Live music and movie: The Black Belly of the Tarantula
The Black Belly of the Tarantula. La Tarantola dal Ventre Nero.
A killer seeks thrills by injecting his women victims with Tarantula poison. Paralyzed but conscious, he/she brutally carved up with that shining large knife. Sex and mystery with a hint of Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom.
Classic giallo. Everything you love about giallo…the gloved hands of the killer moving slowly in-and-out of frame, the shining large knife, gorgeous young (and naked) Italian women, hints of lesbianism and homosexuality, a breathy synth score, a car chase resulting in the death of someone we think is important but really isn’t.
It’s a thriller, as all good giallos are at heart. Central is the personal and professional journey of a well-meaning cop, his lady friend in danger, his career and life on the line.
A giallo staple the “eye” – what is seen versus what is not shown and the assault of the eye is most literal here. Naturally there is a twist of an ending, the revelation of the killer, that no one sees coming.
