La tarantola dal ventre nero (1971)

Director:

Paolo Cavara

Writers:

Marcello Danon (story)
Lucile Laks (screenplay)

Release Date:

12 August 1971 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

With needles dipped in deadly venom the victims are paralyzed - so they must lie awake and watch themselves die!

Plot:

Inspector Tellini investigates serial crimes where victims are paralyzed while having their bellies ripped open with a sharp knife...

Plot Keywords:

Victim | Spa | Wasp | Tarantula | Knife

Cast

Giancarlo Giannini	...	Inspector Tellini
Claudine Auger	...	Laura
Barbara Bouchet	...	Maria Zani
Rossella Falk	...	Franca Valentino
Silvano Tranquilli	...	Paolo Zani
Annabella Incontrera	...	Mirta Ricci
Ezio Marano	...	Masseur
Barbara Bach	...	Jenny
Stefania Sandrelli	...	Anna Tellini
Giancarlo Prete	...	Mario
Anna Saia	...	Maria's friend
Eugene Walter	...	Ginetto, the waiter
Nino Vingelli	...	Inspector Di Giacomo
Daniele Dublino	...	Entomologist
Giuseppe Fortis	...	Psychiatrist

Also Known As:

Black Belly of the Tarantula (USA)
Tarentule au ventre noir (France)

Runtime:

89 min | Italy:98 min (uncut)

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:X (original rating) | USA:Not Rated (DVD rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Italy:T (DVD rating) | Finland:(Banned) (1972) | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Company:

Da Ma Produzione

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Crew member visible in second victim's clothes shop.

A Unique And Exciting Giallo Experience

In the 1971 Italian giallo thriller "The Black Belly of the Tarantula," we meet a very unusual policeman, Inspector Tellini. He is unusual, insofar as these gialli are concerned, because he's unsure of himself, not certain if he should stay with his job, and makes many mistakes. Then again, his adversary here is a bit unusual, too: a killer who paralyzes his victims with an acupuncturist's needle in the back of the neck before ever so slowly (and excruciatingly...for this viewer, anyway) slicing their abdomens open. For the life of me, I could not figure out where this picture was headed or what it had on its mind; forget about figuring out the identity of the killer! Thus, I just sat back and enjoyed the ride, and was pleased when everything did congeal, plotwise, at the end. And there ARE many things to enjoy here. Tellini is played by Giancarlo Giannini, a year before he would commence a string of some half dozen hits with director Lina Wertmuller that would catapult him to international stardom. He is as fine an actor as has ever appeared in a giallo film, and he is here surrounded by some truly gorgeous women, including no less than three former/future Bond girls: Barbara Bouchet (whose exposed, superperky buttocks automatically earn this film 5 stars!), Claudine "Domino" Auger and Barbara Bach, here looking younger than I've ever seen her. Other things to enjoy: a creepy, arrhythmic, discordant score by the great Ennio Morricone, flashy direction by Paolo Cavara, some good action scenes (I love that three-way rooftop chase) and, like I mentioned, a meaty story to sink your mental teeth into. Not to mention those grisly murders! Don't believe the Maltin book, which gives a paltry 1 1/2 stars to the cut, 88-minute version of this film. Check out this fine-looking, uncut DVD from Blue Underground, with excellent subtitles and extras, for a unique and exciting giallo experience.