The session: "Giallos in Honor of Mrs. Zuber"
Keith's mother-in-law passed away, so this month of giallos is dedicated to her.
Week 2: The Black Belly of the Tarantula (1971)
Directed by Paolo Cavara
My Level of Prior Knowledge:
I think I'd heard of it, but I'm not sure. All these giallos have poetic titles that reference animals.
Plot:
Women are being stabbed to death, and a conflicted investigator is trying to solve the mystery.
Reaction and Other Folderol:
I'm really not a huge giallo fan, but this was a great bit of psychosexual mystery, and a really good (arguably great) movie. Whereas many giallos have confused and confusing endings, this did a good job of tying together the loose ends. There were little touches that I really appreciated, though I probably missed some. I would have totally missed the bit with the lost contact lens if not for the fact that Joe pointed it out -- and he said he missed it the first time he saw the movie.
I have to wonder why there were so many redheaded women. Was it for distraction? Was it because they looked dramatic against drab backgrounds? I wouldn't mind except that so many similar-looking women made the plot confusing.
One thing I found particularly disturbing is the fact that the murder victims were apparently paralyzed but kept conscious before being stabbed -- a particularly cruel touch. But it did serve the purpose of connecting the movie with its title.
But spiders aren't insects, damnit!
Ratings
Me: 9.5
Bob-O: 9
Christina: 9.4
Dave: 9.4
Ethan: 8.5
Joe: 10
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