The Case of the Scorpion's Tail [Blu-ray]

Director: Sergio Martino Sergio Martino

Overview

George Hilton stars in this devilishly entertaining giallo thriller about a garishly costumed killer knocking off people in Athens. Introducing Mrs. Baumer (Ida Galli) as the nominal heroine, director Sergio Martino then pulls a Psycho number by having her killed as she goes to collect the insurance left by her husband, who died in an airplane disaster. It's up to French reporter Anita Strindberg to figure out what happened before becoming a victim herself. This fun little Italian-Spanish co-production features an international cast of horror veterans like Janine Reynaud, Luis Barboo, and Luigi Pistilli. Martino went on to make the bloodier giallo hit Torso.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/17/2018
UPC:	0760137141181
Original Release:	1971
Rating:	NR
Source:	Arrow Video
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:35:00
Sales rank:	23,730

Special Features

Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative; High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation; Original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks; Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack; Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack; Audio commentary with writer Ernesto Gastaldi, moderated by filmmaker Federico Caddeo (in Italian with English subtitles); New interview with star George Hilton; New interview with director Sergio Martino; New analysis of Sergio Martino's films by Mikel J. Koven, author of La Dolce Morte: Vernacular Cinema and the Italian Giallo Film; New video essay by Troy Howarth, author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films; Theatrical trailer; Image gallery

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Alberto de Mendoza	John Stanley
Anita Strindberg	Cléo Dupont
George Hilton	Peter Lynch
Ida Galli	Actor
Janine Reynaud	Lara Florakis
Evelyn Stewart	Lisa Baumer
Luigi Pistilli	Inspector Stavros

Technical Credits

Eduardo Manzanos Brochero

Ernesto Gastaldi

Sergio Martino	Director,Producer
Eduardo Manzanos Brochero	Screenwriter
Ernesto Gastaldi	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

The Case of the Scorpion's Tail is an interesting entry in the Italian giallo cycle. It contains the requisite amount of knife murders and plot twists, yet it never succumbs to the baroque stylistic eccentricities for which the genre is known. Sergio Martino directs the film with an eye for craftsmanship, making the most of his gorgeous English and Greek settings while keeping the pace taut and the suspense sequences genuinely nerve-jangling. He also gets solid performances from a cast of familiar European B-movie faces: George Hilton is likeable as the low-key witty insurance inspector, Anita Strindberg makes for a plucky love interest, and Janine Reynaud is suitably hateful as one of the scheming suspects. The end result isn't the best of the giallo cycle, but its sense of stylistic economy and the story's willingness to play fair with the audience make The Case of the Scorpion's Tail good entry-level fare for those new to Italian thrillers.