KILL, BABY...KILL!
**1/2 out of ******
Reviewed by Jarrod Baker

Genres
Horror
Thriller

1966
Directed by
Mario Bava
Written by
Mario Bava
Romano Migliorini (also story)
Roberto Natale (also story)
Cast
Giacomo Rossi-Stuart .... Dr. Paul Eswai
Erika Blanc .... Monica Schuftan
Fabienne Dali .... Ruth (the sorceress)
Piero Lulli .... Insp. Kruger
Max Lawrence .... Karl (the burgomeister)
Micaela Esdra .... Nadienne
Franca Dominici .... Martha
Giuseppe Addobbati .... Innkeeper
Mirella Pamphili .... Irena Hollander
Valeria Valeri .... Melissa Graps
Giana Vivaldi .... Baroness Graps

Imagine for a moment that you don't know who Mario Bava is, and know nothing of his body of work. You've never seen one of his films, and certainly haven't seen what is acclaimed by some to be one of his best, Kill, Baby… Kill!

If you can imagine that – and I appreciate that you might not have to strain yourself too hard – then you can understand the position I was in prior to watching this film.

Basically I had no idea what to expect – the only thing I had to go on was the DVD cover, which describes it as an "eerie gothic ghost-story-with-a-body-count". I didn't even know the year of production (the copyright note on the sleeve is 2005). It says that it's Bava's second 'Giallo' – which loosely means 'thriller', typically one involving a mystery and loads of violence.

So based on the name – Kill, Baby… Kill! – and the cover blurb and artwork, what should I have expected from this movie? A graphic, bloody horror perhaps? Or based on the title along, something, Russ Meyer-esque?

It just goes to prove that you shouldn't judge a DVD by its cover. To start with, the actual Italian title of this film is Operazione Paura, which translates as Operation Fear. Not quite as evocative of bloodletting as Kill, Baby… Kill!, which is somehow appropriate given that in this film all of the violence happens off-screen.

For rather than being a slasher/horror, Kill, Baby... Kill! turns out to be a quite entertaining but certainly dated thriller in a vaguely Hitchcockian mould, about a small turn-of-the-century European town which is terrorised by the ghost of a young girl who died 20 years previously and is now regularly forcing residents to kill themselves.

The production is quite restrained, given that Bava is apparently famous for an emphasis on explicit horror and sex – there's very little of either on show here. Instead, we're treated to an old-school horror story – slightly campy, with overly theatrical lighting, music and sound effects – which has been dubbed into English from the original Italian, and along the way become occasionally unintentionally comedic.

Kill, Baby… Kill! should be watched with one clear thought in mind – it's a product of its era, and it hasn't dated that well. But it's still quite watchable, and despite its flaws – which notably include a pretty confused and rushed plotline – it still delivers a few genuine thrills. It's just a bit of a pity that the box markets it as something it's not.

Finger_Of_DOOM's reviews also appear on DVD Compare, where they include details of the DVD release. For this review click here.

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