Mario Bava Double Bill

A Bay of Blood

(aka Twitch of the Death Nerve)

Thoughts Before: Mario Bava as got quite a reputation in the Giallo fans circles and this movie, by whichever title it's goes is usually one of the first mentioned. I was expecting blood and insane deaths.

Review: And you blood and insane death by the plenty, clearly ripped off to pieces by the Friday the 13th franchise- this movie is insanely difficult to keep track of whose a murderer and whose a victim. It's the sort of film you'd watch not for the story (everybody as their eyes on becoming owners of the bay)- This is typical Giallo (that is a good thing) with great moments (I flinched a couple of times), gratiatous nudity and good characters (It would have been great if the husband and wife team of the fortune teller and bug-scientist got their own spin-off movie- if they didn't die horrible in the movie) and a really, really cool ending. Mario Bava's visual flair is apparent and keeps you hooked from the first moment.

Stand Out Moment: As to be the ending, so cool and unexpected, a moment that lingers on the mind forever.

Conclusion: Rightly, should be regarded as the godfather of all the 70s/80s slashers movies since it was raped and pilaged so much. Excellently directed with memorable characters, recommended.

***** Hatchet for the Honeymoon

Thoughts Before: Bay of Blood came through the post on the Wednesday, watched it that today, loved it, knew my local used DVD shop had this in and went and brought it on the Friday. I was pretty unfamiliar with this film compared to some of Mario Bava's other movies.

Review: This just might be better then A Bay of Blood, this is even more visually stunning then that movie, like most of Bava's imput the story is 2nd place, it's everything else, the insane characters, moments (as a filmmaker I might rip off this film royally)- the plot as a man marrying brides on their wedding days to find out who killed his mother, like a lot of Italian Horror it doesn't matter just soak yourself in and your in for a treat.

Stand Out Moment: The insane wedding dress dance knife attack sequence

Conclusion: Excellent, excellent movie, it's hard to know whether to class it as a Giallo, because there is actually so little blood compared to it's counterparts, this film as many excellent moments, recommend. And the UK release DVD I brought, features an hour long Bava documentary that is also very good.

*****