Operazione Paura [Kill, Baby… Kill!] **** (1966, Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Erika Blanc, Fabienne Dali) – Classic Movie Review 7823

Director Mario Bava’s creepy, atmospheric and outstanding 1966 Italian Gothic horror film Operazione Paura [Kill, Baby… Kill!] stars Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Erika Blanc and Fabienne Dali. Based on a story co-written by Bava, Romano Migliorini, and Roberto Natale, the film is set in a Carpathian small village in the early 1900s which is being terrorised by the ghost of a murderous young girl, Melissa Graps, played by a boy, Valerio Valeri.

Coroner Dr Eswai (Giacomo Rossi Stuart) and medical student Monica (Erika Blanc) try to uncover the ghost girl’s secrets, while witch Ruth the Sorceress (Fabienne Dali) attempts to protect the villagers.

Shot in the spectacular ancient medieval town of Calcata (Cargata) in the province of Viterbo in the Italian region of Latium 29 miles north of Rome in 1965, Kill, Baby, Kill marks Bava’s return to Gothic horror, after Black Sabbath and The Whip and the Body in 1963.

Unfortunately, it had a troubled production. Its makers, small Italian company F U L Films, ran out of money despite its very low budget of less than $50,000, the film was shot without a complete script, and the score was compiled from stock music, though credited to Carlo Rustichelli as it includes pieces composed by him for other films. The story is credited to screenwriting team of Romano Migliorini and Roberto Natale, with a screenplay credited to Migliorini, Natale and Mario Bava, who said that the film was improvised on set from a script of only 30 pages.

The film was released during the height of the Italian holiday season, disappearing from circulation after being shown in Rome for only four days. But it was distributed in the US on 8 October 1966 by Europix Consolidated Corporation and in the UK by Marigold Films in 1967 as Curse of the Dead. It was re-issued in the US in 1972 with one reel removed as Curse of the Living Dead as part of Living Dead triple feature aimed at drive-ins. However, later releases, including DVD as Kill, Baby… Kill! are the complete version and, with the re-evaluation of Bava’s work, Kill, Baby… Kill! is now highly acclaimed by filmmakers and critics.

The main cast are Giacomo Rossi-Stuart as Dr Paul Eswai, Erika Blanc as Monica Schufftan, Fabienne Dali as the witch Ruth, Valerio Valeri as Melissa Graps, Giovanna Galletti (as Giana Vivaldi) as Baroness Graps, Luciano Catenacci (as Max Lawrence) as Burgomeister Karl, Piero Lulli as Inspector Kruger, Micaela Esdra as Nadienne, Franca Dominici as Martha, Giuseppe Addobbati as the innkeeper and Mirella Pamphili (as Mirella Panfili) as Irena Hollander.

Shot in Eastmancolor by Antonio Rinaldi, it runs 85 minutes, or 75 minutes in the 1972 reissue.

Though Bava auditioned hundreds of girls to play Melissa Graps, he could not find one and cast the son of his concierge, Valerio Valeri, who was unhappy with the role, particularly wearing the dress. Bava goaded his performance by referring to him as Valeria.

The film was shot in 12 days in 1965, with the exteriors filmed on location in Calcat and the interiors at Titanus Appia Studios. Cast and crew were only paid for their first two weeks working on the film, and agreed to complete it without pay because of their affection for Bava, who was never paid for his work.

Bava did not to direct another horror film until 1969’s Hatchet for the Honeymoon.

Kill, Baby… Kill! is available on DVD [Region 1] [US Import].

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7823

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