Shock AKA Beyond The Door 2 Review

Mario Bava is one of my favorite directors of horror. He has a very distinct style and visual elements that you do not see from many other modern directors. The use of camera angles, lighting, and atmosphere plays well to set up the finales of his movies, and that’s exactly what you get with the movie “Shock”. This is also known as “Beyond The Door 2”, and in the United States it is readily available through a variety of different arenas. This was released in 1977, and it was the last movie that Mario Bava directed before he died. That being said, it doesn’t feel like his last picture, but it’s definitely one creepy movie none the less.

In this movie, you are given a slow burn. There’s a kid that is a bit creepy, and a couple that are moving into a house. The wife has come back from a sanitarium, where she was locked up for 7 years after her husband commits suicide. As the story progresses, the kid starts getting the “Shining”, oh wait, wrong movie. But it’s similar, and things start to move around the house ala “Paranormal Activity”. As the movie progresses, Bava’s signature creep style comes full circle and you realize that perhaps the wife had more to do with her husband’s death than we are lead to believe. As the movie gets into a climax, things get really bloody, messy, and revealing.

Take equal parts from many horror epics, including “The Omen” and you have a movie that leads you down a line of a slow burning wick. It’s slow, but it pays off dividends at the end. In fact, “Shock” delivers one of the best endings in horror that I’ve seen in a long time. Everything builds to a high tension, a suspenseful push, that you start rooting for the wrong person. Right when you think you have this movie figured out, and you call for a zombie to show up, nope, much like Argento’s classics, things unravel and create finality.

The best thing that you are going to see here is the visual style. Daria Nicolodi plays a very disturbed mother, and Bava’s elemental, visceral sequences play so well with her emotional collapse that you really feel for her at one point. However, as the kid starts to showcase the true demise of his father, you start to realize that the villain is not whom you think, and that of course leads to a very climactic ending.

If you aren’t a big fan of Italian Horror, then you are not going to like this one. However, if you’re a fan of Bava already, then you know what to expect here, and will definitely love the slow burn feel of the movie. It’s not extreme, but it certainly lends itself well to a lot of other extreme movies. I love the way things turn out in this thrilling horror movie. Take it for a ride and see why Bava is celebrated as one of the pioneers of horror cinema. Buy “Shock” here, and see what this is all about.



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3 Cool Euro Trash Blu Ray Discs To Buy

When it comes to European trash movies, I’m a big fan. Whether it’s exploring the evil and satanic nuns of Italian and Spanish fame, or I’m knee deep in the rape-revenge flicks that sliced in pornographic scenes with femme fatales that would put shotguns in the mouths of their oppressors, I love the genres that came out of this era of exploitation cinema.

Today, I wanted to veer into some of my favorites and just recommend that you please help this blog by checking them out, purchasing them, or at least helping me out by going to amazon.com here, and picking up whatever you’d like. I’m 100% freelance and write for a living, so I’m not making billions, and need your help.

Here are 3 cool Eurotrash Blu Ray discs to purchase today:



Baron Blood Blu Ray – Mario Bava really turns up the scar tactics in this story about a Student abroad trying to learn about his family. This movie plays on the sadist ideologies that seemed to run rampant in the exploitation genre, but you’ll find that it’s not exactly gore filled, despite an awesome disc cover. Pre-order this one at a major savings.



Amer Blu Ray – One of the most interesting and beautiful pieces of giallo cinema is found in this 1970s Italian euro trash picture. It might be mislabeled but when you get to the eroticism that is presented here, you’ll understand why even a high definition transfer doesn’t change the notion. You’ll find the transfer to be one of the best reasons to own a blu ray player today.



Living Dead Girl Blu Ray – This French film ties together the hysterics of toxic waste and earthquakes into a terrifying tale about when zombies rise from the grave to feed on the flesh and blood of humans. This transfer is amazing, and you get an awesome amount of features to go with the bloodlust that is sure to entice even the most jaded of horror movie fans.

Horror Deal of the Day: Lisa and The Devil / The House of Exorcism: Remastered Edition Blu Ray

Today's deal is a double feature Italian Horror Blu Ray set. If you order it from amazon here, you can save a few bucks on it. The synopsis is simple, and quoting from the official Grindhouse Store;

LISA AND THE DEVIL: While on vacation in Spain, an American tourist (Elke Sommer) is drawn into a terrifying world of mystery, madness and murder in this surreal spine chiller directed by Italian horror maestro Mario Bava. A blind countess (Alida Valli), her imbalanced son (Alessio Orano) and a creepy bald butler (Telly Savalas) who carries around a mannequin all come into play in this fantastically bizarre tale liberally spiced with gruesome, gothic deaths.

THE HOUSE OF EXORCISM: Lisa and The Devil was later re-edited and re-released as The House of Exorcism (1976, 91min), adding the horror of diabolical possession, following The Exorcist's phenomenal success. After seeing the devil (Telly Savalas) in an ancient Spanish fresco, comely tourist Lisa Reiner (Elke Sommer) meets him in the flesh. Satan soon takes over her soul and drives her into the hospital, where American priest Father Michael (Robert Alda) does his best to exorcise the demon.

Now that sounds like something you'd be interested in, right? Right? Order it and help me pay for the rent or something.

Remember to leave a comment, to be entered to win a KINDLE FIRE 2. The winner will be announced at the end of the month.

Horror Deal of the Day: Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970) Blu Ray

Today's recommendation comes from the Italian horror master Mario Bava. The film "Hatchet for the Honeymoon" is set to be released on Blu Ray, and if you preorder you can save a good amount. Click here to preorder this instant classic from 1970. The Italian horror film is about a fashion designer turned serial killer and the woman that loves him, only she doesn't know he's behind the serial slayings. Things get out of hand and the gore levels are turned up as only Bava can introduce.

Preorder "Hatchet for the Honeymoon" on blu ray by clicking here.



Remember to leave a comment, to be entered to win a KINDLE FIRE 2. The winner will be announced at the end of the month.