Reazione a catena (1971)

Director:

Mario Bava

Writers:

Mario Bava (screenplay)
Franco Barberi (story)
(more)

Release Date:

3 May 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The second movie rated "V" for violence.

Plot:

An elderly heiress is killed by her husband who wants control of her fortunes. What ensues is an all-out...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Friend | Inheritance | Giallo | Hacked To Death

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Claudine Auger	...	Renata
Luigi Pistilli	...	Albert
Claudio Camaso	...	Simon (as Claudio Volonté)
Anna Maria Rosati	...	Laura (as Anna M. Rosati)
Chris Avram	...	Frank Ventura
Leopoldo Trieste	...	Paolo Fossati
Laura Betti	...	Anna Fossati
Brigitte Skay	...	Brunhilda
Isa Miranda	...	Countess Federica Donati
Paola Montenero	...	Denise (as Paola Rubens)
Guido Boccaccini	...	Duke
Roberto Bonanni	...	Robert
Giovanni Nuvoletti	...	Count Filippo Donati
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Renato Cestiè	...	Renata and Albert's Son (uncredited)
Nicoletta Elmi	...	Renata and Albert's Daughter (uncredited)

Directed by
Mario Bava

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Franco Barberi		story
Mario Bava		screenplay
Filippo Ottoni		screenplay
Dardano Sacchetti		story
Giuseppe Zaccariello		(screenplay) (as Joseph McLee)

Produced by
Giuseppe Zaccariello	....	producer

Original Music by
Stelvio Cipriani

Cinematography by
Mario Bava

Film Editing by
Carlo Reali

Production Design by
Sergio Canevari

Art Direction by
Sergio Canevari

Costume Design by
Enrico Sabbatini

Makeup Department
Adalgisa Favella	....	hair stylist
Franco Freda	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Roberto Cicutto	....	production supervisor
Fernando Franchi	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lamberto Bava	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Carlo Diotallevi	....	sound recordist
Gene Luotto	....	post-synchronization
Carlo Tarchi	....	sound

Special Effects by
Carlo Rambaldi	....	special effects (as Rambaldi)

Camera and Electrical Department
Gianlorenzo Battaglia	....	assistant camera (as Lorenzo Battaglia)
Emilio Varriano	....	camera operator
Franco Vitale	....	still photographer

Music Department
Luca di Silverio	....	soundtrack album producer

Other crew
Patrizia Zulini	....	continuity
Pino Locchi	....	voice dubbing: Claudio Camaso (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Nuova Linea Cinematografica

Distributors

• Alberto Bitelli Intl. Films (1972) (Brazil) (theatrical)
• Hallmark Releasing (1972) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Hokushin Audio Visual (1981) (UK) (VHS)
• Ambassador Film Distributors (1982) (Canada) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Internacional Films Distribución (????) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Another World Entertainment (2008) (Denmark) (DVD)
• Arrow Film & Video (????) (USA) (DVD) (2-disc set)
• Astro Distribution (2001) (Belgium) (DVD)
• Century Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Cult Epics (????) (USA) (DVD)
• DMEG (2004) (Sweden) (video)
• Gorgon Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• M.I.B. (????) (Germany) (DVD)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Raro Video/Nocturno (2005) (Italy) (DVD)
• Simitar Video (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Starz Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Stomp Visual (2005) (Australia) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Digitmovies Alternative Entertainment  soundtrack

Also Known As:

"A Bay of Blood" - International (English title) (imdb display title), International (English title) (uncensored intended title), UK (imdb display title), USA
"Twitch of the Death Nerve" - USA (imdb display title), USA (new title)
"Blood Bath" - UK
"Bloodbath" - UK
"Bloodbath Bay of Death" - UK (unauthorized video title)
"Carnage" -
"Chain Reaction" - Italy (literal English title)
"Ecologia del delitto" - Italy (alternative title)
"Ecology of a Crime" - International (English title) (informal literal title)
"Reazione a catena" - Italy (imdb display title)
"The Antecedent" - USA (informal title)
"The Last House on the Left, Part II" - USA (reissue title)
"A Mansão da Morte" - Brazil
"A vér öble" - Hungary (imdb display title)
"Bahía de Sangre" - Argentina (imdb display title)
"Bahía de sangre" - Spain
"Banho de Sangue" - Brazil
"Blutrausch des Teufels" - West Germany (bootleg title)
"Chimidoro no irie" - Japan
"Den blodige bugt" - Denmark (DVD title)
"Im Blutrausch des Satans" - West Germany
"Kanli körfez" - Turkey (Turkish title)
"Kravgi tromou" - Greece (video title)
"Krwawy obóz Bay" - Poland (imdb display title)
"La baie sanglante" - France
"O Sexo na Sua Forma Mais Violenta" - Brazil
"O krikos ton eglimaton" - Greece (reissue title)
"Sfagi sto akrogiali tis idonis" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)
"To spiti me ta alysidota eglimata" - Greece (reissue title)

Runtime:

84 min | 76 min (cut)

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Australia:R | UK:18 (re-rating: 1994) (cut) | UK:(Banned) (1984-1994) | UK:R (original rating: 1972) | France:-16 | Netherlands:16 | UK:18 (uncut version, re-rating) | Norway:18 (DVD rating) (2009) (uncut) | Italy:VM14 | Italy:VM18 (DVD rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Spain:18 | USA:R | West Germany:(Banned) | Argentina:16 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Sabaudia, Latina, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Nuova Linea Cinematografica

Trivia:

The shooting locations didn't have woods, so Mario Bava created them by setting up tree branches to pass through the camera shots. According to Laura Betti, the trickery would look so silly during shooting that the cast and crew would often laugh hysterically.

Goofs:

Continuity: The Count is stabbed repeatedly in his back and then he falls on his back and dies. When the killer is dragging him away, there should be a blood trail leading from The Countess to the door.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Argento! Bava! Fulci! The Giallo Gems of Dardano Sacchetti (2010) (V)

Doesn't hold up well even for an early 70s effort.

I must be missing something here because I found it rather dull, it's obviously held in high regard by the horror crowd because it's a benchmark of sorts, and certainly this is where Friday the 13th (1980) got it's idea from, but to me it just came across as an uncohesive mess. The acting obviously isn't of a great standard, but that is what the viewer expects for this particular strand of the genre, but they seem to be confused about how to play out their respective roles. The grizzly deaths are handled efficiently by director Mario Bava and they keep the film from drifting into unwatchable territory, and in fairness the ending does have a nice cheeky slant it, but all in all it's not one to reckie to others with confidence, or for me to ever rewatch again, 5/10