Shock Blu-ray Review

4 star remastering of a super creepy haunted house film.

Shock is an Italian horror film, originally released in 1977 and is the final feature from the maestro of horror, Mario- Bava (Blood and Black Lace, Black Sabbath).

It is presented here on High Definition Blu-ray (1080P) following a 2K restoration by Arrow Video. It features both the Italian and English versions of the film.

“She’s certainly recovered well. Doesn’t look like the kind of woman who’d drive a man to suicide”

Dora (Daria Nicolodi – Phenomena, Suspiria) is moving back to her former home with her second husband Bruno (John Steiner – Sinbad of the Seven Seas, Caligula) and Marco (David Colin Jr. – Beyond the Door), her seven year old son from her first marriage.

This was the home she shared with first husband Carlo, an abusive heroin addict who was believed to have committed suicide at sea when his boat was found drifting and empty. Traumatised by this experience, Dora was committed to a sanitarium for six months and given electroshock therapy, the result of which was that she has no memory of that time at all.

Being in the new house begins to trigger memories and she starts to believe that the house is haunted and that her son is acting differently, although Bruno doesn’t buy into it and insists on them staying at the house. She is left alone when he goes off to work as a pilot and the strange events continue to escalate. Is something going on, or is she losing her mind?

“Mama, I have to kill you.”

Shock is a very disturbing film. Unlike Bava’s earlier work, this final film concentrates more on the psychological aspects of horror, as we watch Dora’s gradual descent into madness and despair, ultimately unable to differentiate between the real world and the one inside her own mind.

It’s surprisingly subtle and yet it works incredibly well, mostly due to an amazing performance from Daria Nicolodi, who absolutely carries the film. You feel every emotion with her and the new remastered version makes the effects look really good too.

It’s claustrophobic and creepy and with lots of special features, this release is well worth adding to your horror collection.

“He’s here, among us. I feel his presence.”

Shock is available to buy now on Blu-ray.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

• High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentation
• Brand new 2K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative by Arrow Films
• Original Italian and English front and end titles and insert shots
• Restored original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks
• Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
• New audio commentary by Tim Lucas, author of Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark
• A Ghost in the House, a new video interview with co-director and co-writer Lamberto Bava
• Via Dell’Orologio 33, a new video interview with co-writer Dardano Sacchetti
• The Devil Pulls the Strings, a new video essay by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
• Shock! Horror! – The Stylistic Diversity of Mario Bava, a new video appreciation by author and critic Stephen Thrower
• The Most Atrocious Tortur(e), a new interview with critic Alberto Farina
• Italian theatrical trailer
• 4 US “Beyond the Door II” TV spots
• Image gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Christopher Shy

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Troy Howarth, author of The Haunted World of Mario Bava