Quote:
Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs  Shock (1977)
I've never really got on with Shock. It's always felt lacking and the worst of director Mario Bava's output that i've seen, well that or the travesty that is Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (1966). I really wasn't fussed if i ever saw Bava's penultimate film again.
Last night i became inclined to give it another go, perhaps due to Arrow's new Blu-ray creeping into my subconscious, anyway, i really dug it this time round. Even David Colin jr as the child Marco, who at times resembles a certain P.Bark esquire with his eyes and mouth, didn't grate on me. Meanwhile Daria Nicolodi was superb, i even think it may be her best acting gig, especially the scenes towards the finale where she's clearly under duress from the ever more violent supernatural occurrences.
Although a slo-burn film for the first hour Bava ensures suspense slowly builds until the frenetic supernatural shit starts to really hit the fan as the film veers into something close to Black Cat territory with the possibility of something behind the cellar wall, and then comes the hallucinatory er' shock ending which i'd totally forgotten about.
So from not really being arsed about ever seeing Shock again, i now quite fancy getting the Blu-ray. Such is life. |
I've just bought the Arrow Blu ray. I was watching through the remainder of my video tapes over Xmas, Shock was one of them and I agree that it is a fine performance by Daria Nicolodi, despite the (relative) poor picture/sound quality. I'm more inclined to slow burn films these days so the gradual unfolding is fine. Good score too.