Review:

Overtly influenced by Argento's THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, even the producers would go

on record to say that they sought to emulate the same formula although this film has one fundamental

and extremely significant difference - the lead is not an amateur detective but a police inspector.

 

This is no simple police procedural however, as despite having the backing of the law, Inspector Tallini (Giannini) primarily operates alone and writers Danon and Laks bestow upon him more humanity than is normally afforded to characters in his position of power.

 

This is best exemplified by the showing of Tellini's anxieties as he struggles to cope with feelings of job inadequacy in not being able to perform his duties as more and more victims are found while his own personal life also soon becomes embroiled in the investigation. These insights allow us to see the man behind the badge, adding that extra layer of engagement between character and viewer.

 

At the start of the film our first real scene is an argument between an accused nymphomaniac and her estranged husband and when she soon turns up dead he is in the frame as the prime suspect. Now on the run he decides to investigate himself rather than turn himself in, allowing the story to weave in a small amateur detective angle and that of a private investigator, thanks to the humorously named 'Catapault'. Who is a little more successful and a lot less flamboyant that Argento's Arrosio. Leading us on to the humour employed throughout the film, though slight it is there and this helps to not only break the tension but also to mix the pacing up enough to maintain the viewer’s concentration and provide a wider range of emotions.

 

Cavara's direction is brilliant as is the tight pacing of the film which builds up the tension towards a final sequence where even the ridiculous amount of slapping cannot deter from the engrossing finale.

 

Taking influence from the growing genre as a whole, the killer would don the extremely conspicuous disguise of all black and a fedora but as in Bazzoni's THE FIFTH CORD, released in the same year, the killer wears surgical rubber gloves, but it is the method in which he dispatches his victims that is really memorable. The killer places a poisoned acupuncture needle into the back of their neck before brutally stabbing them in the stomach while they are still conscious. A particularly sadistic method, and one in which we learn stems from a deep rooted sexual cause.

 

Further links to the THE FIFTH CORD exist in the music, also (composed) by Ennio Morricone (THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, CAT O'NINE TAILS, LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN) and brought to life by Bruno Nicolai (FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET, MY DEAR KILLER) which helps to explain the similarities, but the score, which balances discordant jazz with more haunting and poignant keys works a little better in this instance.

 

Despite a few plot holes, conveniences and the worst special Fx of a man falling off a high ledge this side of Fulci, the film is well paced and manages to perfectly balance vice (drugs), sleaze (sex and plenty of flesh) and the psycho-sexual motive of a killer which would soon dominate the filone to create not just a cash-in but one of the strongest giallo entries of its time.

 

Demanding your attention due to its convoluted plot red herrings and multiple lines of enquiry THE BLACK BELLY OF THE TARANTULA benefits greatly from everyone being on top of their game and with a story featuring drugs, blackmail, beautiful women and murder this is a must watch for all fans!

 

Version Reviewed:

We reviewed the Blue Underground 2006 DVD release which contained a 15 minute interview with Lorenzo Danon, who was on set of the film and the son of producer Marcello Danon. This documentary style feature is both interesting and enlightening, with a few humorous anecdotes stemming from the films production. The disc also features a theatrical trailer and TV Spot as well as the option for English and Italian Audio.