MARIO BAVA DOUBLE FEATURE: Kill Baby Kill (1966) & A Bay of Blood (1971)

KILL, BABY... KILL! (1966) d. Mario Bava (Italy)
A BAY OF BLOOD (1971) d. Mario Bava (Italy)

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Equal parts conjurer of Gothic nightmares, pioneer of modern cinematic violence, and astonishing visual stylist, Italian filmmaker and horror legend Mario Bava has delivered so many genre high water marks that it’s difficult to keep track. From the black-and-white splendor of Black Sunday to the hypnotic colored gels of Black Sabbath to establishing the hallmarks of the giallo, Bava was constantly innovating and imagining new ways to dazzle and disturb audiences.

THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (1964) Blu-ray review

The Last Man on Earth (1964) d. Ubaldo Ragona / Sidney Salkow (Italy/USA)

“Another day to live through. Better get started.” From its opening shots of barren city landscapes littered with lifeless corpses to its bleak conclusion, the first screen version of Richard Matheson’s novel I am Legend is a downer all the way. But considering the subject matter, this is no surprise, and director Ragona (with additional material inserted by Salkow for its U.S. run) is to be lauded for remaining true to Matheson’s apocalyptic spirit.

THE DAY THE SKY EXPLODED (1958) movie review

Day the Sky Exploded, The (1958) d. Heusch, Paolo

When the first manned space expedition goes awry, Paul Hubschmid’s rocket ship is abandoned and exploded, resulting in a rogue collection of asteroids being diverted from their orbit around the sun. Naturally they start heading towards Earth, wreaking all kinds of weather-related havoc (tidal waves, forest fires, etc.) en route to our certain extinction.