Bay of Blood

An old woman sits alone in a castle like house and stares longingly at the window. After some beautiful images and music, she is killed by somebody strangling her with the rope. One of the most popular Mario Bava's movies, Bay of blood starts in this fashion with a lengthy strangling scene. There are much more violent murder scenes to look forward to in this movie so gore fans may not be disappointed. The twist here is that the killer of the old woman is revealed right at that time, bucking movie convention. Then at the same time, the killer is killed by another person! The Count also disappears after this murder.

The scene then shifts to a man called Frank Ventura and his secretary(providing some interesting nudity!). He is supposedly keen on negotiating a contract to inherit the Bay owned by the Countess(now revealed to be the old woman who was killed). After this the scene then shifts to the other characters involved in this grisly tale, a man named Fossati and simone. Later it is also revealed that Fossati is married to a fortune teller named Anna fossati. Thus when suspicion shifts from character to character, as is the case with most giallo movies, there enter more characters in the form of a bunch of youngsters branching into more familiar slasher territory. Later, the daughter of the Count, Renata arrives at the Bay along with her husband Alberto to investigate the disappearance of her father. Revealing more about the movie may spoil the whole movie for those reading this blog.

The most interesting fact about this movie is that it bucks the trend of most giallo movies in the sense that it doesn’t have a fixed formula and the plot may be confusing to even seasoned giallo enthusiasts. The truth is many giallo/slasher fans may not be ready for the ending which is so innovative and somewhat absurd that this movie may not satisfy giallo/slasher fans who expect a straightforward giallo. This movie serves as the precursor to the American slasher movie genre and many slasher movies have adopted the atmosphere, the style of Bay of blood and some movies have even exactl y copied some scenes of the movie. Also gore fans may also be satisfied by the violence which is incredible for a movie of the early 70’s. It is quite fast paced so is quite accessible to most audiences.

The cast features some seasoned actors like Luigi Pistilli and Claudine Auger. Claudine auger(as Renata), in particular, has impressed with her portrayal of a strong and single minded woman who dominates her husband, Alberto(Luigi Pistilli). The performances of Laura betti as the fortune teller who foresees doom and Leopoldo Trieste as her husband who dislikes Frank Ventura for attempting to damage the beauty of the bay, are also noteworthy. The score is also quite excellent giving a mysterious feel to the whole movie. So the atmosphere is not hindered because of a cheesy score as is the case of most giallos.

One factor that places it in the elite list of giallos and horror movies in general is that it is also a fascinating character study and greed is a common factor throughout the movie. Almost all the characters are quite unlikeable so there are no heroes or people who we can root for. At the same time the characters don’t seem like caricatures and thus they seem like real people who have been overcome by greed. The complex plot is also quite an achievement because at the end the pieces fall into place quite perfectly. But the ending seems somewhat of a rushed job but I feel it also has a symbolism.

Finally this movie is a winner because of the existence of the standard giallo characteristics which will definitely please the giallo purists. Anna Marie Rosati, especially, is noticeable as one of the most beautiful women in a giallo movie ever. Unfortunately there is no full frontal nudity involving her! The need for such gratuitous nudity is satisfied by the four youngsters who travel to the Bay looking to have some fun. Gore fans may not be disappointed because of the existence of a scene where a character is sliced in the face. Also there is also another scene where two people are killed at once by a single spear when they are in bed together. The scenes are quite violent even for the 70s!

As for me, I have watched the movie about 5 times and it has ended up on my top 5 list. This is one of the must see movies for giallo fans and horror fans in general.

Rating : 10/10

Yesterday I watched one of the my favourite giallos of all time. The House with the laughing windows(1976) was directed by Pupi avati. I have to admit my ignorance of Pupi avati as a director. I only know he has directed some other cult movie called Zeder. Judging by this movie, he was destined for great things but that potential was never fulfilled.

The plot goes like this. Stefano is a restorer comes to an island in order to rescue the fresco depicting the suffering of St.Sebastian. The artist(now dead) was known to be a disturbed individual who painted scenes of death and suffering. He is somehow given a place to live by a somewhat mentally challenged individual. From this point onwards, he notices the sinister behaviour of the villagers. He doesn't understand it and decides to get to the bottom of the mystery that haunts the village.

This giallo is unique and quite different from other giallos because unlike other giallos, there is not much gratuitious violence or sex to keep the viewer interested. There are no scenes which would shock the viewer or anything like that. That is one reason why giallo afficionados might not appreciate this movie completely. It does not have the usual gimmicks and over the top acting performances that are generally expected from giallo actors and actresses. The leading man(Lino capollichio) is amazingly capable of carrying the whole movie on his shoulders with a restrained performance of a man who is puzzled and somewhat disturbed by the village and its environment.

The ending is one of best aspects of the film. It is the perfect payoff for patiently building the atmosphere throughout the movie. Another aspect is the creepy atmosphere throughout the movie. It is almost downright scary sometimes. In this aspect, this movie is similar to a movie like Don't look now or Japanese horror than generic giallo films or slashers.

The negative aspects that may turn off some giallo lovers is that it is quite slow but the slow buildup infact increases the tension and that makes the ending all the more worthwhile. The best scene(according to me) is the scene in the dark room where the hero walks through the room slowly. There is absolute silence in the room which is very unlike other giallo films.

Final rating: 10/10. Yes, it may seem very high but it is worth the high rating. Anybody lucky enough to be able to get a copy of this movie should watch it.