Aug 1
seen from Ukraine
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The Cat o' Nine Tails
1971
#110: Zombi 2 (1979, dir. by Lucio Fulci)
The Beyond (1981)
by Lucio Fulci
A Bay of Blood (1971)
A Bay of Blood is probably more appealing to horror historians and/or Italian Giallo films than casual viewers. It isn’t quite a proper slasher film but you can see its influence upon the Friday the 13th and later entries in the Halloween franchise - some of the deaths we see here are recreated almost shot-for-shot in the latter. Though its pace is slower than it should be and there are too many characters to keep track of, its mystery is engaging and the body count shocks.
Wheelchair-bound Countess Federica Donati (Isa Miranda) is strangled to death by her husband Filippo Donati (Giovanni Nuvoletti). Moments later, he is himself murdered by an unseen assailant before hiding the body. In the morning, the police discover the dead countess but a note suggests she committed suicide. As the investigation continues, several people begin converging on the property either because they hope to inherit it or want to buy it from the new owners. With a mysterious killer on the loose and everyone’s greed running wild, the bodies begin piling up.
There are A LOT of characters in the film: real estate agent Franco Ventura (Chris Avram) and his lover Laura (Anna Maria Rosati), the creepy groundskeeper Simone (Claudio Volonté), an insect enthusiast named Paolo Fassati (Leopoldo Trieste) and his wife who cares nothing for him, Anna (Laura Betti), the countess’ daughter Renata (Claudine Auger) and her husband Alberto (Luigi Pistilli) as wekk as four teenagers who happen to be visiting the bay - Louise (Brigitte Skay), Sylvie (Paola Montenero), Luca (Guido Boccaccini) and Bobby (Roberto Bonanni). I’m sure someone could remember every face and all of their relationships without taking notes but I wasn’t. This is the kind of movie that needed to cast one Black guy, give someone else an eye patch, a third one some weird verbal tick, etc. Unless you already know how everyone relates, you’ll lose track. Further complicating things are your expectations going in. This is not the story of a lone madman picking off one person at a time for mysterious reasons. Nearly everyone in this story is a potential suspect because they’ve all got murderous urges and several people act upon them. We have all of these conspirators working independently, hoping to take ownership of the bay. In the middle of a scheme, someone will suddenly get decapitated because they're hindering someone else’s plan. Meanwhile, you’re still wondering who murdered Mr. Donati…
A Bay of Blood does an excellent job of keeping you guessing. From their first interaction, you don’t know if Simone and Paolo are potential suspects or just red herrings. Neither appear to have a motive for killing so it could be that if either one of them is a murderer there also happens to be a lunatic messing around with everyone else’s plans. This decision wouldn’t even come out of left field in this film. The teenagers are randomly there so why not?
Director Mario Bava does not give us a protagonist to latch onto. No character is “safe” until the very end. This further obscures the killer/killers’ identity/identities (let’s not assume only one person murdered Filippo) and makes it even more difficult to keep track of everyone. The gore (quite well executed considering the time and low budget) and sudden deaths are more than enough to keep you entertained but this is one of those instances where knowing a little bit about the plot going in would benefit viewers greatly. I can easily see some people getting frustrated by the opaque mystery and dismissing the whole thing. Back in the day, it would’ve been because of the (then) shocking amount of violence. Now, it might be because the ending comes out of nowhere. I have some affection for the final "twist", but it could’ve been foreshadowed better.
If A Bay of Blood interests you, I suggest you set aside an entire evening. Watch the movie, then read an online synopsis, then watch it again with some sort of commentary to "get it". I know that’s asking a lot. Too much for some people but if you are interested in learning the history of horror films, A Bay of Blood is an important stop along your journey and it’s worth doing right. Even if you just watch it once, you’ll still be engaged by the twisty plot, perplexed by the numerous red herrings, and shocked by its violence. (English dub, November 1, 2020)
Warriors of the Year 2072 will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on November 30 via Severin Films. The 1984 Italian post-apocalyptic sci-fi action film is directed by Lucio Fulci (Zombie, The Beyond).
Fulci wrote the script with Elisa Briganti (Zombie), Cesare Frugoni (Slave of the Cannibal God), and Dardano Sacchetti (The Beyond). Jared Martin, Fred Williamson, Howard Ross, Eleanora Brigliadori, Donald O'Brien, and Al Cliver star.
Warriors of the Year 2072 has been newly restored in 4K from an interpositive. It includes reversible artwork. Special features are listed below.
1976 Roma a mano armata Also Known As (AKA) Argentina Roma a mano armada Brazil Roma Armada Spain Roma a mano armada France Brigade spéciale Greece (transliterated) Aftokratores tou eglimatos Greece (video title) Oi zorikoi Netherlands (video title) The Tough Ones Portugal Roma À Mão Armada Soviet Union (Russian title) Рим, полный насилия Turkey (Turkish title) Silah Elde Usa (Dvd Version) Rome Armed to the Teeth USA (reissue title) Assault With A Deadly Weapon USA (dubbed version) Brutal Justice Europe (English title) The Tough Ones West Germany Die Viper World-wide (English title) The Tough Ones/Roma a mano armata Directed by Umberto Lenzi... (English version) (as Bert Lenzi) Writing Credits Umberto Lenzi ... (story) (English version) (as Bert Lenzi) Dardano Sacchetti ... (screenplay) Release Dates Italy 25 February 1976 Turkey April 1977 Argentina 15 September 1977 USA July 1978 France 24 September 1980 West Germany March 1985 (video premiere) Filming Locations Rome, Lazio, Italy Filming Dates March 1977 Production Dates 1976 technical specifications Runtime 1 hr 35 min (95 min) Cast Maurizio Merli Maurizio Merli ... Inspector Leonardo Tanzi Maria Rosaria Omaggio Maria Rosaria Omaggio... Anna Tomas Milian Tomas Milian... Vincenzo Moretto Ivan Rassimov Ivan Rassimov ... Tony Parenzo Arthur Kennedy Arthur Kennedy ... Chief of Police Giampiero Albertini Giampiero Albertini ... Commissioner Francesco Caputo Fulvio Mingozzi Fulvio Mingozzi ... Agent Colantoni Luciano Pigozzi Luciano Pigozzi ... Moretto's Henchman Luciano Catenacci Luciano Catenacci ... Ferdinando Gerace Stefano Patrizi Stefano Patrizi... Stefano Ottaviano Dell’Acqua Ottaviano Dell'Acqua ... Stefano's Friend Biagio Pelligra Biagio Pelligra ... Savelli Aldo Barberito Aldo Barberito ... Detective Poliani Carlo Alighiero Carlo Alighiero... Savelli's Lawyer Carlo Gaddi Carlo Gaddi ... Ambulance Driver Claudio Nicastro Claudio Nicastro ... Fence Valentino Macchi Valentino Macchi ... Franco Alessandra Cardini Alessandra Cardini ... Sandra Moretto (as Sandra Cardini) Gabriella Lepori Gabriella Lepori ... Marta Assante Maria Rosaria Riuzzi Maria Rosaria Riuzzi ... Paola Corrado Solari Corrado Solari ... Albino Dante Cleri Dante Cleri ... Licenses and Permits Officer Mara Mariani Mara Mariani ... Widow Assante Ruggero Diella Ruggero Diella ... Stefano's Friend Tom Felleghy Tom Felleghy ... Judge Bennato Riccardo Petrazzi Riccardo Petrazzi ... Savelli's Henchman Gaetano Russo Gaetano Russo ... Stefano's Friend Franco Macchi Franco Macchi ... Thug Filippo De Gara Filippo De Gara ... Informer
Cat O' Nine Tails