MARIO GAUCI There are several firsts associated with this obscure but stylish horror item: it was the first Canadian film to be widely distributed in America; it was the first product in the genre to emanate from the country (so, keeping David Cronenberg in mind, it has a lot to answer for); and, it was the only Canadian production ever to be (partly) shot in 3-D! Given the film's successful combination of art and exploitation, it should come as no real surprise, therefore, to find its director Julian Roffman later engaged as a producer on another notable Canadian horror film, THE PYX (1973) as well as the cheesy exploitation flick THE GLOVE (1979); interestingly enough, my twin brother and I also emerged with divergent opinions on this one but, judging by the final star rating, there can be no doubt as to who eventually won the argument…although, admittedly, his similarly less enthusiastic judgment of THE UNSEEN (1945) had just made me reconsider my own! Actually, this was my second stab at acquiring the film as my first attempt only provided me with a faulty copy. The plot deals with the deadly effect that an ancient burial mask has on whoever happens to don it – from the young disturbed kid being treated by his skeptical shrink at the start of the film (driven first to a homicidal fury and then suicide) and later on, the psychoanalyst himself who receives the mask itself in the mail (a last-minute gift from his former patient)! The film's real raison d'etre and true coup is the surrealistic externalization of the psychoanalyst's demented hallucinations in a reddish-hued Hades (in an otherwise monochrome film) peopled with eyeless arm-grabbing zombies, with the exception of one literally eye-popping specimen, that anticipate the look (complete with monastic attire) of 'the vampires' in THE OMEGA MAN (1971). Ostensibly, these 3-D nightmare sequences (preceded by the ominous off-screen "Put the mask on...now" command – obviously a cue for the audience to put their special glasses on – and underscored by jazzed-up music) were the brainchild of celebrated and multi-talented artist Slavko Vorkapich – best-known for co-directing (with Robert Florey) the avant-garde short THE LIFE OF 9413, A Hollywood EXTRA (1928) and devising the montage segments in Frank Capra's MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939) – but, apparently, his ideas proved too ambitious for the low-budget afforded them and, consequently, they were (mostly) discarded…even if he is still given full credit for them in the film's opening titles.

Coventry No, it's not the Jim Carrey comedy but an utterly obscure and sadly forgotten cheapie from the glorious early 60's. Honestly, I never would have known about this movie's existence if it weren't for a modest film festival held in my country, which included this movie in their nostalgic 3-D tribute series. Apart from the obvious classics, like "House of Wax" and "Creature from the Black Lagoon", they programmed this peculiar little oddity and it unexpectedly became a pleasant little surprise to pretty much everyone in the theater. The plot is non-existent and rudimentary schlock, but the 3-D sequences are nothing short of mesmerizing and vastly astonishing, especially if you bear in mind the time of release as well as the budget Julian Roffman presumably had to work with. The story is actually comparable to the one in the aforementioned Jim Carrey vehicle. Whenever someone puts on the titular mask, he/she undergoes a drastic transformation. But instead of changing into a jolly green-faced comedian, the mask-wearer here directly enters hell, witnesses all sorts of delirious and flashy tableaux and inevitably develops homicidal tendencies. The ambitious and stubborn psychiatrist Allan Barnes receives the mask from a patient who just committed suicide, and instead of returning it to the police or to museum where it got stolen from, he keeps it for research. Barnes constantly convinces his fiancée and himself he's resistant to the mask's powerful satanic side effects, but of course he soon undergoes an incurable transformation. The 3-D footage often doesn't make the slightest bit of sense and/or can't possibly get linked to the rest of the events in the film, but you'll at least have to admit the scenes are trippy and bizarre beyond comparison. There are gigantic skulls emerging from sacrificial altars, large mummified hands launching big balls of fire, ravishing witches luring you with their fingers, trees coming to life before your eyes and literally loads of other lovely stuff. Like any forceful type of drug, the 3-D scenes work addictive and pretty soon you don't even care about the wraparound story anymore as you're simply counting down the minutes until you can put those geeky red & green goggles on again. There's a funny introduction at the start of the film, in which a supposedly acclaimed collector explains to the audience they should put on our "masks" whenever the protagonists puts on his. If that isn't clear enough yet, there's also the brain-penetrating voice-over repeatedly shouting the phrase "Put … the mask … ON!!!". This is, plain and simply, undemanding but extremely relaxing 60's entertainment. It's probably not worth encouraging people to desperately seek for a decent copy (and, of course, matching glasses), but I'm glad I saw it nevertheless.

tristanb-1 Wonderful movie. First I have seen from this time period (aside from "The Incredible Shrinking Man") that actually scared me. A psychiatrist gets addicted to an alternate reality that can be entered by putting on an ancient mask. Trouble is it slowly renders the wearer insane. I wholeheartedly disagree with the majority of viewers here who say the non-3-d sequences are dull. I found them entertaining and well acted. The whole thing can certainly be read as a metaphor for drug use. The actual 3-D isn't that great (it isn't like things are thrust out at the viewer). It looks more vaguely 3-D. But the sequences themselves are fascinating and weird and demand repeated viewings. I think the really striking aspect of this film is the sound design. It truly was ahead of its time. I can't think of another film that makes such mesmerizing, hypnotic use of sound design. I'd be curious to know how they did it.Sounds are slowed down to a throbbing groan, echoes reverberate in and out and a sonic thumping pounds every time someone gets ready to put on the mask. Just listen to the voice-over when the suicide note is read (doctor's patient). I love it. Watch it. I watched scenes again and again after my first viewing.

rufasff This silly, stagy, slow moving horror film is probably still the best 3D movie ever made. Once you wait through the bland story, and the call comes to "Put On The Mask"; it becomes another film. These 3D sequences are the best, freakest ever put on film, and they transfer to TV remarkably well in the Elvira edition. If you have any taste for oddities at all, this is a must.