Case of the Scorpions Tail

Case of the Scorpion's tale has all the elements of a good giallo: grisly murders, inventive, eye-popping cinematography, expressive lighting, swanky interiors, a serpentine plot, and a couple of lovely actresses. While the plot does become a little convoluted, and there is too much dialogue (a lot of which is rather clunky) all of the film's minor faults can be forgiven because the movie is a spectacular visual feast that is just a lot of fun to watch. Many of the names famous to this genre are involved in this entertaining effort, the most prominent of which are, Sergio Martino, Ernesto Gastaldi, George Hilton and Bruno Nicolai.
This upcomming release, from a new company on the genre DVD scene NoShame, ranks right up there with releases from some of the more well established genre DVD companies like Blue Underground and Mondo Macabro. The image quality of the film print used for the DVD is absolutely outstanding, and there are two audio tracks, one in English and the second in Italian with optional English subtitles. Lastly, the few extras on the disc include interviews with Martino, Gastaldi and Hilton, the theatrical trailer and a poster and still gallery. If you're taking the time to read this review then this DVD probably belongs in your DVD library.

The opening ten minutes are a little rough, with an overdose of crash zooms, distorting lenses, clunky dialogue and poor model work. After the first story twist, however, the film becomes a superior giallo, worthy of comparison with Bava and Argento. Director Sergio Martino stages some strong set-pieces, displaying a visual flair only hinted at in THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS WARDH. It's possible Dario Argento saw SCORPION'S TAIL before making DEEP RED, as some scenes are remarkably similar (check out the murder in the theatre). There's even a bold female reporter, who helps unmask the killer at great personal risk. While DEEP RED is the better film, Argento owes Martino a debt or two. George Hilton is a solid lead - is it his own voice on the Italian soundtrack? - and spaghetti western regular Luigi Pistilli adds a touch of class in a rare good guy role. The plot twists are satisfying, though the photo blow-up trick was well parodied by Mel Brooks in HIGH RISK.

Five stars for the film itself which is an excellent and absorbing Giallo, and a wonderful example of the many engaging attributes of the genre put to fine use.

As for the DVD itself - There a few problems with the English subtitling being either absent or inconsistent during a couple of scenes, but these are relatively minor and do not derail the film in any sense. That aside, NoShame ought be called NoRegrets, because they've put forth a solid and respectful effort in presenting a classic Giallo with all due accord. Kudos!