Sam Panico Paolo Cavara and Gualtiero Jacopetti (who took all the credit) directed the first shockumentary, Mondo Cane. Following that, they worked on Women of the World before Jacopetti moved on to make increasingly more insane films with Franco Prosperi. Cavara? He went on to make his own films, including this one, a film that some place amongst the best giallo ever.A mysterious killer is killing women who were involved with a blackmail scheme, using a needle to paralyze them before he slices their stomachs open, the same way a tarantula kills a wasp. Even worse - the victims are awake and can feel the pain, but are unable to move or scream.Cavara uses one of the queens of giallo for his first victim, Barbara Bouchet (The Red Queen Kills Seven Times, Don't Torture a Duckling, Amuck!). Soon, it's up to Inspector Tellini to solve the case before he or his girlfriend are killed. He's a totally likable character, rare for a giallo, who mostly argues with his wife who buys too much furniture while worrying if he's good enough at what he does. He hits a little too close to home.There is plenty more eye candy in the film, with Claudine Auger (Domino from Thunderball) and Barbara Bach (The Spy Who Loved Me, The Humanoid) showing up. And there's a great Ennio Morricone score.

bombersflyup Despite its interesting premise, Black Belly of the Tarantula is a low quality foreign slasher type film, that at times is quite laughable.The idea of using a paralysing agent and murdering someone is quite terrifying, but there isn't anything terrifying in this film. The killer simply punctures them with a needle and then stabs them in the stomach and cuts a bit, there was no torturous behaviour. Also, you don't even know who these people are that are being killed, so you can't really feel anything. Why does the woman that works in the clothing store or whatever see the reflection of the killer then fumble around a bunch of mannequins and not try to leave, she works there she knows what is where, I don't get it. That wasp/tarantula part was pretty sweet, shame about the rest of the film.

Leofwine_draca BLACK BELLY OF THE TARANTULA is very much a typical example of the Italian giallo film. Expect style to spare, an intricate plot that draws in adultery, blackmail, and psycho killings, and a cast populated by sleazy and suspicious male characters contrasted with exceptionally beautiful Italian women. This one has a series of brutal and bizarre murders taking place around a health spa, with the killer donning rubber gloves and using an acupuncture needle to paralyse his victims before killing them - similar to the method used by a tarantula-killing spider. This isn't one of the nastiest of its type, but there's the usual nudity and character conflict; the lead is sympathetic and the stylish direction makes it an engaging watch, with a high-rise foot chase that takes place mid-way through particularly enjoyable. 3/5 or 6/10

Claudio Carvalho When the nymphomaniac Maria Zani (Barbara Bouchet) is murdered, her ex- husband and insurance broker Paolo Zani (Silvano Tranquilli) becomes the prime-suspect of Inspector Tellini (Giancarlo Giannini). Then the saleswoman Mirta Ricci (Annabella Incontrera) is murdered in the same modus operandi – both victims had been paralyzed by acupuncture needles with poison introduced in their necks and their bellies had been ripped open with a knife with the victims still alive, in the same way that tarantulas are killed by tarantula hawks. The police find that she was also a drug dealer, Paolo meets Inspector Tellini to tell him that he is innocent. Further, he hires the private eyes La Catapulta that finds the last man that had met Maria, the photographer Mario (Giancarlo Prete). Paolo pursues Mario but they both die and Inspector Tellini finds an envelope addressed to Franca Valentino with Mario. Inspector Tellini discovers that he was a blackmailer and meanwhile Franca becomes the third victim of the serial killer. When the masseuse Jenny (Barbara Bach) is found dead wrapped in plastic bag, Inspector Tellini goes to the massage parlor to meet the manager Laura (Claudine Auger) and he believes that an employee may be the serial-killer."La Tarantola dal Ventre Nero" is a great "giallo" with the typical structure – a serial-killer that wears gloves and the identity is only discovered in the end; the victims are beautiful semi-naked women; gore deaths; a persistent detective pursues the killer; and wonderful music score. The story is well developed, with many plot points. The very young Giancarlo Giannini works with very beautiful women, three of them future Bond girls (Claudine Auger and the Barbaras Bouchet and Bach). The great music score of Ennio Morricone completes the work of the director Paolo Cavara. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "O Ventre Negro da Tarântula" ("The Black Belly of the Tarantula")