A Bay of Blood

Another stylish and thoroughly entertaining feature from Mario Bava and probably my favorite so far. It's a slasher before it's a thing. From the genuinely brutal deaths, up close violence, typical Italian gialli contrived plot, and the elegance on display that further elevates the film, there is no doubt that this is an influential and important film on the slasher sub-genre. It features extremely high body counts which separates this from Italian gialli of the era and making it more a slasher than a giallo. I'm glad that I finally ticked this one off my watchlist.

Bava is an interesting treat. He manages to split my feelings on this whole movie. I can say that's just not a good story... but I know that's a good giallo, one even portraying (within the genre, never forget) what happens when one's humanity is overcome by greed. I can recall a lot of bad acting throughout the piece and I can also remember of beautifully shot landscapes. Goofy transitions and inventive ones. ​As much as I do like some shots here (Bava, as far as I've experienced, had a fall for shadow/light emphasis and I do appreciate it), but mostly it a feels too cheesy for me. I don't know, I'll probably give it another shot some other time... For now, I can say that the English dubbing does a damn good job to turn anyone off. Maybe the experience would've been better with the original voices, making the acting a bit more sustainable. Then again, if I think about a scene in the early 30 minutes with the German girl and, well,... Maybe it's for the best to just take it less seriously.