The Black Belly of the Tarantula (1972)

One By One, Gorgeous Women Fall Prey To The Sting Of The Deadly Tarantula Wasp

"The Black Belly of the Tarantula" is a superb giallo in the tradition of Dario Argento's "The Bird with the Crystal Plumage." Both are very similar in that someone is viciously knifing beautiful women to death.

"The Black Belly of the Tarantula" was produced with a high budget and was well received throughout the world. Everything about this movie is beautiful and extravagant: the photography, the settings, and the actors/actresses themselves. Three gorgeous women who starred in James Bond movies are in this giallo. Barbara Bouchet, a giallo regular, is the first victim. (She gave great performances in Lucio Fulci's "Don't Torture a Duckling" and Emilio P. Miraglia's "The Red Queen Kills 7 Times). There is plenty of action and suspense in a plot that involves blackmail, drug smuggling, revenge, and creepy crawlers.

Dressed all in black, the killer looks like a wasp as he injects wasp venom into his female victims. As they lay on their beds paralyzed, the killer disembowels them while they watch helplessly. The killer's motive is mundane but doesn't detract from the overall chilling effect of the film. A great lounge score is provided by Ennio Morricone who provided the music for many Spaghetti Westerns and Italian gialli.

"The Black Belly of the Tarantula" is a must see for all fans of Italian gialli and fans of the lead actors/actresses, such as Giancarlo Giannini, Barbara Bouchet, Claudine Auger, and Barbara Bach. It is definitely a keeper in my collection.
April 4, 2008

Pretty Girls in peril. Can't get enough.

I like this kind of movie. Just a step above MST3K fodder. "A very small step." Don't buy it if your looking for a movie like The Birds, but if you like movies a little on the campy side. You might like this one. January 10, 2007

Gorgeous transfer of Pop-Art vision of '70s Rome

La Tarantola dal Ventre Nero, to give it it's Italian name, is much more than just another piece of trashy European cinema. It is an exquisite example of how wonderful cinema was in the late '60s / early '70s and an excellent reminder as to why I seldom bother going to movies these days.

Essentially, it's a whodunnit and we could debate the strength and weaknesses of the plot (and there are plenty of weaknesses) but the key to this film is it's cinematic style, a kind of garish Pop-Art vision of '70s Rome that mesmerises with each frame. It's loaded with '60s accoutrements - retro-futuristic furniture, glamorous women's fashions, old-school Alfa Romeo's (was there ever a cooler vehicle?). And the acting is stellar together with yet another legendary Morricone soundtrack.

As for the DVD itself, this is the first Blue Underground disk that I have bought and I can say without equivocation that it's the best looking picture that I've ever seen in this format. Really vibrant colors that are a joy to watch even at moments when the plot begins to sag. And full marks to BU for including the original Italian mono soundtrack with English subtitles. In all, it's a great product that really captures how good DVD can be when someone takes care with these things. I will certainly be buying many more Blue Underground films in the future.

So, you get '70s Rome, funky decor, brash colors, a reasonable plot and if that ain't enough, there are not one, not two but THREE Bond girls in this film (and one of them gets nude and all).

No excuses for not owning this one. June 18, 2006

Creepity Crawlity

Someone's knocking off horny older chicks, and the fuzz are on the case. Who the hell's doing it, and why?? The quote on the box claims this to be the best giallo ever made, but that's a pretty heavy statement. Apparently the person who wrote that hasn't seen too many giallos. Black Belly is a pretty cool film, but aside from the modus operandi of the killer, it's fairly average. Plus, the identity of the killer was too easy to figure out considering they push a little too hard in making the killer look like the least likely to be the killer. Once again Blue Underground has worked wonders on restoring this one, it looks pretty damn good. It may not be the best the genre has to offer, but it's definitely required viewing for those into the genre. Dig? May 17, 2006

Hardly the Best Giallo

This 1971 offering stars Giancarlo Giannini in a fine performance as a police inspector on the hunt for a psycho who stuns his attractive victime with a poison-dipped needle before eviscerating them.

The production is above average slick and the performances are fine, especially from Giannini, but I just didn't find it involving, suspenseful or stylish enough to keep my finger off fast forward. It's not bad, just average. The climax and the killer's unmasking is particularly weak and anti-climactic.

Fans of the genre seem to really like this one, but I suggest a rental before a purchase. April 12, 2006

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