“A Bay of Blood” is a Giallo thriller from Mario Bava, the ‘Master of Macabre’. Upon release, the movie was heavily criticized for its extreme gore and violence, but contemporary critics have been more appreciative and consider it one of the landmarks of the Giallo movie era.

The movie features one of the most twisted and improbable plots, even for a Giallo movie. It begins in the ostentatious mansion of a middle-aged, wheelchair-bound beautiful countess, Federica (Isa Miranda). As she moves through the mansion, the polished rims of the wheelchair shine brightly, an ominous promise that danger lurks nearby.

Predictably, she soon meets her doom when a noose almost out of nowhere grasps her neck and hoists her to the ceiling. Interestingly, Federica’s killer is revealed instantly. Her husband, Filippo (Giovanni Nuvoletti), who is standing nearby, pauses for a moment, perhaps relieved that the deed is done. His relief lasts less than a minute when the blade of a knife, wielded by an unseen assailant, takes his life.

While the countess is found dead, there is no trace of Filippo or his body. A real estate agent, Frank Ventura (Chris Avram), who is carrying on an affair with his secretary, Laura (Anna Maria Rosati), has been doing all he can to get hold of the Countess’s property for development. After the countess refused to go through the sale, Frank conspired with Filippo to have her killed and then to purchase it from Filippo. Still unaware of Filippo’s demise, he is planning to meet the latter and finalize the sale.

Simon (Claudio Camaso), the countess’s fearsome son, an entomologist, Paulo (Leopoldo Trieste), and his psychic wife, Anna (Laura Betti), are residents of the bay where the mansion is situated.

The mansion falls into ruins due to negligence and is considered abandoned. Intrigued by the mansion, past a group of four thrill-seeking teens arrive at the mansion to explore its grounds and interiors. Soon, each of them meets a gruesome death and increases the tally of deaths in the bay.

Next, Renata (Claudine Auger), Filippo’s daughter, and her husband Albert (Luigi Pistilli) also arrive at the bay with their own designs for the property. After more gore and mindless twists, the movie ends with an even more ridiculous end.

After an interesting opening scene, the movie goes downhill because of its convoluted messy plot. However, many future slasher movie makers would use ‘A Bay of Blood’ for inspiration. For instance, “Friday the 13th” would lift entire scenes from this film. While I do not recommend this film, it may be of interest to horror movie fanatics. ‘A Bay of Blood’ is Mario Bava’s most violent movie.