A Bay of Blood: If You Kill For Killing's Sake, You Become A Monster

 Lately, I've been on a real Horror kick. Watching The Initiation, The House on Sorority Row, Curtains, and A Bay of Blood. While I enjoyed all of these movies for what they were doing, the one that stuck with me the most was A Bay of Blood. The 1971 Mario Bava classic that served as the template for the early Slasher Boom in the 1970s and 1980s. And when you watch it for longer than a minute, you really see how influential it was. Like, Italian Films, and Giallos more specifically, have been noticeably influential, but A Bay of Blood seemed to be the "It Girl". A title that I think it rightfully deserved. 

A Bay of Blood landed in that sweet spot for me as a Slasher with its element of surprise. This part was important because when thinking about Giallos, the surprise aspects function a bit differently. It's what separated them from their non-Italian contemporaries. With Friday the 13th, the surprise will almost always be on the timing of the kill. You would hear the score pipe-in, and you knew Jason, Pamela, or Roy were near. But with Giallo, the focus depended entirely on the flow of the story. Characters were utilized and given scenes with enough time to make the deaths have a dramaticness to them. It made the killing look as brutal as it deserved. 

And that's where A Bay of Blood succeeded the most for me. It held many of the elements that I loved in Giallo and Slasher. With the biggest reason being that, Slashers were just blatantly copying it. Like, the opening scene with Countess Federica (Played by Isa Miranda) moving in her wheelchair toward the window reminded me of Tom McBride's scene in Friday the 13th Part 2 where he does the exact same thing on the porch. And then he died in a manner that also resembled the Bobby [Roberto in the Italian version] (Played by Roberto Bonnani) death in A Bay of Blood. I knew about the bed kill in this movie being lifted for F13th Part 2, but I really didn't know how much else would be taken. It just goes to show how good Carlo Rambaldi's effects and Mario Bava's direction were, and their influence on others. 

But, I keep talking about the imitators and not the greatness itself. A Bay of Blood stands a cut above because of that ability to keep interest in the storyline, and not just in the large body count. From the get go, I think it's evident that this movie had legs. You have this long scene of Countess Federica in her bedroom moving toward and looking out a window to a track that feels very melancholic. Just before opening the door and getting hung by her husband Count Filippo (Played by Giovanni Nuvoletti), who was then stabbed to death by an unknown assailant. Such a dramatic and Soap Opera-esque sequence of events that gets elevated through Stelvio Cipriani's score, and the brutal depiction of death. It's the way that Countess Federica's eyes bulged out after asphyxiating that really sold it for me. And through these deaths, the wheels began to turn as The Bay began to fill with blood. 

There's a scene a tad bit later between the Fishermen, Simon [Simone in the Italian version] (Played by Claudio Volonté), and the Entomologist, Paolo (Played by Leopoldo Trieste) that perfectly illustrated the movie as a whole. It started with Simon questioning Paolo's methods in research. He was killing and torturing these bugs without much thought. While Simon may have killed squid, he also found other uses for them after death, like eating for example. And during this philosophical questioning, Simon says, "If you kill for killing's sake, you become a monster". A powerful line that has been stuck with me since I heard it. Killing someone or some thing takes a lot of will power. And to get lost in it, meant that you had forsaken your humanity. Attempting to normalize the act would make one lose their grip on reality. And a scene late into the film would prove this to be the case. 

With that theme in mind, let's look at how it applies to the cast. To start, I think it's best to scale up. So, the group of four young trespassers fit the best in this scenario. Bobby, Brunhilde [Louise in the Italian version] (Played by Brigitte Skay), Denise [Sylvie in the Italian version] (Played by Paola Montenero), and Duke [Luca in the Italian version] (Played by Guido Boccaccini) were mostly innocent. The only sin befalling them was their tresspassing into Frank's [Franco in the Italian version] (Played by Chris Avram) cottage. A sin that surely does not equate to death. But sadly, they die due to unforeseen knowledge. Yet, it's really more of a chain reaction. As the ditzy Brunhilde discovered the corpse of Count Filippo. Which ultimately meant that the whole group had now become compromised. 

So, the chain made sense. As these young partiers would have noticed the disappearance of Brunhilde eventually. The unfortunate discovery became a landmine for people that otherwise would have never known had they not gone to the bay that day. But what I think ended up being the most important detail when looking at this group, was their lack of connection to the ongoings. Many Horror films utilize this aspect quite a bit, especially in their main casts. Yet with A Bay of Blood, and other successful films, the difference lied in time. There may not be much to Brunhilde, or Bobby, but I can understand that Brunhilde had an outgoing and independent personality. While Bobby was more introverted and self-conscious, and usually liked to do things in a small group setting rather than one-on-one. They were not monsters, but people caught up in the lives of others. 

Next, there's Paolo and his wife Anna (Played by Laura Betti). A married couple that lived along the bay, and probably should have gotten a divorce. They couldn't stand one another, and hated each other's interests. Yet they still cared for each other's well-being in some capacity. I've already noted Paolo's Entomology background, but what does Anna do? Well, she's a fortune teller. Anna read her Tarot Cards, and foretold of the ominous aura surrounding the bay. In the Greek Tragedy sense, Anna would be the Oracle, or Harbinger. A role that, more times than not, gets left to a nameless insane person. But here, it was Anna who started to read the writing on the wall. 

So, I wouldn't mark Anna and Paolo as completely innocent. Them being some of the only neighbors to Countess Federica meant that they would have insider knowledge. And this knowledge made them privy to things that outsiders might not be aware of. It made their conversations and decision making that much more interesting. As Anna and Paolo would make conscious efforts to understand the truth before attempting to enlist any type of help. A curiosity killed the cats situation if you will. So, Anna and Paolo should've heeded the warnings, as the major players would end up coloring the bay a deep red. 

And the first set of these major players would be Frank and Laura (Played by Anna Maria Rosati). Frank being an architect looking to buy the bay from Countess Federica, and Laura being his secretary/lover. An interesting duo that never got much time on-screen to collaborate, yet showed strong chemistry and dedication to each other's goals. As seen with Frank's strong interest in the bay, and Laura's willingness to see that goal to completion. But it's that very same love that causes Laura's fall at least. With her involvement leading to a confrontation with Simon, their co-collaborator. A spicy scene that laid Frank and Laura's intentions bare. Two people that were willing to burn it all in order to get what they wanted. 

So, the downfall of Frank and Laura was the puppeteering. They didn't want to get their hands dirty like Simon. The fishermen that couldn't stand the mistreatment of the Countess by the Count. In this time of vulnerability, you would've seen that Simon was being manipulated by Frank and Laura. All of the spiraling more or less deriving from their plan to gain control. While I don't think this excused Simon from killing the group of four. I think that his turn against Laura came from someone who regretted not being able to save a loved one. It's not going to bring the Countess back, but it was something nonetheless. Simon became the monster that he warned Paolo about. Most likely a warning coming from experience rather than courtesy. 

But the real monster making becomes best demonstrated by Renata (Played by Claudine Auger) and Albert [Alberto in the Italian version] (Played by Luigi Pistilli). Two regular people that actually develop and showcase the conviction that could only be seen in a succession war. A real curveball couple as the movie bills Renata as a concerned daughter, and Albert as her equally as concerned husband. So, there's no reason to really question Renata's inquiring. Not until they discover the body of her father, Count Fillipo. That's when the mask began to come off, and you got to see the true Renata. 

She wanted the bay way more than Frank did. This much became evident when she incapacitated him, and then proceeded to dispatch Anna, while Albert took care of Paolo. But what made Renata so compelling, was that conviction. She did not present many qualms when proclaiming to get things done by any means. While on the other side, Albert presented as a man becoming a monster. Each kill representing a struggle, both physical and mental. This aspect became clearest when he killed Simon and Frank.

With Simon, Albert impaled him against a wall. And during Simon's struggles, his blood splashed on Albert's hand. A good ol' Lady MacBeth reference, as he wailed at the sight of it, and returned to being the human known as Albert. It's another favorite scene of mine from this movie as Albert's love for his wife made him a monster, and he didn't realize it until he was too late. As this metamorphosis would then become complete during his struggle with Frank shortly after. His newfound conviction to become the monster gave him the strength. And it resulted in Albert losing his humanity. But it would all be for naught, as the bay needed just a little bit more blood. 

A Bay of Blood is a great movie that certainly earned the amount of stealing and copying it has accrued. It's the template for a reason, and it's a damn good one. Ultimately, I think that the movie succeeded in its attempt to display senselessness in the killings, and how they resulted in nothing but more death. A bunch of people became caught up in their desires. Never thinking about the repercussions of their actions. Killing in the name of nothing.

And remember to Free Palestine, Free Congo, Free Sudan, Free Venezuela and to Free Lebanon from the onslaught of their oppressors. Never stop talking about them. They think that we don't care, but we see everything. Never forget that. They are trying to suppress our voices because they matter, remember that. There may have been a ceasefire in Gaza, but Palestine still needs to be completely free.