The Spider Labyrinth (1988) User Reviews

Some Really Startling Imagery

[juliamacon · 6/10 · 9 April 2020]

The Spider Labyrinth, to my knowledge, has never had an official DVD/Blu-Ray release and that's a shame. Much of its power comes from its creepy visuals. The dialogue and a few plot developments don't always work, but there's no shortage of imaginative moments throughout.

A young man ravels overseas to see what the hold up is with a professor and finds the man incredibly paranoid to the point of stark raving mad. He's found murdered the next day and this leads to an investigation into the occult.

The Spider Labyrinth is similar in mood and story to some of Dario Argento's supernatural giallos and it also has a nicely paranoid feel like a Roman Polanski horror film. Maybe not everything works, but it's a journey worth taking.

this strange supernatural giallo really needs a good DVD release

[FieCrier · 7/10 · 27 January 2006]

This one starts off pretty slow. After a brief scene involving two boys playing, a man is sent to Budapest to investigate what is going on with a professor there who was supposed to have sent something. It starts to pick up once he gets there and meets the professor. The professor is a nervous man who slips him something once his wife leaves. The investigator says he'll come back later that night to talk more. When he does, the police are there, and it seems some of the people he met may not have been who he thought.

Clearly the movie had a budget. It has lots of locations, some nice special effects, and camera-work that involves cranes.

What seems initially to be a giallo movie (and arguably still is) becomes a bit more supernatural than is usual for that subgenre. There's a woman with enormous strength, an exhibitionist research assistant, an old man with a warning, spider-shaped scars, heavy rolling balls, and it just keeps getting stranger. Some good murder set pieces, and a totally bizarre climax. The ending was pretty satisfying.

This is a traditional Italian art-horror film spun into a web of suspense and intrigue!

[kclipper · 7/10 · 20 June 2011]

Here's an Italian virtuoso giallo horror film shot entirely in Budapest for maximum effect regarding mood and atmospheric tension. Professor Alan Whitmore is sent to the Hungarian town by his most distinguished colleagues to unlock the key to a mysterious project after his predecessor has a lapse in communication. Whitmore gladly accepts the task, unbeknown to the facts of whats to come. There he meets his beautiful guide, Genevieve (Paola Rinaldi) and a handful of strange locals who do not seem to be very welcoming. After his colleague is found murdered, the professor is taken on a spiral journey into a bizarre and intricate world dealing with a murderous sect that seems to be related to some sort of spider-God. This combines many fantastical elements including; bloody murders by a maniacal spider-like vampire woman, strange tattoos, spectacular set designs, sexual intrigue and just about every ingredient that makes up the classic Italian-horror cinematic achievement in all its wonder and originality including the classic H.P. Lovecraft weirdness and imagery. Horror special effects buffs will love the final moments of this underrated film as the ending is quite satisfying indeed, and if you find spiders giving you the 'creepy crawlies', then this one might get under your skin for sure! The only con to this is a slow-to-go pace and a weak male lead character, at least up until its bravado ending. Behold, rare Italian thriller buffs, this is one for your collection!

Surreal and nightmarish Italian horror film!

[The_Void · 7/10 · 27 April 2006]

This largely unknown Italian horror movie encapsulates the best of Italian horror. We've got Giallo elements, supernatural elements, surreal ambiance and a dark, sinister plot. Despite a lovely murder scene that takes place in the middle of a load of bed sheets, the first half of the film is largely rather uninspiring; but as the film moves on, it mutates into one of the most grisly assaults that I've ever seen from Italy. Many people that have seen this movie have labelled it a Giallo, and while the film does have it's Giallo moments in the first half - I'd put Spider Labyrinth in with the robust Gothic horror films such as Kill Baby Kill, Inferno and Suspiria before listing it amongst the likes of Solange and The Bird With the Crystal Plumage. The plot follows a professor who is sent to stay with a fellow professor for reasons that are always left rather vague. It's not long before his professor host ends up dead, and our hero is being plunged into a world of mystery and sinister cults, which all seems to focus around some strange 'fist-sized' black balls.

Italian horror is well known for not making a lot of sense and this film suffers from a screenplay that adheres to that 'rule'. The intrigue is generated towards the start mainly because of the fact that the film is so difficult to follow, but once the film enters it's more satisfying second half, these problems are somewhat resolved. Even while the film isn't making a whole lot of sense, however, it still remains interesting by way of its atmosphere. Atmosphere tends to be more important in this sort of film anyway, so the fact that this one relies on it is largely to its credit. The beautiful Italian locations are well shot and the lighting in the scenes indoors gives the film exactly the right mood. The underground scenes towards the end represent the film's strongest location shoots, and are one of the main reasons why it ultimately succeeds. The special effects look extremely cheap and are mostly stop-motion. However, they're really disgusting also, and the final scene; even though the 'monster' is a doll, really is nightmarish. Overall, I could easily understand anyone that doesn't like Spider Labyrinth; but it hit the nail on the head for me, and I definitely recommend it to my fellow Italian horror cinema fans!

Surprisingly refreshing Supernatural horror film

[Oslo_Jargo · 7/10 · 27 October 2008]

I picked this up at the rare video store on VHS since it seems it's not very well known or even on DVD.

It's a surprisingly refreshing Supernatural horror film with elements of the 'Giallo' mixed in. Well directed, even creepy at times, it is very interesting.

The plot deals with a professor who uncovers a sinister plot. Filled with good camera-work, colorful elaborate lighting and scenes in old city centers of Europe, it is enticing for the horror fan.

If you liked this, I'd recommend: Zeder (1983)(aka "Zeder - Voices from Beyond" or "Revenge of the Dead"), The House of the Laughing Windows (1976), Suspiria (1977) and One Dark Night (1983).

Have fun.

Worth seeing at least once

[udar55 · 12 November 2011]

Dallas-based religion professor Alan Whitmore (Roland Wybenga) is sent over to Hungary when Prof. Roth mysteriously stops contact after reporting he founds some sacred tablets. Whitmore arrives in a strange little town, only to have the paranoid Roth hand him a secret black book and shoo him away. Hours later Roth is found hanging by his neck and covered in a giant spider web. This event sends Whitmore on a quest to find out what is going on, despite the warning from the local "you're doomed" crazy man (William Berger) to leave town. This is an interesting little Italian horror film with definite shades of THE WICKER MAN (1973). Debuting director Gianfranco Giagni creates some nice horror and suspense scenes with some stylistic nods to Argento. The plot is a bit flimsy when you really think about it (INVASION OF THE SPIDER PEOPLE?), but it sure looks nice. It also benefits from some atmospheric locations in Hungary, including an underground stone bath and creepy caverns.

Horror B-Movie with Mitteleuropean flavor

[pumaye · 6/10 · 13 April 2002]

Not really bad Italian production of the late Eighties, with a story of an ancient religion of a spider-god survived till our days in a ghostly photographed Budapest. A few scenes are well done (like the death of a maid similar to one of the finest scene in Argento's Suspiria) or evocative (like the nightmarish underground voyage of the American professor in the spider nest, full of human remains), while the major faults of the movie are in the dialogues and in the fact that a good idea is wasted in a too derivative ending

forgotten and rare flick

[trashgang · 5/10 · 19 January 2010]

Not only do I hunt the independent flicks, I also try to track down those flicks that were never released in a proper way, no DVD or official VHS was released. Sometimes they were only available on VHS at a rental base. Most of those flicks are well sought after and aren't cheap to buy. But sometimes if you hunt and are patient you can find those gems. This is one of them. It's an Italian horror movie but I wouldn't say that it is a giallo. Therefore there are to much strange things going on, the occult takes an important factor in the storyline. It never bores but as always with the Italian ones the sound isn't what it should be. The added sounds like doors closing or the wind is always too loud and that makes you look for failures. Like when the wind blows hard you see leaves flying away in front of the street but further the trees are standing still. Do I need to say more. But the movie works and has his creepy moments. the killings aren't bloody or gory but they work and that's good, isn't it. There is some stop motion used with the rip off of the spiderhead scene in The Thing, but still it's worth seeing. The version I have is English spoken with Japanese subs and clocks in at 87 minutes, uncut. And for those perverts out there, yes, some nudity is involved but due the Japanese release private parts are blurred, you know what I mean...

Actually scary!

[Bezenby · 9/10 · 1 August 2014]

In the late eighties, it seemed like the Italian film industry went full out to create an interest in their horror movies, resulting in cheeseball films like The Red Monks, Ghosthouse and Witchery. Fulci gave us House of Clocks (good), Aenigma (okay), Demonia and Sweethouse of Horrors (painful), and Lenzi had House of Lost Souls (good) and House of Witchcraft. You've Lamberto Bava's Graveyard Disturbance and Demons 3 The Ogre out there too, not to mention those Zombi sequels and Marcello Avalone's Spectres and Maya and etc etc. None of those are as effective or genuinely scary as Spider Labyrinth. Why, I'm not quite sure, but this film lacks the cheese factor of any of those films and seems to go all out for creating a surreal, creepy atmosphere.

In America, a company who are working on an international project have lost touch with a Professor Roth in Budapest, so they send one of their own, Professor Whitmore, out to Hungary to find out what's going on. He's driven to Roth's house by Roth's beautiful assistant, only to be warned by Roth's wife that he's been acting strangely. Roth himself does appear to be freaked out by something, and when alone with Whitmore, gives him some notes and Polaroid photographs and tells him to meet him later that evening.

Whitmore then goes to his hotel, run by a creepy lady and apparently full of strange residents who continually stare at Whitmore. He also discovers that Roth's assistant lives across the road and isn't shy about showing of her assets, if you know what I mean. Once he goes back to Roth he finds the man murdered (hanging from the ceiling by cobwebs), and that he never had a wife in the first place. That's bad enough, but the local policeman takes Whitmore's passport, so now he's stuck in a strange land.

He decides to do a bit of investigating and this leads to people (including William Berger) trying to warn him off, him getting lost in Budapest itself (where the city seems to deliberately get him lost), and a strange creature with a nerve shattering shriek going around killing people. I'll go no further than that plot wise.

What works here is the great music, cinematography, and the ending, which took me by surprise. There's no attempts here to connect with the youth eighties style by having youngsters in the film (like Ghosthouse or House of Lost Souls), no cheese (as in Witchouse), and some serious time has been spent making every shot creepy, to give you the feeling that every single person Whitmore encounters has something to hide. I see similarities with Argento in some respects, but this film unfolds a lot more slowly and there's not a drop of blood until 40 minutes in.

I'd never even heard of this film until last week, and I've been actively seeking out Italian horror for over fifteen years! It's available on Youtube in a blurry, Japanese subtitled version, so you can watch it for free, but this needs to be released on DVD. It's brilliant.

A guilty pleasure that defies genres

[dopefishie · 6/10 · 2 May 2024]

This is a fun mix of genres! It's sometimes described as a giallo, but I don't think that's helpful. It's part cult/conspiracy, part creature feature, and part slasher all rolled up into one beautiful mess of a movie.

The pros: The plot will keep you guessing because it pulls from different genres. Some of the stalking/murder sequences are done well. The special effects are quite imaginative and exciting. Prolific actors like William Berger and Stéphane Audran have small roles.

The cons: They didn't have enough money to pull off some of the special effects, and it's a real shame. The lead actor lacked the charisma to pull off being the center of the film. He couldn't carry the film.

At the end of the day, this was a missed opportunity. With another actor in the main role and with a bigger special effects budget, this could have been something special.

Boring and slow paced...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 19 January 2024]

Stumbling upon the 1988 Italian movie "Il Nido Del Ragno" (aka "The Spider Labyrinth") here in 2024, by random chance, I opted to sit down and watch the movie on account of it being a movie that I had never seen before, much less actually heard about.

I can't claim that writers Riccardo Aragno, Tonino Cervi, Cesare Frugon and Gianfranco Manfredi put together a script and storyline that was overly impressive or entertaining. Sure, it was watchable, but it felt somewhat bland and a bit pointless actually. The narrative in the movie was somewhat slow paced, and there wasn't enough of anything interesting happening throughout the course of the 87 minutes that the movie ran for, and that made it feel extraordinarily slow paced and uneventful.

Needless to say that I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list here. Then again, late 1980s Italian cinema never was my thing. The acting performances in "Il Nido Del Ragno" were adequate enough, though the actors and actresses had precious little to work with in terms of an interesting script, characters and dialogue.

If you enjoy horror movies, then I wouldn't exactly recommend that you spend 87 minutes to sit through director Gianfranco Giagni's 1988 movie "Il Nido Del Ragno".

My rating of "Il Nido Del Ragno" lands on a very generous three out of ten stars.

Nightmarish spider labyrinth.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 9/10 · 19 April 2010]

An American professor of archeology Alan Whitmore is ordered by his superiors at his university to go to Budapest.He travels there to work with another researcher and stumbles into pagan worshippers of a giant subterranean spider monsters.A crazed demonic killer is slaughtering those who stumble unto the secrets of 4000 year old cult and there seems no way out of the labyrinth."Spider Labirynth" is an eerie and very stylish homage to Italian horror as well as the film with extremely dense Lovecraftian atmosphere of terror and menace.The use of colors in "Spider Labirynth" reminds me Dario Argento's brilliant "Suspiria" and "Inferno".The special visual effects by Sergio Stivaletti are gruesome and bloody and the suspense slowly builds up.9 out of 10.Along with Michele Soavi's "Deliria" definitely the best Italian horror movie of late 80's.

Mysterious ...

[paulclaassen · 6/10 · 17 January 2024]

Professor Alan Whitmore (Roland Wybenga) is sent to Budapest where he is to meet with Professor Roth to finalize the Intextus Project. From the request by his superiors, it is clear there is more to the project than Alan is lead to believe.

On arrival in Budapest, Genevieve (Paola Rinaldi) meets him and takes him to his hotel, and he then goes to Professor Roth. Alan is confused by Roth's strange behaviour, and the next day Roth is found murdered. While Alan is trying to make sense of everything Roth told him, more people start dying. And so Alan and Genevieve start working together to piece together the mystery, but is Genevieve to be trusted?

All the characters - except Alan - were mysterious and purposely set up not to be trusted, making the viewer doubt their intentions. Mrs Kuhn, who runs the hotel where Alan stayed, was an intriguing character who obviously had an ace up her sleeve. Oh, and then there was the mysterious Celia, who appeared to be a cross between a demon and a vampire.

Alan discovers a religious sect called The Weavers are killing people. They are interweaved across the globe like a spider web, and they have real gods. But these gods are truly disgusting things, as we're about to find out. Some of the practical effects truly are gross!

I loved the cinematography - especially the scenes where Alan was riding through a deserted part of town. I enjoyed Roland Wybenga as the confused hero, and I rooted for him when his life became a living nightmare during the final act!

'The Spider Labyrinth' reminded me so much of 'The Beyond' - another Italian horror film from 1981. Although 'The Spider Labyrinth' does not have the ending I was hoping for, it was an entertaining watch with some horrific scenes.

An incompetent "hero" makes this painful for me

[WisdomsHammer · 3/10 · 24 January 2018]

This movie has a strong start, a prolonged and confusing middle, and a predictable end. There are a lot of things that make this film interesting, but the protagonist, who is supposedly a very intelligent man, acts like a complete moron. It's too difficult for me to stay invested in a movie that does this. He's constantly warned that his life is in danger and sees people dying around him yet he remains careless and clueless. There were weird and unexplained inconsistencies that bothered me as well. The best example is a black ball that shows up every once in a while in the movie. Sometimes it acts and sounds like a rubber ball, other times a rock. And then there were things that just didn't make any sense, but might be forgiven as part of the supernatural and mysterious aspects of the film. That's kind of a stretch for me, though. Fans of Italian horror films will want to give this a watch, most definitely, but if you're looking for an entertaining 80s horror flick, this is too slow paced and, in my opinion, predictable.

really goofy, directionless horror

[GSK23 · 3/10 · 3 February 2024]

Saw this a billion years ago on a grainy pirate VHS. So, it was a revelation to see the fancy cleaned up Blu Ray!

However, that said, stripping away all that VHS haze ruined it for me! It's not a very atmospheric film and that's when I noticed the plot is beyond stupid. The acting is only slightly better!

The plot starts off in giallo territory, but shifts into goofy, Fulci-esque demon stuff. Even worse is that they only have one demon; which is a woman with silly monster teeth and bad 80s hairspray frightwig. Plus, by the time our hero battles the demon, he wins rather easily; which makes you wonder how it killed those other people earlier! Silly!

The last quarter is lit like a Bava film and takes place in a Gates of Hell/The Beyond-like underground maze. They're trying really hard to create something inspired by Fulci, but it never gets there. Yeah, I know, it's not like rocket science to rip off Fulci, but they never succeed here!

The last 3 minutes are beyond silly.

Sergio Stivaletti is a Genius!

[Coventry · 9/10 · 26 November 2008]

"Spider Labyrinth" is a strange and slow but engaging Giallo-type thriller that doesn't have any big names involved in the production (except maybe – if you're an insider – special effects wizard Sergio Stivaletti) but it nevertheless stands as one of the greatest undiscovered gems of late 80's Italian horror cinema. Around this time, the Giallo (which is essentially a stalk & slash movie with some additional trademarks) ran low on inspiration, but this movie brings some imaginative diversity to the sub genre by adding occult sub plots. Sort of like Sergio Martino already attempted to achieve in the early seventies with "All the Colors of the Dark". The plot opens with a brief but atmospheric flashback/dream sequence immediately clarifying the protagonist's link and phobia for large spiders; a small detail that will prove very relevant later in the film. Alan Whitmore is an American professor studying ancient dead languages. He's part of his university's project called Intextus, which concerns professors from all around the globe collaborating to translate and comprehend one specific long lost language. The correspondent in Budapest – Prof. Roth – hasn't been heard of in a long time and, since his input is particularly fundamental, Alan is assigned to travel to Hungary and meet up with him. Alan arrives in an overall uncanny and hostile environment, but nevertheless comes into contact with Roth through his amiable and stunningly beautiful secretary Genevieve. Shortly after, Prof. Roth is found murdered under mysterious circumstances and Alan gradually becomes sucked deeper and deeper into a (spider's) cobweb of occult conspiracies. Slow and indistinctive at first, "Spider Labyrinth" marvelously unfolds into a hugely macabre and unnerving thriller. Considering the plot (and perhaps after a few slight changes) and some of the malignant characters, THIS should have been the final chapter in Dario Argento's Three Mothers trilogy! Director Gianfranco Giagni may perhaps be a relatively unknown name in the Italian horror industry, but he promptly proves himself to be capable of maintaining a grisly atmosphere throughout the film and even proportionally builds up more tension towards a literally mesmerizing climax. The sinister Budapest filming locations form the ideal setting for a tale like this, but everything else is entirely Giagni's accomplishment (like, for example, empty swings and toy balls bouncing seemly by themselves). Then, last but not least, there's the work of Sergio Stivaletti in the special effects department. The effects – and particularly those during the finale – are shocking and masterfully nauseating. I've always been a big fan of Sergio Stivaletti's 'art' and once again he surpassed himself his own craftsmanship. If you like horror, and I do mean Horror with a capital H, I guarantee you'll be staring at the last fifteen minutes of "Spider Labyrinth" with your mouth and eyes wide open. Bravo, Mr. Stivaletti!

It was allright

[phuckracistgop · 5/10 · 4 February 2024]

An American Professor who just couldn't comprehend the multiple warnings given by the professor that he visited and two of the locals. Not the sharpest tool in the shed and this one was quite predictable. And just how do you go from running for your life after finding out the the top police officer was one of them, to having sex with the suspect original professor's assistant???

Oh, and the assistant told the professor that she lived across the street from thew hotel to which he was staying. Add that he was given an interior room which provided more quiet stay, yet he could see the assistant posing butt naked in the window???

Plot holes, cliches' and I couldn't wait for him to get caught or killed. Because his dumb "@$$" was begging for it once he left the professor he was sent to assist.

I have zero emaphty for stupid charactors.

Better than expected Italian horror film

[jrd_73 · 8/10 · 12 March 2011]

A professor sent to Italy to check on a reclusive colleague finds himself in a world whose reality seems less and less certain. That's about all one needs to know about the plot. Most Italian horror is mood driven not plot focused. The Spider Labyrinth certainly owes a debt to Dario Argento. We have a mystery, a sect, a hotel with strange residents, and the unsettling feeling that the protagonist left reality behind the moment he stepped off the airplane. The world of the film is one of magic, just like in Suspiria or Inferno, yet the film does not fall into the trap of being a rip-off of those films. Only one scene, the murder of a maid in a room with hanging sheets, suffers from being overly familiar. Otherwise, the film has the feel of an Argento film without coming across as theft. While The Spider Labyrinth is not without problems (some hokey FX; an at times easy to predict plot), it seems more daring and evocative than Mother of Tears, Argento's last Three Mothers film. I am surprised by how little attention the film has gotten in the U.S. even with horror film fans like myself.

Overlooked classic

[OllieMugwump · 10/10 · 18 February 2008]

This combo of favourite Italian 'Giallo Supernaturale' aesthetic and Lovecraftian 'Wierd/Cosmic Terror' plot; "Il Nido del ragno/The Spider Labyrinth" deserves far more attention.

Prof. Alan Whitmore; a standard Lovecraftian man of science (haunted by a childhood nightmare of being locked in a closet with a strangely sentient spider seemingly watching him from its' web), is co-coordinator of the 'Intectus Project' - which is studying a mysterious and ancient, world-spanning cult.

Sent to Budapest, Hungary to recall data obtained by colleague Prof. Leo Roth, Prof. Whitmore is sent into 'the vortex of madness' as the hideous truth of his childhood nightmare spins a web of the greatest horror.

My first knowledge of "The Spider Labyrinth" came from Travis Crawford's review in the 'Eyeball Compendium', as other reviewers here have pointed out this film is easily obtainable on 'boot-leg', but cries-out for a better DVD release.

Gianfranco Giagni has certainly crafted a classic, beautifully merging the cinematic supernaturalism of Mario Bava ("Kill, Baby Kill!" and "Lisa and the Devil"), Dario Argento ("Suspiria" and "Inferno") and Lucio Fulci ("The Beyond" and "Manhattan Baby") with the literary plot-work of H.P. Lovecraft ("The Call of the Cthulhu", "The Whisperer In Darkness", "The Dunwich Horror", and the piece which inspired Lovecraft; Arthur Machen's "Novel of the Black Seal").

Surprisingly enjoyable Italian cult effort

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 9/10 · 21 February 2017]

Sent to check on a colleague, a writer travels to Hungary to investigate his whereabouts finds that he's become involved in a mysterious, spider-worshipping cult intent on making him part of the cult's legacy forcing him to find a way of stopping their activities.

This here was quite the enjoyable Italian horror effort. One of the film's better qualities is the fact that there's quite a lot of really engaging work being done here that sets up the overall mystery of the first half. Starting with the frantic and bizarre behavior about his secretive meeting with the doctor and how he gets paranoid and flighty during their time alone together, this one manages quite an effective and eerie atmosphere detailing the slowly unraveling mystery he's fallen into that includes the discovery of his body, as well as the various tactics the cult attempted to keep him from the truth as he searches around the city. That leaves this with a highly enjoyable mystery that needs to be discovered here which comes off rather nicely as there's plenty to like about the way it manages to tell the rather complex storyline about the deadly cult and their followers which are introduced more in the second half. The manner of how they come back knowing the group is around is where this one really manages to work nicely, with the stalking scenes of the groups' figurehead coming around chasing after the other victims who have caught onto their plans offers some truly chilling and engaging work here going through the apartment complex chasing after the one lone victim there or the second attack in the library which really manages quite a lot of incredibly chilling sequences of the demon coming after them in an unearthly flying manner which makes them all the creepier. The other big sequences, from the hobo ambush down in the underground catacombs to the encounter with the creature in the bedroom all interject some solid action into the proceedings and really enhance the creepiness of the cult as a whole that's further aided by the finale which is what really makes this one absolutely enjoyable. Finally able to grasp the true intentions of the cult and their meanings, it features the truly phenomenal sequence of the cult taking possession of him and bringing about the resurrection of the massive spider-creature that comes off incredibly well here by going for all sorts of bizarre and terrifying imagery throughout with a fantastic look to them that's really impressive and finishes this one off on a high-note. Coupled with the fine nudity and some stellar gore throughout here, there's plenty to like even if it does stumble a few times. The biggest issue is that the obviously ongoing mystery angle in the first half makes this one feel somewhat languid and dragging in the first half with him going through the investigation rather than actually engaging in any kind of action-based variations in the storyline which is enough to really make for a troubling beginning half that comes through here. As well, there's a nice amount of gore and creature effects in the second half that showcases some goofy and somewhat silly monster work that does take out the viewer somewhat slightly with this one being so out-of-place with the vibrant, athletic creature contrasting to the on-set effects sued elsewhere. These here are the only real flaws here.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Full Nudity, Language and a mild sex scene.

A labyrinth worth getting lost in.

[BA_Harrison · 9/10 · 5 November 2011]

Professor Alan Whitmore (Roland Wybenga), co-ordinator on a project investigating a strange religious sect, travels to Budapest to retrieve a missing report where he becomes entangled in a web of intrigue, murder and occult activity.

Although its stylish cinematography, shocking violence and dreamlike atmosphere were undoubtedly influenced by Dario Argento's supernatural classics Suspiria and Inferno, and its narrative is eerily similar to Roman Polanski's under-rated occult horror The Ninth Gate, The Spider Labyrinth is no second-rate knock off: in my humble opinion, it is far a more accomplished work than either of Argento's celebrated movies, and it preceded Polanski's film by more than a decade.

Morphing slowly from a giallo-style murder mystery into a surreal Lovecraftian horror where ancient gods and their murderous followers secretly conspire to spread their evil around the globe, The Spider Labyrinth is a brilliantly crafted nightmare, tinged with a sense of paranoia and madness, packed with cool visuals, laced with eroticism, and topped off with several standout scary moments: appearances by a supernaturally strong, knife-wielding hag are guaranteed to send a shiver up the spine; a suitably freaky finale features some truly unsettling FX work from Sergio Stivaletti; meanwhile, fans of sexy Euro-babes are catered for by the lovely Paola Rinaldi as Genevieve Weiss, Whitmore's enigmatic (and frequently naked) contact in Budapest, and Claudia Muzi as hot hotel maid Maria.

As far as I know, The Spider Labyrinth still awaits an official DVD release, which I think is a travesty for such a fine film; until some enterprising company snaps it up and gives it the treatment it deserves, fans of bizarre Euro-horror will have to make do with the bootleg version that is available, a VHS transfer I believe, but still well worth getting one's mitts on.

Overlooked late Italian Horror film

[Zar · 10/10 · 16 July 2000]

SPIDER LABYRINTH is a late Italian Horror film, obviously inspired by the classic works of Mario Bava and Dario Argento. However, this is a classic in it's own right. A young scientist travels to Budapest to investigate the reasons for unexpected problems with a top secret project. He soon becomes, ah, entangled in the web of a sinister society... Highly recommended.

Amazing....the first film to really impress me in years

[cynical_666 · 9/10 · 31 May 2007]

I just got the import Midnight Video bootleg/USA Public Domain Release of the film. I must say I've been at this since I was 10 years old...watching horror films...reading Fango...searching for those lost treasures...after years of seeing horror films everything starts to blur and become the same old thing...stories retold, murders recreated..scares duplicated...Basically, you realize that there is not much new or novel out there...ghosts, monsters, zombies...psychos...that's about all. Spyder Labrythn is the first film in years that I can say caught me off guard and drew me in...It is this weird mix of Suspiria and The Beyond...but where The Beyond was stupid...story wise and in presentation...this film was not and where Suspiria dragged in parts of the narrative for the illusion of suspense...Spyder Labrynth doesn't. A beautifully simple tale of a professor sent to Budapest to investigate the lost communication of his colleague only to get drawn into the madness of the town and the secret it's people are protecting. The film is not predictable...the effects are gruesome and amazing and it has this claustrophobic eeriness that has only recently been recaptured by The Descent...A must see for any Horror Fan...it's a shame the film is Public Domain and will never get a decent release...

Little-seen Italian giallo/horror is a cult gem

[Leofwine_draca · 8/10 · 29 December 2016]

An effective, underrated Italian horror film which recalls the work of Argento and the Bavas (both Mario and Lamberto) in a good way. As we all know, the Italian film industry was dying out in the late '80s, with the classics few and far between (as opposed to having at least a couple of great movies every year like back in the '60s/'70s/early '80s). I'm happy to say that SPIDER LABYRINTH is indeed one of those classics, a rare film which plays out like a typical giallo for the first three-quarters before moving into full-blooded - and bloody - horror in the final quarter.

The direction from Gianfranco Giagni is actually very good, and working hard he manages to build up a fair amount of suspense and tension as mystery surrounds the lead character. This is where the film resembles Argento the most; and is packed with bizarre characters, fine camera-work, a lot of Italian style to enjoy, and with mystery brimming off the screen. Take for example the standout yet subtle moment where the teacher takes a meal with his girlfriend. The pair are unknowingly being watched by most of the staff and other guests, which effectively builds up the paranoia and tension to fever pitch, as you expect something terrible to happen (and it soon does).

Interspersed are plenty of shock scenes which work, like the old "object being thrown through a window" scare which actually makes you jump here. There are plenty of minor clues and mysteries which are cleverly explained at the end, like the appearance of weird black balls which turn out to be spider eggs! The film has its fair share of grue, with a bloody knife murder of an innocent servant girl in a white-sheeted corridor being the highlight; coupled with the stylish photography and disorientating music, you could be forgiven for thinking that you're watching Argento. Other scenes to watch out for include a walk through a corpse-strewn cavern which is very spooky and atmospheric, and the final confrontation between the lead (didn't note the name) and the perpetrator of the crimes, a hideous vampire-like witch woman who stabs with a knife. The bizarrity culminates in a weird religious ritual in which the lead is himself attacked by an incredible "spider baby" and he himself becomes one of the followers, destined to kill and infect others. The ending is thus suitably downbeat and violent.

The acting is generally spot-on, with lots of actors and actresses playing weird or imposing minor characters well. Old-timer William Berger lends solid support and the leading actor is fine. Some very icky makeup by effects ace Sergio Stivaletti (responsible for the DEMONS films) compliments things nicely, with the blood flowing quite thickly at moments and the vampire witch woman's appearance being very similar to those of the monsters in DEMONS. The highlight is the "spider baby" itself, a yellow-eyed creature of evil which proceeds to gruesomely transform into a giant spider - great stuff! One thing I did hugely appreciate was the use of stop-motion to animate the various evil arachnids, a rare occurrence in an Italian movie which is an extra bonus. So, with equal parts conspiracy and paranoia and old-fashioned gory supernatural horror, SPIDER LABYRINTH is a big success. It's kind of like an unpredictable, stylish variant of the INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS theme and is just as good. I recommend that you check it out!

Lovecraftian Horror Classic

[ladymidath · 8/10 · 1 November 2023]

This is a very interesting movie with a lot of truly disturbing imagery, It is very Lovecraftian in its story and body horror.

Spiders are scary at the best of times, but this movie cranks it up to eleven with some really creepy scenes. While the film is slow to get going, it does start with a mystery that is a bit of a slow burn. One thing the movies does very well, is to convey a sense of unease, that things are a bit off.

The kills here are done very well with a lot of blood and some excellent make up and effects. But it is the final part of the film that really pays odd with some real nightmare fuel.

The acting is fine and the music sets the mood and atmosphere but it is the terrifying practical effects that make this the classic that it is.

I recommend this one highly but if you are scared of spiders, be warned., .