Search - Kill, Baby, Kill on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Not For Children Movie Release: 1966 DVD Release: 10/24/2000 Format: DVD - Pan and Scan Audio Tracks: Italian Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 24 mins Studio: Vci Video Members Wishing: 1 Genres: Mystery, Horror, Costume Horror, Gothic Film See Also: Kill, Baby, Kill, Kill, Baby, Kill!, Kill, Baby, Kill, Kill, Baby, Kill!

One of the more prominent works of Italy's premier horror stylist Mario Bava, this occult murder mystery interweaves elements of the traditional giallo thriller formula with an unusual Gothic ghost story. The tale is set in a modern-day Carpathian village rocked by a series of bizarre murders, in which the female victims are found with gold coins imbedded in their hearts. The coins are revealed to be talismans placed on the victims by the local sorceress (Fabienne Dali), meant to ward off the supernatural powers of the aged Baroness Graps (Giana Vivaldi). The baroness has been acting as an earthly liaison for the vengeful ghost of her murdered daughter, who wants to claim the villagers' souls -- with Erica Blanc next on the list. In order to free the village from the evil curse, Dali must find the sequestered baroness and destroy her. The film was released in the U.S. in two dubbed and re-edited versions, Kill, Baby, Kill! and Curse of the Living Dead (packaged as part of an "Orgy of the Living Dead" triple feature). ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Erica Blanc - Monica Schuftan
Giacomo Rossi-Stuart - Dr. Paul Eswai
Giana Vivaldi - Baroness Graps
Fabienne Dali - Ruth the Sorceress
Piero Lulli - Police Commisioner Kroger

Operazione Paura (aka Kill, Baby. . .Kill! for this U.S. DVD) is a classic supernatural horror film and one of Mario Bava's greatest. And considering that maestro Bava directed more than a handful of stellar films during his long career -- La Maschera del Demonio (1960), Sei Donne per l'Assassino (1964), and Lisa e il Diavolo (1972) to name a few -- that's quite an achievement. Though Bava arguably never had a screenplay to match his undeniable technical mastery of the form, his best films nevertheless skillfully visualized many of the genre's richest preoccupations. VCI's disc is great, though it doesn't come close to reaching the heights of the company's other two Bava offerings, La Frusta e il Corpo (aka The Whip and the Body (1963) and Sei Donne per l'Assassino (aka Blood and Black Lace. Unlike those DVDs, this disc is only offered in a full-frame (1.33:1) aspect ratio (transferred from a 16 mm print) and is dubbed into English. The print does show some wear and tear, but the picture is sharp and colorful throughout. Original trailers for three other VCI discs are included -- Dario Argento's Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Bava's Blood and Black Lace, and Laslo Benedek's Swedish thriller The Night Visitor, as well as a short bio of Bava. The disc is also available as part of a Bava DVD three-pack from VCI. ~ Derek Hill, All Movie Guide