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Case Of The Scorpion’s Tail
Directed By Sergio Martino
Released: 1971
Starring: George Hilton, Anita Strindberg, Alberto de Mendoza, and Ida
Galli
Running Time: 90 minutes
DVD Released By NoShame Films 2005
Lisa Baumer (Ida Galli) receives a million dollars from an insurance
policy when her husband is killed in an airplane explosion. Lisa doesn’t
last long on the list of suspects as she is stabbed to death by a
mysterious killer. Peter Lynch (George Hilton), an insurance investigator
and reporter Cleo Dupont (Anita Strindberg) team up to solve the Baumer
case. While romance blooms between Peter and Cleo, it is clear that they
are in danger when anyone involved in the case is quickly dispatched by
the killer.
Sergio Martino’s second Giallo is an excellent one, especially for
seasoned fans of the genre. Case Of The Scorpion’s Tail
features a wild and wooly soundtrack by Bruno Nicolai (Red Queen
Kills 7 Times) and Emilio Foriscot’s cinematography is out of
control (in a good way). The many filming locations (Greece, London,
Madrid, and Rome) are lovely and exotic. The mystery-heavy plot is
complicated making the film a little on the talky side but quite
satisfying just the same. Even though the gore effects are extremely
cheap, the murders are still very brutal. Thank you for the eye violence!
The film has a great cast lead by George Hilton (My
Dear Killer) and Anita Strindberg (Who Saw Her Die?).
Despite the corny and rushed love story, these two have a great chemistry
especially in the latter half of the film. Ida Galli (Knife Of Ice)
is quite good in her short lived role and the odd looking Janine Reynaud (Kiss
Me Monster) gets the film’s best death scene. The genre-hopping
Alberto de Mendoza (Horror Express) and Luigi Pistilli (Bay
Of Blood) have decent supporting roles.
The film is heavy on the plot but thankfully light on the pitifully fake
airplane. An excellent climax and an overtly stylish delivery more than
makes up for the amateurish gore setpieces and sometimes shaky script. All
in all, Case Of The Scorpion’s Tail, while not the most
original of the bunch, should be very high on the must-see list for Giallo
enthusiasts.
DVD Specs:
Hopefully, NoShame Films is extremely proud of this release. Much
like their Your Vice Is A Locked Room And Only I Have The Key
and The Strange Vice Of Mrs. Wardh DVDs, Case Of The
Scorpion's Tail gets the deluxe edition treatment. The 2.35:1
widescreen presentation is nearly flawless and the 2.0 audio (in English
or Italian w/ subtitles) sounds great. Having both languages on the disc
is essential because George Hilton’s dubbing is atrocious. There is a
trailer for Case (in English or Italian), a poster and
stills gallery, and a neat little booklet with more info about the film.
The best of the extras is a featurette called “Creepy Crawl: The
Scorpion’s Shadow”. It is a very cool production featuring interviews with
director Sergio Martino, producer Luciano Martino, screenwriter Ernesto
Gastaldi, and the man himself, George Hilton.
For more information, check out
NoShame Films.
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