La cripta e l'incubo

Digitmovies is glad to present on CD the complete OST in full stereo by Carlo Savina for the Italian Gothic movie “La cripta e l’incubo” (aka “Crypt of the Vampire” ) directed in 1964 by Camillo Mastrocinque and starring Christopher Lee, Adriana Ambesi, Pieranna Quaglia, José Campos, Ursula Davis. Laura (Ambesi), the daughter of count Ludwig Karnstein (Lee), is subject to continuous and terrible nightmares which cause the gir's conviction that she herself is the reincarnation of Sheena (Quaglia), her ancestor which had been accused of witchcraft. Friedrich Klauss (Campos), a young restorer, has been asked by the count to look up the library’s manuscripts and to find out if Sheena’s features are hidden in a painting within the castle. But the mysterious and fascinating Ljuba (Davis) arrives at the castle…. In 1992 Cinevox Record issued fourteen selections of the score in stereo(except “Titoli” which had only been rescued in mono) in the CD compilation “Fantafestival Volume 3”. Our present CD with the complete OST (48:59) has been realized by using the stereophonic master tapes of the original session which have been pefectly preserverd till now thanks to the precious help of Cinevox Record and of the Savina estate. The composer has written an orchestral OST which, maybe because of the presence of the legendary Christopher Lee, calls to mind the classic sounds of the British Hammer films with a range of gloomy and tensive themes (Tr.3, Tr.4, Tr.9, Tr.10, Tr.16, Tr.18) alternated with a recurring and sad love theme (Tr.8, Tr.11, Tr.14) and mysterious atmospheres obtained through organ and disturbing sound effects (Tr.2, Tr.6, Tr.12, Tr.15, Tr.19, Tr.22). A proper rescue and preservation of the Italian Silver Age and of the musical art of Carlo Savina.