The Cat O’Nine Tails – 1971, Italy, 112m. Director: Dario Argento.
Frankenstein ’80 – 1972, Italy, 85m. Director: Mario Mancini.
Revenge of the Dead – 1983, Italy, 89m. Director: Pupi Avati.
The Spider Labyrinth – 1988, Italy, 87m. Director: Gianfranco Giagni.
THE CAT O’ NINE TAILS (1971) A break-in at a genetics research facility doing experiments on criminal behavior might have something to do with a blackmail scheme overheard by a blind man (Karl Malden). When the blackmailer is tossed under a train, Malden seeks the help of a journalist (James Franciscus) to investigate the crime. More murders ensue, with anyone who’s connected to the blackmailer ending up on the wrong end of the killer’s blade. Not as sharply plotted as director Dario Argento’s debut film, Bird with the Crystal Plumage, this is still an effective story filled with the filmmaker’s visual flair and some suspense—including a scene where Franciscus’s girlfriend plays with a full glass of milk, unaware it’s poisoned. The movie runs too long and is often plodding, building to a lackluster conclusion that in more ways than one is a warm-up to the better executed climax of Deep Red (1975). C+ (Currently streaming on Plex and Tubi.)
FRANKENSTEIN ’80 (1972) The highly regarded Dr. Schwartz (Roberto Fizz) invents a serum (naturally called the Schwartz Serum), which prevents the body from rejecting organs during transplants. Unfortunately for Dr. Schwartz, his miracle serum is stolen by the fiendish Dr. Frankenstein (Gordon Mitchell), whose sense of self-importance is just as high as his disregard for his colleagues. Dr. Frankenstein uses the serum to create a monster called Mosaico (Xiro Papas)—once you see its face you’ll understand. Mosaico has a penchant for prostitutes (something the nearby town seems to be rife with), and after having sex with one he strangles her to stifle her screams of terror. More women turn up mangled, but the police are on the case. Will they put an end to Mosaico? Do you really care? Lots of T&A and crude gore effects abound in this Italian monstrosity. Funniest scene: Mosiaco using a beef bone to bash in the brains of a butcher. Director Mario Mancini was once a camera operator for Mario Bava. Judging from Frankenstein ’80, Mancini learned nothing. D (Currently streaming on Tubi.)
REVENGE OF THE DEAD (1983) (AKA: Zeder) In 1956, a young psychic girl is used to find the grave of a man named Paolo Zeder, a pseudoscientist who was researching the theory of “K-zones,” hidden spaces where time doesn’t exist and the dead can come back to life. Years later, a writer named Stefano (Gabriele Lavia) is given a used electric typewriter as a gift and discovers on the ribbon Zeder’s written account of his search for K-zones. Stefano believes this would make a great subject for his next book. He investigates, only to end up getting involved in the cover-up of a disgraced priest whose obsession with Zeder’s work possibly led him to the location of a K-zone. The title sounds like a typical Italian zombie gut-muncher, but Revenge of the Dead is more of a supernatural chiller. The plot never truly makes sense, but this is an eerie film with a foreboding atmosphere (especially during the first and last acts) and some imaginative imagery—including a scene where the floorboards above a makeshift grave pulsate. Subtle but effective. B (Currently not available.)
THE SPIDER LABYRINTH (1988) American professor Whitmore (Roland Wybenga) is sent to Budapest by a research company to locate a man named Roth, who had been working on an important project before he stopped communication. Whitmore meets the usual assortment of bizarre locals who warn him of impending doom, but it’s too late, as Roth is found hanging by a cobweb-strewn noose in his study. Later, a chambermaid who tried to help Whitmore is fatally knifed in the head by a woman with sharp teeth and in serious need of a hairbrush. After more murders, Whitmore is told by a hermit about an ancient cult of supernatural beings that worships a spider-like creature living within the city’s sewers. This conglomeration of Argento-like visual flare and giallo-inspired mayhem has a good pace but Wybenga is a bore and the plot is too convoluted to muster much excitement over. The silly “shock” ending will most likely leave viewers with a case of the giggles. C (Currently not streaming.)