The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

How it must have been for a horror film fan to be of cinema-going age in the early 1970s – this is another Italian giallo film that was released into the already bulging world in 1971. Directed by Mario Bava, it contains all the hallmarks – beautiful locations, beautiful people - and someone dressed in black who is killing them all, one by one.Bava is lauded as an inspirational to many more modern film-makers, which is great. I find his work a little hit-or-miss. Perhaps his reputation goes against him for me; I try not to read reviews of any kind before I've seen a film, but it is difficult to avoid Bava's status. Perhaps if he were not so revered, I'd (unfairly) be more open to appreciate his work.That said, this unquestionably contains some gruesome moments and handsome set-pieces for the growing number of killings. Stelvio Cipriani's very rhythmical soundtrack plays its part in cultivating the unnerving moments too.As always with Bava, colour is very important. Garish and lurid, even when muted by day-for-night, it presents my main issue with his work. It is too stylised, giving a stage-bound feel, even on location. Such starkness also robs the sumptuous locations of their natural atmosphere and charms.The story revolves around the lengths people will go to safeguard what they as their inheritance. It's a thin plot, hardly elevated by a very contrived ending. As giallos go, it has enough memorable moments to make it worthwhile (my favourite involves daft and giggly Brunhilda (Brigitte Skay) skinny-dipping, when a bloated corpse brushes against her – dissolving into hysterics. Her fate is also soon sealed), but it is far from the most compelling in the genre.

A Bay of Blood is easily the most disappointing effort from Mario Bava I've seen to date. Black Sunday, Black Sabbath, Blood and Black Lace and Baron Blood (did he have a thing about the letter 'B'?') are all superior to this effort, which in spite of good cinematography and an effective murder or two (or thirteen!) never quite gels and is often annoying and silly.Exploitation is to the fore as a group of randy teenagers hang out and get offed; one after a nude swim, two others caught inflagrante delecto! The influence on Friday the 13th is obvious (they ripped it off!), but like that movie Bay of Blood has perhaps acquired a reputation it does not really deserve.There's giallo-style plotting galore going on - which makes little sense - though the surprise opening murder of an old rich lady in a wheelchair is effectively done, but as the killings mount up it becomes pretty kitsch. All in all this is just not one of Bava's best, and not a very good introduction to him. Watch the other films I've mentioned first...

You don't go to a Mario Bava picture expecting an Antonioni picture or a Fellini picture. Bava does exactly what it says on the tin and what it says on the tin here is "A Bay of Blood" so basically you know what you're likely to get and what you're letting yourself in for but Bava is as much an auteur as any Italian maestro and the killing that opens this film proves it. Working almost exclusively within the genre of the horror picture Bava was, above all, a great visual stylist, (as well as directing "A Bay of Blood" he was also the DoP), and unlike most films that might be termed slashers this could almost be called art, albeit of a very kitsch kind.Budget-wise Bava had to achieve his effects with very little, other than sheer imagination. "A Bay of Blood" may be a fairly basic giallo in terms of plot but it is also creepy and clever and thankfully tongue-in-cheek, (with a laugh-out-loud pay-off), and Bava knew that by including a few 'cult' names in his cast, (Isa Miranda, Laura Betti), he could draw in the cineastes. It may not be in the same class as some of his better known works but it's still worth seeking out.

This film was directed by Italian filmmaker, Mario Bava, who has apparently made other horror films prior to this. This being the first one I have seen of his, I wasn't expecting much from it, except for it to be good, or at least entertaining. So after watching it, was it either of which? Not really, to be honest. I would summarize the premise ... if I knew what the hell it was. It does start off pretty well, but that's only one of the positives. The kill scenes (some of them) are pretty disturbing; however, most (if not all) of them leave no impact whatsoever. I would also add that I found not one character interesting.But what truly aggravated me was each scene with the four supposed teenagers. As soon as they appeared on screen, I assumed that we would get depth out of at least one of them. But nope, they were just there to be murder victims. I would call it pointless, but what pi$$ed me off the most was the lake scene; those who've seen the movie, you know exactly what I'm talking about. You could argue that, because of a scene like that, of course it had to happen. Honestly though, I was really hoping otherwise, specifically that it would lead to something. But again, nope, because wishful thinking's a b*tch. It shouldn't really be a surprise though, as that particular sequence is on the cover of the movie.