#5 - The Black Belly of the Tarantula (1971)
I am strangely drawn to giallo films. Even though a lot of them are awful or make very little sense, I keep seeking them out. Part of it is the great titles - who could resist Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key or Don't Torture a Duckling? They are also generally extremely stylish, and often feature great music or gruesome special effects. The American slasher films that became popular in the late 70's and early 80's owe a lot to this genre, and it's fun to compare them in both tone and content.
The plot is pretty standard stuff for the genre - a police inspector is investigating a series of ghastly murders that all seem to be connected, and of course the victims are mostly beautiful young women in various states of undress. The murders here are perpetrated by a mysterious gloved figure (as usual) who first paralyzes them with a venom-covered acupuncture needle. The story is interchangeable with almost any other giallo, but some above-average acting and special effects set this one slightly above most of the others I have seen. The plot even makes sense!
Gialli are not for everyone - the poor dubbing, sometimes campy effects and dialogue, and just the general sleaziness can be a big turn off. This is one of the better ones I have seen, with pretty decent production values and a bigger focus on the investigation instead of on the crimes. It's not going to win over anyone who dislikes the genre, but if you like this kind of thing, I definitely recommend it.
Comments
Post a Comment