In 1949, at Republic Pictures, Fritz Lang (self-proclaimed "master of the unusual") created House by the river, a shocking and mordant thriller of passion and murder. Boasting an ingenious script by Spiral staircase scribe Mel Dinelli and evocative photography by Edward Cronjager (I wake up screaming), House ... is an underrated American "Grand Guignol" that transcends its modest origins and affirms Lang's genius.

Koma is a psychological thriller featuring Hong Kong stars Lee Sinje (Divergence) and Karena Lam (Silk, Heroic Duo) that intricately weaves a winding tale through the darkest regions of the human psyche and an emotional cat-and-mouse game between two women. As facts begin to emerge, the truth becomes clearer - one has something the other desperately needs. As they become closer to each other, they find themselves on the brink of unspeakable danger.

After spending several years exploring more contemporary genres, director Mario Bava (Black Sunday) returned with Baron blood to the gothic as a setting for a gruesome thriller. Working with producer Alfredo Leone, Bava crafted a film that is loyal to the bylaws of traditional horror, but is infused with a more modern visual style. An American professor (Antonio Cantafora) travels to the estate of his ancestor, the sadistic Baron Otto von Kleist, seeking the truth beneath his notorious reputation. When he and his assistant Eva (Elke Sommer) read aloud an ancient incantation, the Baron's spirit is resurrected, leading to a series of violent deaths within the haunted castle.

In Murnau's playful espionage thriller reminiscent of Ernst Lubitsch (who had recently left Germany for Hollywood), Harry Liedtke stars as a benevolent dictator who must preserve the tiny nation of Abacco by fending off creditors, wooing a wealthy Russian princess, and evading a band of demonic conspirators.

Regarded as Mario Bava's most personal and unconventional film, Lisa and the devil (Lisa e il diavolo) is a diabolical thriller flavored with the dreadful imagery and tormenting logic of an endless nightmare. Elke Sommer stars as a tourist in Spain who, upon seeing the image of a bald, grinning devil in an ancient fresco, wanders away from her group and finds herself drawn into a confounding labyrinth of mystery, lured ever deeper by a mysterious figure (Telly Savalas) who may in fact be the fresco's Satan made flesh.

Steeped in sadomasochism and lushly photographed in the vivid hues for which the director is known, Mario Bava's The whip and the body is a Gothic thriller that far surpasses the API Edgar Allan Poe films that it was intended to emulate. Christopher Lee (Dracula: prince of darkness) stars as Kurt Menliff, the sadistic son of a wealthy Count, who returns to the family castle, much to the dismay of his family, their servants, and the beautiful woman with whom he shares a fondness for the lash (Daliah Lavi). When Kurt is found murdered, it brings no peace to those who had feared him, as his vengeful spirit cannot be contained by the grave, and he returns to torment those unfortunate enough to remain within Menliff Manor.