1960’s Mill of the Stone Women is a landmark film only because it was the first Italian horror film to be shot in color. This paved the way for an entire Italian genre known as giallo to take hold. Unfortunately, that’s where the film’s influence ends.
No matter what language you watch the film in, Mill of the Stone Women suffers from dubbing issues. Pierre Brice, who plays the hero Hans, spoke his lines in French, but many other actors spoke Italian. The film has a confusing auditory quality and may tune out viewers entirely as the dialogue is sometimes difficult to get past.
Brice as Hans travels to the studio of Professor Gregorious Wahl (Herbert Bohme), who works as an artist as well as a professor of art. The eponymous mill features an array of sculpted statues of women throughout history, such as Cleopatra and Joan of Arc. During his time with Wahl, Hans falls in love with Elfie (Scilla Gabel), the professor’s gorgeous but sickly daughter. Hans soon realizes there may be more than meets the eye to the Professor’s statues, and that he’s conducting bizarre experiments in order to cure his daughter.
Part mad scientist tale, part horror show, and part love story, Mill of the Stone Women relies more on atmosphere than plot. There is an authentic Gothic mood here, but the story fails to live up to that mood. The horror film would make a good selection for film studies students with a specialization in horror or an interest in giallo.