La Baie sanglante

Utterly uninteresting for modern standards. Sometimes I wish I could watch these forgotten films at the time they came out, I’d love to see how my opinion would change. (23/04/2010)

Mario Bava undeniably belongs among the best and most influential horror directors of all time. He influenced the horror genre like few others, and his film A Bay of Blood is a prime example of his influence, as it can be considered the grandfather of slashers, predating the entire slasher boom started by Carpenter's Halloween in 1978 by almost a decade. Its influence is further compounded by the fact that the series Friday the 13th pays homage to the film not just once but twice – in the Friday the 13th and Friday the 13th Part 2 installment of the series, one killing scene was always staged exactly following the pattern of A Bay of Blood, and it's no wonder that the creators chose those two most memorable murders. A Bay of Blood stands out from its time in terms of the level of violence and gore scenes, which never shy away under any circumstances but are instead served to us in all their bloody glory. Bava had a grip on the direction and even shot the film himself. So don't expect any boring and routine camera work – Bava plays creatively with framing and, along with amazing editing, elevates the film to extraordinary heights even from a technical standpoint. Adding to all this is a typically successful Italian horror atmosphere-enhancing soundtrack. The story may be heavily convoluted, but it has one huge advantage – it never bores for a moment and makes you eagerly anticipate how it will all unfold. The mysterious aspect works excellently, and I truly had no idea for a long time who was behind the murders and who was going against whom. I dare say that even in terms of the story, the film is unique and can certainly surprise. The strong WTF ending puts the cherry on top, which I really, really did not expect. However, I must note that after initial disappointment, I am starting to appreciate it, at least for giving the viewer the middle finger – I can vividly imagine Bava's mischievous grin when he successfully incorporated this. The slasher A Bay of Blood is a dark horse in Bava's filmography and deserves to be mentioned more frequently in the list of highlights of this Italian horror maestro. (18/07/2019)

The ending of the film A Bay of Blood is truly well done and is sure to paint a look of surprise on your face, and perhaps even a smile, if you're not a staunch puritan and have a bit of a sense of humor. That's what the whole film is about, and in my opinion, it turned out very well. For its time, it is a unique work that wouldn't be out of place in contemporary productions. Additionally, all the effects are practical, not pixelated. (27/06/2015)