Shock

Directors like Mario Bava are the reason cult movie fans exist.  Working under miniscule budgets with fly-by-night foreign producers who distributed the final product under a seemingly endless number of alternative titles, often just tracking down the muddy lineage of Bava’s work is a genealogical case study unto itself.  But it’s the thrill of the chase that fans enjoy most, sifting through the pseudonyms and cinematic dead-ends to unearth something truly special from a man who was 30 years ahead of his time.

The last ten years have made things much simpler, with several companies stepping up to the plate to deliver stellar version of the maestro’s films.  Arrow Video’s Blu-ray special edition of Shock is the latest, featuring a brand-new 2K restoration from the original negative of what would be his final film, a family affair with assistance from his son – and future director himself – Lamberto Bava.  It’s a familiar tale of ghostly revenge and murderous madness that winds up being equal parts Poe and Henry James with Bava’s playfully inventive style predating the era of Scorsese and Spielberg.

 

Dora, second-husband Bruno and 7-year-old Marco move back into the family home once occupied by Carlo, Dora’s first husband, who disappeared in a boating accident.  Recovering from the tragedy, Dora begins to regret the decision to return, noticing odd and aggressive behavior from Marco and ghostly hallucinations at every turn.  Is her life in danger...or just her sanity?  Marco seems to be channeling a supernatural energy that’s digging up a family history better left buried.

 

Released overseas as Beyond the Door 2 – and hoping that the subtle possession angle would make it seem legit – Bava’s film is restrained in all the best ways, allowing the go-for-broke finale to really pack a punch.  As Dora, Dario Nicolodi’s performance is easily the best of her career, jumping from maternal to madness with equal skill.  The supernatural scares are all of the practical variety: moving furniture, slamming doors, and one very ahead of its time jump scare that James Wan lifted wholesale for Annabelle.  And to Bava’s credit, the film doesn’t leave things ambiguous.  Shock winds up delivering a modern psychological thriller and classic supernatural ghost story at the same time.  

 

Looking just gorgeous in its new transfer and box art, Shock also comes with some heavy-hitting extras, including a new commentary from Bava expert Tim Lucas, interviews with Lamberto Bava and co-writer Dardano Sacchetti (also both new), video essay and second video appreciation from Stephen Thrower, trailers, TV spots and image gallery.

 

 

 

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