A Bay of Blood or Twitch of the Death Nerve, A Horror Movie Director's Type of Horror Movie
I learned a couple of things from A Bay of Blood. One, if horror directors are a fan of a movie, you probably need to see it. Second, those regions listed on movies mean something. I first bought this movie on DVD after reading about it in 2011 in a Friday the 13th book a friend gifted me. Sean Cunningham raved about this movie so, I bought it to watch. When it arrived, I was disappointed to see that it wouldn’t play on my DVD player. Thank God for computers that will play movies from different regions. I watched it then, was impressed, rewatched it recently on Tubi, and was still impressed. Let’s talk about this 1971 Italian slasher, A Bay of Blood or Twitch of the Death Nerve. For the purposes of this blog, we will reference the film by the title A Bay of Blood.
Italian Film Making
A Bay of Blood is Italian-made if my memory serves me correctly. It’s odd how culture seems to affect everything. I’m not a sociologist or anthropologist or anything similar but, culture hits hard. I don’t know what it is but, the Italians seem to use color, sound, video angles, and video transitions to name a few things to create a unique style. Suspiria was this way and so is A Bay of Blood. Immediately, when I watched A Bay of Blood for the second time, I noticed how color use stood. There was a repeated use of a blur in and out transition too. Having created what few film projects that I have, computer technology makes transitions between scenes easy and hyper-creative today. Going back to 1971 though, transitions weren’t so easy. Perhaps the blur in and out was top-of-the-line in the early ‘70s but whatever the case, it worked.
Culture doesn’t stop with the filming/directing style though. It was filmed in the ‘70s and set in the ‘70s so, the awesome ‘70s style is heavy in this one. Now, factor in that it was filmed in Italy. So, you have the ‘70s in Italy represented. You can read some specific filming locations including Google Maps stuff here. It’s like I mentioned in my blog on BMX Bandits, every country had a ‘70s, ‘80s, etc. that was unique. So, the clothes are Italian, and the cars are Italian. Housing, rather mansions featured in A Bay of Blood, are also from the Italian countryside and are every bit as impressive as one could imagine. The interior of the homes also stands out. We are talking high-end period lamps, couches, chairs, etc. You name it, you get to see the cleanest in A Bay of Blood.
Sean Cunningham & A Bay of Blood
A Bay of Blood keeps a medium but consistent pace and easily holds the viewers’ attention. Within the horror, there is a mystery element too. The plot quickly summarized – some people are trying to buy some bay property and are willing to kill to make it happen. Read a more in-depth review of the plot here or better yet watch the movie. A Bay of Blood is worth watching and watching again. This is a piece of influential horror history. If Sean Cunningham and others are talking about this movie, slasher fans must dive in. It’s like being a zombie movie fan and having never seen The Night of the Living Dead. The origin of the zombie as we know it today came from Romero’s classic. You should always look at the roots of something as a fan. Anyway, back to this Italian horror masterpiece.
Regarding Sean Cunningham and my all-time favorite, Friday the 13th, there are many similarities between these two films. It is clear, I suppose, that Cunnigham was influenced by Bava’s A Bay of Blood. I suppose the two most clear comparisons are location and theme. The killings take place around a body of water, and it is a slasher movie. Some of the murders are similar too. A Bay of Blood is not quite as campy as Voorhees’ debut but, a little more serious. I could see a lot of what goes on in Bava’s Italian film happening, not so much what took place at Camp Crystal Lake. There is an artistic element to A Bay of Blood that makes it unique among the two as well. Watch and see for yourself – what I’m feeling here is challenging to articulate.
Great Movie but What Really Happened?
The conclusion in the case of A Bay of Blood is among the most unexpected that I’ve ever seen. In fact, even though I’ve now watched it twice, I still don’t know that I understand it. Honestly, this is my only complaint about A Bay of Blood. I’m going to have to find the Cliff’s Notes to understand what happened. Everybody is killing everybody and so many of the characters look the same that keeping it all straight is challenging. Overall, the idea behind it is simple to follow but what is playing out in A Bay of Blood is confusing, at least to me. A plot is there and I’m certain it is a great one but, I haven’t been able to wrap my dome around it well yet.
Thank God for Google. Now I can read articles, blogs, etc. to understand why so many people are fans of Bava’s A Bay of Blood and how it has led to classics like Friday the 13th. I found a great blog by an author named Countelvis on A Bay of Blood that makes a lot of good points about its importance in the slasher genre and talks about the plot. You can read his blog from 2016 “Bay of Blood (1971) Review” here. Countelvis even went on to point out some themes I didn’t even realize like environmentalism, etc. It’s interesting to me how different authors approach the same thing from different angles – same sunset, different set of shades. For me, it’s more about nostalgia and artistic vibes than anything else. I am an artist first and a blogger second so, what catches my attention makes sense.
What Do You Think?
If anyone out there has any input on what happens in A Bay of Blood, drop that knowledge in the comments. Especially regarding the ending – please at least let me know what’s happening. I’d love to hear some thoughts from other slasher genre fans on A Bay of Blood. Why do you think it stands out? How has it impacted the genre in your opinion? While you’re on my page, check out my artwork and photography here. You can read more of my blogs here and follow me on all social media here. All likes, shares, subs, and follows are appreciated.