Oh Mama Mia! We missed-a National Mario Day!
On this, the Belated Day of Mario, we’re going to highlight a few offerings by Italian Filmmaker and Horror Legend Mario Bava that you can stream right now!!
Mario Bava was born in 1914 in Sanremo, Liguria, on July 31st in 1914. His father, Eugenio Bava, was a sculptor and artist as well as cinematographer and pioneer of special effects in the film industry. Being exposed to the movie business at a young age, Mario followed in his father’s footsteps. Bava made a name for himself as one of Italy’s top cameramen, and provided expert level lighting and special effects for some of the region’s best films.
Bava’s journey started as a cinematographer, having worked on infamous projects such as Kirk Douglas’s “Ulysses” and Steve Reeves “Hercule.” Thanks to some good fortune on his part, he eventually entered the world of directing on “I Vampiri,” after the original director Riccardo Freda left the project abruptly. Bava finished the project and added his own SFX as well as story edits.
From there Bava began to expand his body of work, taking creative influences from everything from literature to movies to pop-art! In addition to his own films, Bava continued to work alongside other esteemed creators in the genre, such as Dario Argento’s “Inferno” on which he did the SFX.
Bava’s work has been cited by more than one esteemed Hollywood creator, and he’s been credited with pioneering the “slasher” genre in horror films.
True to the Bava name, the apple did not fall far from the tree! When Mario Bava passed away in April of 1980, Bava’s son, Lamberto Bava, took up the mantle and kept his father’s legacy alive by continuing to direct his own horror films.
If you’ve not seen one of Bava’s films just yet, consider checking out one of the three suggested flicks that are streaming right now on some of your favourite media platforms!
Let us know your favourite Mario Bava film in the comments section below!
The Vampires (1957)
When multiple young women are found mysteriously murdered and blood drained from their bodies, a young journalist begins to delve deeper into the motive of the killer. After his lover and fiancee is kidnapped, the journalist will stop at nothing to find the murderer. He quickly realizes he may have bit off more than he can chew when he investigates the Du Grand family and discovers they may be hiding some scary dark secrets. This film was originally directed by Riccardo Freda, who left the production on the final day of shooting and left Brava to take over. It was Bava who chose to add stock footage and reshoot portions thus changing the plot a little from its intended story.
Watch it now on Shudder.
Black Sunday (1960)
Put to death by her brother by being burned at the stake, the dark witch Asa Vajda vows she will have her revenge one day. Many moons later, two hundred years in the future, Asa returns from the dead and begins to make good on her promise. She and her deadly henchmen and bring their reign of terror upon them. It’s a gothic horror based loosely on the work of Nikolai Gogol’s story “Viy.”
Watch it now on Shudder or Amazon Prime or Tubi.
Kill, Baby, Kill (1966)
A European village is haunted by a murderous ghost of the young daughter of a baroness! When a doctor comes to town and encounters the supernatural spirits, he begins to get suspicious and investigate the mysterious deaths and uncover some bewitching secrets. This pinnacle feature in Bava’s career has been sited by multiple famous directors as one of their most influential works. From Scorsese to Fellini to Lynch, they have all paid homage to this gothic horror masterpiece.
Watch it now on Shudder.
