Visually stunning, as Bava's work usually was, "Twitch of the Death Nerve" offers the blueprint that would be used for all types of gory body count movies, especially the slasher craze of the late 70s & early 80s. Although he'd made similar films before (such as "Blood and Black Lace" and even "Kill, Baby, Kill"), never before had he been this explicit in his violence. The emphasis here was not only on the violent murders, but the bloody details.<br /><br />The rather loose plot is centered on a lovely bay belonging to a Countess. In a stunning opening, she is murdered, and then just as quickly, her murderer is murdered by an unseen third party. At stake is the ownership of the valuable bay property, and it's something that a number of people would kill for. In fact, apparently everybody would kill for it. A series of gruesome murders is set in motion, each one more outlandish than the last, to the point where when a simple strangulation takes place late in the film, the viewer is shocked at the restraint.<br /><br />Bava's inventive camera tricks have never been more appealing than here, not to mention the detailed color schemes he gets going. I was shocked to learn that this movie was not shot in a wooded area, as Bava has made it appear, but rather the woods were simulated by clever camera angles and random branches held in front of the camera. No matter how, he created a convincing atmosphere of isolation. From the opening scene, which takes place in a secluded mansion on a stormy night, Bava's setting is both exotic and menacing. The murders are shocking enough, but even more disturbing is the way Bava lingers over the death throes of the victims in an almost pornographic way. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite so gruesome as a particular murder here that involves a character getting a machete embedded in his face. Even though it was duplicated in several other films (both "Dawn of the Dead" and "Friday the 13th Part 2"), never was it so gut wrenchingly realized.<br /><br />Only a few things spoil the ride here, and admittedly they are rather major. The plot is quite convoluted, so much that I gave up trying to figure out what was going on. Unlike Jason's mindless rampages, these murders have multiple perpetrators and motivations driving them, not to mention the scheming and double-crossing that takes place here. Then there's the conclusion, which is somewhat unsatisfying. While none of the situations are especially realistic, Bava's wrap-up here is absolutely absurd and jokey, whereas the film's tone was not like this until the last few moments.<br /><br />Overall though, I don't care about any of that. "Twitch of the Death Nerve" is outstanding enough to rise above it, and Bava gives us enough to go on that all I can remember is being overwhelmed by his visuals and the perverse spectacle of 13 bizarre death scenes all in one movie.