"Kill, Baby... Kill!" (known as "Operazione Paura" in its native Italy) is a 1966 Italian Gothic Horror film directed by the genre's pioneer, Mario Bava.
The story is set in the small Carpathian village of Karmingam, which is plagued by a curse in the form of a creepy ghost girl. The protagonist, Dr Paul Eswai, is summoned there to perform an autopsy on Irena Hollander, the latest victim in the string of seemingly random deaths. Unfortunately for him, the locals are distrustful of outsiders and every attempt at uncovering the truth is met with resistance. His only ally seems to be a young medical student, Monica Schuften - a local who returned to the village after many years spent away. As the corpses start piling up, it appears all the answers can be found in a nearby Haunted House...
This film contains examples of:
- Alas, Poor Villain: Despite everything they have done, it's still hard not to feel sorry for Melissa and her grief-stricken mother.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Melissa and her mother, the Baroness.
- Banishing Ritual: Ruth knows a peculiar one, which involves incense, stripping and whipping.
- Bittersweet Ending: Eswai and Monica survive the whole ordeal and walk away unharmed, but every other major character is dead.
- Cobweb Jungle: The Baroness' private chambers are completely covered with cobwebs.
- Creepy Blue Eyes: Melissa has these.
- Creepy Child: Melissa is one hell of a spooky kid.
- Creepy Doll: Melissa's doll, which appears throughout the film.
- Crusading Widow: After the death of the burgomeister Karl his lover Ruth is determined to avenge him, even if it costs her her life.
- Damsel in Distress: In the third act Monica finds herself trapped on the surreal unending staircase in the Villa.
- Death of a Child: It kick-starts the whole story.
- Doppelgänger: In one scene Dr Eswai runs through the same room over and over again, chasing a mysterious figure. When he finally catches up it turns out that figure is... Himself.
- Eldritch Location: Villa Graps. Not only it is a deserted, haunted house, but it turns out it can alter time and space.
- Enfant Terrible: Little Melissa brings death upon those who see her.
- Evil Old Folks: Baroness Graps, an elderly lady, is responsible for cursing the village.
- Good Witch Versus Bad Witch: Or "Good Witch versus Bad Medium" - at the end of the film Ruth confronts Baroness, who used her psychic abilities to summon her daughter's ghost and torment the villagers
- Gothic Horror: Quite a blatant example.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Blonde Monica is one of the nicer characters in the film.
- Haunted House: Villa Graps, which is haunted by Melissa.
- Hot Witch: Ruth, a local witch/medicine lady, is a little dishevelled, but still attractive.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: That's how the majority of people die.
- Innocent Blue Eyes: Monica has those, which contrast with Melissa's creepy blue ones.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: Baroness Graps reveals to Monica she is her long-lost younger daughter.
- Karmic Death: After all the misery she has brought upon the village, it can be said that the Baroness has earned her comeuppance.
- No Full Name Given: We only know the full names of Dr Paul Eswai, Monica Schuften, Irena Hollander and Melissa Graps. All the other characters are known only by their first or last names.
- Offing the Offspring: In the end, it is revealed that Baroness Graps planned for Monica to die, just like the other victims.
- Old, Dark House: Villa Graps, home of the local Baroness is a huge, gloomy, deserted mansion.
- Outliving One's Offspring: That's the tragedy of Baroness Graps.
- Psychic-Assisted Suicide: Modus Operandi of Melissa. Whoever sees her will be soon forced to commit suicide.
- Psychic Powers: Baroness Graps apparently has those. She has summoned the spirit of Melissa and is using her to kill off the villagers.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Ruth, the village sorceress, has jet-black hair and a pale complexion.
- Recycled Soundtrack: Although the film's score is credited to Carlo Rustichelli, it is actually comprised of music re-used from some of the composer's other scoring assignments, along with tracks by Francesco de Masi and Armando Trovajoli.
- Science Hero: The protagonist, Dr Eswai is a coroner, and man of science. He scoffs at the village's beliefs, thinking about them as mere superstitions.
- Town with a Dark Secret: No one in the village is eager to explain what exactly is going on. As it is later revealed, the curse was the result of the tragic death of Melissa, the daughter of the local Baroness. The mother couldn't deal with her grief, and since this death was practically the villagers' fault, she summoned the girl's spirit to torment the peasants.
- Überwald: Karmingam is a run-down, spooky village somewhere in the Carpathians.
- Undead Child: Melissa Graps, the ghost who terrorises the village.
