Twitch of the Death Nerve [1980] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Customer Reviews:

A MASTERPIECE.......2007-11-04

An old woman is killed, but then the killer soon meets his death. The lakeside house also draws Frank Ventura, (Cristea Avram) a private investigator, to the lake in northeast Italy, where two fisherman, Simon (Claudio Camaso) and Paulo (Leopoldo Trieste) are suspected of the woman's death. The woman is an heiress who is important to Frank's employers. Four friends, Brunhilda, (Brigitte Skay) Bobby, (Guido Boccaccini) Denise (Paola Rubens) and Robert (Roberto Bonnani) arrive at an abandoned house near the lake for a party, but unknowingly are close to the house where the deaths occurred. They party into the night, unaware of the man secretly watching them. Bored, Hilda decides to go swimming out in the bay while everyone else sneaks into a house nearby. While swimming, she unearths a dead man in the lake and takes off back to the house, but everyone is at the second house. She is then killed by an unknown killer and remains undiscovered. Paul decides to share his investigation in the murder with his friend Albert, (Luigi Pistilli) who follows along with the daughter of the murdered man, Renata (Claudine Auger) and a tarot card reader, Anna, (Laura Betti) and finds that the father had an illegitimate son who might be the mysterious killer. The first killer (Giovanni Nuvoletti) winds up on Simon's boat, who is Rennie's father. She wanders off to collect her head, but stumbles onto the dead friends and the killer. Soon, the true identity of the killer is revealed and it's reason for the murders.

The Good News: Here is perhaps Mario Bava's most underrated movie. While previous films were based on elaborate sets, lighting and atmosphere, 'Bay of Blood' relies more on gore, and what fine Italian gore it is. Bearing in mind that this isn't a Fulci film, this one is pretty brutal. We get a couple very bloody stabbings, a realistic looking decapitation, several strangulation's, and a fine looking hanging to boot. The best of the bunch, however, is a true double impaling that isn't watered down like the similar scene from 'Friday the 13th Part 2.' It is bloodier and more jolting, but yet it gets the job done and is seen in all its glory. This is a good gorefest, but Bava's other talents are on display. The way he can set up a scene is really a lost art. Using different angles than most people or by doing the point of view of the killer walking around adds more tension and suspense than in other films that might not use that technique. I just can't seem to get the theme out of my head. It is a really effective score, and is effective for enhancing the scenes. I also really like how Bava is able to balance a really confusing plot line into an entertaining film. The real identity of the killer keeps on changing as other people are either killed off or something else happens. It is also a wonder who so many different characters are successfully woven into the plot line, which is what adds to the confusion.

The Bad News: The one main scene where I felt cheated is at the beginning, where the couple in bed together are clearly nude, but nothing on camera is shown. At least something should've been seen, but instead we get nothing, even when she leaves the bed after the man. It is made up for later on, but that was a failed attempt. This does take a while to get going, as most of the killings don't start until after the first thirty minutes. There is also a second, even longer stretch of film where there are no deaths, which perhaps can lead some to boredom. Despite the high body count, the deaths all occur in small blocks, with no real randomness to them at all. Within about three minutes, at least two other people die after they finish one off. It does take a long time for those blocks to come up, so there are the odd lengths of time for things to happen.

The Final Verdict: Despite a long time between deaths, this is a rather underrated gem from Mario Bava. Gorehounds are not disappointed in here, and fans of his other works will find this one fits in well with his other pictures. Worth the time to find if you're a Bava fan or looking for the underrated horror gems.

italians did much better horror films than any Hammer British Horror ever did.......2006-10-28

Long live Mario Bava (the godfather of italian macabre & giallo).
This movie is perhaps the most Bava's surrealistical brutalism that has shown a mysterious machette Killer. If you like Blood and the black lace, you'll surely love this one.

this one is a pure Giallo ! The italian slaughter-Horror Party really rules !!

Mario Bava's 70's Italian carnage classic.......2006-10-14

Better known as 'A Twitch of the Death Nerve' this 1971 Italian slaughterfest from the great Mario Bava is the precursor of Friday 13th and it's numerous ilk. Leaving aside the slightly fuzzy plot involving the various characters attempts to secure the prime real estate of the title, the various gorrotings, impalings and mutilations are handled with much gusto. Though I suspect the 80 min version veiwed has been trimmed down it still remains a well paced tongue in cheek slice of Italian horror.

CLASSIC HORROR/SLASHER!!!!!.......2006-09-02

The one and only original classic horror/slasher movie of the 70s next to texas chainsaw massacre and the hills have eyes.
If you are a fan of the genre then you should not miss out.

This film contains very strong scenes of graphic gory violence that has been imitated in the FRIDAY THE 13TH films!

dDONT MISS IT!!!!!

What's going on?.......2005-12-09

It took me a good few views before I understood what the hell is going on in this weird but original film; so many murder suspects are murdered themselves that it's hard to keep track most of the time. However, the sound quality doesn't help with the confusion, it's absolutely abysmal and this is due to the DVD transfere. The machete in the face and the spear through the couple are identical killings to the ones in 'Friday 13th part two'. The cinematography is second to none and the score is very jazzy and sets the mood from the outset. The downside is the thick fake blood which resembles 'signal red' gloss. Also look closely at the the spear through the chest killing; the scene after his death clearly shows the spear protuding from his stomach. Having said that however, you have to keep reminding yourself throughout the movie that it was made in 1971 and Italian. It was also the first film to require a face-to-face warning at its premier. It's a great film but make sure you purchase a good quality pair of cordless headphones - it could help with the almost inaudible dialogue!

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