Review of Kill, Baby... Kill! (1966) by Jérôme V — 10 Sep 2009

As a horror aficionados, Mario Bava rank among my favourites directors (with his pupil Dario Argento). A talented cinematographer, many of his films are nothing less than impressive series of meticulously composed vignettes, every last one of them a feast for the eyes of those inhabited by a fascination of everything dark. In fact, Bava have always put more attention to mood and ambiance than to story plot and acting, leaving many people a little disgruntle about his movies.

While there is no doubt that Black Sunday (see my favourite movie list) is his Magnum Opus, Kill, Babyâ?¦ Kill! is certainly a nice piece of Bava too. This fairly intriguing ghost tale is a lesson in gothic ambiance and still have a lot of unnerving power. It begins with a bang: a woman get out of a castle by night screaming for helpâ?¦ a few seconds later she seems to commit suicide (watch out for a brief point of view that was reprise by Argento in his excellent Deep Red). And thus begins a story that use every damned devises seen in classic gothic literatureâ?¦ and for our own pleasure! Curse, ghost, a plethora of villagers that shows complete distrust towards the outsiders, superstition and a family drama thrown in for good measure. While, in 2009, you probably wonâ??t be afraid that much, you are indeed wise if you see the climax coming.

The cast play rather routinely; while not being bad, they are not that good either. Except for a few exception, itâ??s a burden that tend to come with Bavaâ??s oeuvre. But itâ??s not that important considering that the real star of the movie is Bavaâ??s cinematography itself. Every frames is carefully composed to enhanced the overall sense of doom implied in the story: crumbling walls, nightscapes, cemeteries, fog, animalsâ?¦ everything is there for a reason. The colors are almost hallucinatory (well, of course, not to the point of Argentoâ??s Suspiria) in their vivacity, especially reds and blues. And the soundtrack is hard to beat, a well made psychedelic gothic ambient piece.

All in all, Bavaâ??s movies are what I consider an experience: itâ??s haunting and beautifully crafted and will leave you the feel of having seen a tableau rather than a movieâ?¦ but a tableau that wonâ??t forget easily. If you havenâ??t watch any Bavaâ??s film yet, I highly recommend Black Sunday, a masterpiece and nothing less. For those wishing to go further, Kill, Babyâ?¦ kill! (damned: even the titleâ??s a treat!) is a nice place to continueâ?¦.