A Bay of Blood

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🎙️ EPISODE 297: 09.30.2020 *Review starts @ ~ 6:29 There are 57,000 gallo movies (approximately), running the gamut from the more whodunnit variety to the full-on proto-slasher flick we have here. Of these 57,000 movies, I've seen, I believe, six at this juncture. So, take my opinion with a grain of a spear stabbing two co-eds through both their torsos and through the bed like they're a damn club sandwich! But this one's my favorite. (A refresher for the n00bz: "giallo refers specifically to a particular Italian thriller-horror genre that has mystery or detective elements and often contains slasher, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, psychedelic and, less frequently, supernatural horror elements."–Wikipedia)

This is the first film by Mario Bava that I've seen. Bava, one of the O.G.s of giallo, also dabbled in other genres like sex comedy and spaghetti western and others, but is perhaps best known for his work in the specifically gory, practical special FX laden Italian horrors of the late 60s into the 70s. Often called the "Master of Italian Horror," Bava served as the chief special effects artist on many of his films, including this one, and boy oh boy are they SPECIAL...

**SPOILERS (?) & GRATUITOUS KILL GIFS (!) AHEAD**

There are a dozen amazing deaths packed into these ~80 minutes, and they're worth your time and money alone, hands down. But what fully sold me was the insane, totally batshit story and script, with an ending that is so fucking random I audibly guffawed alone in my office. I won't get into any of this, but just know this: there are multiple killers and no real main character(s). I've noticed that that is something of a giallo hallmark, especially the trope of just adding more and more people to the mix throughout the film, but I don't think I've seen it deployed in such a 'controlled chaos' manner like this before. It shouldn't work AT ALL, but it does completely. There is no emotional center in this movie but I still found myself unearthing some humanity and other thematic elements. Sure, he's exploring the destructive capacity of human nature...


...(love that bug guy) but I also found the roots of this to be about greed and fear, universal topics that are more relevant than ever. How can you not could look at how these characters treat each other and not see a parallel to the fuckedupness of 2020?

In the end, this movie works because it is an ode to craftsmanship: from its use of color and weirdo musical cues, to its gorgeous FX, its brilliantly absurd zoom-in/zoom-out camera work and cleverly harsh edits and cuts...


It's great. What a treat and what a treasure. He died before I was born, but he's got my vote... Bava 2020 y'all.

CHRONOLOGICALLY
⫷ EPISODE 297A - (YOU ARE HERE) - EPISODE 298A ⫸

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