Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Ceticultsot Beautiful, moving film.

Teringer An Exercise In Nonsense

Brainsbell The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

Leofwine_draca Another classic Italian Gothic which has an unusual and effective setting (an old windmill) to distinguish it from all the others of the period. MILL OF THE STONE WOMEN is a slow-burning but often effective creep-fest which makes fine use of the almost expressionistic sets of the interior of the windmill, filled with odd angles and bits of female dummies and skulls littered all over, making for a highly distinctive visual look. Filmed in Holland, the brief shots of the flat countryside which surrounds the windmill help to give it an authentic look and a chilly atmosphere, and Ferroni makes excellent use of colour to create a morbidly-beautiful looking movie. On top of this, a fine and creepy score just adds to the tension.The plot itself, when it comes down to it, is nothing particularly new. The idea of a doctor forced to kill young women to sustain the life of his ill daughter was very popular in the period this was made, and variations on the theme can be seen in many other horror films like Freda's THE VAMPIRES, ATOM AGE VAMPIRE, THE AWFUL DR. ORLOFF, and even the French classic EYES WITHOUT A FACE. Mixed in with this plot (which incidentally only comes to the fore in the final third of the movie, the beginning is just atmosphere-building and mysteries with no real answers) are some genuinely macabre HOUSE OF WAX-style shenanigans, involving the bodies of the dead being turned to stone and displayed on the carousel, the creaky contraption which is the film's focus point and a highly effective image of horror.Cast-wise, the film benefits from the presence of the creepy actor Robert Boehme as the professor. Boehme puts in a restrained and ultimately sympathetic performance here but he's still pretty chilling. Also effective is the German Wolfgang Priess (he of the '60s Mabuse films) as a sinister doctor living in the windmill; he doesn't have much to do until the end, in which his part in the horror and his explanations for his actions finally come out, but his role helps bolster the movie and he has some interesting exchanges with Boehme (usually the roles of the two men are combined into one in these sort of films). The actresses don't really have much to work with, especially Dany Carrel whose sole presence is to provide a female victim for the finale, and Scilla Gabel's role as the diseased daughter is seriously underdeveloped. Ultimately the film's biggest failing in the cast is Pierre Brice's turn as the hero, Hans von Arnam; Brice is wooden and uninteresting and seemingly unable to carry a lead by himself.MILL OF THE STONE WOMEN really does pick up for the predictably fiery conclusion, which has some great action, but director Giorgio Ferroni really needs to learn a thing or two about pacing as the first hour of this film is a long haul and lacking in incident. Compare this to a similarly-themed film like Freda's THE TERRIBLE SECRET OF DR. HICHCOCK, which expertly racks up the tension and suspense for the first hour, and its clear that MILL OF THE STONE WOMEN needs more of that suspense and build-up. The atmosphere is perfect, yes, but something is missing. Don't get me wrong, however; this is still a perfectly watchable (if only a little flawed) Gothic horror film with spot-on visuals and sets, and worth tracking down for fans of horror from the period.

Witchfinder General 666 "Black Sunday", "House Of Usher", "Eyes Without A Face", "City Of The Dead",... 1960 sure was one of the greatest years ever for Horror cinema, especially for Gothic Horror. In the same year in which Mario Bava brought us the arguably greatest Gothic Horror film ever (and, in my opinion, one of the greatest films ever made) with his masterpiece "La Maschera Del Demonio" (aka. "Black Sunday") and Roger Corman began the arguably greatest Horror cycle in film history with the brilliant "House Of Usher", director Giorgio Ferroni enriched the world of Horror with this atmospheric and hauntingly beautiful gem called "Il Mulino Delle Donne Di Pietra" aka. "Mill Of The Stone Women", a film with an incredible sense of Gothic beauty and eerie atmosphere that no true Horror fan could possibly afford to miss. A French/Italian Co-production, the film is based on an unknown story by Pieter van Weigen. The creepy, morbid and incredibly fascinating storyline is very similar to that of Georges Franju's masterpiece "Les Yeux Sans Visage" aka. "Eyes Without A Face", which was made in the same year, but the execution is different in style. Morbid stories about mad scientists who target innocent young women in order to restore life, youth or beauty of one specific young woman were a very popular Horror theme in the late 50s and early 60s, and tales of the kind are still among the most fascinating topics the Horror genre has ever brought forth. What also makes this film an absolute must is the eerie atmosphere, the ingenious photography, superb settings and mesmerizing use of color.Journalist Hans (Pierre Brice) comes to the small town of Veeze in order to write a story about the 'Mill Of The Stone Women', a macabre museum in which female statues in morbid situations such as executions are displayed on a mill-wheel. The museum is kept by Professor Wahl (Herbert A.E. Böhme), who keeps his beautiful daughter Elfi (Scilla Gabel) locked in the Windmill. The house is furthermore inhabited by the sinister doctor Bohlem (Wolfgang Preiss)... I don't want to give away too much of the story, but I can assure it gets morbid, haunting and fascinating. The film's visual style and morbid atmosphere often earns it comparisons to Mario Bava's masterpieces. The locations and settings are beautiful and immensely eerie alike and the brilliant camera-work and excellently eerie score contribute a lot to the creepy and unsettling atmosphere. The performances are also very good and the characters are intriguing. I am not a very big fan of Pierre Brice in general (where I live he is mainly known for the incredibly cheesy German Karl May flicks), but he delivers an excellent performance here. The highest praise, however has to go to Herbert A. E. Böhme for his brilliant portrayal of the sinister professor and, especially, to the ravishing Scilla Gabel. Gabel is a stunning beauty and great actress and she delivers a wonderful performance as the mysterious and seductive Elfi Wahl. Wolfgang Preiss is very sinister as the doctor and Dany Carell fits well in her role of the innocent girl. "Mill Of The Stone Women" is an elegant and haunting masterpiece that no lover of Gothic greatness can possibly afford to miss!

ixtoploplcatl I bought the DVD (produced by mondo macabro) based upon the reviews posted here. Big, huge, gigantic, mammoth mistake. I don't know if the disc cut is a very different print than what these folks are talking about, but let me just say this - I fell asleep 3 times trying to watch this movie. After finally getting through this mess, I knew I had to post this review. It is extremely slow-moving, not at all creepy, and rather disjointed in parts. Quite disappointing with characters as empty as the wooden windmill in which they "act." I do entertain the possibility that the DVD producer chopped this film horribly and sells something unlike what the other reviewers have seen and are talking about. If you still want to see this movie DO NOT buy the Mondo Macabro DVD of it. Find a different print and I wish you better luck.

LARSONRD Neatly expressionistic mood piece about a mad scientist/sculptor trying to keep his afflicted daughter from turning to stone by transfusing her with the blood of local babes. The storyline (a favorite of European horror films - THE AWFUL DR. ORLOF and EYES WITHOUT A FACE also had to do with a mad scientist trying to save a deformed daughter at the expense of anyone within reach) has holes thick enough to bowl a woman's severed head through, but the film is great on atmosphere and ambiance. Completed without credit by Mario Bava after director Giorgio Ferroni began it, the Mondo Macabro DVD version includes the uncut French edition (massacred in bad US VHS prints till now). This film was one of two that reportedly started the Eurohorror boom of the '60s and '70s, of which Bava was a primary maestro.