Dr Paul Eswai (Giacomo Rossi-Stuart) is summoned to a remote village to perform an autopsy as part of a murder investigation. The deeply superstitious and frightened populous is hostile to the doctor and his modern ways, relying on the local witch (Fabienne Dali) for safety from a force few are willing to speak of. Only Monica Schuftan (Erika Blanc), who has recently returned to her hometown, is willing to help.
Let’s get the title out of the way. The Italian Operazione paura (apparently chosen to sound like a string of spy films at the time) is normally translated as “Operation Fear” though “Fearful Events” might be more appropriate. An edited version of the film was released in England as Curse of the Dead while the USA got Curse of the Living Dead, though I see no reason why our dead are more alive than theirs. Uncut but dubbed, it has been given the irrelevant title Kill, Baby… Kill! that makes it sound like some kind of beatnik slasher flick. None of the titles fit the film. As I don’t speak Italian, I’m less bothered by its original title, so I’ll refer to it as Operazione paura.
Like in most Italian horror, the story comes second. It is the lush visuals that carry the show. Director Mario Bava dismisses realism, and instead paints an impressionistic piece with ever-present drifting fog and thick cobwebs. Colors sway toward red and gold, when not absorbed by black. There’s a twirling spiral staircase, a room that opens into itself, a ball that bounces down corridors without a visible owner, and a creepy child that shows up at windows. I’ve seen all of it before, primarily because so many filmmakers have swiped ideas from Operazione paura, but I can’t think of a case where it works better. A few of the dreamlike images get the better of Bava, such as a non-scary doll nightmare, but those are the exceptions.
While at first appearing as a variation of the standard ghost story, Operazione paura is something different, and you’ll be sorely disappointed if you compare it to The Uninvited. Ghost Stories in general are vary plot oriented, focusing on the unveiling of twists and secrets. But the mystery in Operazione paura is no mystery at all, and isn’t the point. There’s nothing to be solved here, at least not by heroic Paul. Standard Ghost stories tell you what you should do if you find yourself haunted; Operazione paura tells you what it is like.
The dubbing is surprisingly good, with the voice actors supplying the proper emotions in a majority of cases. Only the Burgomaster and the policeman have that, stiff, overstated manner so common in dubbing. The actors’ lips are almost always in synch, which makes it appear pleasantly natural, but is undoubtedly responsible for a few tongue twisting bits of dialog.
Operazione paura influenced a generation of filmmakers and created the Italian gothic horror movement. Like most pivotal films, it is superior to what followed.