The Italian master of horror, Mario Bava,
returns to Horrorfest this year with KILL, BABY… KILL. This 1966 ghost chiller
stars Giacomo Rossi-Stuart as a 19th century coroner who is
called to an isolated Carpathian village to perform an autopsy on the most
recent victim of a string of mysterious murders.
The villagers think the ghost of a little girl
is responsible for the crimes, but the police inspector (Piero Lulli) is not
convinced. The burgomeister (Max Lawrence) is tortured over the whole thing and
doesn't know what to believe.
The town sorceress (Fabienne Dali) is
convinced of the ghost story and suspects the Baroness (Giana Vivaldi), locked
away in her castle, is somehow responsible.
Like most Bava films, this one benefits from
beautiful cinematography. Even though it's dark, moody and has tons of spooky
atmosphere, the film is still colorful and beautiful to look at. There isn't a
single shot that doesn't look like a painting.
The film also benefits from its cool location.
It was shot in a real medieval village called Calcata in Italy. The winding
streets and passages lend themselves well to a tale of terror and provide
production value that simply cannot be bought. It also gives the film a unique
look, unlike flicks shot on reused sets.
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