Dehydrator
10-11-2001, 07:37 AM
So now that I got your Attention ( harharhar ), I would like to recommend you a movie that actually exists.
I'm talking about the tragically underrated and unknown SPIDER LABYRINTH ( Il Nido del Ragno ) from 1988. Directed by some guy named Gianfranco Giagni, this movie seems to be in acute Danger of being forgotten. I count myself lucky because I got a German Version for a laughable price at e-bay, and I really hope some of you try to get their hands on it too, after my all-round praising review.
The plot concerns a Researcher named Alen ( Roland Wybenga ) who works on a top secret Project named "Intextus". This project works globalwide but their most important source of research named Doctor Roth seems to be in Trouble. They haven't heard anything from him since 2 weeks so they send Alen to Budapest ( where Roth was doing his researching ) to see what's going on. Once there, he finds said Doctor pretty messed up, paranoid as hell and scared out of his mind when a mysterious black ball crashes his window. The very next morning, Dr. Roth walks on higher ground, strangled by a that hughe spider web in his room. Alen teams up with Roth's foxy assistent Genevieve ( Paola Rinaldi ) and soon finds himself in deepshit.
What can I say, this movie is fucking great. I wonder why nobody's ever heard of it ( there's only one comment on imdb ) and you will wonder too after you've seen it. I strongly believe that someone involved in Polanski's "Ninth Gate" has seen this movie because seriously, there's more than one similarity. The movie is loaded with creepy images ( obviously inspired by Mario Bava ) and some pretty cool gruesome deaths ( obviously inspired by Dario Argento ). The Acting is flawless by everybody involved and the story will keep you guessing until the End ( which is pretty good as well ). On my Second viewing, I noticed even more cool things than I did on my first, in particular the many, many spider(& web)metaphors this movie has. But don't look for Spiders in particular, they are rather secondary to the story, this isn't an all-out spider horror movie. Which brings me to the only thing that isn't exactly well done. The Special effects look dated as hell ( they could have at least used real spiders for this movie, they don't have to do that much and seem pretty easy to be casted ), you'll know when you get there. The finale is tense & gruesome but it looks very cheap. There is also some cool gory scenes, in particular the death of one unlucky hotel maid. The Budapest scenery is beautitful and if you have ever been there, you might catch more sense in this movies Title. I always thought this movie was somewhat based on Lovecraft, it isn't, but it could have been. If you're craving for T&A, Paola Rinaldi reveals it all and even has a great, steamy sex scene with Wybenga. This is a rather slow-moving flick ( similar to 9th GATE ) and is best watched with the lights out, all alone.
If you like Italien Horror, like Rosmary's Baby & Ninth Gate and want a very strong serious Horror movie, then SPIDER LABYRINTH is the movie for you to watch. Hunt it down and help this poor, neglected movie get out of obscurity. It deserves to be remembered(8/10)
[This message has been edited by Dehydrator (edited 10-11-2001).]
I'm talking about the tragically underrated and unknown SPIDER LABYRINTH ( Il Nido del Ragno ) from 1988. Directed by some guy named Gianfranco Giagni, this movie seems to be in acute Danger of being forgotten. I count myself lucky because I got a German Version for a laughable price at e-bay, and I really hope some of you try to get their hands on it too, after my all-round praising review.
The plot concerns a Researcher named Alen ( Roland Wybenga ) who works on a top secret Project named "Intextus". This project works globalwide but their most important source of research named Doctor Roth seems to be in Trouble. They haven't heard anything from him since 2 weeks so they send Alen to Budapest ( where Roth was doing his researching ) to see what's going on. Once there, he finds said Doctor pretty messed up, paranoid as hell and scared out of his mind when a mysterious black ball crashes his window. The very next morning, Dr. Roth walks on higher ground, strangled by a that hughe spider web in his room. Alen teams up with Roth's foxy assistent Genevieve ( Paola Rinaldi ) and soon finds himself in deepshit.
What can I say, this movie is fucking great. I wonder why nobody's ever heard of it ( there's only one comment on imdb ) and you will wonder too after you've seen it. I strongly believe that someone involved in Polanski's "Ninth Gate" has seen this movie because seriously, there's more than one similarity. The movie is loaded with creepy images ( obviously inspired by Mario Bava ) and some pretty cool gruesome deaths ( obviously inspired by Dario Argento ). The Acting is flawless by everybody involved and the story will keep you guessing until the End ( which is pretty good as well ). On my Second viewing, I noticed even more cool things than I did on my first, in particular the many, many spider(& web)metaphors this movie has. But don't look for Spiders in particular, they are rather secondary to the story, this isn't an all-out spider horror movie. Which brings me to the only thing that isn't exactly well done. The Special effects look dated as hell ( they could have at least used real spiders for this movie, they don't have to do that much and seem pretty easy to be casted ), you'll know when you get there. The finale is tense & gruesome but it looks very cheap. There is also some cool gory scenes, in particular the death of one unlucky hotel maid. The Budapest scenery is beautitful and if you have ever been there, you might catch more sense in this movies Title. I always thought this movie was somewhat based on Lovecraft, it isn't, but it could have been. If you're craving for T&A, Paola Rinaldi reveals it all and even has a great, steamy sex scene with Wybenga. This is a rather slow-moving flick ( similar to 9th GATE ) and is best watched with the lights out, all alone.
If you like Italien Horror, like Rosmary's Baby & Ninth Gate and want a very strong serious Horror movie, then SPIDER LABYRINTH is the movie for you to watch. Hunt it down and help this poor, neglected movie get out of obscurity. It deserves to be remembered(8/10)
[This message has been edited by Dehydrator (edited 10-11-2001).]