Mario Bava‘s 1977 Italian film Shock will be released on Blu-ray by Arrow Video on January 17th 2022.
The film has been newly restored in 2K from the original 35mm camera negative with both Italian and English credit sequences. It includes restored lossless mono Italian (with newly-translated English subtitles) and English audio. Special features:
Audio commentary by Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark author Tim Lucas (new)
Interview with co-writer/uncredited co-director Lamberto Bava (new)
Interview with co-writer Dardano Sacchetti (new)
Interview with critic Alberto Farina (new)
The Devil Pulls the Strings – Video essay by critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (new)
Shock! Horror!: The Stylistic Diversity of Mario Bava – Video appreciation by critic Stephen Thrower (new)
Italian theatrical trailer
Four Beyond the Door II TV spots
Image gallery
New cover artwork by Christopher Shy, with the original poster on the reverse side.
A slipcover featuring the alternate US title, Beyond the Door II.
Meanwhile, here’s our previous coverage of the movie:
‘A new look at the face of evil’
Shock is a 1977 Italian horror film directed by Mario Bava (Baron Blood; Lisa and the Devil; Kill, Baby… Kill!; Blood and Black Lace; Black Sunday) from a screenplay co-written by Lamberto Bava (also uncredited co-director, Demons), Gianfranco Barberi [as Francesco Barbieri] (A Bay of Blood), Alessandro Parenzo [as Paolo Brigenti] and Dardano Sacchetti (The Beyond). Produced by Turi Vasile (Day of the Cobra; Killer Fish).
The Laser Film production stars Daria Nicolodi (Tenebrae; Deep Red), John Steiner (Tenebrae), David Colin, Jr. (Beyond the Door) and Ivan Rassimov (Man from Deep River).
The soundtrack score was composed by prog-rock band Libra.
Plot:
Dora Baldini (Daria Nicolodi), her son Marco (David Colin Jr.) and her second husband Bruno Baldini (John Steiner) move into Dora’s former home, from her first marriage, after she is released from a mental institution following the mysterious death of her abusive first husband.
With Bruno away as a commercial airline pilot, Dora is left along with her troubled son Marco and her shattered memory of the events of her husband’s death, caused by extensive electroshock treatment she received while institutionalised. Her insanity grows when she believes that her son has become possessed by the ghost of his deceased father…
For its US release, Film Ventures International retitled the film Beyond the Door II, under the guise of it being a sequel to Ovidio G. Assonitis‘ 1974 film Chi sei?, which was titled Beyond the Door for its stateside release. The only connection between the two films was the fact that they both starred child actor David Colin Jr.
For its UK cinema release, Shock was paired with The Blood Spattered Bride with an early 80s video release following on Vampix.
Reviews:
” …Shock is remarkably restrained in the bloodletting department. In fact, some of the most disquieting moments are entirely bloodless: the finding of the ceramic hand; the mutilation of a doll; Daria Nicolodi’s hair writhing like Medusa’s snakes; and surely only Mario Bava could make a slinky so disturbing. The film’s recurrent hand imagery is brilliantly used, and is as fascinating as is it repulsive.” And You Call Yourself a Scientist!
” …very stylish and creepy, with terrific prowling camera work, a good story, and a few segues into gothic horror territory […] With several bouts of twists and shocks lining the last twenty-five minutes, there’s definitely an exceptional payoff at the end that always leaves this viewer satisfied, and Nicolodi is a fantastic lead.” At the Mansion of Madness
“Shock is a slow-burning horror film crossed with a distressing psychological study of the effects of domestic abuse, trauma and guilt on one woman’s mental health. It benefits from a limited cast, a truly striking performance from Daria Nicolodi, moody location and compelling storytelling. A fitting final film from one of the most influential, imaginative genre directors in the history of horror and fantasy cinema.” Behind the Couch
“Bava was always the master of ingenious camera effects, and he and Spagnoli created some stunning moments, most famously the gag that The Prodigy paid homage to last year […] It’s stunning, and a fast reminder that even near the end, no one could compose a shot like Bava.” Daily Dead
“Though not completely flawless, Shock is an offbeat and genuinely suspenseful psychological thriller with more than enough interesting touches and genuine scares to make it worth watching… and (no pun intended) a truly shocking finale!” Digital Retribution
“A queasy kind of horror it’s conjured up from the boy’s precocious displays, whether lying on top of his mother on the lawn or gloating over her as he takes as she takes a shower.… Moments like this are masterfully contrived, and the same applies to a couple of shock appearances from the deceased Carlo and the barnstorming climax […] but other scenes are less persuasive. A laughing piano lit in one of Dora’s nightmares was an effect best left unattempted…” Jonathan Rigby, Euro Gothic: Classics of Continental Horror Cinema
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” …lacks the imaginative visual style of prior Bava films, the director knows his way around a suspense sequence, so the picture does an okay job of conveying Dora’s paranoia. There’s also a fun twist at the end, somewhat in the vein of Edgar Allan Poe. That said, the movie is rushed and superficial.” Every ’70s Movie
“Shock is a disappointingly uneven film, a collection of imaginative ideas that somehow fails to develop into an involving narrative. Though written and co-directed by Lamberto Bava, the elder filmmaker’s cinematic obsessions are readily apparent […] but the work is curiously unpolished. The camera movements (all storyboarded, as usual, by Mario Bava) are well-orchestrated but Alberto Spagnoli’s lighting is flat, lacking the sinuous beauty that one normally associates with Bava’s work.” Troy Howarth, The Haunted World of Mario Bava
“A claustrophobic gut punch that drags the viewer straight down into the mind of a woman going mad, the film features a few bloody concessions to the ’70s horror market but also remains a beautifully crafted, psychologically devastating little chamber piece, not to mention a strangely appropriate final feature for the maestro.” Mondo Digital
“The film contains some wonderfully psychedelic and mind-bending flashback scenes brought on the latent effects of LSD and the damage done by the electroshock. As Marco grows darker and meaner Dora grows delirious and demented culminating in one heck of a rough ending.” The Scariest Things
” …the story, predictable and uninspired, lets it down. Fortunately, Nicolodi’s panicky histrionics keep the excitement level high: never mind the reassurances of Bruno or her psychiatrist, we know that she’s not making it up. What we don’t know is the reason for the haunting, although you probably have a good idea. The film may be patchy, but when it’s at its best it’s very effective indeed…” The Spinning Image
” …the main reason that this film works is because of Daria Nicolodi. Bava was never known for being a great director of actors but, for this film, he managed to capture one of the best performances in the history of horror cinema. In the role of Dora, Nicolodi is like an exposed nerve. It’s impossible not to sympathize with her…” Through the Shattered Lens
“Shock contains all the stylish sequences we’ve come to expect […] as well as a handful of disturbingly graphic sequences. Although this may not appeal to all horror fans due to its slow-moving nature, Nicolodi is in fine form and the finale is a perfectly orchestrated buildup to individual insanity.” The Terror Trap
“While the flick may have several weaknesses, it does have an undeniable hypnotic charm that holds your attention even when things are getting particularly slow going. The gore, when it comes, is solid […] Shock may not be the swan song you would hope for from the master but it still has its fair share of memorable moments…” The Video Vacuum
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“For once, Bava’s vivid imagery and wild camerawork are used to describe complex emotional reality, not physical or narrative reality, and so his techniques are much more effective. Many fans consider this to be Bava’s best and I agree, though Black Sunday is hard to top.” Mike Mayo, Videohound’s Horror Show book
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Cast and characters:
Daria Nicolodi … Dora Baldini
John Steiner … Bruno Baldini
David Colin Jr. … Marco
Ivan Rassimov … Doctor Aldo Spidini
Lamberto Bava … Mover / Airplane Passenger (uncredited)
Paul Costello … Obnoxious man at party (uncredited)
Nicola Salerno … Carlo (uncredited)
Technical credits:
95 minutes
Eastmancolor
Aspect ratio: 1.85: 1
Audio: Mono – Westrex Sound System
Notes:
Shock was Mario Bava’s last film. He died of a heart attack in April 1980.
Beyond the Door III aka Amok Train came along in 1989 but has no connection with the original or this film beyond its title. A sequel with a genuine link to the original, Beyond the Door: Embryo, will be released in 2022.
Watch the Italian trailer on YouTube
Japanese trailer:
US TV spot:
Soundtrack score:
