[MrBarlow]

Originally Posted by MacBlayne

A BAY OF BLOOD

A wealthy old woman is found hanged, and her husband is missing. A real estate agent swoops in to buy up the lakeside property, but there is trouble. Somebody is murdering the neighbours, and everybody is a suspect.

Mario Bava’s bloody entertaining affair is a precursor to the slasher genre. Unlike the (at the time popular) giallo which were brutally violent mystery films, A Bay of Blood dispenses with plot in favour of people being slaughtered in a gruesome manner by an unknown killer. But it’s not an empty-headed murderthon, for it sports as much humour and wry commentary as it does sharp objects to the skull.

For starters, there’s the matter of capitalism. The murder is kicked off by greed, and it starts a domino effect that results in almost everybody dying. Capitalism consumes us all.

Then there’s the bit where the fisherman and amateur entomologist discuss killing other creatures. While the fisherman says he kills other creatures to survive (an interesting parallel to the real killer’s motives), the entomologist acknowledges that his motives are not so noble, but he can’t help but be fascinated by his collection. It’s almost as if Bava is cheekily waggling a knowing index at his critics and audience,

Speaking of which, despite it’s extremely low-budget, the special effects are effective, and still possess the power to repulse and shock. There’s a clear reason why this film has such a hold over the Friday the 13th series. When somebody gets a sickle to the face, you can feel it. Christopher Lee attended the premiere, and was reportedly ill upon seeing it.

There is artistry in this film. Bava was one of the best filmmakers to use colour, and A Bay of Blood is no exception. Lots of orange sunsets against the blue lake. One of the more striking shots is a yellow car driving under a tree with yellow flowers. Does it mean anything? Nope. Does it need to? Nope. But I remember it vividly, and that’s what counts.

SPOILER:

However, the film’s best bit is at the end. The killers have been revealed to be Luigi Pistilli and Claudine Auger. Their whole excuse is to get the land to secure a future for their children (as I said, a parallel to the fisherman’s theory). But they ignore their children in their pursuit for the land, and are accidentally killed when the children play with a shotgun. And that is Bava’s final joke on capitalism. It opens with a landowner getting murdered by her greedy husband, who is promptly murdered the greedy couple. And their singled-minded pursuit see them dead by the end. We are all disposable.

A great Bava classic

Give the man a small budget and watch him turn a script into a brilliant movie.