A Bay of Blood

SPOILERS!

1971's A BAY OF BLOOD has earned a place in cinema history among critics and film buffs for its innovation in the depiction of gory dispatches.  For its time, it must've been an eye opener.  Even folks my age who grew up with the FRIDAY THE 13TH series and countless other slashers (all of which were clearly influenced) may be startled by how graphic director Mario Bava's picture is.  The murders are creative and abrupt.  Problem is, the suspense building leading up to them ran hot and cold for me.  Even worse was the poorly developed plotting, dull characters, and a pervasive lethargy.

The story involves greed among a stable of folks seeking possession of an attractive Italian vista and its titular inlet.  The bay will indeed get plenty bloody.  After its owner, the Countess Federica Donati (Isa Miranda) is strangled and hung by her husband, the Count Filippo Donati (Giovanni Nuvoletti), someone stabs him to death.  This is all in the opening scene.  We'll learn that a scheming real estate agent named Frank Ventura (Chris Avram) and his secretary Laura (Anna Maria Rosati) plan to obtain the land.  And that Filippo's daughter Renata (Claudin Auger) and her agitated husband Alberto (Luigi Pistilli) have the same idea.

Also in this calculus is the Countess' illegitimate son Simon (Claudio Volonte), who lives in a shack on the grounds and an entomologist named Paolo (Leopoldo Trieste) and his Tarot card wielding wife Anna (Laura Betti).  Oh, and a quartet of teenagers looking for a weekend of partying who crash the mansion and find themselves on the wrong ends of sickles and spears.  The teens' appearance is entirely incidental to the plot; they are only included as fresh meat for the offing and T & A. 

A BAY OF BLOOD, which has been released under a variety of alternate titles (including TWITCH OF THE DEAD NERVE) has a simple premise that is needlessly complicated by too many characters and murky motivations.  I did like the novelty of having more than one killer, and Bava has an excellent eye for detail and composition, but narratively the film is a bust.  It seems he didn't much care about the plot or the characters, and the viewer should follow suit.   The cast is attractive. 

I didn't find the movie particularly creepy or scary, though there are some disturbing shots of eyes and the kills are quite vivid, as are their aftermaths, when other characters discover them.  The zany final moments of A BAY OF BLOOD will reveal who shall inherit the bay, and it's a humdinger of an ending, one which can be interpreted in a few ways. 

P.S. -There's an amusing reference early on for fans of Genesis and Steely Dan.