A Bay of Blood (1971)

The murder of a wealthy countess, which was erroneously deemed suicide, triggers a chain reaction of brutal killings in the surrounding bay area, as several unscrupulous characters try to take over her large estate.

Director:

Mario Bava

Writers:

Mario Bava (screenplay), Giuseppe Zaccariello (screenplay) (as Joseph McLee)

Stars:

Claudine Auger, Luigi Pistilli, Claudio Camaso

4 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Claudine Auger	...	Renata Donati
Luigi Pistilli	...	Alberto / Albert
Claudio Camaso	...	Simone / Simon (as Claudio Volonté)
Anna Maria Rosati	...	Laura (as Anna M. Rosati)
Chris Avram	...	Franco Ventura / Frank Ventura
Leopoldo Trieste	...	Paolo Fosatti / Paul Fosatti
Laura Betti	...	Anna Fosatti
Brigitte Skay	...	Louise / Brunhilde
Isa Miranda	...	Countess Federica Donati
Paola Montenero	...	Sylvie / Denise (as Paola Rubens)
Guido Boccaccini	...	Luca / Duke
Roberto Bonanni	...	Roberto / Bobby
Giovanni Nuvoletti	...	Count Filippo Donati

Storyline

An elderly heiress is killed by her husband who wants control of her fortunes. What ensues is an all-out murder spree as relatives and friends attempt to reduce the inheritance playing field, complicated by some teenagers who decide to camp out in a dilapidated building on the estate.

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Plot Keywords:

killing someone in a wheelchair | inheritance | murder | teenager | serial murder | 

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Taglines:

the first motion picture to require a face to face warning* may be the last shock film you will ever want to see! -- * Every ticket holder must pass through The Final Warning Station. We must warn you face-to-face!

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie had its premiere at the 1971 Avoriaz Film Festival.

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Goofs

The Count is stabbed repeatedly in his back and then he falls on his back and dies. When the killer is dragging him away, there should be a blood trail leading from The Countess to the door.

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Quotes

Simon: Man should live and let live, and without any interfering.
Paolo: Even that poor squid was free once, Simon, eh? I study Coleoptera because I love them.
Simon: Sure, but the squirming little creatures still end up under your microscope. Yeah, he's dead all right but at least I eat my squid. But I don't kill as a hobby like you do.
Paolo: Good lord, Simon. You make me feel like a murderer.
Simon: I'm not saying that, Mr. Fossati, but if you kill for killing's sake, you become a monster.
Paolo: But, man isn't an insect, my dear Simon. ...
[...]

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Alternate Versions

The film (as 'A Bay Of Blood') was rejected for cinema release by the BBFC in 1972 and, under the pre-VRA (Video Recording Act) title 'Blood Bath', ended up as one of the original 39 "video nasties" in the UK. The film was eventually released in the UK market on video by Redemption Films in 1994, as 'A Bay Of Blood', after 43 seconds of cuts, that were also missing in the 2002 Film 2000 DVD. The cuts imposed were these:

• The murder of a teenage girl loses 2s in 2 cuts, the first of her throat being cut from behind, and the other of a graphic hatchet blow to the head.
• Nearly the entire scene (21 sec) is cut from the boy's death with a machete embedded in his face.
• Three cuts (total 9 sec) reduce the death of a couple impaled together with a spear whilst making love, blood welling from the wounds, and their writhing bodies in the spasms of death.
• Reduction of 11 sec from a man's death, as he's being forced up a wall by a spear impaled in his stomach. The cuts were fully waived for the 2010 Arrow DVD.

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Connections

Featured in Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006)

User Reviews

When Nobody is Innocent

A handicapped and wealthy countess, who owns the lands of a disputed bay, is hanged by her husband and he is immediately killed. The crime scene is forged to simulate a suicide of the old woman. Later, two young couples are murdered in the bay. The inheritors of the fortune of the countess want the possession of the place and kill each other, in a bloodshed bath in the area.

"Reazione a Catena" is a gory slash movie with a different characteristic: there is no serial killer, but almost a chain reaction of murders. The deaths are motivated by the greed of different persons, and their motives are based on the interest of the civil construction in the ecological area, and the reluctance of the elder countess in selling her property. None of the character is innocent, except the two young couples that arrive in wrong the place for fun. The camera, with many closes and movements, is quite different. The black humor is very sharp; most of the deaths are very original and the conclusion is silly. The copy of the Brazilian VHS is a little dark, but it is watchable. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Banho de Sangue" ("Blood Bath")

Note: On 06 July 2009, I saw this movie again on DVD.

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian English

Release Date:

3 May 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Last House on the Left, Part II

Filming Locations:

Fogliano, Latina, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nuova Linea Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min 76 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1