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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.
| The Black Belly of the Tarantula | |
|---|---|
Film poster | |
| Directed by | Paolo Cavara |
| Produced by | Marcello Danon |
| Written by | Marcello Danon Lucile Laks |
| Starring | Giancarlo Giannini Claudine Auger Barbara Bouchet Rossella Falk |
| Music by | Ennio Morricone |
| Cinematography | Marcello Gatti |
| Edited by | Mario Morra |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
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Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | Italy, France |
Screenplay
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 (in the same way tarantulas are killed by the black wasp or spider wasp). The victims are conscious and can feel the pain, but they are unable to move, resist or scream. One victim (Barbara Bouchet) 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 (Giancarlo Giannini) to find out who the killer is, before he or his girlfriend become the murderer's next target.
- Giancarlo Giannini as Inspector Tellini
- Claudine Auger as Laura
- Barbara Bouchet as Maria Zani
- Rossella Falk as Franca Valentino
- Silvano Tranquilli as Paolo Zani
- Annabella Incontrera as Mirta Ricci
- Ezio Marano as Masseur
- Barbara Bach as Jenny
- Stefania Sandrelli as Anna Tellini
- Giancarlo Prete as Mario
- Eugene Walter as Ginetto, the waiter
- Nino Vingelli as Inspector Di Giacomo
- Carla Mancini