Overrated

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

It's Always an Anticipation when coming to a Mario Bava Movie. Considered one of the Best Italian Horror Directors, Bava Never Failed to be an Auteur, always bringing an Artistic Flair with His "on the move" Camera Work, Color Schemes, and a Fertile Imaging of the Genre (Horror/Giallo).This, His Final Film, was done during Failing Health, like Hitchcock, the Talent Remained and His Vision is Incorporated here even though much of the Movie was Relegated to His Son, Lamberto.It's a Creepfest of Considerable SHOCKS and the Strong B-Acting working with one of the Masters manages to Help in the Delivery. Coming at the End of the Horror/Giallo Cycle, while Certainly Not One of the Genre's Best or Worse, it is still Worth a Watch and is only Slightly Disappointing, Mostly Due to the Aging Director and the then Tiredness of the Story. Also, His usual Standout Color Trademark is Surprisingly Absent.The Dynamic Duo of Modern Italian Horror, Bava and Dario Argento, both made some Mediocre Movies (the Human Condition), and this is one of Bava's. But both of the Director's Lesser Works are Still Above Average and Always a Treat for Fans.This Haunted House-Supernatural-Possession Film is a Respectable Inclusion with a Child Character Near the Center and that can be Problematic, but it is OK here. Note...Some prints are titled "Beyond the Door II" and was a Distributor Decision, is exploitive and has nothing to do with the Original.

Dora (Daria Nicolodi) returns to the country house where her first husband committed suicide. Coming with her are new husband Bruno (John Steiner) and her son Marco (David Colin Jr.). Since she is a female protagonist in an Italian horror movie, you know Dora has some past mental problems and they surface right away as she has crazy dreams and her son begins acting very peculiar ("I have to kill you mommy" being the greeting that really unnerves Dora). Mario Bava's last theatrical feature continues the fine tradition of Italians finding really creepy looking kids. Colin's only other feature was the earlier BEYOND THE DOOR (1974), which you can see Bava is trying to reference. The isolated location is nice and there are a few creepy sequences here. The unusually named I. Libra provides a Goblin- esque score.

Shock (1977) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Dora Baldini (Daria Nicolodi) moves her new husband (John Steiner) and her son (David Colin, Jr.) from a previous marriage into the house that she once lived with the kid's father who committed suicide. It doesn't take long for strange things to start happening and the mother believes that the dead father has possessed the body of his son. SHOCK has a pretty bad reputation, which I think is somewhat unfair for a few different reasons. I think a lot of people automatically hated this picture because it was originally released in America as BEYOND THE DOOR II and many were upset that it had nothing to do with the 1974 picture. Another reason people hate this film is because it's not your typical Italian horror film as there's not any real gore and for the majority of the running time there's not a single thing that happens. I think SHOCK really is the perfect example of a very talented director being able to take a rather lackluster screenplay and a low budget and working some magic with it. There's no doubt that Mario Bava was a genius that could do things with a limited amount of funds and he does a pretty good job here. There are several great scenes that are really brought to life by the director's style and this includes the various hauntings. When the horror elements finally kick in they're pretty effective including a now famous scene involving the little boy running up to his mother. I certainly won't spoil what happens but it's certainly a creepy little sequence. I thought Bava did a pretty good job at covering the psychological elements of the film as we really do seem to get into the mind of Nicolodi as she starts to crack under all the pressure she's under. Speaking of Nicolodi, she turns in a fine performance as all of her emotional states are perfectly captured and I thought she was very believable as the tortured soul. Steiner is also good as the caring husband and Colin, who also appeared in BEYOND THE DOOR, isn't too bad. What really keeps this film from being more is the screenplay, which is pretty mediocre to say the least. I think the entire plot involving the suicide is pretty predictable and there's really not any shocks. If the term "by-the-numbers" means anything to you then this film is the perfect example of it. When you see how bland the screenplay is, it's even more impressive that Bava was able to do so much with it. SHOCK is certainly a flawed movie but the effective moments make it worth sitting through and it certainly deserves a better reputation.

It has been said the Mario Bava is a better director than Dario Argento, but he does have the great scripts that Argento has. This final film of Bava shows his directorial talent and the script is really good also.It is a perfect Halloween film full of suspenseful music and creepy sounds, a great set, and just three main characters.Here, Bava has Argento's former partner, Daria Nicolodi, in the main role. She has appeared in many of Argento's films: Mother of Tears, Opera, Phenomena, Inferno, Suspiria and Deep Red. She even wrote Suspiria for Argento.Nicolodi is magnificent as a woman going mad.