hallucination where he think he had killed Elfi (Scilla Gabel), the sick daughter of Professor Wahl are amazing. There are also the german actor Wolfgang Preiss (also known as Dr. Mabuse in the sixties) and the surprising Robert Boehme as Professor Wahl. At first he seems so kindly, but behind this mask he's gruesome and obsessed to cure his daughter, whatever the price will be ! A word about the feminine parts: Scilla Gabel (double of Sophia Loren) is a wonderfull actress and she's perfect as Elfi. Dany Carrel, a french actress, plays the woman in love of Pierre Brice. Don't forget Liana Orfei, one of the victims of Professor Wahl. The music score of the carillon with his wax mannequins will obsess you. There's no gothic castle here but a mysterious windmill. The final scene is a real climax. This movie is much more than a simply horror flick ! There's something of a dark tragedy. The DVD looks simply great. The bonus are very interesting (deleted scenes, theatrical trailer, a huge stills and poster gallery). I've choosen the french audio track which sounds very good, better than the English one. Giorgio Ferroni created a masterpiece. Don't miss it !