The grand master of international horror and his last story of terror
With Bava, being scared to death is a pleasure
The founding father of Italian horror enchanted and terrified all the way until the very end. Made with the help of his son Lamberto, Shock is yet another demonstration of his ability to grab terror by its ears and subjugate it to his distinctive style. Many of the themes at play here are habitués of the genre: a haunted house, a distorted psyche, a family on the brink of disaster, a vengeful ghost, a brick wall that conceals a curse, a frightening child… Heard it all before? Sure, but you have never seen it like this. Even when Bava seems to water down the outrageous extremes of his visionary ecstasy, as is the case here, the result is chillingly effective. With him, being scared to death is a pleasure. Daria Nicolodi, fresh from her success with Dario Argento, gives one of her best performances in this movie.
After her first husband’s suicide, Dora, her new husband and son move back into the home she had left after the tragedy. A dark presence possesses the boy and threatens the new couple’s life. There is a terrible secret lurking behind a wall and in the meanderings of a trouble mind.
The grand master of international horror and his last story of terror
With Bava, being scared to death is a pleasure
The founding father of Italian horror enchanted and terrified all the way until the very end. Made with the help of his son Lamberto, Shock is yet another demonstration of his ability to grab terror by its ears and subjugate it to his distinctive style. Many of the themes at play here are habitués of the genre: a haunted house, a distorted psyche, a family on the brink of disaster, a vengeful ghost, a brick wall that conceals a curse, a frightening child… Heard it all before? Sure, but you have never seen it like this. Even when Bava seems to water down the outrageous extremes of his visionary ecstasy, as is the case here, the result is chillingly effective. With him, being scared to death is a pleasure. Daria Nicolodi, fresh from her success with Dario Argento, gives one of her best performances in this movie.
After her first husband’s suicide, Dora, her new husband and son move back into the home she had left after the tragedy. A dark presence possesses the boy and threatens the new couple’s life. There is a terrible secret lurking behind a wall and in the meanderings of a trouble mind.
