A Bay of Blood(1971)

Arrow Release of the film

Director: Mario Bava

Rating: Unrated

A small Bay Area turns into a murderfest after the killing of the Countess that owned the bay. Some of the deaths are from greed, and others are vengeance, but all of them cause a chaos and tension that will never be forgotten. 

The film stars Claudine Auger as Renata, Luigi Pistilli as Albert, Claudio Camaso as Simon, Leopolo Trieste as Paolo, Laura Betti as Anna, and Chris Avram as Ventura. 

The first thing to consider while watching "A Bay of Blood" is the time that it was made. In 1971, cinema was just starting to get violent, so this unrelentingly gory movie was absolutely groundbreaking. It was even a strange turn in the world of Mario Bava, because his films had been so restrained up until then. In this respect, the violence was extremely creative and disturbing, and the gore was surprisingly well done. Many of the kills throughout were extremely influential on the slasher films of the 80s, and a couple were directly reenacted in "Friday the 13th Part 2." This alone gives "A Bay of Blood" lots of room for applause, because it began a trend that would change the world. In other technical aspects, the filming and cinematography were absolutely brilliant, with beautiful scenes of scenery, and camera angles that made the viewer watch the first person perspective of the killer. This technique was used a lot in  future horror flicks, adding to the influence this movie had on the genre. The acting was acceptable, because while there weren't any Oscar worthy performances, everyone captured the emotions needed, and they made the viewer intrigued with the characters. I honestly thought the storyline itself was brilliant, because it mixed horror and black comedy, and was a really interesting plot that constantly built on itself. Finally, the ending was absolutely insane and so morbid, and it had me jaw-dropped and laughing at the same time.

Reversible cover from the Arrow release

The version of the movie that I watched was the Blu Ray set from Arrow Video. I was quite impressed by the quality of this collection. The picture was absolutely beautiful, the sound was good, and the film was completely uncut. The set also has a multitude of special features, including an Italian cut of the movie(in standard definition), documentaries about Giallos and Bava's career, interviews with filmmakers including Joe Dante, trailers that have an optional commentary, etc. Also included is a beautiful reversible cover with artwork by Rick Melton, and a booklet about the film by Jay Slater. 

There is not one reason in my mind to not recommend "A Bay of Blood." It is an exciting, well made, and extremely gruesome horror film of the 70s that paved the way for the movies after it. It is a really great work from Bava, and I can honestly say that I loved it a million times more than "Black Sunday." If you are going to check this film out, then I highly recommend the Arrow release, because they really went above and beyond with giving a high quality experience for this awesome piece of cinema. 

Film Grade: 10/10

Blu Ray Grade: 9.5/10