Plot: What’s it about?
When the issue is cold, hard cash, you never know how far some people will go, even it means taking someone’s life to better their own chances. In this case, an older woman has been slain by her husband, who seeks to gain control over her assets himself. This seems like a solid enough plan, but when a third person shows up at the murder site, his plan takes an unexpected turn. The mysterious third person then murders the husband and soon enough, the field of possible heirs is slimming by the moment. There seems to be a long list of suspects, all of whom have good reason to defend their claim on the assets, but out of the bunch, which is a the killer? It could be the woman’s illegitimate son, a shrewd real estate developer, a naturalist who seeks to protect the woman’s land, or any of the other people connected to the inheritance. But even if the killer is discovered, will anyone survive to collect on the will?
As well as having a very cool title, Twitch Of The Death Nerve is a lot of fun, but of course, you have to like horror flicks. This film is loaded with murders of all kinds and as horror fans know, variety is the spice of death. I love some of the death scenes in this flick, so I was pleased to see that this disc allows you to jump to specific ones, very cool. Here we watch as folks get hanged, have their heads lopped off, end up shot, and of course, some cool impalement is involved also. With a lineup like that one, how can this flick go wrong, right? Well, we’ve seen a lot of blood soaked horror flicks that have sucked, but this one avoids the traps those lesser films have fallen into. Mario Bava adds some intense atmosphere and emotion here, some scenes just seem to bend and bend, until they snap and the violence ensues. This one isn’t for all viewers of course, but fans of Bava and the horror genre shouldn’t miss this flick.
As one of the true legend of horror films, Mario Bava has his trademarks and most of them can be seen in this picture. I love the eerie atmosphere created in most of his film, which adds so much impact to the moment of violence, as you’re always on the edge of your seat. This real suspense works so well in Bava’s pictures, much better than cheap shocks, although he wasn’t opposed to using those tricks now and again. Bava seems to use a very fine line of emotion here also, one which changes speeds without warning, which means some strikes are instant and others very drawn out. I have no complaints with that, as it gives the movie a sharp edge and keeps you wondering what will happen next. I would consider this to be among Bava’s best efforts, but I couldn’t claim it to be the very best, as I love too many of his films. Other films directed by Bava include Four Times That Night, Shock, Rabid Dogs, The Whip and The Body, Hatchet For The Honeymoon, Danger: Diabolik, and Blood and Black Lace.
Video: How does it look?
Twitch Of The Death Nerve is presented in a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This is a very rich overall transfer, but it is not without some flaws. The print used looks good, but still shows some flecks, though not to the degree you might expect. I also saw some grain here and there, but it was minimal and never pulled me out of the film. The colors look strong and rich here, no signs of smears, although some hues look faded a tad. No problems with the flesh tones, which seem natural and warm at all times. The contrast look solid also, a good level of detail is present and the shadows seem well defined also. This transfer has some small glitches, but is still a welcome improvement over previous versions, so no real complaints here.
Audio: How does it sound?
This is where the disc slips somewhat, as the included mono track leaves a lot to be desired. It seems as though the voices are very shrill at times, which makes you turn down the volume, but then they become very soft, so you have to turn it back up again. So, you have to often fiddle with the volume buttons, which kind of lessens the whole viewing experience. But if you can keep that proper balance, the track is decent from there, as the music and sound effects come off well enough. This is not a terrible track by any means, but it can be a pain to keep adjusting the volume level.
Supplements: What are the extras?
As I mentioned above, this disc has a cool feature which lets you jump to a specific murder, which I think rocks. The disc also houses some information on Mario Bava, two radio spots, a theatrical trailer for the film (under the title Carnage), and a brief selection of posters and production photos.
