Bay of Blood

 

 A.K.A Twitch of the Death Nerve, a much cooler title in my opinion.  Bay of Blood, directed by Mario Bava, is considered by some the first "slasher film."  It certainly inspired a lot of slasher films.  Does this scene look familiar?

Nothing like two horny teenagers getting staked during sex.  Unlike Friday the 13th, these horny teenagers are euro trash.  Also unlike Friday, there are multiple killers in this bay of blood.

The film starts on a high note: a silent sequence where an old woman in a wheelchair gets murdered.  Her killer, her husband, is quickly dispatched by a knife wielding man in black gloves.  Oh yes, we are in Italian horror territory here.

I just don't think I have ever seen an Italian horror film so gory!  I mean, there is stabbing, beheading, spearing, knifing, strangling, throat slashing, machetes to the face!  13 gruesome murders in all. Trust me: everyone deserves it.

There is a plot of sorts.  Everyone is trying to get their hands on the old lady's will: family, neighbors, euro trash Real Estate Agents.  You think there is only one killer but......... SPOILER ALERT!!

Everyone is a killer.  Everyone is a sleazy asshole and everyone is a killer.  The end.  The bay isn't even that pretty.  I couldn't figure out what the big deal is.  And so many men wearing turtlenecks!  Yuck, I hate men in turtlenecks!!

Honestly I almost feel asleep during this film.  Parts are very, very slow.  So many characters are introduced and then quickly dispatched I had a hard time caring about any of them.  I actually had to go to the Internet to see who one of the last killers was.  Some dude drenched in baking soda showed up at the last minute to do some killing.  Turns out it was the euro trash Real Estate Agent.  Isn't it always?

For Bava fans only.  Apparently this was one of the most controversial films of his career.  It is very gory and dark and nihilistic.  Normally I love that shit but this was a little slow for me.