Kill, Baby...Kill! (1966, It.) (aka Operazione Paura, or Operation Fear)

In director Mario Bava's mis-named, disorienting Euro-horror ghost story with a compelling, expressionistic Victorian Gothic flavor, set in Romania (in a Carpathian village) in the early 1900s - one of Bava's best works:

• in the opening pre-titles scene, terrified young female Irena Hollander (Mirella Panfili), employed as a maid at the haunted, decaying, creaky, cob-webbed estate of Villa Graps in the small 'cursed' rural Transylvanian village of Kermigen, felt inexplicably compelled to fall forward to her own suicidal death onto a spiked iron fence surrounding an abandoned church
• during the opening title credits, a young ghost-child girl in a white dress (later revealed to be Melissa Graps (Valeria Valeri)) was briefly heard madly giggling and seen walking down stairs (only her feet were visible)
• an introductory investigation was conducted on Irena's mysterious death, with the arrival of handsome, autopsy-performing coroner Dr. Paul Eswai (Giacomo Rossi-Stuart) at the local inn; he was assisted by former town resident and naive medical student Monica Shuftan (Erika Blanc); he had been called upon by local police constable Inspector Kruger (Piero Lulli) and the town's ineffectual, bald-headed Burgomeister Karl (Luciano Catenacci); Inspector Kruger was investigating a string of bizarre, unexplained murders ("a chain of bloodshed")
• there were spooky images (and sounds) that accompanied the evil spirit of Melissa - including giggling, views of her playground swing (and a disorienting pendulum camera shot from her POV, zooming in and out), and a bouncing white ball
• during Melissa's autopsy, there was the shocking discovery of a silver coin in the dead girl's heart - and according to Monica, a very old local legend stated that "only with money in the heart will one who suffers a violent death ever rest in peace"
• the village was marked by the ubiquitous presence of raven-haired, black-clad witch-sorceress named Ruth (Fabienne Dali), an exorcist who protectively aided the superstitious villagers to ward off evil spirits (including the ghostly girl) with various charms and talismans (i.e., a leech vine girdle); [Note: Ruth was the Burgomeister's secret mistress-lover]; Dr. Eswai was saved by the sorceress from an angry, vengeful mob following the autopsy, who believed he had profaned the young girl's body
• Dr. Eswai watched as Ruth performed a ritualistic, S&M-like flogging as a way to protect the innkeeper's terrified daughter Nadienne (Micaela Esdra); Nadienne had claimed that the ominous face of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl had peered through the inn's window at her; during the whipping on Nadienne's bare-back, exorcist Ruth conjured up the words:
  • "Death, where you can find no door you will come no more, Lift your hand from her flesh and her blood, Keep away!"
• afterwards, Dr. Eswai met with the reclusive, crazed and tormented matriarchal Baroness Graps (Gianna Vivaldi) at the ruined mansion known as Villa Graps; she was later revealed to be the grieving, embittered, hateful mother of blonde spectral-ghost Melissa who had cursed the town in revenge; Dr. Eswai was interested in investigating the rumors about a local curse that victims were being murdered by the ghost of Melissa; the Baroness was keeping a collection of Melissa's creepy dolls; in one of the film's spookier moments, Melissa was seen sitting amongst her doll collection in her mother's Villa
• after having his meeting with the Baroness abruptly curtailed, Dr. Eswai sighted and then chased after Melissa, seen carrying a white ball, as she fled down a spiral staircase within Villa Graps' labyrinthine corridors

Appearances of Young Blonde Ghost-Girl Melissa Graps (1880-1887)
At the Window	In a Painting
At Nadienne's Window	In the Burgomeister's Cabinet

• in a nightmarish dream sequence, Monica was plagued and menaced by one of Melissa's threatening dolls, and then after awakening, the doll suddenly appeared at the foot of her bed
• there were further mysterious deaths including those of:
  • Nadienne (she was suicidally impaled in the chest by a sharp candle-holder) after seeing Melissa at the window
  • in the local cemetery, Inspector Kruger was found dead (he was shot in the right temple)
• at this point in the film, Burgomeister Karl described a local superstitious legend; in 1887, 20 years earlier, the seven year old Melissa went to fetch her ball during a village festival and was trampled by a horse - she had been left to slowly die and bleed to death on the street by the town drunkards; she had vengefully returned in deadly, cursed spectral visitations to haunt the villagers, following curses placed upon the entire town by Baroness Graps; he also revealed that the Baroness was Monica's vengeful mother - one of the film's plot twists - Monica and Melissa were sisters!
• in a shocking moment, the Burgomeister entered his attic to find historical documents (a birth certificate) about Monica's past, where he was confronted by Melissa hiding inside the locked cabinet - she was holding the sealed packet of documents and offered him a hideous smile that caused him to suicidally slit his own throat; the packet of papers burned to ashes
• Melissa's gravestone was discovered in the lower part of the abandoned town church, marked 1880-1887

Death of Local Police Inspector Kruger

Melissa's Gravestone

• in another striking sequence in the Villa Graps to speak to the Baroness, Dr. Eswai pursued after Monica's screams through red-curtained doors leading into identical rooms, again and again, and when he finally caught up to a fleeing male figure - he grabbed the figure's shoulder, spun him around, and found himself looking at his own mirror image - he shockingly discovered that he had been chasing himself

Dr. Eswai's Pursuit After Monica - He Realized He Was Chasing Himself

• and then when he stepped back in the locked room, up against a cob-web covered fresco or mural painting of the villa's exterior framed on the wall, he found himself entangled and was suddenly transported outside the villa; after fainting, he awakened in the care of Ruth - her second rescue of the doctor
• Dr. Eswai returned to the Villa (with Ruth joining him) to again try and locate Monica; the giggling Melissa chased after the completely-scared Monica down the spiral staircase - with camera effects (zoom in, zoom out, and spinning), and the young girl's lethal stare

Exorcist Ruth vs. The Baroness In a Death Struggle
The Baroness Was Choked to Death by Ruth	Ruth Was Lethally Stabbed in Chest

• at the same time in the Villa Graps manor, in the film's climactic ending, there was a deadly confrontation between Ruth and the Baroness (who was upset by the death of her lover the Burgomeister); exorcist Ruth threatened the Baroness:
  • "You have killed for the last time because I'm going to kill you. I have come to put an end to this bloodshed...You are the cause of it all. You called Melissa from the dead to murder those you hated. Now they have made you the object of Melissa's curse...You are afraid of Melissa even if you are a medium. You put her against the poor creatures to be killed by her and now you shall be!...You're an insane killer. You would even let her kill your daughter Monica"
• the Baroness threatened back: "You are inviting your own end. You are destined to die in this villa" - Ruth was lethally stabbed in the chest by the Baroness with a fireplace poker, but she was also able to choke the Baroness to death with her bare hands before falling dead on top of her: (Ruth: "Now the nightmare is over. The chain is broken. I have kept my promise")
• with their deaths, there was a happy ending -- the ghostly and cursed power of Melissa dissipated and no longer terrorized either Dr. Eswai or Monica