Kill, Baby... Kill! (1966) User Reviews

Primo Bava spookfest

[GroovyDoom · 7/10 · 27 August 2002]

I see a lot of people complaining about the silly title "Kill, Baby, Kill", but the original title, "Operation Fear", is no better. But don't be deceived, this is a first-rate Bava shocker with plenty to look at.

Here we have an isolated Transylvanian village haunted by the spirit of a dead little girl intent on collecting the souls of the inhabitants. The plot finds a young doctor summoned to the town to perform an autopsy in the investigation of a girl's mysterious death. The simultaneous arrival of a damsel-in-distress "assistant" completes the formula, and soon there is danger galore for everyone.

The imagery gets the emphasis here, and I found some of these sets to be absolutely unreal. Spooky-movie cobwebs and mist abounds, and the movie takes place in a series of oddly-shaped buildings, labyrinthine walkways, and even an ultra-campy graveyard. One of the most astonishing sets is that of the ominous "haunted villa", inhabited by Gianna Vivaldi, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Alida Valli (Ironically, the town's burgomaster is played by Luciano Catenacci, who looks more than a little bit like Telly Savalas. Alida Valli and Telly Savalas would both star in Mario Bava's seminal "Lisa and the Devil" years later).

The film's influence on many genre classics will be obvious to horror film buffs, particularly the resemblance of several sequences to Dario Argento's "Suspiria". Even the soundtrack features a number of sighs and musical cues that seem to have been borrowed by Goblin for "Suspiria"'s score. The most obvious similarity is the use of gratuitous red and green lights (which makes you wonder where these villagers got those colored bulbs-this is a period piece, after all!), and one dizzying sequence makes ingenious use of a spiral staircase.

The film also has a level of violence that must have been quite shocking in 1966, with a throat-slashing, temple-piercing, and even an impalement on an iron fence. I am so glad I finally made the time to sit down & watch this great movie. I'm really surprised the film doesn't get more recognition; it is that good. Now why couldn't anyone think of a better title for it???

A candy-coloured visual feast

[Red-Barracuda · 8/10 · 23 January 2012]

This colour-drenched Gothic horror film from Italian master Mario Bava is full to the brim with atmosphere and style. A doctor travels to a remote village to perform an autopsy on a woman who has died in mysterious circumstances. He immediately finds himself in the midst of a series of similar unexplained deaths. Everything seems to be connected to an ominous nearby house, the Villa Graps. While the malevolent ghost of little girl terrorises the vicinity...

Kill, Baby...Kill! May sport a title that makes it sound like it should be a Russ Meyer sexploitation flick but to all intents and purposes this is pure Bava. It contains most of the elements that are associated with the great man's work: terrific fluid cinematography, beautiful use of colour and light, and strong atmospherics. It benefits too from a pretty good cast. Giacomo Rossi-Stuart is solid as the doctor while there is strong support from the beautiful and very Gothic Fabienne Dali as the local sorceress. Carlo Rustichelli pipes in too with a good score that sounds very like his soundtrack to Blood and Black Lace. But it also has an eerie section that accompanies the ghostly girl. This latter presence is well used throughout the picture. She appears in the night looking through windows, while her bouncing ball follows her around and adds splendid macabre detail - the ball led to the girl's death in the first place.

Like all Bava films, this one is an exercise in cinematic style. Mostly, visual style. Many of the compositions are beautifully conceived and lit. Bava's camera gracefully captures it all and the sets are awash with striking colour and lit to perfection. In a couple of standout scenes the director puts together sequences of surreal splendour. One features a spiral staircase and the other has a man chase a figure through a maze of identical rooms until he finally catches him only to discover it is himself he has been chasing.

Like many of Bava's films the story isn't really very great. Its serviceable and no more. But this is ultimately only a minor point as it's the style in which the story is told that is the main draw. And this is a great film from a master of visual cinematic style.

Faster, pussycat...

[Anonymous_Maxine · 8/10 · 24 April 2005]

This is a surprisingly effective horror film, since I got it on a collection of 10 old horror movies for $15. I have three or four other ten horror movie collections and have only seen one or two films from them. I wonder how many more are actually worth watching? I have a love of really old and even really bad horror movies, For some reason terrible old horror movies can be a ton of fun to watch, while terrible new horror movies just come off as exploitative and stupid (Cabin Fever, Wrong Turn, House of the Dead, etc.).

In Mario Bava's 1966 horror classic, Kill, Baby, Kill, there have been some mysterious deaths in a small village, the isolation and pure strangeness of which reminds me of the town from The Wicker Man. Evidently a seven year old girl burned to death 20 years earlier and continues to haunt the town. Anybody that she reveals herself to almost immediately dies a terrible death which will look like suicide to any subsequent investigation. As was also the case in The Wicker Man, the outside detective assigned to the case gradually questions his certainty that it's all just some kind of superstitious hysteria.

He initially explains the phenomena as poverty and ignorance, combined with superstition. A dangerous combination, to be sure. Bava takes this premise and does all kinds of cinematic trickery with it, much more than is common in horror. He makes psychological use of lighting and color, expertly frames his shots within outstanding sets (seriously, even the bad ones are good), and delivers the surprisingly complex story with a level of skill rarely seen in the genre. He makes good use of the quick zoom lens and such ever-effective horror film tools as children and hallways (Kubrick was surely influenced by this film when he made The Shining, we have the ghost of a little girl, the creepy hallways, even the ghostly bouncing ball) and does some great things with a spiral staircase.

I expected the movie to be terrible, at least because of the collection in which it is contained, although I guess I should be careful about assuming that a 10-movie horror collection that comes out to $1.50 per movie will be full of bad ones. One of my other collections has the original House on Haunted Hill and Night of the Living Dead, for example, but I didn't expect many more that would be any good. Kill, Baby, Kill, though, is certainly an overlooked gem.

This impressive Gothic chiller is further proof of Mario Bava's brilliance!

[Infofreak · 20 April 2003]

I was fortunate to see the original Italian version of 'Kill, Baby..Kill!' last night, with subtitles and not dubbing. Some of the dubbed versions of 60s and 70s European horror movies available, by Bava, Argento, Franco, Rollin and other notable directors, are badly done and make the movies seem silly and amateurish, so I was very glad to see this in its original language. I don't think this movie is as impressive as Bava's classic 'Black Sunday', but it is an excellent Gothic chiller full of atmosphere and style. Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, from the underrated Vincent Price post-apocalyptic thriller 'The Last Man On Earth', plays a doctor sent to perform an autopsy on a woman who has died mysteriously. The villagers are cagey and uncooperative, and he soon finds himself in the middle of similar unexplained deaths which seem to have some connection with the nearby Villa Graps. The lovely Erika Blanc ('The Devil's Nightmare') plays the doctor's love interest, and the sexy Fabienne Dali a local witch. Martin Scorsese has admitted that this movie was an inspiration for one sequence in his 'The Last Temptation Of Christ', and Tim Burton is a card carrying Bava nut ('Sleepy Hollow' is as much a homage to Bava's work as that of Hammer studios). With each Bava movie I see I am further convinced he is quite possibly the most underrated director in movie history. Why he is not a household name is difficult to fathom. Put this one on your "must see" list, directly behind 'Black Sunday' and 'Lisa And The Devil'!

Horror without suspense

[przgzr · 6/10 · 4 December 2006]

There was a moment, about a half of the movie was over, when I told to myself: "This movie is slow, the dialogs are so theatrical, the acting is on an edge of desperate, script makes characters do things that have no logic... It is so old-fashioned... But I've finally found something different from today Hollywood nonsense, thank God!" But when the end finally came, I felt disappointed. Maybe I've expected too much after reading all the glorifying comments. Maybe I was too happy this movie wasn't a typical 1990's or 2000's confection. Maybe it was something new for the year it was released, but unlike some other old horrors hadn't passed the test of time.

I think the problem is in the suspense. Not only everything is obvious (as it often happens in bad horrors), but everything is revealed almost from the beginning. The hero (and all of us) get informed who does the killing and why. Yes, it is as it should happen in reality. In fact, some horrors have a lack of logic when the secret that many people know isn't told to the main character, or there are only hidden trails and hints. Here people do it logically: they are afraid and tell the investigators all they know. Yes, it is good for logic and credibility of the movie, but is no good for suspense. And how can you do a good old-fashioned horror without suspense? So in the end you ask yourself what it was all about. If you find truth in the middle of horror or thriller, the rest is just waiting for closing credits. This is not a soap opera to find which of the characters will marry and the rest will die. You've got to have something unrevealed, hidden, a secret that will justify the length of the movie. Imagine what would Psycho look like if someone said in the middle of the movie: "Be careful, that Bates guy has a dead mother hidden in the basement!" Or if Poirot suddenly turned to camera and said "I know John did it, I only need few details to prove it.

You have to expect something. In movies like Thing or Nightmare on Elm Street you slowly discover the truth before the end, but you wait to see what will happen to the characters. This movie doesn't make you interested in its characters. Still, without a danger of making spoilers, because nothing is happening that should be untold, I'd ask about Ruth, who seemed to help others; but she knew the whole truth and did nothing to prevent misery and death until a pure revenge made her do it. And she appears to be a positive character?! There are holes in the story that could, as Beatles said, fill the Albert Hall. Why was Kruger killed so quickly before he might find anything, and doctor was preserved when many of people had a chance and motif to get rid of him? Why would a good little girl become a hostile ghost? Because of her mother's hate? Then, if Monica was stolen, why wouldn't her mother try to find her; if she payed for her schooling and took care for her from the distance (as she said), why would she suddenly want her dead? If Melissa was the evil revenging to people guilty for her death, what reason would she have to hate her younger sister (it could be understood if she stayed with her mother and got all her love and attention, but we know she was sent away!)? Almost every scene and every character provokes such questions.

Don't, however, let this comment cause avoiding this movie. It is still better than those they make today. Modern ones are usually so bad that they don't even make you ask questions I've written. And when you see a man running through rooms, discovering that it always the same room he is entering and leaving, and running so fast that he is chasing himself, you'll maybe laugh, but that scene is a pure fantasy, something between Adams Family and Mulholland Drive, the only place where you finally cross the edge of physics and reality. If the director was capable of doing that scene, pity he didn't do it more often. This could be a most poetic of all horrors.

A good, solid Gothic horror film from Bava.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 19 November 2015]

The people of a late 19th century European village are beginning to perish in incidents that could be accidents, suicides...or murders. A dedicated police inspector, Kruger (Piero Lulli), investigates the case, while calling in a doctor from out of town. Dr. Paul Eswai (Giacomo Rossi Stuart) arrives to find a community full of frightened and deeply superstitious citizens, which frustrates the practical man of medicine. Dr. Paul even goes so far as to perform an autopsy on a young woman, a practice that these locals find to be abhorrent. In an odd touch, victims are found with gold coins placed inside their hearts.

The relatively simple story actually isn't hard to follow at all, and in fact much crucial plot information is conveyed through pure exposition. Still, when this exposition is so vividly delivered by such an eclectic cast, it's hard to complain too much. Master of the macabre Mario Bava does go overboard with his frequent zooming in on people and then zooming back out. Other than that, this is an engaging example of the whole Gothic horror genre, with Bava working at the peak of his abilities. As he demonstrated so stylishly in previous efforts such as "Black Sunday" and "Black Sabbath", Bava was expert at creating an otherworldly atmosphere. He's capably assisted by his set decorator, Alessandro Dell'Orco, and cinematographer, Antonio Rinaldi. Bava also helped with the lighting, uncredited. Carlo Rustichellis' music is excellent, and the sound design is another plus, with that infernal giggling helping to put us on edge.

The handsome Rossi Stuart is a jut jawed, stoic hero. Erika Blanc is beautiful and appealing as Monica Schuftan, who assists him with the autopsy. Gorgeous raven haired Fabienne Dali is intoxicating as Ruth, the local sorceress. Lulli, Luciano Catenacci, and Giovanna Galletti round out our interesting primary cast. One key casting decision is crucial in keeping the film somewhat off kilter.

The finale is over awfully quickly, but there's still a fair bit to recommend here. The sequence that takes place about a quarter hour from the end is the most striking of all.

Seven out of 10.

Praiseworthy Gothic horror.

[lost-in-limbo · 9/10 · 12 November 2005]

In a small town in Transylvanian, police detective Kruger calls upon Doctor Paul Eswai to perform an autopsy on a woman who died a violent death, but the unusual thing is that a coin was embedded in her heart. When Dr Eswai arrives in town he discovers that the town is paralysed by fear of a dreaded curse of a spirit of a young girl who died 20 years earlier and the towns folk aren't all to happy about doctor interfering in their business.

Breathtaking! Yes, breathtaking indeed. It's only my third viewing of a Mario Bava film and what a talented and versatile director he is. This film breathes Gothic atmosphere and chills, with air of mystery to keep you glued to this subtle nightmare. The remote nature of the film adds to the spooky sets with dark shadowy pathways, creepy graveyard, a misty town with its eerie ruins and a downright unnerving Villa Graps, where the locals fear to tread! The whole surroundings come across as rather forbiddingly stark and very alienating. With a colour scheme that jumps out at you and that only Bava can create. What compensates the visual flair is the horrifyingly tense, but mystical score and effectively jittery sound effects. Damn that hissing wind! Also profound camera work that's incredibly vivid and swirling panning all over the place helps convey such a brood mood. There always seemed to be lurking danger even if it wasn't evident on screen. With all that, we are put into a whirlwind of such unease, which bleeds with a high amount of tension and frights.

The odd plot builds on the superstition and the dialogue was rather interesting. Performances were so-so, no one really stood out, but they fit the buck. Really, Bava was the real star here and it shows. Even the special effects were well used, but the make-up of child spirit was damn freaky. Especially those scenes with those hands going pitta padder at the window seal. Shivers ran down my spine! Although, saying that it does have some weak spots in the continuity of the plot and I thought ending was all a bit too convenient. Anyhow, this didn't damaged my experience of this menacing chiller that grows on atmosphere, not violence. The story might be your standard run of the mill, but it's Bava's direction that makes it visually impressive and immensely spooky. Also, what a great title!

Highly recommended!

she comes in the night

[deheor · 7/10 · 9 October 2006]

Astonishing Bava ghost story concerning a series of unsolved murders in a quiet town. A coroner and a police officer are each brought in to get to the bottom of the case but are faced with superstitious villagers who are convinced the problem traces back to the death of a little girl years earlier.

Despite the audience indifference that occurs in North America, director Mario Bava has long been considered one of the masters of the genre. This highly prolific talent along with his compatriots Fulchi and Argento helped establish Italy as the world leader in horror films.

This creepy, stylish film has clearly influenced countless offerings that followed such as the specter in the otherwise dismal Fear dot com and the genre classic The Changeling. The image of the little girl with her faced pressed to the window or her ball bouncing down the stairs and through the hallway continue to give off an eerie vibe that makes this film far more effect than many other horror movies. Add in a solid dubbing job (I have yet to find a subtitled copy) and you have a remarkable flick.

This incredible movie (often available in multi packs for next to nothing) is terrific for when you don't want to be grossed out, you just want a great story, told to perfection.

Brilliant Mario Bava's shocker!

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 10/10 · 15 March 2002]

"Kill Baby Kill" is a truly remarkable film,boasting superb cinematography and incredibly eerie atmosphere.It contains some really memorable and impressive imagery:a misty Transylvanian village,dusty corridors,black cats,creepy dolls,shadowy figures stealing through fog-bound graveyards etc.The film is so wonderfully weird it has to be seen to be appreciated.Mario Bava really was a master of Gothic Horror!

Nice atmosphere does not make a picture great

[preppy-3 · 5/10 · 16 July 2004]

In a remote Transylvanian village people are killing themselves. It seems whenever they see a little ghost girl that means they are going to die. A doctor and a local witch both try to find out what's going on and stop it.

If that plot sounds vague you should see the picture! The plot rambles all over the place making little sense. It SORT OF pulls together at the end--but people don't talk like real people, things are done that make NO sense and there are endless sequences of people walking around huge castles--or something. A lot of people have commented on the eerie atmosphere in this movie. True--it looks great but nice atmosphere does not make a movie for me. I need a coherent plot and characters you understand. This is basically a dull horror film...but I've always thought Mario Bava was overrated.

Maybe I'm being too harsh on the film. Purportedly the original Italian version is not available in the US. Also the DVD I saw of it was in terrible shape--the print had faded color, lousy dubbing and inappropriate music during key sequences. Add to that a vague story and bad acting. You can skip this one. For Bava completists only.

Brilliant and mesmerizing Gothic horror

[Coventry · 10/10 · 29 May 2005]

I consider it my own personal mission to make the world aware that Mario Bava was the greatest horror director of all times and ... with brilliant movies like this "Operazione Paura" ...it can't be too difficult to fulfill that mission. This Gothic masterpiece easily ranks high among the most beautiful horror movies ever made, with an atmosphere that constantly causes you to gasp and a striking photography that influenced even the most successful directors in the post-Bava era. This haunting gem takes place in an early 20th century ghost town, complete with superstitious inhabitants, fog-enshrouded cemeteries and supernatural curses! Paul Eswai is an young and ambitious coroner/doctor who's called to the town to perform an autopsy on the unfortunate Irena Hollander who died under mysterious circumstances. It doesn't take Paul long to find out that there are many more mysteries that need to be cleared out in this town... All the strange deaths in this town are related to the tragic accident that killed the young Melissa 20 years earlier. Has the restless soul of this girl returned to avenge her own death ... or is it her witchy mother Baroness Graps who entrenches herself in her lonely old mansion? The script contains a few holes (rather big ones...) but Bava cleverly camouflages them by a stunning use of color or by introducing creepy gimmicks. "Kill Baby...Kill" contains some truly horrific, yet masterful oddities that have been copied numerous times since, like the constant eerie use of mirrors, a ball bouncing through corridors in slow-motion or the mesmerizing spiral-staircase sequence. The absolute best sequence can't even be put into words, so great it is! I won't spoil it, though...it involves a bizarre pursuit by the hero himself but you have to watch the film in order to believe what happens. The camera-work is outstanding, the color pattern is powerful and the filming location is really breathtaking! The town is a nightmare place...and this is wonderfully illustrated with dying trees...ramshackle building and the very unappealing inn. This is subtle and atmospheric Gothic terror, so you shouldn't expect large amounts of bloodshed or sleaze. Don't be alarmed, though, because this film evokes shocks and nightmares without a single gruesome image. "Kill Baby...Kill" is at least ten times scarier than, for example, "the Shining" and yet no one ever mentions it. It's about time Mario Bava receives credit for his achievements.

Carnecea's deadly secret

[sol-kay · 6/10 · 4 November 2004]

***SPOILERS*** Ever since the tragic death of little Mellssa Graps, Valero Valeri, some twenty years ago a number of strange and unexplained deaths have occurred in the little Transylvanian town of Carnecea in the Caparthian Mountains.

With the latest death of a girl Irena Hollander, Mirella Pamphili, working as a maid at the Graps Villa the local authorities have had enough and send to the town Insp.Kruger, Piero Lulli, and Dr. Paul Eswai, Galcomo Rossi-Stuart, to get to the bottom and find out whats behind these strange and mysterious deaths. All Insp. Kruger and Dr. Eswai run into when trying to find out what happened to Irena is a wall of silence and outright fear from the local townspeople.

The death of Irena as well as some ten other villagers over the years seem to have some connection to the somewhat mad and infirm Baroness Graps, Glanna Vivaldi. The people in the town of Carnecea are terrified of her and never go anywhere near the Graps Villa for fear that what happened to Irena would happen to them. The deadly secret of the Graps Villa and the dead Melissa Graps would be exposed with the help of local town sorceress Ruth, Fabienne Dali, as well as Monica Schuftan, Erika Blanc. Who was drawn to visit the little out of the way town to pay respects to her parents who are buried there. Monica is far more connected to the dead Mellisa and Baroness Graps then she even knew. With Monica the curse on the town and it's people will finally be broken but at a very heavy cost in the lives lost of the people there.

Eerie ghost story that has some of the best photography and atmospherics ever seen in a horror film. The story itself is a bit uneven and not that original but the stylish direction of Mario Bava as well as the aforementioned atmospherics make "Kill Baby Kill" a must to see for everyone, horror or non-horror movie fans alike.

I can see why it is a classic but...

[manicgecko · 4/10 · 28 October 2005]

I can't get a grip on this movie. Watching it I see scenes used and overused in movies today, (lone bouncing ball a.k.a "the shining", the cheerful laughter of a little child a.k.a. countless other movies), but I had to attempt 3 times to get through the entire movie. I can't blame the acting -- horrible dubbing can forgive most of the problems. I can't blame the horror effects - this has some of the most original killings still to this day. I guess if I had to place a point on the problem for me is the little things. The sound tract is annoying, what's the deal with all the cobwebs, what's the purpose of the spiral staircase, whats with the burgomaster's's head,is the crypt in the house.... this list of little problems go on and on and on and on....

As with most Italian schlock the plot has holes you could probably use as wells. However there are enough technical goofs to make the movie mildly entertaining with a few adult beverages.

Ms. Blanc whom I usually love to see in the billing delivers a non-convincing performance - I was shocked to find out she was supposed to be one of the main characters. The rest of the cast I am not overly familiar with but I have to admit Valerio Valeri steals the show. It is unfortunate this is her only credit.

I can see why this is supposedly a classic - many great ideas that can list this movie as the originator. But for me this just doesn't work.

creepy!

[spooky_trix · 12 October 2001]

the movie starts off wonderfully, a woman gets chased through the grounds of a villa, and jumps to her doom. Then a doctor shows up to do the controversial new medical procedure, the autopsy. The film pace suffers at this point, where the film is introducing characters. Once the film moves into the baroness's mansion, the film runs at full speed. The film gets insanely bizarre, with wonderful creepy imagery, such as graps' ghostly daughter, the repeating room, and the disturbing portrait of the daughter with a skull. The movie is gloomy, and downbeat, but the pace is wonderful at this point. This is one of the best movies bava made.

A Great Introduction to Mario Bava

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 19 February 2010]

A doctor (Giacomo Rossi-Stuart) goes to a small town in the Carpathian mountains some time around 1910 in order to perform an autopsy. The villagers are generally not pleased with this, but he presses on. At the same time, there is rumor of a ghost that appears just prior to death... and somehow these two events are connected.

I had not much experience with the work of Mario Bava, having been more familiar with the splatter subgenre of his son Lamberto. But I had always heard great things of Mario, and knew this film was considered by many to be a strong, memorable piece... most notably for a scene where the doctor chases himself or a doppelganger through a series of identical rooms. This scene is pretty great and pulled off very well for the time, no special effects needed. The Gothic atmosphere is also well captured, on par with Hammer films or the Poe works of Roger Corman.

I find this film to be something of a tightrope between Fritz Lang's "M" and Peter Medak's "Changeling". Like "M", there is a leitmotif connected to the evil force -- in "M", the whistled tune. Here, a bouncing ball. Likewise, the ball here is somewhat replicated in "Changeling", though no longer as a forewarning to the killer. Also, the colorful imagery here really anticipates the later Italian directors, particularly Argento.

Although Luca Palmerini calls the film overrated, he does say the "to the devil a daughter" theme started here and was taken up by Fellini in Toby Dammitt in "Spirits of the Dead" and later in Friedkin's "The Exorcist". I think this is a bit of stretch to connect this film to "Exorcist". Again, the white, bouncing ball symbolizing a dead child, as would later be done to great effect in "The Changeling", is the real key here to future film.

To really understand and appreciate Bava, I feel one would have to watch "Black Sabbath" or "Planet of the Vampires", but this film shall be considered my introduction to the man, and I loved him from the first camera shot. I would strongly urge others to meet him in a similar way. Different releases exist, some probably better than others. I watched two different DVDs, the better one being produced by Diamond Entertainment, but I assume a still better print exists.

Bava classic

[thelastblogontheleft · 7/10 · 7 March 2017]

Kill, Baby, Kill — director Mario Bava's return to Gothic horror — is commonly considered to be one of the greatest horror movies of all time. It has provided inspiration and influence for other greats such as David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, and Federico Fellini. It's considered a classic for good reason and I knew I'd love it the moment it opened with a woman impaling herself on a wrought iron fence…

The movie begins with Dr. Paul Eswai (Giacomo Rossi Stuart) arriving at a quiet, foggy Transylvanian village wracked with superstition and fear. He has been called upon to perform an autopsy to find out the cause of a girl's mysterious death — the method is unusual enough, but the fact that there is a coin embedded in her heart adds another layer to the confusion. He finds out soon that the village is terrified of the spectral image of a young girl — Melissa Graps — who died 20 years earlier and is said to bring death whenever she is seen by members of the community. The coins are revealed to be talismans placed by the town witch, Ruth (Fabienne Dali), who is trying to protect the village members from Baroness Graps (Giana Vivaldi), who is helping her deceased daughter claim the souls of the innocent.

As is standard with Bava's films, the plot takes a back seat to the aesthetics of the movie, the mood. The sets in Kill, Baby, Kill are so ethereal, so decadent, so perfectly spooky… long, foggy alleyways, the most PERFECT cemetery ever, inexplicably colored lights, black cats, and castles abound. There's several memorable camera moves, most notably for me was the camera taking the perspective of the swing itself as the girl swings on it, and the disorienting repetition of Paul walking through the same room over and over — incredible (and said to have influenced David Lynch's similar scene in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me). I also loved the scene of Paul and Monica (Erika Blanc) walking out of the foggy tunnel, with the camera seemingly placed on a hill up above. Just fantastic moodiness all throughout.

Though the plot itself IS pretty cool. The fear of the people in the village is palpable, and the whole concept of this girl's spirit being unable to rest and causing people to bleed to death as she once did… creepy as hell. There's several scenes of her peeking through a window or putting her hand up to the glass and there's a definite sense of dread, as we know that anyone who lays eyes on her will die a death similar to her own.

There was also a pretty amazing balance of warm and cool tones throughout the movie, sometimes contrasting in one scene, with almost one corner being warmly lit and the other more coolly. Maybe it's the photographer in me noticing that kind of thing but I thought it was well done.

The soundtrack is pre-Goblin, but most certainly influenced them in some way. It is the perfect accompaniment for such a trippy, mind-altering movie.

When you first see the ghost of little Melissa Graps you know instantly that she is iconic, running around with her dress and her bouncing white ball.

Overall just a great, trippy, atmospheric masterpiece. Bava is one of the greats and I look forward to working my way through his body of work!

The footprint for all 'ghost story' films that came after

[matheusmarchetti · 8/10 · 5 June 2010]

Mario Bava may well be the most influential horror director of all time. His works have admittedly served as inspiration not only among horror directors, but well-regarded auteurs such as Federico Fellini, Tim Burton and David Lynch. He's basically responsible for how horror films are made today, as his "Twitch of the Death Nerve" and "Blood and Black Lace" single-handedly spawned the whole slasher craze of the 70's and 80's.

In the case of "Kill Baby, Kill", Bava created the footprint for all ghost stories/haunted house films that came after, ranging from Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" and Bava's own "Lisa and the Devil" (where he would elevate a similarly structured story to an art level) to almost every single Asian horror movie being produced nowadays (without Melissa Graps there would be no Sadako), and it still is one of the best of it's kind, even if the years that passed did affect it a little.

The story, which follows a doctor who comes to investigate a mysterious death at a remote village cursed by an evil spirit, starts out slowly but menacingly, with a unrelenting sense of dread that builds up every minute. Something lurks in the dark, patiently waiting to attack, and gradually making it's terrifying appearance as the secret behind the strange murders become more and more evident, all building up to a deliriously nightmarish and gorgeously photographed final act, with Bava's demented, colorful visual style at it's terrifying best.

The film's dream quality is further enhanced by the rather stiff performances, and whether it was intentional or not, it certainly works for the best. Giacomo Rossi Stewart does his best as a sympathetic, suave hero, and has great chemistry with Erika Blanc, who performs a more 'virginal' role for a change.

Carlo Rusticelli's score is not as memorable as his other works for the director, and is often overused in the picture, but doesn't truly damage it. Only one could only wish a better soundtrack was used to make it's hypnotic tone, well, even more hypnotic.

Much like in Argento's "Inferno", some have complained about the lack of action in the final 5 minutes or so, as it would've seemed obligatory that there would a more epic confrontation in the end. That being said, the ending does not bother me, and though it could've been slightly more elaborate, it perfectly matches the rest of the film - a near-perfect ending to a near-perfect classic.

Overall, a flawed, but truly unique and throughly fascinating supernatural opus from the all time Maestro of Fear.

Gothic chills

[Atavisten · 7/10 · 6 May 2005]

Dr. Eswai comes to the creepiest of small villages to perform an autopsy on a woman who died under mysterious circumstances. The townsfolk are a quiet and mistrusty bunch and things are not looking bright for his stay at all. The actor playing Eswai does not have much of a repertoire, but he needn't one either. This is all about atmosphere, and quite effective at that. There are several memorable scenes in this, and one I remember quite vividly, must have made at least some people who watched this in the cinema lose their breaths.

Having seen but one Hammer film, I think that I can still claim this to be one of the better accomplishments of Gothic horror.

One of Bava's Best

[bensonmum2 · 9/10 · 4 February 2005]

This is a true Gothic masterpiece from the Italian genius, Mario Bava. Kill, Baby... Kill! is downright creepy, with loads of atmosphere. Some of the visuals in the film are amazing - the repeating room, the spiral staircase, the scene shot from the swing, etc. Most of the scenes are done in a wash of colored light that only adds to the mood. The little girl freaked me out the first time I saw the movie. I know that some have complained that the little girl really does nothing, but to me, that only adds to her creepiness as in the scene where she watches through the window as the innkeeper's daughter kills herself or when she appears in the locked cabinet in the burgomeister's house.

They definitely don't make films like this today, but oh how I wish someone would or could. A definite must see for fans of dark, Gothic type horror films.

Bava doesn't disappoint with this gothic spookfest!

[Amyth47 · 7/10 · 22 November 2018]

My Rating : 7/10

Mario Bava is a genius when it comes to creating a gothic atmosphere. In the right mood, this film is really satisfying to watch. While it's plothole galore premise is a joke, it's a good one! Really!

I seriously love the low-budget Italian gothic cinematography on display here. I look forward to exploring more of Bava's work.

Not All That Bad But Far From Good

[Rainey-Dawn · 4/10 · 25 May 2016]

The first thing I want to mention is I do not like the American title "Kill, Baby, Kill" - it's sounds very cheesy. The film is not as cheesy as the title suggests. It would do better with a simple title like maybe "The Girl" or "The Ghost" -- but what do I know? LOL.

It's all eye candy and little story to me. The little ghost girl shows up and people kill themselves. The older woman in the mansion knows the story behind the girl.

The story is drawn out a bit to long - could have been shorter. There are some boring scenes that could have been left out all together or shortened.

This is another movie I wanted to like better than I do.

4.5/10

Hatred, Curse and Fear

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 29 June 2009]

In the beginning of the Twentieth Century, Inspector Kruger (Piero Lulli) calls Dr. Paul Eswai (Giacomo Rossi-Stuart) to perform an autopsy in the corpse of a woman found dead in the village where she lived. The coachman leaves Dr. Eswai in the boundary of the village and advises him to return, since the place would be abandoned by God. Dr. Eswai is helped in the autopsy by Monica Schuftan (Erika Blanc), a young woman that has just returned to her hometown, and they find a coin slipped in the heart of the woman. Inspector Kruger goes to the Graps Villa to investigate the rumors about a local curse that the victims are killed by the ghost of a girl called Melissa (Valeria Valeri) with Baroness Graps (Giana Vivaldi), but he never returns to the inn. Meanwhile, Ruth (Fabienne Dali), who is the local witch and mistress of Burgomaster Karl (Max Lawrence), tries to help the daughter of the innkeeper Nadienne (Micaela Esdra) with magic under the protest of Dr. Eswai. When Karl and Nadienne are murdered, Dr. Eswai goes to Trap Villa and discloses an evil curse on the feared and superstitious villagers produced by the hatred of her grieving mother.

"Kill, Baby… Kill" or "Operazione Paura" is a frightening and original horror tale of hatred, curse and fear. The cinematography, atmosphere and sets are bleak, and I have startled several times with the appearance of Melissa. The scene in the spiral ladder is fantastic and visibly inspired in "Vertigo". My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Ciclo do Pavor" ("The Cycle of the Fear")

Note: On 10 June 2015, I saw this movie again.

Pretty good Mario Bava picture including chills , thrills , twisted plot , and ghastly events

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 7 August 2020]

Typical Mario Bava horror movie filled with eerie appearing , grisly murders and vivid imagery . The strange murder of a woman , triggers a lot of weird killings at a strange location . Doctor Eswai is called by Inspector Kruger (Piero Lulli) to a small village to perform an autopsy about a corpse killed in suspicious circumstances . Later on , there takes place several grisly murders among inhabitants allegedly carried out by a weird little girl . Along the way a forensic doctor (Giacomo Rossi Stuart) and a disconcerting nurse (Erika Blanc) are mercilessly chased by a rare, sinister spectre . From time to time things go wrong despite help from Ruth (Fabienne Dali) , who is the village witch , and mistress of Burgomaster Karl (as Max Lawrence) , as she attempts to save the daughter of the innkeeper (Giuseppe Addodabati or John MacDouglas) and it is revealed that the dead woman , as well as other villagers, have been surprisingly killed by dark forces running along the way . Dr. Eswai, along with Monica , the local nurse, are lured into a fateful confrontation at the Villa Graps , whose owner is the grieving Baroness Graps , mother of the unsettling girl . Various murders take place , there are various suspect people : a witch , a deranged baroness attempting to exact her vendetta, and , of course , the ghost of Melissa, a young girl fed by a deadly hatred ocurred longtime ago and caused during a tragic event . The night brings terror! Blood chilling fear! Coming soon to scare you! Eerie, Horrific, Bloodcurdling! The SQ Show - Makes you SHIVER & SHAKE! Makes you QUIVER & QUAKE!.Shiver and quiver with KILL BABY KILL.

Outlandish , sick Mario Bava terror flick , it contains thrills, chills, gory effects, scary happenings and high body-count . It displays a twisted script dealing with non-sense murders, supernatural events and a bizarre curse that claims about the victims are murdered by the ghost of a girl called Melissa . As the film is a fair murder mystery at a tenebrous location in which some villagers are relentlessly butchered. In spite of a few scenarios and its low budget , Bava develops stunning photography, making great use of lighting, set design , amazing set pieces and camera positioning to compliment mise-en-scenes bathed in deep primaries .

Special mention for colorful and brilliant cinematography by Antonio Rinaldi and Mario Bava himself . As well as frightening and thrilling musical score by Carlo Rustichelli , though the soundtrack was formerly used in the earlier Mario Bava giallo film titled Blood and Black Lace (1964). The picture titled was well directed by Mario Bava in his usual style. Bava uses his ordinary visual tricks, sustaining interest enough through the fantastic and well-designed scenarios and when there shows up the creepy little girl who definitively steals the show. Bava was an expert on terror movies, such as : "I vampiri" codirected by Riccardo Freda , "Black Sunday" with horror myth Barbara Steele, "The Whip and the Body" with Christopher Lee, "The girl who knew too much" considered to be the first Giallo, "Black Sabbath" with Boris Karloff, "Planet of Vampires" with Barry Sullivan , "Kill baby kill" , "Hatchet for the honeymoon" , "5 dolls for an August Moon" , "Torture of chamber of baron blood" with "Lisa and the Devil" with Telly Savalas and his last one "Schock" . Though Bava also made other genres as Peplum : "Hercules in the haunted world" , sex comedy : "Four times that night", Viking movie : "Knives of the avenger" and Oriental fantasy : "The wonders of Aladdin" . The picture will appeal to terror genre buffs. Rating 7.5/10.

mid-level Hammer House of Horror type fare

[RetroRick · 5/10 · 4 November 2020]

This film reminded me a fair bit of the contemporary british Hammer House of Horror films, which tended to range from fairly scary to ridiculously hammy. Unfortunately, notwithstanding the glowing reviews that this film seems to be blessed with, I'd have to put to put this is the ridiculously hammy box.

The one thing the film has going for it is scene & atmosphere. The location - set in a remote Romanian village - is effective. The ruined, crumbling village has a spirit all of its own. The plot & acting though, isn't always that great. The leads are ok but stylised & all of them ham it up terribly, which unfortunately is what appears to be required of them.

The plot though is somewhat lacklustre. There's a ghostly girl, plenty of deaths associated with her appearance & a central mystery as why the latter occur. Unfortunately there is a little real tension & the solution to the mystery is fed to us rather than permitting us to wonder about the solution

Still worth a look, but you'll enjoy it a lot more if you don't get your expectations up