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''A Bay of Blood'' (
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
: ''Ecologia del delitto'', lit. "Ecology of Crime", later retitled ''Reazione a catena'' it. "Chain Reaction" (also known as ''Carnage'', ''Twitch of the Death Nerve'' and ''Blood Bath'') is a 1971 Italian giallo slasher film directed by
Mario Bava Mario Bava (31 July 1914 – 27 April 1980) was an Italian filmmaker who worked variously as a director, cinematographer, special effects artist and screenwriter, frequently referred to as the "Master of Italian Horror" and the "Master of the Ma ...
. Bava co-wrote the screenplay with Giuseppe Zaccariello, Filippo Ottoni, and Sergio Canevari, with story credit given to
Dardano Sacchetti Dardano Sacchetti (born 1944 ) is an Italian screenwriter who often worked with Italian directors Lamberto Bava and Lucio Fulci. Screenwriting Sacchetti was born in 1944,in Italy. His first screen credit was for Dario Argento's film ''The Cat o' Ni ...
and Franco Barberi. The film stars
Claudine Auger Claudine Auger (born Claudine Oger; 26 April 1941 – 18 December 2019) was a French actress best known for her role as a Bond girl, Dominique "Domino" Derval, in the James Bond film '' Thunderball'' (1965). She earned the title of Miss F ...
,
Luigi Pistilli Luigi Pistilli (19 July 192921 April 1996) was an Italian actor of stage, screen, and television. At one time Pistilli was one of Italy's most respected actors of stage, screen, and television. In theater, he was considered one of the country's ...
,
Brigitte Skay Brigitte Skay (born Brigitte Johanna Riedle; 18 July 1940 - 19 November 2012)Brigitte Skay
Discogs was a ...
,
Nicoletta Elmi Nicoletta Elmi (born 13 February 1964) is an Italian film actress. She appeared in many films in the 1970s as a child actress, but also appeared in several roles in adulthood in the 1980s. Career She is best known for (but was not limited to) a s ...
and
Laura Betti Laura Betti ( Trombetti; 1 May 1927 – 31 July 2004) was an Italian actress known particularly for her work with directors Federico Fellini, Pier Paolo Pasolini and Bernardo Bertolucci. She had a long friendship with Pasolini and made a document ...
.
Carlo Rambaldi Carlo Rambaldi (September 15, 1925 – August 10, 2012) was an Italian special effects artist, winner of three Oscars: one Special Achievement Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 1977 for the 1976 version of ''King Kong'' and two Acade ...
created the gruesome special
make-up Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protect ...
effects. The story details a string of mysterious murders that occur around the titular bay. Widely considered Bava's most violent film, its emphasis on graphically bloody murder
set piece In film production, a set piece is a scene or sequence of scenes whose execution requires complex logistical planning and considerable expenditure of money. The term is often also used more broadly to describe a sequence in which the film-maker's ...
s was hugely influential on the
slasher film A slasher film is a genre of horror films involving a killer stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools like knife, chainsaw, scalpel, etc. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a ...
subgenre that would follow a decade later. In 2005, the magazine ''
Total Film ''Total Film'' is a British film magazine published 13 times a year (published monthly and a summer issue is added every year since issue 91, 2004, which is published between July and August issue) by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched i ...
'' named ''A Bay of Blood'' one of the 50 greatest horror films of all time.


Plot

At night in her bayside mansion, wheelchair-using Countess Federica Donati is attacked and strangled to death by her husband, Filippo Donati. Moments later, Filippo himself is stabbed to death by an assailant, and his corpse is then dragged to the bay. Upon investigation, the police find what they believe to be a suicide note written by the Countess, but Filippo's murder goes undiscovered. Real estate agent Frank Ventura and his lover Laura plot to take possession of the bay. After the Countess refused to sell her home and property to them, the couple hatched a scheme with Filippo to murder his wife. To finalize their plan, Ventura needs Filippo's signature on a set of legal documents. They have no idea, however, that Filippo himself has been killed. Their curiosity piqued by news of the murder, four local teenagers break into the seemingly deserted mansion and are murdered. The Countess's illegitimate son Simon, who lives on the grounds in a separate shack, is the killer. After killing Filippo, he is now conspiring with Ventura, who offers Simon a huge cash pay-off to sign the relevant legal documents. Their scheme is dealt a potentially ruinous blow when Filippo's estranged daughter Renata appears, determined to ensure that her father's estate comes into her possession. A search for a will proves unsuccessful, and Ventura, who believes that Renata may be the rightful beneficiary, urges Simon to kill his stepsister. Accompanied by her husband Albert and leaving their young son and daughter in a caravan nearby, Renata visits the house of Paolo Fossati, an
entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...
living on the grounds of the Donati estate. Fossati's wife, Anna, tells them that Filippo was responsible for the Countess's death and says that Simon will probably end up with the property. Renata, unaware that she had a stepbrother, makes plans with her husband to murder Simon. After discovering Filippo's mangled and rotting corpse on Simon's boat, Renata and Albert head to Ventura's house. Upon their arrival, Ventura attacks Renata, but Renata gains the upper hand and stabs Ventura with a large pair of scissors in his
femoral artery The femoral artery is a large artery in the thigh and the main arterial supply to the thigh and leg. The femoral artery gives off the deep femoral artery or profunda femoris artery and descends along the anteromedial part of the thigh in the fem ...
. Paolo Fossati, who witnesses the assault, attempts to telephone the police but is confronted by Albert, who strangles him to death. Renata kills Anna with an ax to ensure there are no additional witnesses. Ventura's partner Laura arrives, planning to meet up with him. When Simon discovers that it was the pair who had plotted with Filippo to kill his mother, he strangles Laura to death. No sooner has he exacted his revenge than Simon himself is murdered by Albert. The wounded Ventura reappears, but Albert kills him after a brief struggle. Knowing there are now no other living heirs, Albert and Renata prepare to return home to await the announcement of their inheritance when they are shot dead from the caravan by their son, who has mistaken their shotgun for a toy. The son and daughter think that their parents are playing dead and rush off outside to play along the bay.


Cast

*
Claudine Auger Claudine Auger (born Claudine Oger; 26 April 1941 – 18 December 2019) was a French actress best known for her role as a Bond girl, Dominique "Domino" Derval, in the James Bond film '' Thunderball'' (1965). She earned the title of Miss F ...
as Renata Donati *
Luigi Pistilli Luigi Pistilli (19 July 192921 April 1996) was an Italian actor of stage, screen, and television. At one time Pistilli was one of Italy's most respected actors of stage, screen, and television. In theater, he was considered one of the country's ...
as Alberto (Albert in the English version) * Claudio Volonté as Simone (Simon) *
Laura Betti Laura Betti ( Trombetti; 1 May 1927 – 31 July 2004) was an Italian actress known particularly for her work with directors Federico Fellini, Pier Paolo Pasolini and Bernardo Bertolucci. She had a long friendship with Pasolini and made a document ...
as Anna Fossati *
Leopoldo Trieste Leopoldo Trieste (3 May 1917 – 25 January 2003) was an Italian actor, film director and script writer. Trieste was born in Reggio Calabria. He worked with directors such as Pietro Germi, Francis Ford Coppola, Giuseppe Tornatore, Mario Bava, ...
as Paolo Fossati (Paul Fossati) *
Isa Miranda Isa Miranda (born Ines Isabella Sampietro; 5 July 1909 – 8 July 1982) was an Italian actress with an international film career. Biography Miranda was born Ines Isabella Sampietro in Milan, the daughter of atreet car conductor in Mian. When s ...
as Countessa Federica Donati *
Chris Avram Chris Avram (born Cristea Avram; August 31, 1931 – January 10, 1989) was a Romanian- Italian film actor. Early life and career Avram was born in Bucharest, into a family of active communists (his father being a member of the Romanian Communist ...
as Franco Ventura (Frank Ventura) * Anna Maria Rosati as Laura *
Brigitte Skay Brigitte Skay (born Brigitte Johanna Riedle; 18 July 1940 - 19 November 2012)Brigitte Skay
Discogs was a ...
as Louise (Brunhilde) * Paola Montenero (as Paola Rubens) as Sylvie (Denise) * Guido Boccaccini as Luca (Duke) * Roberto Bonanni as Roberto (Bobby) * Giovanni Nuvoletti as Count Filippo Donati *
Renato Cestiè Renato Cestiè (born January 11, 1963) is a former Italian film actor. He was Italy's top child star of the 1970s. His best-known work was in tear-jerkers such as ''The Last Snows of Spring'', where he would play a neglected child who, most ofte ...
as Son *
Nicoletta Elmi Nicoletta Elmi (born 13 February 1964) is an Italian film actress. She appeared in many films in the 1970s as a child actress, but also appeared in several roles in adulthood in the 1980s. Career She is best known for (but was not limited to) a s ...
as Daughter


Production

The genesis of ''A Bay of Blood'' was when producer
Dino De Laurentiis Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian-American film producer. Along with Carlo Ponti, he was one of the producers who brought Italian cinema to the international scene at the end of World War II. He ...
heard that
Dardano Sacchetti Dardano Sacchetti (born 1944 ) is an Italian screenwriter who often worked with Italian directors Lamberto Bava and Lucio Fulci. Screenwriting Sacchetti was born in 1944,in Italy. His first screen credit was for Dario Argento's film ''The Cat o' Ni ...
, screenwriter of the popular ''
The Cat o' Nine Tails ''The Cat o' Nine Tails'' ( it, Il gatto a nove code) is a 1971 ''giallo'' film written and directed by Dario Argento, adapted from a story by Dardano Sacchetti, Luigi Cozzi, and an uncredited Bryan Edgar Wallace. It stars Karl Malden, James Fran ...
'', had fallen out with the film's director
Dario Argento Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and film critic, critic. His influential work in the horror film, horror genre during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the subgenre known as ...
. He contacted Sacchetti and persuaded him to collaborate with director Mario Bava on a
giallo In Italian cinema, ''Giallo'' (; plural ''gialli'', from ''giallo'', Italian for yellow) is a genre of mystery fiction and thrillers that often contains slasher, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, and, ...
film. Sacchetti and Bava got along well, and together came up with a story in which two parents commit murder to secure a better future for their children. In this early version of the story, the parents are driven to commit one murder after another in a chain reaction, becoming so caught up in their plan that they abandon their children for several days. When they return home, the starving and terrified children kill them. The thirteen murders were conceived as isolated sequences, with no initial idea of how they would fit into the story; Sacchetti credits Bava with the idea of two people being killed with a spear while making love and himself with the idea of a woman being killed in her wheelchair. Sacchetti wrote the first draft of the script, titled ''Cosi imparano a fare i cattivi'' ("That Will Teach Them to Be Bad") after a line spoken by the children after killing their parents, with his writing partner Franco Barbieri. However, spectacular arguments with Bava and the production team led to Barbieri being fired, and Sacchetti quit as an act of solidarity with his partner. De Laurentiis, disenchanted when ''The Cat o' Nine Tails'' failed to recreate its domestic popularity when released abroad, also abandoned the project. Bava, owing a massive amount in
back taxes Back taxes is a term for taxes that were not completely paid when due. Typically, these are taxes that are owed from a previous year. Causes for back taxes include failure to pay taxes by the deadline, failure to correctly report one's income, or n ...
, felt he needed to complete a film soon, and turned to Giuseppe Zaccariello (who had silently backed Bava's earlier films ''
Hatchet for the Honeymoon ''Hatchet for the Honeymoon'' ( it, Il rosso segno della follia, lit=The Red Sign of Madness) is a 1970 giallo film directed by Mario Bava and starring Stephen Forsyth, Dagmar Lassander, Laura Betti, and Femi Benussi. The story follows John Harri ...
'' and ''
Five Dolls for an August Moon ''Five Dolls for an August Moon'' (Italian: ''5 bambole per la luna d'agosto'') is a 1970 Italian giallo film directed by Mario Bava. It concerns a group of people who have gathered on a remote island for fun and relaxation. One of the guests is ...
'') to take over as producer. Zaccariello insisted that the shooting script be written by Filippo Ottoni, who was reluctant to take the job since he did not like
exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that tries to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or lurid content. Exploitation films are generally low-quality "B movies", though some set trends, attract critical attention, become hi ...
s. Numerous other writers, including Zaccariello himself, had their hands involved in devising the final screenplay.Lucas, Tim. ''Twitch of the Death Nerve'' DVD, Image Entertainment, 2000,
liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...
. ASIN: B000055ZCA
The cast included Laura Betti, who had got along well with Bava on ''Hatchet for the Honeymoon''. At the time De Laurentiis approached Bava about working with Sacchetti, Bava and Betti had been toying with the idea of making a movie called "Odore di carne" ("stench of flesh") about cannibalism on Los Angeles colleges. The film began production in early 1971, still under the shooting title ''Cosi imparano a fare i cattivi'', which was soon changed to ''Reazione a catena'' ("chain reaction").Stevens, Brad. ''Video Watchdog'' Magazine, #32 (1996), pgs. 10-11, "A Bay of Blood" videotape review Yet another title used during shooting was ''La baia d'argento'' ("the bay of silver"), discarded for fear that the movie would be perceived as a parody of Dario Argento's works as a result. The final title of ''Ecologia del delitto'' was suggested by Zaccariello because the word "ecologia" was in vogue at the time. The film's budget was extremely low, and it had to be shot very quickly and cheaply. Due to the severe budgetary restrictions, Bava not only acted as his own
cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...
, but also utilized a simple child's wagon for the film's many
tracking shot A tracking shot is any shot where the camera follows backward, forward or moves alongside the subject being recorded. In cinematography, the term refers to a shot in which the camera is mounted on a camera dolly that is then placed on rails – ...
s. The location shooting was mostly completed at Zaccariello's
Sabaudia Sabaudia is a coastal town in the province of Latina, Lazio, in central Italy. Sabaudia's centre is characterised by several examples of Fascist architecture. Villa Volpi, a neoclassical seaside villa built for Countess Nathalie Volpi of Misurata ...
beach house Beach House is an American musical duo formed in Baltimore, Maryland in 2004. The band consists of Victoria Legrand (vocals, keyboards) and Alex Scally (guitar, keyboard, backing vocals). Their self-titled debut album was released in 2006 to ...
and its outlying property. Bava had to resort to various camera tricks to convince the audience that an entire forest existed when in fact, only a few scattered trees were at the location. Betti recalled: "All of this had to occur in a forest. But where was it? Bava said, 'Don't worry. I will do the forest'. And he found a florist who was selling these little stupid branches with little bits of foliage on them, and he began to make them dance in front of the camera! We had to act the scenes strictly in front of those branches—if we moved even an inch either way, the 'woods' would disappear!" To ensure the utmost realism in depicting the thirteen different murders,
Carlo Rambaldi Carlo Rambaldi (September 15, 1925 – August 10, 2012) was an Italian special effects artist, winner of three Oscars: one Special Achievement Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 1977 for the 1976 version of ''King Kong'' and two Acade ...
was hired to provide the special
make-up Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protect ...
effects. To create the deaths of Anna, Brunhilda, and Denise, wax effigies of the actresses' throats and backs were constructed and rigged to expulse brightly colored blood when cut. The illusion of Bobby being stabbed in the face with a billhook was achieved with a prop blade which was swiftly pulled out of frame to hide the fact that it was sculpted to conform exactly to actor Roberto Bonanni's profile.


Release

''A Bay of Blood'' was promoted with multiple different titles in Italy. The film was announced as ''Antefatto'' ("Before the Fact"), but when finally released to theatres, the title had changed to ''Ecologia del delitto'' ("Ecology of Crime"). When the film did poorly on its initial release, it was pulled from Italian theaters and retitled ''Reazione a Catena'' ("Chain Reaction"), and was later re-released as ''Bahia de Sangre'' ("Bay of Blood" in Spanish). ''A Bay of Blood'' was acquired up for US distribution in 1972 by Steve Minasian's Hallmark Releasing, which specialized in
exploitation films An exploitation film is a film that tries to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or lurid content. Exploitation films are generally low-quality "B movies", though some set trends, attract critical attention, become hi ...
. Premiering the film under its original English title, ''Carnage'', Hallmark copied their successful advertising campaign for '' Mark of the Devil'' by proclaiming that Bava's film was "The Second Film Rated 'V' for Violence!" (''Devil'' having been the first). This campaign prompted a lawsuit from the
Motion Picture Association of America The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distribu ...
on the grounds that it intruded on their exclusive right to rate motion pictures, and the film was withdrawn and re-released under the now common title ''Twitch of the Death Nerve'' with a R rating appearing in advertisements. Thanks to Hallmark's distribution partnership with Bava's former employer
American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...
, the film played for years under this title in
drive-ins A drive-in is a facility (such as a restaurant or movie theater) where one can drive in with an automobile for service. At a drive-in restaurant, for example, customers park their vehicles and are usually served by staff who walk or rollerskat ...
and
grindhouse A grindhouse or action house is an American term for a theatre that mainly shows low-budget horror, splatter and exploitation films for adults. According to historian David Church, this theater type was named after the "grind policy", a film ...
s throughout the country as part of a
double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...
or triple bill with other Hallmark/AIP films, most notably
Wes Craven Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor. Craven has commonly been recognized as one of the greatest masters of the horror genre due to the cultural imp ...
's equally-influential ''
The Last House on the Left ''The Last House on the Left'' is a 1972 American exploitation horror film written, directed and edited by Wes Craven in his directorial debut. The film follows Mari Collingwood (Sandra Peabody), a hippie teenager who is abducted, raped, and ...
'' and
Fernando Di Leo Fernando Di Leo (11 January 1932 – 2 December 2003) was an Italian film director and screenwriter, script writer. He made 17 films as a director and about 50 scripts from 1964 to 1985. Biography Fernando Di Leo was born on 11 January 1932 in ...
's ''
Slaughter Hotel ''Slaughter Hotel'' ( it, La bestia uccide a sangue freddo, "The beast kills in cold blood"), also known as ''Asylum Erotica'' and ''Cold Blooded Beast'', is a 1971 Italian giallo horror film directed by Fernando Di Leo and starring Klaus Ki ...
'', but it has since been re-released theatrically and on home video under a variety of titles. In the US alone, its later titles include ''A Bay of Blood'', ''Last House on the Left Part II'', ''Last House Part II'' and ''New House on the Left''.


Critical response

''A Bay of Blood'' was greeted with extreme controversy and disappointment by several critics, especially by those who were fans of the director's earlier, more restrained films. At the 1971 Avoriaz Film Festival, where the movie had its world premiere,
Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultimat ...
attended a screening of the film, having expressed an interest in seeing the latest effort from the director of ''
The Whip and the Body ''The Whip and the Body'' ( it, La frusta e il corpo) is a 1963 gothic horror film directed by Mario Bava under the alias "John M. Old". The film is about Kurt Menliff (Christopher Lee) who is ostracized by his father for his relationship with a ...
'', which Lee had starred in eight years before. Lee was reportedly completely revolted by the film. The festival jurors awarded the film the Best Make-Up and Special Effects Award. Rambaldi's effects work also earned the film a "Special Mention" Award at the prestigious
Sitges Film Festival The Sitges Film Festival ( ca, Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya, links=no) is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Spain, specialized in fantasy and horror films, of which it is considered one of the world's foremost in ...
in 1971. Controversy of the film continued in subsequent years and maintained a mixed critical response. Jeffrey Frentzen, reviewing the film for ''
Cinefantastique ''Cinefantastique'' is an American horror, fantasy, and science fiction film magazine. History The magazine originally started as a mimeographed fanzine in 1967, then relaunched as a glossy, offset printed quarterly in 1970 by publisher/editor ...
'', called ''Twitch of the Death Nerve'' "the director's most complete failure to date. If you were appalled by the gore and slaughter in ''
Blood and Black Lace ''Blood and Black Lace'' ( it, 6 donne per l'assassino, lit=6 Women for the Murderer) is a 1964 ''giallo'' film directed by Mario Bava and starring Eva Bartok and Cameron Mitchell. The story concerns the brutal murders of a Roman fashion house ...
'', this latest film contains twice the murders, each one accomplished with an obnoxious detail...
Red herring A red herring is a figurative expression referring to a logical fallacy in which a clue or piece of information is or is intended to be misleading, or distracting from the actual question. Red herring may also refer to: Animals * Red herring (fis ...
s are ever-present, and serve as the only interest keeping the plot in motion, but nothing really redeems the dumb storyline". Gary Johnson, on his ''Images'' website, said that "''Twitch of the Death Nerve'' is made for people who derive pleasure from seeing other people killed... The resulting movie is guaranteed to make audiences squirm, but the violence is near pornographic. In the same way that pornographic movies reduce human interactions to the workings of genitals, ''Twitch of the Death Nerve'' reduces cinematic thrills to little more than knives slicing through flesh".
Phil Hardy Philip Hardy (born 9 April 1973) is an English-born former Ireland under-21 footballer who played as a left-back. With Welsh club Wrexham from 1990 to 2001, he played more than 450 games under manager Brian Flynn. He was named on the PFA ...
's '' The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror'', while noting that Bava was able to "achieve some striking images", opined "zooms, no doubt programmed by the imperative to work quickly, spoil some scenes that cried out for Bava's particularly fluid use of camera movement which were so much in evidence in ''Operazione Paura'' (1966)". Reprinted as ''The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: Horror'', Overlook Press, 1995, On the
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, ''A Bay of Blood'' holds an 86% approval rating based on 14 critic reviews, with an
average rating In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...
of 7.10/10.
Joe Dante Joseph James Dante Jr. (; born November 28, 1946) is an American film director, producer, editor and actor. His films—notably ''Gremlins'' (1984) alongside its sequel, '' Gremlins 2: The New Batch'' (1990)—often mix 1950s-style B movies wit ...
was enthusiastic about the film, writing in ''The Film Bulletin'' (later reprinted in ''
Video Watchdog ''Video Watchdog'' was a bimonthly, digest size film magazine published from 1990 to 2017 by publisher/editor Tim Lucas and his wife, art director and co-publisher Donna Lucas. Although devoted chiefly to the horror, science fiction, and fantas ...
'') that it "features enough violence and gore to satisfy the most rabid mayhem fans and benefits from the inimitably stylish direction of horror specialist Mario Bava ('' Black Sunday''). Assembled with a striking visual assurance that never ceases to amuse, this is typical Bava material, simply one ghastly murder after another13 in allsurrounded by what must be one of the most preposterous and confusing plots ever put on film". In ''
Fangoria ''Fangoria'' is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. It is published four times a year by Fangoria Publishing, LLC and is edited by Phil Nobile Jr. The magazine was originally released i ...
'',
Tim Lucas Tim Lucas (born May 30, 1956) is a film critic, biographer, novelist, screenwriter, blogger, and publisher and editor of the video review magazine ''Video Watchdog''. Biography and early career Lucas, born in Cincinnati, Ohio, was the only chil ...
wrote thirteen years after the film's theatrical release that "''Twitch'' unreels like a macabre, ironic joke, a movie built like an inescapable trap for its own anti-hero... Seen today, the violence in this movie remains as potent and explicit as anything glimpsed in contemporary 'splatter' features..."


Legacy

Several critics have noted that the film is probably the most influential of Bava's career, as it had a huge and profound impact on the slasher film
genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
. It has also been credited as his most impactful work in the international cinema. Writing in 2000,
Tim Lucas Tim Lucas (born May 30, 1956) is a film critic, biographer, novelist, screenwriter, blogger, and publisher and editor of the video review magazine ''Video Watchdog''. Biography and early career Lucas, born in Cincinnati, Ohio, was the only chil ...
wrote that Bava's film is "the acknowledged smoking gun behind the 'body count' movie phenomenon of the 1980s, which continues to dominate the horror genre two decades later with such films as ''
Scream Scream may refer to: *Screaming, a loud vocalization Amusement rides * Scream (Heide Park), a gyro drop tower in Soltau, Germany * Scream! (ride), a tower ride at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags New England * Scream! (roller coaster), at ...
'', ''
I Know What You Did Last Summer ''I Know What You Did Last Summer'' is a 1997 American slasher film directed by Jim Gillespie, written by Kevin Williamson, and starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr. It is loosely based on ...
'' and their respective sequels". According to Gary Johnson, "''Twitch of the Death Nerve'' is one of the most imitated movies of the past 30 years. It helped kick start the slasher genre… ava'sinfluence still resonates today (although somewhat dully) in movies such as ''I Know What You Did Last Summer'', ''Scream'' and ''
Urban Legend An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...
''". It was listed at No. 94 in ''
IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...
''s "The 100 Greatest Horror Movies of All-Time", with its entry stating that the film "remains a vital watch for horror fans, and a reminder of how Bava continued to push horror into new and interesting realms, the reverberations of which are still felt today". Several commentators have noted that two sequences in the 1981 film ''
Friday the 13th Part 2 ''Friday the 13th Part 2'' is a 1981 American slasher film produced and directed by Steve Miner in his directorial debut, and written by Ron Kurz. It is the sequel to 1980's '' Friday the 13th'', and the second installment in the franchise. Adrie ...
'' are strikingly similar to two of Bava's murder sequences: one character is slammed in the face with a hawkbill machete, though Bava's film had a billhook instead, and two teenage lovers are interrupted when a spear impales both of them. Along with '' The Burning'', '' Just Before Dawn'' (1981) and several other similarly plotted slashers, ''Friday'' specifically "followed Bava's inspired cue, having young people stalked by violent death amid beautiful wooded settings".


Notes


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bay of Blood 1971 films 1971 horror films 1970s slasher films 1970s English-language films Films directed by Mario Bava Films scored by Stelvio Cipriani Films shot in Italy Films set in country houses Giallo films Italian horror films 1970s Italian-language films Italian slasher films Italian serial killer films American International Pictures films Italian exploitation films Italian splatter films 1971 multilingual films Italian multilingual films 1970s Italian films