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When a countess is murdered by her greedy
husband, he and several other people
interested in inheriting the countess'
bay side estate are brutally killed by an
unseen maniac.
Forget Halloween, Friday the 13th or any
other movie you considered to be the Great
Original Slasher. With this Italian by-the-
numbers feast underappreciated horror maestro
Mario Bava made way for all those body-count
teen flicks during the 80s. Like its imitations
this priorities gory murders instead of
dialogue, plot and character development. But
what most American films in the same genre
lacks is Mario Bava's stylish direction
and camerawork.
With little or none campy music (that often
ruins these kind of films) Mario Bava creates
genuine suspense and scares by crawling the
camera up on the film's victims. Even if we
know what's about to happen, it's still scary
because it slowly sneaks up on us. There's
also Bava's trademark zooming, which might
seem corny today but if you're a Bava fan
you'll enjoy it.
Otherwise, the film itself is really nothing
special. Mostly a bunch of gory, inventive
murders. But the fun part is spotting the
similarities to later American slasher classics,
or should we say the stuff that they stole.
There's the couple being speared through the
bed while having sex (Friday the 13th Part 2),
the guy impaled on the wall (Halloween) and even
Angie Dickinson's clothes from Dressed to Kill!
When it comes to plot and characters, there's
not much interesting. We have the usual suspects
and the obvious victims. There's a gang of
partying teenagers whose purpose is by now
world-famous - get naked and get killed! Former
James Bond girl Claudine Auger, playing a
conwoman, is the only notable actress but her
acting is like the rest of the cast forgettable
and stiff.
The subplots and plot twists are also somewhat
needless. It's mostly excuses to keep the film
going, bringing in people to kill. But it works.
Because Bava knows no one sees a film like this
for the plot, dialogue or anything else. It's
for the gory murders. And Bava's wonderful style
is just a bonus. And also, it has an obnoxious,
wacky but very original ending.
You'll recognize most murders from famous
American slashers, including slashed throat,
machete in the face, double-spearing through
a bed and impalement on a wall.
Good but forgettable score by Stelvio Cipriani.
The Great Original Slasher, a must for horror
fans. Stylish direction by Mario Bava, gory
murders and lots of other stuff to compare to
American slice-and-dice classics. Not much of
a plot but who needs that really?
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