Bay of Blood, A (4K UHD Review)

Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
Review Date: Sep 25, 2026
Format: 4K Ultra HD

Director

Mario Bava

Release Date(s)

1971 (July 28, 2026)

Studio(s)

Nuova Linea Cinematografica (Severin Films)

Film/Program Grade: B
Video Grade: A-
Audio Grade: B+
Extras Grade: A

severinfilms.com

Review

Mario Bava has always been celebrated by genre fans for his gorgeous and more polished horror films, and when the horror does occur, it’s always skillfully constructed, and with purpose. In some ways, 1971’s A Bay of Blood feels more like a left turn for the cinematographer/director since it’s so much more focused on the overt violence and viscera of the murders themselves. Giallo films were becoming more prevalent at that time, after having been redefined the previous year by Dario Argento in The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. Regardless of its title, A Bay of Blood became just as influential, but in other ways, even if they weren’t necessarily immediate.

In a secluded bay owned by a wealthy countess (Isa Miranda) and her husband (Giovanni Nuvoletti), a series of grisly murders are soon committed by an unknown assailant. Franco (Chris Avram) and his secretary/lover Laura (Anna M. Rosati) have been attempting to buy the property to make it financially profitable, but the countess has refused all offers. The count’s daughter Renata (Claudine Auger), her husband Alberto (Luigia Pistilli), and their two young children (Renato Cestiè and Nicoletta Elmi) have also arrived, hoping to get in on Renata’s possible inheritance. Entomologist Paolo (Leopoldo Trieste), his tarot card reading wife Anna (Laura Betti), and the countess’ illegitimate son Simone (Claudio Volonté) live nearby, and when a group of fun-loving teenagers drop in, including Duke (Guido Boccaccini), Bobby (Roberto Bonanni), Denise (Paola Rubens), and Louise/Nicole (Brigitte Skay), the body count continues (wink)...

The most talked about aspect of A Bay of Blood is its influence on the Friday the 13th franchise, specifically Part 2 in which two murders from A Bay of Blood are copied entirely. That’s a definite precedent, making A Bay of Blood feel like the birth of the slasher, more so than a giallo. Some scholars will definitely note that it’s more of the latter and that the slasher film came later, but A Bay of Blood has a very downbeat sensibility, and an almost by-the-numbers slasher movie pattern to it. Most of this comes from the scenes of the four teenagers who are acting out what later became tropes of slasher movies. Dancing, swimming nude, and having sex all lead to an unidentified killer stepping in to get rid of them. And considering the film’s original working title, That Will Teach Them to Be Bad, the slasher comparison is not just accurate, but obvious.

This is also not the type of giallo in which the identity of the killer is a mystery until the very end. It’s revealed early on, and as it turns out, there’s more than one of them. Backstabbing and revenge play a lot into this story about a financial and familial struggle for property and ancestral heritage, and it seems that everyone is out to get someone in some capacity in order to maintain or absorb it. In other words, these people can be some exceedingly greedy and heartless characters, eager to do each other in and anybody else that gets in their way. As such, the story comes off as ironic, feeling almost like a parody of an Agatha Christie novel.

Regardless of its genre trappings, A Bay of Blood looks great too, which is not at all surprising from Mario Bava, who shot the film with low light in natural environments, with some choice interiors and exteriors. It’s not quite as stylized in terms of color as his previous work, but it doesn’t require it either. Things get pretty nasty when the murders start occurring, and the plot gets absolutely diabolical, but it’s clear from the outset that this isn’t a story concerned with keeping secrets. It’s more about examining the terrible nature of these people, and how far they’re willing to go in the name of family and money, especially money. The surprise ending is where the rug is truly pulled out from under the audience, revealing two characters who are merely outsiders in all of this mayhem, and neither of whom understand the gravity of what they’ve just done. If you know, you know.

A Bay of Blood is also infamous for its various release, re-release, and home video titles, maybe more than any other film in history. Its original Italian title was Ecologia del delitto, then it was subsequently re-released as Reazione a catena, followed by Carnage, Blood Bath, Bloodbath Bay of Death, Twitch of the Death Nerve, Last House Part II, New House on the Left, The Antecedent, Snuff Is My Game, Carnage Erotica, Massacre at Blood Lake, The Bay of Blood, and simply Bay of Blood. During the scripting stage, it was called Cosi imparano a fare i cattivi, or That Will Teach Them to Be Bad, which also ties into the film’s ending.

No matter what you call it, A Bay of Blood has been a perennial genre favorite since it began appearing on video store shelves in the 1980s. I first came to it under my favorite title Twice of the Death Nerve, which for me is still one of Hallmark Releasing’s most creative exploitation titles. It often gets lumped in with various American and European shockers of the era where the over-the-top bloodletting is the entire point of their existence, but none of them look as good or have as much on their mind as A Bay of Blood.

Mario Bava, camera operator Emilio Varriano, and assistant cameraman Gianlorenzo Battaglia shot A Bay of Blood on 35mm Eastman film with spherical lenses. The results were finished photochemically and framed theatrically at the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Severin Films debuts the film on Ultra HD sourced mostly from a new 4K restoration of the original camera negative, presented here in three cuts: the English version, the Italian version, and the Italian re-release version. Footage unique to the Italian versions has been sourced from surviving 35mm protection prints and interpositive elements. Everything has been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and encoded to two triple-layered BD-100 discs. As for running times, the English version runs 84:46, the Italian version runs 86:14, and the Italian re-release version runs 86:02. For all three versions, the camera negative is the primary source and it’s in terrific shape. Images are crisp with high levels of fine detail, and bitrates sit between 90 and 100Mbps most of the time. Grain can be heavy but resolves well, and only mild scratches and speckling are present throughout. For the Italian versions, the alternate footage does very much stand out and lacks the definition that the camera negative can offer, but it’s at least sourced from film elements and not VHS, which is what Arrow did for their Blu-ray release in 2010. Saturation is lush and much more even on the English version, whereas the alternate footage can be somewhat anemic comparatively. The HDR improves the contrast with deep blacks and amazing definition in the shadowy interiors. Reds, greens, blues, and purples are rich with detail, never appearing oversaturated. The image is also more stable in the English version as the alternate footage in the Italian versions has a mild jitter to it. Otherwise, all three versions are gorgeous, with the intended English language version being the most consistent visually.

Audio for all three versions is included in 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio in their intended languages, all with optional English subtitles. The Italian tracks feel less cramped and have more aural definition than the English track. There’s also a mild sibilance on the English track, but all of them are otherwise clean and free of any major issues. Dubbing can be loose against the picture in some places, as to be expected, but the English track is more uniform, even if it’s the lesser of the three.

The Severin Films 5-Disc 4K Ultra HD release of A Bay of Blood is presented in a black Amaray case with two UHD discs, two Blu-ray discs, and a CD soundtrack. Also included is an insert card detailing the CD soundtrack, as well as a double-sided insert featuring the Spanish theatrical poster artwork with the English title on the front and the UK VHS artwork featuring the title Blood Bath on the reverse. Everything is housed in a side-loaded slipcase with new artwork by Eric Lee, and if you purchase the set directly from the Severin Films webstore, you’ll also receive a fully functional replica of Hallmark Releasing’s Carnage “Barf Bag” that was handed out during the theatrical release. Severin is also offering a 4-Disc wide-release version that features all of the same content, minus the CD and the slipcover. The following extras are included on each disc:

DISC ONE: UHD (ENGLISH VERSION)

Audio Commentary with Tim Lucas
US Trailer (HD – 2:22)

DISC TWO: UHD (ORIGINAL ITALIAN & ITALIAN RE-RELEASE VERSIONS)

Italian Trailer (HD – 3:08)

DISC THREE: BD (ENGLISH VERSION)

Audio Commentary with Tim Lucas
All About My Father: In Conversation with Lamberto Bava (HD – 14:30)
It Was Just a Children’s Game: In Conversation with Nicoletta Elmi (HD – 13:22)
Lens of Blood (HD – 27:57)
That Will Teach Them to Be Bad (HD – 46:20)
US Trailer (HD – 2:22)

DISC FOUR: BD (ORIGINAL ITALIAN & ITALIAN RE-RELEASE VERSIONS)

Hallmark of Horror: Carnage, Death Nerves and Last House Pt II (HD – 19:35)
The Art of Crime (Upscaled SD – 19:57)
(Sittin’ On) The Blood of the Bay (Upscaled SD – 22:19)
13 Ways to Die (HD – 21:09)
Bava and the Grindhouse: Joe Dante Remembers Twitch of the Death Nerve (HD – 12:26)
Severin Super-Shock 2025 Intro by Lamberto Bava (HD – :40)
A Bay of Blood: Storyboard to Movie Comparison (Upscaled SD – 2:15)
Radio Spots (HD – 2 in all – 1:31)
Italian Trailer (HD – 3:08)

DISC FIVE: CD (SOUNDTRACK)

Ecologia Del Delitto (Titoli) (2:06)
Evelyn Theme (2:21)
Due Amanti (2:31)
Spiato (1:17)
Giovani E Liberi (2:16)
Tribal Shake (1:45)
Passeggiata Al Lago (1:54)
Shake Giradischi (1:52)
Slow Giradischi (1:02)
Un Cadavere Nel Lago (1:33)
Inseguimento E Uccisione (1:01)
Evelyn Theme (#2) (1:35)
Guidando Nella Notte (1:07)
Ritrovamento Dei Cadaveri (:53)
Piano Diabolico (:55)
Decapitata (1:11)
Ecologia Del Delitto (Il Pontile Della Morte) (1:11)
Ultimo Atto (:31)
Solitudine Di Simone (2:17)
Teen-agers Cha-Cha-Cha (2:05)
Ecologia Del Delitto (Titoli – Versione Lunga) (2:43)
Decapitata (#2) (1:12)
Evelyn Theme (#3) (2:35)
Ecologia Del Delitto (Caccia All’Insetto) (:19)
Ecologia Del Delitto (Il Sentiero Nel Bosco) (1:29)
Ecologia Del Delitto (Il Pontile Della Morte – Versione Film) (1:12)
Ecologia Del Delitto (Cantata Per Una Lancia) (1:30)
Ecologia Del Delitto (L’Assassino Osserva) (:51)
Ultimo Atto (#2) (1:20)
Ecologia Del Delitto (Bambini Che Ridono) (:14)
Teen-agers Cha-Cha-Cha (#2) (1:42)

Tim Lucas, author of Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark, has provided commentary for the film before, but as he states in this newly-recorded track for the English-language version, he now has more information about the film at his disposal than he did before, as well as corrections to information given in his previous commentary that he wants to make. To say the least, it’s another well-researched and informative track, though I’d expect nothing less from him.

In All About My Father, assistant director Lamberto Bava discusses his earliest memories of his father and his grandparents before talking about his work alongside him. It Was Just a Children’s Game speaks to actress Nicoletta Elmi about her early days as a model before becoming an actress and appearing in films such as Who Saw Her Die?, A Bay of Blood, Baron Blood, Deep Red, and Death in Venice. Lens of Blood speaks to assistant camera operator Gianlorenzo Battaglia who talks about his admiration for Mario and Lamberto before working with them on A Bay of Blood and what that experience entailed. That Will Teach Them to Be Bad features an interview with author Stephen Thrower who talks about the film’s menagerie of titles all over the world, its varying theatrical exhibitions, the filming locations, and the nature of the violence in the film. He also provides an analysis of the murders and an exploration of the cast and crew.

Hallmark of Horror is a video essay of sorts by writer Stephen R. Bissette who talks about what it was like seeing films like this when they were originally released theatrically, gives us an idea of what the world was like then, and reads some quotes from various reviews. The Art of Crime is an archival featurette about the film and Mario Bava, featuring interviews with Joe Dante, Lamberto Bava, screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti, Mario Bava’s biographer Alberto Pezzotta, film critic Steffano Della Casa, still photographer Franco Vitale, and Mario Bava’s grandson and filmmaker Fabrizio “Roy” Bava. (Sittin’ On) The Blood of the Bay is an archival Interview with Lamberto Bava who goes over much of what he’s covered elsewhere in the extras.

13 Ways to Die contains an interview with screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti who talks about his positive and negative dealings with Dario Argento, meeting with Giuseppe Zaccariello and Mario Bava for A Bay of Blood, coming up with ideas for death scenes, and the film’s release and what came from it for him. Bava and the Grindhouse is unfortunately one of the choppiest interview segments I’ve ever seen. It features an interview with Joe Dante in maybe about four to five minutes of a twelve and a half minute piece, which is mostly dedicated to its opening and closing titles, as well as clips and trailers from Mario Bava’s films.

Next is a brief introduction to the film by Lamberto Bava before a screening of Severin’s new restoration at the Super-Shock Pop-Up Film Festival on August 23, 2025. The Storyboard to Movie Comparison features Bava’s storyboards laid over the opening scene of the film prior to the first murder. Last are two Radio Spots under the title Twitch of the Death Nerve, the US Trailer under the title A Bay of Blood, and the Italian Trailer under the title Ecologia del delitto. Also included is CD featuring 31 tracks of Stelvio Cipriani’s original motion picture soundtrack.

As packed as this release is, there are several things missing from prior DVD and Blu-ray releases. First and foremost are the alternate Carnage and Twitch of the Death Nerve trailers, which Edgar Wright provided commentaries for via Trailers from Hell. There’s also the matter of Tim Lucas’ original 2007 audio commentary, which we must assume that both he and Severin both consider unnecessary at this point. The 2010 Blu-ray release by Arrow Video in the UK contains the featurettes Argento! Bava! Fulci!: The Giallo Gems of Dardano Sacchetti and Bay of Bava: Shooting a Spaghetti Splatter Classic, and liner notes by Jay Slater. The 2019 Region B Blu-ray release by ESC Editions in France features a scene analysis by film historian Mathieu Macheret, an interview with film critic Gérard Lenne, and an appreciation by film critic Nicolas Stanzick. The Region B Blu-ray release by X-Rated in Germany contains an audio commentary with film historians Gerd Naumann and Christopher Klaese, an interview with cinematographer Gianlorenzo Battagli, the German trailer for the film, and a sound comparison featurette. Last is the Region 2 DVD release by Carlotta Films in France which contains a 1975 episode of the Italian television show L’Ospite delle 2 featuring Mario Bava as a guest, and the featurettes The Logic of Dreams and Macabre Jingle. There are also various photo galleries from many different releases that haven’t carried over.

All of these years later, A Bay of Blood is still a beautifully-shot and very effective proto-slasher, and it looks better than ever thanks to Severin’s 4K restoration. It’s also quite a stacked release, and hopefully this means that we’ll be seeing more of Mario Bava’s films in 4K soon. Highly recommended.

- Tim Salmons

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