I've reviewed a few Mario Bava films on this site and have made no secret of my love for him. Recently I noticed a bunch of his titles have popped up on Netflix Instant so I decided to check out a few.
(1966) [Trailer]
Director: Mario Bava [IMDB]
Synopsis: The ghost of a little girl haunts and murders folks in a small town in 18th century Italy.
Kill Baby, Kill has all the stylistic elements that make viewing a Bava film a real treat. Great sets, check! Cool lighting, check! Ace cinematography, check! Visually speaking.... everything is extremely pleasing. However, the story is pretty simple and could have been a bit more memorable. Everyone loves an evil little kid and this movie features one, although I think they could have made her a little creepier. Kill Baby, Kill is an average title, nothing groundbreaking , but worth view.
(1971) [Full Movie]
Director: Mario Bava [IMDB]
Synopsis: People visit a bay... then get hacked up at said bay.
Bay of Blood is cited as one of the first Slasher films ever and is highly influential within the genre. In fact, Friday the 13th Part 2 directly steals two kill scenes from this film. It's a lot more violent and gory than most Bava films, but it also has all the traits that make his art so special. The story line is a bit complicated and involves a lot of characters, most of them have little to no real development. The biggest WTF moment is the ending, it really comes out of left field and I'm not sure if I liked it, or hated it. I would recommend this, just for the sake of the experience of it, it's a weird one, but pretty entertaining.
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(1974) [Trailer]
Director: Mario Bava [IMDB]
Synopsis: A lost tourist runs into who she thinks is the devil incarnate and ends up staying at a mansion where things get weird.
There are two versions of this film... the original, which is being reviewed by me, right here and now.... then there is "The House of Exorcism" which I will review next. That's right, I watched both (no life). Lisa and the Devil stars Kojak as the devil and after watching this, I think that casting was perfect... he's an evil looking dude. The pacing of this film is slow and creepy, verses fast and in your face. I enjoyed this but it's a little odd and probably not for everyone. It's a far better cut than The House of the Exorcism, which is a perfect example of how someone can ruin a good film.
(1974) [Trailer]
Director: Mario Bava [IMDB], Alfredo Leone [IMDB]
Synopsis: Same as Lisa and the Devil except now there's an exorcism.
I actually watched this version first and was completely turned off by it. So much so that I decided to pull up the interwebs and see what the hell happened. Because William Friedkin's Exorcist was such a huge hit, Alfredo Leone came on board to "help" Bava turn what was considered a flop, into a hit. It did not work. This film is a mess. The pacing and story line are all over the map and ultimately the added scenes ruin it for me. The new scenes are such a direct rip off of The Exorcist that it's almost comical and how they disbursed them into the original story makes no sense. Definitely pass on this cut.
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