Dir. Mario Bava (1971)
The murder of a countess starts a string of killings as a group of people vie for the inheritance of her estate.
Italy has long been arguably the second best and most prolific producers of horror movies, led by the Big 3: Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, and Mario Bava. Whereas the first two became much more famous the world over, Bava lingered in third, despite making a couple of films that may very well rival the best of his competitors. A Bay of Blood is one of them, a fantastic proto-slasher/giallo that comprises the best of both genres and one that inspired one of the more well-known kills in the entire horror pantheon. More on that in a bit.
When the Countess Federica Donati (Isa Miranda) is murdered by her husband, who is immediately killed himself, her massive estate is up for grabs for whoever can stay alive. Estranged family, murderous plotters, and even a bevy of rowdy teenagers all become fodder for the fight over the valuable property, and bodies being piling up. Mayhem, intrigue, and foolishness rule the day, and before the story is through, almost no one will remain. But who was behind the murder, and more importantly, who will eventually inherit the Countess' riches?
One of the challenges of watching Italian horror is that you either have to deal with the subtitles, which for some reason are not always accurate, or terrible dubbing, which sometimes makes the movies seem unwatchable. A Bay of Blood is actually one of the better dubbed films coming out of Italy, and for the most part, it's neither distracting or unrealistic. The actors in the film rarely give hammy performances, breaking from the giallo norm, and the voice actors do a great job of matching the tone of the scenes they are dubbed into. It seems like a strange thing to compliment a film for achieving, but if you're a fan of Italian horror, you're well aware how rare this is for the industry.
A Bay of Blood, or, if you'd prefer, any one of its numerous titles, is a mean and nasty film, very much deserving of the Video Nasty moniker it received upon release. There are lots of killings, all done exceptionally well by one of the masters of Italian horror, and several that have been copied almost verbatim in later works. The spear scene in this film is taken shot-for-shot by Friday the 13th: Part II, as is a machete kill that Friday director Steve Miner pays homage to with the direction the weapon is aimed. While Bay is most certainly a slasher film, though it is rarely recognized as anything other than a progenitor of the genre, it also owes a lot of its style to giallo as well. The beautiful colors, the themes of murder mysteries, and even the ridiculously contrived ending all fit perfectly into the most Italian of all genres.
It's also an infinitely watchable film. There are very few Italian horror fans that are an easy recommendation to American horror fans, but Bay of Blood is most definitely one of them. It feels very Americanized, despite its clear Italian influences. In fact, while most "proto-slashers" only contain a few links that make them kinda fit within the category, A Bay of Blood is almost a straight-up entry into the genre. Skinny-dipping teenagers, sex murders, the use of multiple different weapons in the killings... there's almost nothing from the American "summer camp slasher" genre that doesn't appear in this film. It's also decently gory, especially for its era, a welcome addition to the film that makes it a bit more appealing to modern audiences than others made in the same era.
Mario Bava deserves a lot more credit than he receives. While he didn't make as many iconic films as Argento, and he didn't go as deep into the extreme gore and effects as Fulci, he arguably made better movies than either of them. A Bay of Blood and Blood and Black Lace are both phenomenal, and he's got a handful of other amazing movies as well. While this one does move a little slow at times, it's got some excellent kill scenes, an interesting plot, and a well-developed storyline that will keep you guessing until the end. Also, the very last scene is batshit crazy, so it's worth sticking around for.
Who this movie is for: Italian horror fans, Slasher historians, Estate lawyers
Bottom line: Great setpieces, a groovy soundtrack, and some better-than-average writing highlight a film that's a must-see for slasher fans and, hell, horror fans in general. A Bay of Blood is a film that doesn't get the credit it deserves, and I imagine that's due in large part because it's an Italian film. If you haven't seen it, though, you're missing out, and I can't recommend it enough. It's a ton of fun, a great modern slasher that everyone who loves the genre needs to see at least once. It's arguably a top 10 horror movie of the decade, which says a hell of a lot considering the 70's were one of the best for horror.
