Twitch of the Death Nerve (1971)
Review by the Fiend of Grue
An elderly woman by the name of Countess Federica (Isa Miranda), bound to a wheelchair, wheels herself around her sprawling mansion on a lazy, sunny afternoon. Without warning, a man in business attire and black gloves suddenly slips a noose around the Countess’ neck, kicks the chair out from underneath her and after a short, horrible struggle, she dies. Her murderer was her greedy husband, Filippa Donatti (Giovanni Nuvoletti) who committed the heinous act in hopes of inheriting her entire vast fortune. As he observes her hanging body, suddenly and in an equally unexpected moment, an unseen killer stabs Filippa and he too dies, right beside his wife.
Federica’s son Simon is next in line to take over the inheritance, but at what cost? Other family members and friends devise several devious plans to be able to get their hands on the fortune of Countess Federica.
Also as the murders become the talk of the town, a group of vacationers show up to the lake side resort without a care in the world except having fun, but little do they know, they are in the midst of death as murderous greed and envy take over the lives of several people looking for a piece of the Countess’ pie.
One of the first things that you notice while watching Twitch of the Death Nerve, also known as Bay of Blood, is the breathtaking scenery that pops off the screen with vibrant, alive and rustic colors. From the opening shots of rippling water at the lakeside property under a setting sun, to the rich colors of the Countess’ mansion, to the sprawling scenes of nature that are seen within the first 15 minutes, you can tell that Bava’s eye for lasting impressions on the psyche were in top form when he made this film.
Twitch of the Death Nerve could pass as a giallo film but probably is better suited as a slasher film because the murders start off right away and continue at a steady pace throughout the film. The movie did a good amount of boasting about its 13 horrific death scenes and for good cause. There are some nasty death sequences in this film, especially for the time period that it came out (1971). The effects don’t hold up well by today’s standards, but for that time in horror films they are fabulous and you can easily see why people were sickened by them. One of the stand out effects involves a large squid crawling around on a dead man’s half rotted head in a fisherman’s boat.
This film is also one of the first times that a particular trick scene was used where a guy hangs up a phone and as he’s removing his hand we see that it has changed to another scene where the hand is now another man who has just hung up a gas hose. Another part in the movie that uses that trick involves a woman’s head getting cut off and as it hit’s the floor, it cuts to a ceramic head busting in an entirely different scene. The scene instantly goes from shock to laughter when you see it play out. It’s scenes like these where you see the brilliance of Mario Bava and understand the genius that he was.
Another scene in this movie was shocking for other reasons, not for the blood, gore or anything like that, but for how the scene was totally ripped off and used in a more popular American horror film. Anyone who has seen Twitch knows that Friday the 13th completely and without shame ripped off one of it’s death scenes from this movie. Remember the scene where the spear goes through the couple having sex and then the shot cuts to the bloody spear piercing the bed and sticking in the floor? Yeah…that scene was lifted almost verbatim from this 1971 film. Wow…I’m sure if Bava hadn’t passed away before Friday the 13th was released, he would have had a good plagiarism case on his hands. Shame on you Mr. Cunningham.
With this movie, there is no clear cut lead character. In a plot where everyone is a suspect, or an actual murderer at one point or another, Bava tells the story in a way that the focus continually changes from character to character and just when you think you know what’s going to happen, he throws you another curve ball that sends you down another unexpected path. While not having a main lead would be a flaw for most films, with Twitch, it only adds to the mystery and a luring appeal of the film.
The acting of the film is on par with other films from this period. A lot of people might look at some of the acting as being over acted in parts and that’s understandable, but you also have to understand that this was not only 1971, but it’s also an Italian horror film which are at times very different that their American counterparts from the same era. There is one scene in particular where a woman is running from an unseen assailant and at one point she turns and gasps in horror as she realizes that she hasn’t gotten away. Sure, it’s very overacted, but there is just something about those trebly, 1970’s screams that are just more real and urgent than what most modern films have to offer. The over the top responses of these old school films often brings a laugh or two, but still there is something about those old, bassless, shrill squeals from the ’70’s that can strike fear into your heart and this movie has plenty of examples of that.
Renate (Claudine Auger) is the daughter of Filippa who comes to the lakeside for answers about what happened. Strong willed and determined as she is, we also soon find out that under the young and beautiful facade there is a devious core to Renate and she is brewing up a way of her own to take over the estate. The character of Renate and her weak willed and troubled husband, Albert (Luigi Pistilli) are the two stand out performances of the movie and the closest to any resemblance of a lead throughout the story. There is also the role of Anna Fossati (Laura Betti) that is worth mentioning. She is the local mystic/tarot card reader who claims to her wacko husband Paolo (Leopoldo Trieste) that “the sickle of death is about to strike”, right before all of the murderous rampaging begins. Her character is very creepy and mysterious as she pops up throughout the film, only adding to the atmosphere.
Why people would consider this movie to be a black comedy is lost on me. Except for maybe the scene with the ceramic head busting, the movie was played straight faced from beginning to end. What’s interesting about it is the way that the movie becomes a lesson on paranoia and deceit and shows how those characteristics, along with greed, can destroy anybody. While Twitch is essentially about backstabbing, selfish, dirty, murderous and immoral people, in the end it is innocence that prevails…literally.
Twitch of the Death Nerve is considered by many to be Mario Bava’s shining moment and if you don’t know who Mario Bava is, then you shouldn’t call yourself a horror fan at all. One of the true masters of old school Italian horror, with the likes of Black Sunday, Black Sabbath, Kill Baby Kill, and Baron Of Blood, Bava should perhaps be in the Webster’s dictionary under the term “master.” After seeing this movie, I would have to agree with that and see why people still to this day, bow to the altar of Mario Bava. You MUST check this film out!
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Monday, October 1st, 2007 at 9:09 am | Filed under Horror Reviews.
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