While KILL BABY KILL (Original Italian Title – OPERAZIONE PAURA “How Fear Operates”) is not Mario Bava’s best movie, it has always been my personal favorite of his. Like so many of Bava’s movies, I first saw it in a drive-in theatre in the 1970s. At that time it was called CURSE OF THE LIVING DEAD which is a much better title than KBK (chosen to cash in on the mid 1960s hit FASTER PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL!).
The plot is a genuine ghost story as the manifestation of a little girl in white causes anyone who sees her to do away with themselves. The setting is an unnamed 19th century village where the characters have German names. A handsome young coroner is called in to investigate the series of local suicides. Once there he encounters nothing but fear and hostility which is linked to a decaying local mansion.
While the story is a familiar one with a few new twists, it is the visual aspects of it that make the film so memorable. Bava’s movies are always more about how they look than what they contain and this movie is no exception. The dramatic use of colors and lighting coupled with virtuoso camerawork (the scene in the villa where the doctor chases himself is one example) remain once the movie is over.
The completely Italian cast are all very good and their performances along with the hallucinatory visuals and eerie soundtrack keep you engaged throughout. The movie should be watched in the original Italian with subtitles for maximum effect. The English dubbing is sonically jarring and doesn’t always match what is going in. Run the English version with subtitles and you’ll see and hear what I mean.
This brand new Kino restoration makes the film look better than ever before. The print is sharp, the colors vivid, and the soundtrack in both Italian & English is clear and easy to understand. What makes this version the best yet is the number of extra features including comments from Bava scholar Tim Lucas and a documentary on the locations used. It surpasses the old Anchor Bay edition which is now out-of-print.
The Capsule Critic 