Kill, Baby… Kill! is a 1966 horror film in which a village is haunted by the murderous ghost of a little girl, prompting a coroner and a medical student to uncover her secrets while a witch attempts to protect the villagers.
The Italian movie was directed by Mario Bava from a screenplay by Romano Migliorini and Roberto Natale. The movie stars Giacomo Rossi-Stuart and Erika Blanc. The original Italian title is Operazione paura [“Operation Fear”] and it is known under many titles including Curse of the Dead and Curse of the Living Dead.
The film’s score was attributed to Carlo Rustichelli (Libido; Blood and Black Lace; The Whip and the Body) but in his Euro Gothic book Jonathan Rigby says that it was “actually cannibalised from familiar themes by Rustichelli, Vlad, Lavagnino, Masi and Trovajoli.”
Plot:
1907: In a Carpathian village a series of murders occur in which the victims are found with silver coins embedded in their hearts. The coins are revealed to be talismans placed on the victims by the town witch (Fabienne Dali), meant to ward off the supernatural powers of the aged Baroness Graps (Giana Vivaldi).
The baroness has been performing these duties for the ghost of her murdered daughter, who wants to claim the villagers’ souls. In order to free the village from the curse, Dali must find the sequestered baroness and destroy her…
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Our review:
“Stuart-Rossi rather drags things down with his one-note performance, but Erika Blanc makes a reasonable heroine and Valerio Valeri (oddly uncredited) is suitably creepy as the malicious ghost. The film is as visually stunning as you might expect, and eventually builds to a creepy and atmospheric finale that is undeniably impressive, with the image of Melissa Graps and her bouncing ball becoming somewhat iconic – if, perhaps, not as influential as has been claimed.” David Flint, MOVIES & MANIA
” …occasionally jolts into the realms of free-form delirium and dementia. The spectre of little Melissa Graps, with her white lace dress and bouncing white ball, is perhaps the most influential icon of the Italian horror cinema, having been copied in countless other films, notably Federico Fellini’s Toby Dammit (from Spirits of the Dead, 1968), and the film itself has been an admitted influence on such directors as Martin Scorsese and David Lynch.” Tim Lucas, All the Colors of the Dark book
“Embracing the opportunity to shoot in full colour, Bava creates a lurid, entrancing dream-world which clearly informed the work of Argento and Fulci, and indeed any director interested in exploring otherworldly ideas: one scene, where the hero seems to pursue a vision of himself, is an almost shot-for-shot antecedent of David Lynch’s disturbing final episode of Twin Peaks.” Tom Huddleston, Time Out
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“In an opportunist gesture typical of the Italian film industry, Bava’s most poetic film – complete with surrealist references to, among others, Jean Cocteau and M C Escher – got its name from the preponderance of larkish spy spoofs of the period that included the word ‘operazione’ in their titles.”Jonathan Rigby, Euro Gothic book
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” …the very definition of atmosphere because character and plot are secondary to the mood and feel. The intense visuals, bathed in light yet flowing with fog, are Bava’s return to the Gothic after three years making contemporary giallo films. The whirling score – which occasionally features a theremin – maintains the eerie simmering mood almost from start to finish.” David Elroy Goldweber, Claws & Saucers
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“Bava’s direction is, as almost always, quite abysmal but thanks to his previous career as a cinematographer, the movie looks good and turns out to be a quite atmospheric supernatural shocker, although as hollow as an empty egg.” Alan Frank, The Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Handbook
” …abundance of visual beauty, fantastic use of color, incredible story which merely links the bravura cinematics. Another must-see, of course, but when will Bava get a decent script?” Castle of Frankenstein, contemporary review
“Kill Baby Kill may not be Mario Bava’s best thriller, but the film offers another opportunity to enjoy the director’s bravura cinematics.” Lawrence McCallum, Italian Horror Films of the 1960s book
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Cast and characters:
Giacomo Rossi-Stuart … Doctor Paul Eswai (Death Smiles at Murder; Crimes of the Black Cat; The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave; et al)
Erika Blanc … Monica Schuftan (The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave; Devil’s Nightmare, Mark of the Devil Part II)
Fabienne Dali … Ruth, the Sorceress
Giana Vivaldi … Baroness Graps
Micaela Esdra … Nadienne
Piero Lulli … Inspector Kruger
Luciano Catenacci … Karl the Burgomeister
Franca Dominici … Martha
Giuseppe Addobbati … The Innkeeper
Valerio Valeri … Melissa Graps
Filming locations:
Calcata and Faleria, Viterbo, Latium, Italy
Film facts:
The film’s shooting title was Le macabre ore della paura (“The Macabre Hour of Fear”). The little girl with bouncing ball imagery was referenced in many other films such as William Malone’s 2002 movie feardotcom
Technical specs:
1 hour 23 minutes
Aspect ratio: 1.85: 1
Italian trailer:
US trailer:
Opening scene:
Free online in Italian with English subs on YouTube as Operazione paura [1080p HD]:
Free online on YouTube [1080p HD]:
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