5 Dolls for an August Moon

Really terrible. The most annoying porno-style music drowns out any sense of atmosphere or intrigue. Bad acting and dialogue. Incomprehensible plot, though it seemed to cohere a bit more towards the end. A waste of my time.

Expected more from Mario Bava, this had some good moments but was otherwise disappointing. Don't bother unless you insist on seeing every giallo out there.

Lots of grisly and shocking imagery doesn't rescue this film from a nearly senseless script.

Bava disowned it and probably for good reason. It's certainly tongue in cheek, but that doesn't even begin to compensate for the poor script, mediocre performances and the general air of stupidity. The fact that this dry run for Bay of Blood is even remotely watchable is testament to Bava's gifts as a visual stylist, and he manages one memorable scene involving marbles tossed down a spiral staircase that's among his best sequences. On the whole though, it's just a forgettable time killer.

Good: Nice directing by Mario Bava, nice soundtrack, cheezy but enjoyable moments. Bad: Too confusing story.

Weak Gaillo-Whodunit.

This giallo by Bave looks nice, but misses some real suspense.

5 bambole per la luna d'agosto: 8 // 6 // 5 // 5 // 6 // 9 // 5

60.000

This hep, swinging take on the Then There Were None formula is a bit flat, but it does make for a groovy catalog of tacky ultra-modern (ca. 1970) fashion and interior design. There is a rather funny running visual gag about the practical matter of what to do with all those bodies. It's also amusing to watch these characters mostly not care very much about stumbling onto the body of another murdered friend every 15 minutes.

Definitely not one of Bava's best. There is some fine style and direction on show, but it's too daft, and the plot verges on nonsense. While the cast have some charisma, they just aren't given anything decent to do. One for completists only, I reckon.