Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
An elderly heiress is killed by her husband who wants control of her fortunes. What ensues is an all-out murder spree as relatives and friends attempt to reduce the inheritance playing field, complicated by some teenagers who decide to camp out in a dilapidated building on the estate.
Mario Bava's proto-slasher is a landmark in horror history — its cynical, nihilistic tone and chain-reaction murder structure were genuinely ahead of their time and directly inspired the Friday the 13th franchise. The plot is deliberately labyrinthine and pulpy rather than coherent, and the acting is functional Italian genre fare. However, Bava's visual craft elevates the cinematography above average with stylish compositions and lurid color. The film's true distinctions are its extraordinary novelty as a template for the slasher genre and its darkly ironic, genuinely shocking ending, which remains one of the most memorable and audacious conclusions in horror cinema.