Dora Baldini (Daria Nicolodi), her kiddo Marco (Beyond the Door‘s David Colin Jr.), and her new husband Bruno (we don’t talk about Bruno no no… okay, we do, and he’s played by Yor: the Hunter From the Future‘s Overlord himself, John Steiner) make the dumbass decision to move into the old house where Dora lived with her first husband Carlo, a Joe Dirt lookin’ heroin addicted son of a bitch who supposedly died at sea (the dead part is true, the sea is hazy… ).
Minus the obvious psychological damage moving back into that space would cause anyone, ol’ Marco (who I’m kinda surprised they didn’t go with a Peter Bark style of situation with… if ya know, then ya know… but if not, watch Andrea Bianchi’s 1981 zombie sleaze-fest Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror… you’ll thank me for it later) seems to getting rather horny for Mommy Dearest… and as the days pass, Dora seems to be coming ever-more unglued as Bruno’s job as a pilot keeps him away from home more and more… and let me just stop this review dead in it’s tracks and say that Bruno looks like the type of guy that would throw on his pilot’s uniform, head out the door, and go straight to the bar because he lost his job months ago… but looks can be deceiving as Shock actually features sequences set at his job…
Anyway, you don’t have to hold a Ph.D. in Horror Biz Studies to figure out what is going on here, Dora is insane… or Marco is possessed by Carlo… or both? Okay, you may need that degree…
One thing you won’t need to be a sinister scholar to deduce is that legendary director Mario Bava (along with an uncredited directing assist from son Lamberto, he of Demons 1 & 2 fame, who also co-wrote the screenplay) have delivered one hell of a neo-Gothic thriller with Shock!
Everything from the ornate yet slightly decaying mansion the story is set in, to the willowy yet mentally damaged heroine (the suitably ethereal beauty Nicolodi, who turns in a dynamite performance despite battling the all too real demon of anorexia), to the ghost that may or may not roam the silent halls of the abode coalesces into a ’70s set throwback to the type of material that would make ol’ Edgar Allan Poe all tight in the trousers… and the seaside setting doesn’t hurt either!
Add in a terrific cast, effective “in camera” effects (a sequence of “living hair” is a real jaw dropper) utilized to convey the undead menace of Carlo (and some convincing make-up, courtesy of make-up artist Maria Luisa Tilli, and gore as well), and a fantastic mounting sense of dread and insanity, and you have a fright flick guaranteed to put a smile on your freaky face 666 miles wide!
Adding to the overall effect is the film’s wild score (composed and performed by an outfit called I Libra, composed in part by former members of Italian horror score legends Goblin), a master piece of janky guitar, throbbing percussion, abstract spacey synth cues, and artificial music box sweetness!
Speaking of “additions”, our putrid pals at Arrow Video have made this film look better than I’ve ever seen it before courtesy of a new 2K restoration (when last I saw it ’round 2005 or so, the image was often washed out as all fuck, which is also mentioned on the included audio commentary by author and Bava expert Tim Lucas, which provides us with non-stop information on the film’s production in fascinating detail) which makes all of the ghoulish goings-on look crisp, clear, n’ creepy indeed!
Along with the aforementioned audio commentary, we also get additional bonus material including: new interviews with Lamberto Bava and co-writer Dardano Sacchetti, a new video essay by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas wherein the importance of art in Shock is examined, a new video appreciation by author and critic Stephen Thrower who explores the film’s themes and place in Italian horror cinema in his normal absolutely excellent manner (seriously, my dude straight up says ridiculous shit like “fondled by her dead husband” and makes it sound classy without cracking so much as a grin), an interview with critic Alberto Farina (sharing memories of interviewing Nicolodi, as well as a fantastic drawing of the actress by Bava himself), a trailer gallery (featuring the Italian theatrical trailer, as well as five U.S. TV spots (under the film’s alternate title Beyond the Door II, though this film has no connection to that prime slice of 1974 Exorcistploitation save it’s child star), and promotional image galleries.
All of the above comes under a reversible sleeve featuring new artwork by Christopher Shy (that is truly stellar by the by)!
Pound for pound the best supernatural shocker you’ll see where the ghost at hand looks like a guitar tech for the Allman Brothers, Shock is a masterpiece of Neo-Gothic storytelling, and should not be missed!
