Twitch of the Death Nerve or Bay of Blood (1971) directed by Mario Bava.
The film begins with the murder of an elderly heiress, and a web of intrigue surrounding the fate of her coveted waterfront property emerges. What ensues is an all-out murder spree as relatives and friends attempt to get their grubby hands on her fortune, complicated by a group of young backpackers who innocently decide to crash in her abandoned estate.
Mario Bava is one of the most under-appreciated Italian horror directors. He is widely considered to be a master of his craft, but I still think that is an understatement. Bava began his career as a cinematographer and it shows; his films exhibit masterful knowledge of color theory, composition, and texture. And the lighting! Don't even get me started... One of my favorite elements in all his films is his understanding and application of fashion in his sets, props and costumes; reminiscent of Seijun Suzuki's artful fashion sense in films like Tokyo Drifter, in which fashion and mood almost become characters in the film. Bava's work is clearly influenced both by the stylized aesthetics of German expressionism and the raw violence and sexuality of the Hammer films. If you're not immediately engaged by this movie and wonder why I love it so much, just wait for the octopus. It beats the pants off the octopus in Old Boy by a longshot. All that being said, about it being this amazing masterwork and whatnot, let me make it clear that it is still a 70's horror movie, complete with jiggling titties and absurdly stereotyped characters.
Available to download at thepiratebay.org, for rental through netflix.com, and for sale on amazon.com
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