Movie

The Black Belly of the Tarantula

1971 · 98 min

A stylish, slow-burning giallo that keeps you uneasy with its paralyzing premise and methodical police work, blending lurid horror with a weary detective's disillusionment.

Tagline: With needles dipped in deadly venom the victims are paralyzed - so they must lie awake and watch themselves die!
Overview: Inspector Tellini investigates serial crimes where victims are paralyzed while having their bellies ripped open with a sharp knife.

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.

In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: darkstrength 2 of 3
tensestrength 2 of 3
eeriestrength 2 of 3
cynicalstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: obsession
deception
betrayal
violence
isolation
Places: big city
workplace
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: serialised
Content intensity: Gore strong
Language mild
Violence strong
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	4
Horror	6
Humour	2
Realism	6
Romance	2
Tension	7
Darkness	7
Complexity	6
Emotional weight	5

Titles like The Black Belly of the Tarantula

Movie

Four Flies on Grey Velvet

1971

A stylish, slow-burning thriller that keeps you on edge with eerie set pieces and a creeping sense of paranoia.

Same composer: Ennio Morricone · Dark, tense · about obsession and deception

Also: Same composer: Ennio Morricone
Via: dark
tense
obsession
deception
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 104 min

Details In your watch list

Four Flies on Grey VelvetHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Deep Red

1975

A stylish, slow-burning nightmare of vivid set pieces and creeping dread, with a jazzy score that keeps you on edge.

Dark, tense · about obsession and violence

Via: dark
tense
obsession
violence
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 127 min

Details In your watch list

Deep RedHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Dressed to Kill

1980

A sleek, unsettling Hitchcock-flavoured thriller that keeps you tense and guessing, with voyeuristic camera work and a razor-sharp sense of dread.

Dark, tense · about obsession and deception

Via: dark
tense
obsession
deception
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 105 min

Details In your watch list

Dressed to KillHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Psycho

1960

A slow-building, unsettling experience that tightens its grip with eerie atmosphere and a shocking twist.

Dark, tense · about deception and isolation

Via: dark
tense
deception
isolation
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 109 min

Details In your watch list

PsychoHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Seven Blood-Stained Orchids

1972

A stylish, slow-burning giallo that keeps you uneasy with its eerie atmosphere and methodical hunt for a killer.

Dark, tense · about obsession and deception

Via: dark
tense
obsession
deception
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 92 min

Details In your watch list

Seven Blood-Stained OrchidsHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

A Lizard in a Woman's Skin

1971

A disorienting, dreamlike descent into paranoia and murder, blending psychedelic imagery with cold suspense.

Same composer: Ennio Morricone · Dark, tense · about obsession and deception

Also: Same composer: Ennio Morricone
Via: dark
tense
obsession
deception
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 104 min

Details In your watch list

A Lizard in a Woman's SkinHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

So Sweet, So Dead

1972

A grim, methodical giallo that tightens like a vise, trading glamour for sweaty procedural dread and a bitter, unforgettable sting.

Dark, tense · about obsession and betrayal

Via: dark
tense
obsession
betrayal
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 100 min

Details In your watch list

So Sweet, So DeadHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Opera

1987

A stylish, cruel nightmare of needles, ravens and opera, beautiful to look at and hard to sit through.

Dark, tense · about obsession

Via: dark
tense
obsession
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 107 min

Details In your watch list

OperaHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Fifth Cord

1971

A stylish, slow-burning descent into paranoia and obsession, with a lingering sense of dread.

Same composer: Ennio Morricone · Dark, tense · about obsession and betrayal

Also: Same composer: Ennio Morricone
Via: dark
tense
obsession
betrayal
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 93 min

Details In your watch list

The Fifth CordHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Blood and Black Lace

1964

A stylish, lurid nightmare of masked violence and glamorous surfaces, where every shadow hides a threat and the camera itself feels complicit.

Dark, tense · about obsession and deception

Via: dark
tense
obsession
deception
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 88 min

Details In your watch list

Blood and Black LaceHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Tenebre

1982

A stylish, cold-blooded thriller that keeps you tense with its brutal set pieces and disorienting mystery.

Dark, tense · about obsession and violence

Via: dark
tense
obsession
violence
Pacing: brisk
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 101 min

Details In your watch list

TenebreHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Watcher

2022

A slow, suffocating creep of paranoia and isolation, where every glance feels like a threat and dread builds quietly until it explodes.

Dark, tense · about obsession and betrayal

Via: dark
tense
obsession
betrayal
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 96 min

Details In your watch list

WatcherHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres: horror, mystery, thriller
Directed by: Paolo Cavara
Written by: Lucile Laks
Starring: Giancarlo Giannini, Claudine Auger, Barbara Bouchet, Rossella Falk, Silvano Tranquilli, Annabella Incontrera, Ezio Marano, Barbara Bach
Music: Ennio Morricone
Cinematography: Marcello Gatti
Runtime: 98 min
Country: France, Italy
Languages: Italian

TMDB IMDb Letterboxd Wikipedia Wikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.

The Black Belly of the Tarantula

How it feels

More like this

Titles like The Black Belly of the Tarantula

Where to watch in the UK

Details