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Jim's Real Detroit Column 4/8/99

Italian film director Mario Bava (1914-1980) was an acknowledged influence on many masters of American Cinema. Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ and David Lynch's Twin Peaks:Fire Walk with Me, owe much to Bava's Operazione paura (aka Kill, Baby...Kill). Bava's Planet of the Vampires was obviously a source for the story line of Ridley Scott's Alien, (as writer Dan O'Bannon admits).

In he 1940s Bava began his career as a cinematographer and quickly developed his style through use of high contrast black and white or saturated colors. His first film as director, 1960's Black Sunday (La maschera del demonio), demonstrates his flair for atmospheric filmmaking, a talent that is evident in most all of his films, regardless of the budget. A Bava film can shock you: Black Sunday was banned by the UK censors but in his horror films, it is usually the mood and the brooding lyricism that scares the hell out of you.

A good place to start on the road to Bavaphelia is Planet of the Vampires (1965). Although panned by a lot of critics, it demonstrates what Bava could do with no budget, a few days of shooting time, and a set left over from a sword and sandal epic. The film begins with the spaceship Argos responding to an SOS from a downed shipon the planet Aura. After crash landing, the Argosnauts enter the downed ship. They are greeted by the dead bodies of its crew, as well as hologram of the ship's commander, who tells the tale of madness, killing, and mind-possessing vampires. Needless to say, more nastiness is to come, including a Bavaesque attack by dead-astronaut zombies.

For something a little lighter, take a look at Bava's psychedelic thriller Danger: Diabolik (1968). Supervillian Diabolik (John Phillip Law) has everything he needs to execute the most ridiculous capers imaginable, all executed from an underground lair that rivals the Batcave (but is much cooler with features such as a gigantic rotating bed and some amazing see-through showers). Pair up Diabolik with Austin Powers for a great double feature.

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