Twitch of The Death
Nerve (Bay of Blood, Carnage) Directed By Mario Bava. Starring Claudine Auger. (1971)
Lately I’ve been trying to see more Mario Bava films, Black Sunday has always been one of my
favorites. After seeing the original Friday The 13th on the big screen,
it made a huge impact on me and was more effective then I remembered. It
inspired me to check out its originator.
The
trailer for this film under one of its billion alternate titles: Carnage, is one of the best solarized,
acid soaked music videos and highly recommended for repeated viewings (it’s on
the Mad Ron’s Prevues From Hell DVD).
When I sent video comps to friends in the days of videotape trading I would
always include it.
Sean
Cunningham blatantly steals from Bava with similar murders, shot scenarios in
later Friday sequels a scene where two people having sex are impaled by one
long spear. Hooking up with Wes Craven he also borrowed from Bava’s brilliant
Rabid Dogs with some forced humiliation (“Piss your Pants” scene).
Where
is that guy now anyway? While Bava remains an innovator of stylistic Technicolor
murder who influenced numerous Italian horror directors. Bay Of Blood (or Twitch of the Death Nerve) has the basic storyline
and irrelevant dialogue as any other later slasher film. It was however the
first to inspire many later ones during the 80’s.
From
the first couple of minutes it’s got gore galore and rampant cruelty as a woman
in a wheel chair is hung up and strangled. Mod looking teens frolic naked
(shades of Friday the 13th),
and a faceless voyeuristic killer watches from behind the trees. There is a guy
in an itchy sweater responsible for some mayhem on the island (he’s the obvious
inspiration for the Mrs. Voorhees character). Almost every character is on edge
and at each other’s throats! One of my favorite scriptwriters Dardano Sarchetti
wrote the story concept and Carlo (E.T.,
Possession) Rambaldi assisted with the makeup. There’s a genius moment when
a guy gets a machete plunged into his face and falls over, reminding me of the
axe in the face death from Friday part 1.
Highly Recommended and available on Youtube (link)
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