Horror

Nella stretta morsa del ragno

Paris-Cannes Productions

Produzione D.C.7

Terra-Filmkunst

Germany

Italy

France

Italiano

Web of the Spider

Anthony Franciosa

Michèle Mercier

Klaus Kinski

Peter Carsten

Silvano Tranquilli

Karin Field

Irina Maleeva

Raf Baldassarre

Enrico Osterman

Marco Bonetti

Vittorio Fanfoni

Carla Mancini

Romalı Perihan

Antonio Margheriti

Giovanni Grimaldi

Bruno Corbucci

Giovanni Addessi

Camillo Del Signore

Ottavio Scotti

Riz Ortolani

Otello Colangeli

Mario Giorsi

Sandro Mancori

Guglielmo Mancori

Nicla Palombi

Furio Addessi

Emilio Varriano

Marisa Tilly

Renato Palmieri

Pietro Spadoni

Silvestro De Rossi

Mario Sbrenna

Angelo Malantrucco

Ennio Di Meo

Giuliana Colangeli

Antonietta Maggi

Sandro Occhetti

Cataldo Galiano

Ignazio Dolce

Dino Di Dionisio

Franco Caruso

Mauro Paravano

Remo Crisanti

Eva Koltay

Roberto Ranucci

Fausto Ancillai

**_A macabre dance at Blackwood Castle in England on All Hallows' Eve_**

In the late 1840s, an American writer (Anthony Franciosa) meets Edgar Allan Poe (Klaus Kinski) on his visit to London and questions the authenticity of his tales. He is thus challenged to spend the night in Blackwood castle, which is reportedly haunted and no one has yet fulfilled the bet and come back alive.

“Web of the Spider” (1971) was called “In the Spider’s Tight Grip” in Italian (translated) and is a remake of the director’s 1964 B&W film “Castle of Blood,” aka “Dance Macabre.” It was erroneously advertised as based on Poe’s “Night of the Living Dead,” but no such story exists (although he has a poem called “Spirits of the Dead”). Scriptwriters Bruno Corbucci (Sergio’s brother) and Giovanni Grimaldi drew from Poe's literary traditions rather than from a particular text. 

Franciosa is seriously reminiscent of William Shatner in this particular production, although he was actually older by 2.5 years, not to mention four inches taller. On the feminine side of things, redhead Michèle Mercier is stunning. She was 32 during shooting in March, 1971, but looked older (her character was only 26, but I guess it works out since she’s actually dead). Brunette Irina Maleeva is also lovely while Karin Field is worth a mention, but the latter’s character, Julia, is a turn-off.

I prefer this to “Castle of Blood” simply because it’s in color, not to mention the presence of Michèle Mercier and Irina Maleeva. I also favor Franciosa as the protagonist. There’s an exquisiteness to the proceedings, particularly the pre-Victorian Age costumes and dance sequences, mixed with the creepy ghostly element and the castle setting. I also valued the insights on spectral happenings.

I saw the English version, which runs about 90-93 minutes and is better than the 85-minute German rendition, but I’d love to see one of the fuller Italian versions, which run like 15-18 minutes longer. Needless to say, we’re being shortchanged by the butchered English print!

It was shot at Castello Massimo, which is 37 miles northeast of Rome, and at Dino De Laurentiis’ Italian studio.

GRADE: B

Trailer: Dracula in the Castle of Horror (1971)

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Web of the Spider

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Cast

Anthony Franciosa

Michèle Mercier

Klaus Kinski

Peter Carsten

Silvano Tranquilli

Karin Field

Irina Maleeva

Raf Baldassarre

Enrico Osterman

Marco Bonetti

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