Someone is bumping off sexy women, inserting a venomous acupuncture needle into the back of the neck to render the victim helpless yet lucid, before getting busy on them with a knife. Investigating the series of grisly murders is Inspector Tellini (Giancarlo Giannini), who has serious doubts about his chosen career, and who unwittingly drags his own wife Anna (Stefania Sandrelli) into the web of murder and intrigue.The Black Belly of the Tarantula is a textbook giallo that does little to distinguish itself from countless other Italian murder mysteries of the day: there's the mysterious killer in black fedora, raincoat and gloves (albeit rubber gloves); a bevy of beautiful victims, most of whom get nekkid (some before they are killed, some after); stylish '70s architecture and interior design; a convoluted storyline with plot threads that go nowhere; a lush Ennio Morricone score; and a really dumb twist that takes an awful lot of swallowing.For many this tick-list of genre clichés will be enough, but I couldn't help but feel a tad underwhelmed by the film, which lacks the visual acumen of a director like Argento or Bava, the gory excess of Fulci, and not nearly enough of those weird touches that make certain giallos stand out from the pack. While it's impossible to be too hard on a film that features so many gorgeous Euro-babes in a state of undress (including a buck naked Barbara Bouchet and a topless Barbara Bach), the by-the-numbers nature of proceedings means that I cannot rate this higher than 6/10.

One of the best early Gialli that offers the elements all we love from this sub-.genre in all of its glorious fashion. The atmosphere is fantastic and the script keeps you intrigued since the sexy opening. The death sequences are brutal and insane (all about the acupuncture technique to paralyze victims), and the dark tone of the film is perfectly displayed on screen. The fantastic performance of the Inspector, played by a very well known actor in this sub-genre, totally carries the weight of the film on his back. The only problem I find with the movie is the middle section of it, where it gets redundant and almost boring. However, it recovers near the climax.Die hard fans of the sub-genre will find amusing to notice "someone" really important from another fantastic Giallo, "The House of the Laughing Windows" (1978).

After a savage series of murders, a detective finds the clients of an upscale health spa are falling victim to a killer's strike with the poison of a deadly wasp paralyzing them in order to kill and must stop the rampage from continuing.On the whole, this is one of the more impressive and enjoyable giallos in the genre. One of it's better features is the fact that this one manages to fully indulge in it's many lurid components quite well with many fascinating moments throughout here, which is where this one really holds up over time. The central murder angle here is accomplished quite well with the rather deft round of deaths centered on the central spa as the many frequent visitors and staff are roundly butchered in the centerpiece method of the paralyzing venom and the subsequent butchery all the while aware and obvious of the incidents proceeding around them which in turn leads to classic motifs including the obvious red herring, a series of blackmail plots against the many frequent visitors and the world-weary case getting to a hard-nosed detective all making up some of the common ground within this. That suitably aids the action within this one as there's a lot of fun stalking about and chasing to be had, mostly a thrilling roof-top chase through the various equipment stored around there and a secondary car chase that makes for some rather fun times throughout here. As well, it knows how to work the suspense in here as well with the attack in a department store that gets continually halted by the mannequins strewn around the store as well as the several house-stalking scenes where the oblivious victims are all cut up and killed in lengthy, fun sequences. Added together with a generous helping of nudity delivered by those well-deserved to provide it and there's enough here to make this one of the most essential giallos along with a few minor flaws. The fact that the mid-section of the film, right when the case should be getting it's most active focus, is dropped for a series of lengthy discussions between the detective and his wife about this furniture arrangement makes this slow to a crawl at a certain point, and this only highlights the lack of action at that particular segment of the film as hardly anything really happens. Also, the usual giallo trapping of not making the plot all that sensible and logical for the resolution again rears its ugly head, none of the clues provided meshing with the real killer and their motivation at that point, but it's dropped in favor of the shock revelation instead. Still, these don't upset the good points in here.Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Full Nudity, Language and sexual situations.

On the box of my (Blue Underground) DVD the quote "The best giallo ever made" shouts out from the back. Is it? No, not by a long shot, but still a very enticing little film - if a little over long in parts.As many others have touched on, I think the flaw in the lagging running time is down to one too many scenes focusing on the detective's domestic life, frankly these scenes are boring. The ending, as with many gialli, also falls somewhat flat - but then this does tend to be a typically style over substance genre.Bad bits, aside, what is good? There is plenty to love about this film; the brilliant cinematography, the menacing scene with a spider dangled over the detective, the horribly perverse gloves and menacing acupuncture needle of the killer. The music score is also one of Ennio Morricone's finest, and it certainly adds a decidedly chilling air to the film.Oddly, or not so, I was reminded of Aldo Lado's "Short Night of the Glass Dolls", also from 1971, also featuring Barbara Bach...and also with a strong theme of paralysis and murder. I'd say Lado's film carries the theme off with more aplomb - with it's truly horrific ending, so I'd advised all who've seen this to give that a go.