SHOCK: FAREWELL MARIO BAVA

 

 

When talking about famous Italian directors most people will note directors like Fellini, de Sica, Bertolucci, Rossellini, Antonioni, Leone and Passolini. All were indeed great directors. But none of them were as prolific, varied or influential as Mario Bava. Bava worked in numerous genres in the Italian film industry as well as various jobs there. But it was in the horror genre that he was most well-known and most likely why his name is never included in the previously mentioned list.

Mario Bava directed his first film, a documentary, in 1946. He continued working in film until his death in 1980 at only age 60. His films included BLACK SUNDAY, BLACK SABBATH, BAY OF BLOOD and one of my all-time favorites BLOOD AND BLACK LACE. It seems fitting that the last film he directed before his death was a horror film, SHOCK in 1977. 

SHOCK tells the story of home with a tragic past. Dora (Daria Nicolodi) is a woman haunted by her past. Her husband Carlo was an abusive drug addict who walked out of the house one night and sailed off. His boat was later found at sea with no sign of Carlo, now thought to have been a suicide. Dora was sent to a mental institution for help and treated there and since released. 

She is now married to Bruno (John Steiner), a longtime friend to both her and Carlo. Along with her son Marco (David Colin Jr.) they move back into the home she once shared with her previous husband Carlo, Marco’s father. The three of them move in but it isn’t long before strange things begin to happen. 

Bruno is a pilot who finds himself flying away and leaving the two of them home alone. During those trips away Marco begins to show signs of being influenced by something evil within the home. Dora feels that the house is creating an influence on Marco and begs Bruno to move from the house but he refuses. With each trip he takes Marco becomes worse. 

Dora begins seeing things and wonders if this is all really happening or is she losing her grip on reality. Is she going mad? Is Marco being possessed by some evil entity? Is Bruno somehow involved? The movie takes us through a methodical journey to find the answers to these questions. Those answers may not be what Dora hopes to find and in the end it may be that no one escapes the danger found within the house. 

Having worked as a cinematographer Bava makes use of everything seen in each frame of the film. Objects seen in the background or foreground have meaning and are potential clues to things that transpire in the film. It is not the actors alone involved in telling the story here but everything seen on screen. 

This is not to say that the involvement of the actors in inconsequential. Each one plays their part with such believability that you’re never quite sure about Dora being insane of not. The weakest of the performances comes from Colin as Marco. You get the feeling that he is over-acting rather than acting in most of the film. But the rest of the cast makes up for that. 

While I love Bava’s films I will say that this one falls among my least favorite. It looks great and has a wonderful story to tell but you get the impression he was reaching a point where this was no longer his passion. The story behind the scenes is that his son Lamberto, a well-known director in his own right, urged his father to make this film after attempts at other productions had faltered. In watching this movie you get the feeling this story is more true than false. In any event any film of Bava’s is one worth watching. 

Arrow Video is releasing the film with their standard of excellence beginning with a new 2K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative. Extras abound here with a new audio commentary by Tim Lucas, author of Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark, “A Ghost in the House”, a new video interview with co-director and co-writer Lamberto Bava, “Via Dell’Orologio 33”, a new video interview with co-writer Dardano Sacchetti, “The Devil Pulls the Strings”, a new video essay by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, “Shock! Horror! – The Stylistic Diversity of Mario Bava”, a new video appreciation by author and critic Stephen Thrower, “The Most Atrocious Tortur(e)”, a new interview with critic Alberto Farina, the Italian theatrical trailer, 4 US “Beyond the Door II” TV spots, an image gallery, a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Christopher Shy and for the first pressing only an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Troy Howarth, author of The Haunted World of Mario Bava.

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