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For the best of the Horror/Cult/Exploitation film experience
The Bava Box Volume Two (2007)
In Early 2007 the fine folks over at Anchor Bay/Starz Home Entertainment released something onto DVD that was a long time coming. A proper DVD box set of the Italian Godfather of Horror, Mario Bava's greatest films. Five of them in total including classics such as "Black Sunday", "Black Sabbath", "The Girl Who Knew Too Much", "Knives of the Avenger", and "Kill Baby Kill". So I was rather surprised by the fact that they would be releasing a second volume of his films making it the perfect piece for collectors of all things Bava. Here is everything that you can expect from that second volume.
Kidnapped (aka Rabid Dogs) (1974)
Kidnapped is the story of three criminals in Doctor (Maurice Poli), 32 (George Eastman), and the knife wielding Bisturi (Dan Backy) who get involved in a robbery that happens to get fouled up. When things start going haywire the group has no choice to pull out all of the stops to getaway. They get into a shootout with the cops, kill an innocent women, and even take another woman hostage. When push comes to shove during the police chase the three criminals have no choice to escape on foot when their car is destroyed. At this point in the movie their take their hostage, and get into a car with a man and a young child. The father basically tells them that the child is sick and he was on the way to taking them to a hospital. The criminals will have none of that therefore making this film the exploitative masterpiece that it is. That and the fact that kidnapped has one of the greatest climaxes to a movie I've ever seen. This one pays off big-time and will have this movie racing in your head for days after you've seen it. I can't even tell you how much I enjoyed this movie as it's one of the greatest pieces of it's kind that I've ever seen. It's like nothing else Mario Bava has done in his career and it's something that makes his resume even more impressive in my opinion.
Rating - ****
5 Dolls for an August Moon (1970)
"5 Dolls for an August Moon" is one of Bava's least seen efforts and one would have to guess that's the way that he wanted it. Apparently the director didn't want to make the film which was an interpretation of Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians" with a gialli twist. After watching the film I would have to say that although a very well made technical film with the usual amount of Bava style attached, that it's not one of my favorite films from the director. The imagery in the film is extremely eerie at times and that's obviously because of the technical mastery that Bava used in his films. But without that present the film has very little to offer. It's slow, plodding, and although it's well acted there still isn't much else to this one. I'm sure a lot of this had to do with the fact that Bava didn't want to do the film as his efforts from around the same time are some of his best efforts. Regardless with it's status as a rare film it still deserves a place in this set, so give it chance and see what you think of it.
Rating - **1/2
Four Times that Night (1972)
"Four Times that Night" is a very impressive comedic effort from Bava. It starts out with the chance encounter in the park by a man named John and the girl that catches his eye in Tina. Later that evening they go out on a date, and you see the perspective of John, Tina, and the voyeuristic doorman on how the night went. It's certainly one of the more original comedies that I've seen and stands up to be a pretty good film. It's definitely an oddity for the director at the time considering most of the directors work at the time was in the horror genre. But Bava flexes his cinematic muscle by proving that he is far from a one trick pony and is one of the more prolific directors of all time. It's funny, original, and extremely entertaining "Four Times that Night" is a great addition to the set and really gives you a new look at Bava that most of his horror fans have yet to get a taste of. RECOMMENDED.
Rating - ***
Baron Blood (1972)
Baron Blood is the story of Peter a man who has traveled to find his family heritage. When he visits a castle of one of his ancestors who happened to be an evil Baron who was cursed by a witch that the Baron had previously burned alive. But Peter reads a spell aloud that causes his evil ancestor to return and reak havoc. The thing that makes Baron Blood such a good film is the attention to detail in the film. From everything to the plot, characters, sets, costumes, etc there is extreme detail being displayed on the screen making for a very enjoyable and horrifically atmospheric film that Mario Bava was known for churning out. Also, you get to see that trademark Bava style that he shows in his films and it only adds to the overall film experience. Not only that but the film is extremely tense at moments and when it comes to horror that certainly draws you into what's happening on screen and this film is just another reason why people such as myself hold the Italian director up to such legendary standards. This is an excellent film and is a more than appropriate addition to this set.
Rating - ***
Bay of Blood (aka Twitch of the Death Nerve) (1971)
"Bay of Blood" is one of the most influential horror films ever made and surprisingly it's not that well known outside of hardcore fans. The reason why it's so influential is because the classic 1980 slasher film "Friday the 13th" and it's sequel "Friday the 13th Part 2" have some of the murder sequences taken straight from the Bava film. Now it's been debated for years as to weather or not this was the intention, but there's no doubt that someone on that set not only seen "Bay of Blood" but thought that the sequences were go good they had to be done another time. The story of "Bay of Blood" is a usual one when it comes to the gialli film. It's about a man who wants control of his wife's money, therefor killing her to get control. Then what you have is a free for all as far as her family goes when they all come with their money grubbing hands out for their piece of the pie. Not only that buy nearby there are some teens who decide to set up camp in a broken down building on the grounds. Of course the whole time someone is stalking and slashing anyone they come in contact with. Is it one of the greedy family members? Is it a psychotic teen? Well you'll have to watch the movie to find out, but that's not a big deal as "Bay of Blood" is a masterpiece and is one of the greatest Italian horror films ever made.
Rating - ****
Roy Colt and Winchester Jack (1970)
In the Bava Box Volume One there was an oddball choice with "Knives of the Avenger" and this time around I would have to give that description to "Roy Colt and Winchester Jack". Although Mario Bava directed several westerns, this one is his most well known out of the bunch. It's certainly something different for the director that most of us associate with the ability to make heart stopping horror films that's for sure. Although entertaining "Roy Colt and Winchester Jack" falls short on a few categories, that although don't ruin the movie they certainly don't make you want to watch this one over and over. It is funny at times with some good slapstick comedy, but then there are times where the story just drags along and feels like it's never ending. This one is reminiscent of the old Clint Eastwood/Sergio Leone westerns and you can tell that it's just not Bava's forte. This one lacks the general style of a Bava flick, which to me is one of the most appealing things about watching a Bava flick in the first place. But the bottom line is, "Roy Colt and Winchester Jack" is a solid movie that is nice to get in this set. It's not something that I'll be watching too often, but it's still a nice addition to any DVD collection, especially Bava completest.
Rating - **1/2
Lisa and the Devil (1973)/House of Exorcism (1973)
When it comes to Mario Bava the man has truly dabbled in every genre of film when you get down to it. It seems like every time I see one of his films that I haven't seen before I notice some sort of difference in the style he uses. This time around we have to titles, two somewhat different films, but what really boils down to a good old school "grind house" re-edit to make two things out of one. See originally Bava made "Lisa and the Devil" which was a story about a young tourist girl who has a strange encounter of a mural of Satan only to later run into a man who very closely resembles Satan from the painting. It's a creepy and disorienting tale of psychological horror that's really well done from top to bottom. Unfortunately "House of Exorcism" is a hacked up version complete with added footage and severe dumbing down when it comes to the dialog alone. It was re-cut to basically be a rip off of "The Exorcist" and was very successful in doing so, but unfortunately in that being done many people seem to forget just how good of a film the less successful "Lisa and the Devil" was though.
Rating - ***
Overall this box set is outstanding and is no doubt about it one of the best DVD releases of the year. With additional commentaries and beautiful remastered versions of all of the films this is a can't miss set which is worth the money even at retail price. But nonetheless if you find this anywhere for a great price, pick it up because I'd be willing to bet that you'd be more than satisfied with your purchase.
-Ed Demko
