Director: Mario Bava
Year: 1971
Country: Italy
Alternate Titles: Ecologia del delitto; Reazione a catena; Twitch of the Death Nerve; Bloodbath; The Last House on the Left, Part II; The Antecedent; Snuff Is My Game; Ecology of a Crime; Carnage
Genre: Giallo
Plot:
After a series of strange deaths, a private investigator is drawn to a lake in northeast Italy to look into collecting blasting rights to the area for his company, but as the series of savage murders continues the revelations about the series of killings puts everyone around the lake in danger of being killed.
Review:
This was one of the more impressive and enjoyable elements out there. One of the films’ strongest elements is the highly impressive manner this takes trying to keep all the storylines straight. It’s really like him to be able to balance a really confusing plotline into an entertaining film like this is as so many different characters are successfully woven into the plot line, which is what adds to the confusion. That the real identity of the killer keeps on changing as other people are either killed off or something else happens keeps this one feeling much in the vein of the original aspects of the genre with the investigation into the incidents revealing tons of hidden affairs, secret meetings and clandestine planning that would feel much more at east in another effort.
It is also a wonder how much fun this generates from the resulting slashing scenes. While previous films were based on elaborate sets, lighting and atmosphere, this one is pretty brutal and relies more on gore. We get a couple very bloody stabbings, a realistic-looking decapitation, several strangulations, and a fine-looking hanging to boot. The best of the bunch, however, is a true double impaling that is seen in all its glory. This is added to the whole stalking scenes that are shown here, from the chase through the woods to get to safety and just coming up short to the senses at the cabin working through the darkened rooms once the power is out to the utterly impressive scene in the woods where mistaken identity creates a fun sequence in the moonlight.
The other impressive aspect here is the fact that these elements come into play at such a stage in the genre’s cycle that it can be quite easy to see the impact and influence this carries. The idea of featuring the hidden identities of the true killings and the need for investigating the various factors to figure that out place it squarely in the realm of the giallo at the time, yet the sheer blunt brutality out in the middle of nowhere away from the urban landscape of the city recall later slasher efforts. With the complete disinterest in the other factors that provide an excuse to wipe out various figures in graphic fashion, it completes the picture in transition into that slasher formula. All combined with the fantastic twist ending that isn’t seen coming at all, there’s a lot to enjoy here.
This one has some issues. The one main drawback to this one is the somewhat slack pacing that can be a detriment to get into the film. 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 the 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 odd lengths of time for things to happen. As well, the ending could be a real sore-spot with the wholesale randomness to it all, but otherwise, there’s not much at all wrong here.
Overview: ****.5/5
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, enjoy this style of film or looking for the underrated horror gems while only those who don’t appreciate this genre should heed caution for the most part.
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