Bay of Blood (1972)

A prime piece of real estate on a sea side bay is the main reason everyone is killing each other in this classic flick from the legendary Mario Bava. The film opens with an elderly woman, the owner of the land, being murdered apparently by her husband who in turn is then killed by an unseen hand. With the property ownership now possibly going to any number of people, Bava throws lot's of red herrings our way as to who may or may not be the killer. Is it the countess's illegitimate son, the daughter of the countess's husband eager to get her hands on the land, or a rich playboy type looking to turn the bay into a giant nightclub? Good luck guessing whom it is because this one has all sorts of nifty twists and turns in it. As mentioned in a million other reviews of this one, Bay of Blood pretty much served as THE blueprint for the many slasher films to follow, particularly the first two Friday the 13th films. However, that blueprint is pretty much only in terms of how the murders are committed; there is no similarity in terms of story, of which this flick actually possesses one unlike the brainless slasher flicks that would follow years later. It's interesting to watch this flick and see how 8 years later practically all the various forms of murder would be later stolen. Watch in amazement as we see way back in 1971 the following atrocious acts being committed: the now classic double impalement with spear on a fornicating couple, machete blade to the face and neck, decapitation by axe, impalement by spear, multiple chokings, death by shotgun, and the usual assortment of stabbings by a big sharp knife. The double impalement scene was copied years later in the second "Friday" film, though I wonder whether or not director Steve Miner actually got his idea from this one. All the effects are nice and bloody, my favorites were the two deaths by machete blade, including a nice throat ripping and a very brutal face whacking. Bay of Blood also had a cool soundtrack to it; I really dug those drumbeats and guitar synthesizer sounds as it fit the mood quite well. Bava also served as the chief cinematographer and does a terrific job with the camera. Lots of cool tracking shots, plenty of zooms in and out of focus, and just an overall creepy and moody atmosphere add greatly to the film. Definitely worth a viewing, and a must for all slasher aficionados.