Shock (1977)

SHOCK (1977)

Dir: Mario Bava

Quick review: should this be the first Bava film you see, absolutely not. Is it the worst Bava film I’ve seen, absolutely not. I love Bava. I could always dive deeper into his filmography, but I’m a fan of his landmarks Black Sunday (1960), The Evil Eye (1963), Black Sabbath (1963), Blood and Black Lace (1964), Hatchet For The Honeymoon (1970), and A Bay Of Blood (1971). The dive could go deeper, but Bava’s cinematography and invention have always been my favorite aspects of his films. Each frame of Black Sunday is a perfectly composed photograph. The colors are so rich and saturated in Blood and Black Lace that we understand how the beauty of Suspiria (1977) could one day happen. The Evil Eye or also known as The Girl Who Knew Too Much is the birth of the Giallo film and coupled with Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) and Powell’s Peeping Tom (1960) we see the birth of the proto-slasher film. Without Bay of Blood the impressive kills in several Friday The 13^th films would not exist. To begin a write up of Shock with a celebration of the director’s career is to steer away from the more banal aspects found in the filmmaker’s final film. Bava’s filmography has its fair share of missteps, and keeping that in mind, Shock is not one of those either.

Dora played by Daria Nicolodi has moved back into her former home after years away. She's brought her son Marco and new airline pilot husband with her. Dora is plagued by her past. Marco's father was abusive and a drug addict. It's said he committed suicide at sea, but his body was never found. Dora had a breakdown, spent time in an institution, had some electroshock therapy to destroy some memories, but is doing much better now. It seems the house wants her to remember more. Marco begins to exhibit incestuous tendencies toward his mom, talk to empty swings, and shred his mom’s underwear. Is the boy screwed up, is it in the mom's head, or is he becoming possessed by his drug addict father? Are we going to be shocked?

We may grow tired asking ourselves questions about the film’s motive, but all will be answered. And the shock that we seek is coming. While it takes a few story beats to find its bearings, Shock is still well crafted. Mario’s son, Lamberto Bava wrote the script. Lamberto had assisted his father directing from 1966 (age 22) on. When Mario died, Lamberto assisted Dario Argento on Inferno (1980), Ruggero Deodato on Cannibal Holocaust (1980), and made his first feature Macabre (1980). The idea of being possessed by one’s own father lingers as a metaphor for Lamberto’s own career as he dove headfirst into horror filmmaking.