Editor's Note: There seems to be some confusion as to the source of my review for Mondo Macabro's upcoming Mill of the Stone Women DVD. Please allow me to clear up any misconceptions. I was sent a final product screener DVD-R. This means that because of the limited capacity of a single layer DVD-R, all of the extras/audio options were not available to me. The screenshots were taken from the screener directly, and they are an accurate representation of the final pressing's quality. Further down in my review I use words like "slated to include" meaning, these extras I speak of will indeed be on the final pressing, however - they were not accessible to me on the screener, once again due to size limitations. Enjoy the review!

Why was I anticipating Mondo Macabro's DVD release of Mill of the Stone Women? Because everyone else was, that's why!

The truth of the matter is that I've never even seen Mill of the Stone Women up until this point, let alone having heard that much about it. However, once Mondo Macabro announced the title and the enthusiasm started to flow within the horror community, I suddenly became interested. Really interested for that matter. All I had to hear were the words "gothic, creepy windmill, beautiful damsels and bizarre statuesque women" ... I was in! How does the final product fare? Well, let's just say that it far exceeded any and all of my expectations. The fun really comes in as to how my expectations were exceeded though, because in reality - Mill of the Stone Women is far from a perfect film. It's a loosely wound creep-fest that's just bound to please fans of subtle 60's gothic horror, you certainly know who you are!

The story isn't quite as fresh as one would expect (or hope for) - and the slow start to action, may just be enough to turn some people off. However, it's the creepy execution and just how the action actually unfolds that's so important here. There's not a whole lot really going on in the fist act...or the second act for that matter - however, once we reach the final act, it's all made worthwhile - and you'll stand to have even more of an appreciation for the slow motion opening.

A young (and studly) journalist, Hans von Arnam (Pierre Brice) arrives in a small town to complete a story on a local recluse, Prof. Gregorius Wahl (Robert Boehme) and his bizarre carousel. This carousel needs to be seen to be believed. Despite the fact that the locals seem frightened of the Professor and have dubbed his lair (which happens to be in a giant windmill itself) 'windmill of the stone women' - they still flock to his carousel as their #1 tourist attraction. The carousel consists of bizarrely (and creepily) posed statues of women, running along a track in what can only be described as a bizarro world cuckoo clock of mammoth proportions (full of cogs and wheels...and cogs for that matter). Arnam makes the rounds through the castle and experiences a few chance encounters with the Professors' even more reclusive daughter, Elfi Wahl (Scilla Gabel) - a real beauty who loves to creep up on people with her dog by her side (who seems to only want to look off frame to see his owner). The two form a rapidly developing relationship (Elfi and Arnam, not the dog that is), one that has the words 'unhealthy' and 'spooky' written all over it.

Arnam, obviously struck by the young woman's beauty, immediately begins a fling, only to slowly learn the dark secrets that both Elfie and the windmill hold close. Turns out that Elfie is terminally ill and the Professor and the mill's live in doctor, Dr. Loren Bolem (Wolfgang Preiss) are taking part in some really unethical practices to ensure that Elfi wins the battle - and lives on.

Right - so we've seen the mad doctor going through pains to secure the fact that his ill daughter will live a normal life once again many times before. The hard part is over - this concept is nothing new, a fact that we've already distinguished. The real beauty (and I mean that in every sense of the word) behind Mill of the Stone Women is in the films' slick execution. Now, as I said earlier, the opening of the film does indeed move at a snails pace...it is very slow. Aside from the casual introductions and establishing shots, there's not a whole lot happening. BUT, that's part of the real beauty here in the end. Director Giorgio Ferroni shows us that he's a true master of the craft, by building upon these 'safe' scenes with excellent (and subtly meaningful) use of locations, costumes and actors who seem to truly be within their element. Not just that, but the spooky and unnerving build up, is really only a set up for a ballsy and off the wall finale that is destined to please, no matter how familiar. In the end, Mill of the Stone Women is extremely satisfying, you'll probably want to run it at least once more after the end credits roll.

Easily comparable to other 'gothic' type features of the decade, you'll see shades of Bava or Corman's Poe films - so fans should really be delighted with the look of Mill. Mill of the Stone Women is almost poetic in its execution, beautifully framed and timed, most valuable to the true connoisseurs of cinematic excellence.

Mondo Macabro continues their streak of 'awesomeness' in delivering top-notch editions of truly fantastic examples of cult films on DVD we thought we'd never get to see. Picture quality is quite stunning with little to no grain or print damage present. There's really nothing to complain about here, the 60's color scheme is nicely and quite accurately represented. This is a near stellar presentation, and I couldn't have been more pleased. Becuase of the limitations in the size of my DVD screener, there was only one audio option - an English dub track. The final pressing is slated to have an alternate English dub (in addition to the one present on my screener) and a French language track with optional English subs. Aside from a few silly moments of dialogue, the English dub on my screener came across just fine. No distorion or hiss to speak of, extremely clear and satisfying.

Extras include a pretty nifty trailer and some well-written bios on the major players from the film, contributed by Mondo Macabro frontman Pete Tombs. Stick around towards the end of the Scilla Gabel (Elfi) BIO, for a few choice nude shots, thanks MM! Also included is an extensive collection of stills seperated into no less than 8 galleries and a couple of deleted/alternate scenes. Once again, due to size limitations of my screener DVD, I could only access one deleted scene (labeled "Missing French Bridge Scene"). Also slated to be included is an alternate "US Hallucination Scene" and an "Alternate French Title Sequence."

I guess it goes without saying...this DVD comes highly recommended. What we have here is a wholly satisfying cinematic experience and DVD presentation rolled into one. Easily one of the best discs of the year thus far, right alongside Blue Underground's Fight for Your Life (review here). More info at www.mondomacabrodvd.com