Black Belly of the Tarantula


The Black Belly of the Tarantula is a 1971 Italian giallo film directed by Paolo Cavara. It is one of many Italian giallo films to be inspired by Dario Argento's successful debut thriller The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. The film was shot on location in Rome, Italy, in 1970. It starred Giancarlo Giannini, Barbara Bouchet, and Barbara Bach. Ennio Morricone did the music score for the film. Though fairly obscure for many years the film has recently made a comeback thanks to the rising fan base for the giallo genre. The film has gained much praise from the horror community, one writer at Horrorview.com cited it as the best giallo ever made. Blue Underground Entertainment released the film on DVD in 2006.

Plot

A mysterious killer is attacking women associated with a blackmail conspiracy. The deranged murderer, wearing surgical gloves, kills his victims by paralyzing them with a needle and then slicing open their bellies with a knife. The victims are conscious and can feel the pain, but they are unable to move, resist or scream. One victim is wearing a yellow nightie when she is killed, an obvious nod to the giallo covers of the lurid Italian murder mysteries on which the films were based. It is up to the reluctant Inspector Tellini to find out who the killer is, before he or his girlfriend become the murderer's next target.

Cast