A BAY OF BLOOD (1971) Review

Directed by: Mario Bava
Written by: Franco Barberi, Mario Bava, Filippo Ottoni, Dardano Sacchetti, Giuseppe Zaccariello
Starring: Claudine Auger, Luigi Pistilli, Claudio Camaso, Anna Maria Rosati, Chris Avram, Leopoldo Trieste

"TERROR FLOWS DEEP"

I figured that a fitting way to start off this blog would be to take a look at the movie from which it borrows its title; Mario Bava's A BAY OF BLOOD (also known as TWITCH OF THE DEATH NERVE and about a dozen other titles). While it's not exactly what most people might call a slasher movie there's no doubt that it had an important influence on the genre (and a certain franchise in particular, but we'll get to that later). BAY is Bava's most graphically violent piece of work and apart from being an integral proto-slasher it's also a brilliant film in it's own right. In fact if you have a particular interest in slashers, giallo or just great horror films in general and you still haven't seen this one I suggest that you put it right at the top of your To Do list. Go ahead, do it right now (don't worry I'll wait).

An elderly, wheelchair-bound woman rolls across the floor of a room inside her expansive mansion, stopping briefly to take a look out the window. A black-gloved man appears from behind, loops a rope around the woman's neck and strings her up. With the woman now dead a tightly framed shot shows the as yet unknown man removing his gloves before unexpectedly panning up to reveal his face, but not for long. Another unknown killer appears and stabs the man who collapses onto the floor, bleeding to death while looking up into the face of the woman he himself just murdered. Thus begins A BAY OF BLOOD, Mario Bava's blood-soaked murderfest. And it's a suitable beginning because it gives you a taste of just how the rest of the movie is about to unfold.

A BAY OF BLOOD's wafer-thin plot involves a bay which - along with the surrounding property - is owned by a wealthy countess (that's the old dead woman). The property is prime development real estate but the countess has repeatedly refused to sell up. With the old woman dead the ownership of the bay is up for grabs and there are a number of contenders including her stepdaughter, her illegitimate son and a local architect - all of whom could potentially be willing to murder to get what they want. But things soon escalate when the body count rises and suddenly it's apparent that there is more than one murderer stalking the bay. But with everybody having their own possible motives for murder it's quite a tiring job trying to follow just who is killing who. But in all honesty the plot isn't important except as a framework to hold together a series of violent murder scenes.

The bay which is the centrepiece of the film is a pretty murky looking waterhole not too far removed from a particular lake with which you may be familiar. Replace the homes and shacks surrounding the water with cabins and you know what you get? You essentially get the infamous stomping ground of a certain Mr Jason Voorhees. But the FRIDAY THE 13TH influences don't stop there oh no. Remember that one scene in FRIDAY PART II where Jeff and Sandra are speared together mid-coitus? Well it happened here first folks. And when Mark gets a machete to the face in that same movie? Yep that happened here first as well (see below). And despite what some people would like to argue the two scenes in question are much too similar to be explained by just plain old coincidence. Rip-offs? Maybe, but I'd like to think of them more as loving tributes or homages if you will.

Apart from it's obvious influence on the slasher genre A BAY OF BLOOD is also noteworthy because rather than having a single villain there are multiple killers. None of the characters are particularly likeable, they are all devious, self-serving and they all have their own motives, all of which revolve in some way around the countess' bay. The multiple killer approach happens by way of a bloody chain reaction (indeed the film's original Italian title REAZIONE A CATENA translates to CHAIN REACTION) with some original ideas all soaked in a thick marinade of black comedy.

You're not going to want to see A BAY OF BLOOD for the acting (which is pretty ordinary at best) or for the story (which is pretty much non-existent) but it does have some impressive and artistic cinematography and a smorgasbord of gruesome murders which any slasher would be proud of. It also happens to have a completely ridiculous (yet somehow genius) ending which you will never see coming. And of course its status as an important and influential proto-slasher is as good a reason as any to take the time to check it out.