Navigation

Shock (1978)

Dir: Mario'Lamberto Bava.

Mario Bava's last film (Co-Directed by his Son Lamberto) is an interesting little item that deserved a better reception than it got.

We open with Dora (Daria Nicolodi), Marco (David Colin Jr.) her son and Bruno (John Steiner) her new husband, unpacking as they move into their new home. But it's not really new to Dora because she used to live there with her drug addicted, cruel first husband Carlo who supposedly drowned himself. Dora had a breakdown after Carlo's death and was put under the care of a Psychiatrist (the late Ivan Rassimov), now seemingly cured; she attempts to start again with Bruno. We learn that it was Bruno that insisted she move back into her house to help bury the past completely.

They have not been there long when Marco starts to act strangely, getting angry when Dora gets intimate with Bruno and even telling his Mother that he has to kill her. Dora also starts to have strange dreams and hallucinations involving her dead husband and a rotted hand clawing at her.

Bruno is a pilot and spends a lot of time away. He tries to reassure Dora she is just upset at the memories of the house but insists they have to get through it. But when Dora is left alone with Marco she becomes increasingly frightened of him as the strange visions continue and he starts to play nasty tricks on her, including ripping up her underwear. As the visions become more and more horrific and her nerves closer to breaking, Dora seeks help from her Psychiatrist, but all he can offer is pills and platitudes.

With no one believing that the supernatural occurrences are anything but in her head, Dora becomes increasingly unhinged. Her sons malevolent behaviour continues (was it him who put a razor blade between the piano keys?) and plagued by more and more bizarre and violent events (that even include a floating modeling knife that slashes open her dress in a particularly scary dream) Dora finally snaps and the truth of what happened to her husband is revealed, with deadly consequences….

 

This film was also released under the title "Beyond the Door 2" to try and make a tenuous link with Oliver Hellman's successful "Exorcist" rip off starring Juliet Mills and Richard Johnson ("Zombi 2"), but the only connection is the appearance of child actor David Colin Jr. But Shock is not a crass trend jumper and this title does this unfairly neglected Bava film little justice.

The opening title music by "L'Libra" signposts the viewer instantly that they are watching an Italian horror film. The excellent score is very reminiscent of "Goblin's" early Jazz/Funk scores for films like "Deep Red" and the bombastic use of kettledrums bring on memories of "Suspiria" ('L'Libra' was in fact formed by 'Goblin's' first drummer Walter Martino). Add some bizarre distorted, deep vocals used in later scenes and you have a score that summons up a terrific atmosphere of menace.

This atmosphere is also created by some well-lighted and filmed scenes in the creepy basement, where the full supernatural chaos unfolds, with great use of deep shadows and pale light, full marks to cinematographer Alberto Spagnoli. The use of the camera is also interesting as we have long moody tracking shots around the house and highly effective distorted images in the dream sequences. One impressive shot is Dora lying flat in bed, as her hair seems to rise up around her and drift over her face. The flashback sequence near the films finale is also delightfully brain warping as images are bent and blurred, sign posting the breakdown of Dora's mind.

The visions/dreams are in fact a vital weapon to fight off the threat of boredom that nearly brings the film down during the first half as neither Bava's show any flair for the stodgy dialogue scenes that make up a lot of the films run time. Surely four script writers (including Lamberto) could have given us a more involving screenplay. Thankfully these sequences are well worth the wait, the aforementioned knife scene (although made with weak effects) is unnerving and the earlier sequence where the knife, this time held by the rotting hand, is thrust through the crack of Dora's bedroom door, as she fights to keep the supernatural menace out, is genuinely exciting. And scenes of a swing moving on it's own, a wall oozing blood and even floating furniture although cliché supernatural images are used to great effect.

The gore is sparse, but is nicely messy with crushed zombie fingers, throat slashing's and a great pick axe death all adding much needed meat to the slow moving tale.

The performances range from forgettable (a wasted Rassimov in no more than a cameo) to the highly impressive with Daria Nicolodi in top form, fighting through the dubbing to deliver a suitably distraught and later completely psychotic performance. Steiner is given a one-dimensional character and shows none of the exuberance that Nicolodi puts across. We must also mention David Colin Jr. who gives us one of horrors best creepy kids. He pulls suitably evil faces but more than that he really gives his all in certain scenes. The highlight of which is when he senses Dora and Bruno making love and sits up in bed, a look of pure hatred on his face, and whispers "pig" with a rasping, almost feral voice. This is a rare time where his dub voice stops being typically annoying and really becomes an effective part of the character.

We are given a nicely satisfying double twist ending where we are finally shown if the supernatural goings on were real, if Marco was really possessed or if it was all part of Dora's psychosis. And as the credits roll, it hits home just how frustrating it was that the rest of the film was not up to the standard of this ending or of the all too brief shock sequences.