A burned out detective, Inspector Tellini(Giancarlo Giannini) contemplating the thought of turning in his resignation, resides over the bloody investigation where a psychopath, donning tan skin-tight gloves, a large hat and overcoat, is paralyzing female victims by throttling an acupuncture needle into the back of their necks having them experience the agony of death alive and awake. These murders are linked to a black-mailing scam regarding a stud under the employ of the boss of a health spa who convinces clientèle to sleep with him while another takes photographs. When the husband of his murdered nympho wife goes after her adulterous lover, Tellini will have to find both of them before it gets really out of hand. Who is the murderer of the female clientèle photographed and certain women who are involved heavily in the black-mailing scam? If that wasn't enough to burden Tellini, he finds that the killer had videotaped him making love to his wife in the bedroom of their apartment..which insures the detective that his wife's life could be in danger.
Well paced, excitingly photographed giallo entry has an interesting enough premise especially in how the killer murders his victims with them well aware of what is happening to them and who it is doing them in. The plot unfolds nicely even if the end result is strictly so-so. Giannini is quite good as the worn-out cop beaten down by the case he's working on. Some lovely ladies in the cast including Barbara Bouchet(as the nympho/first victim), Barbara Bach(as an employee at the spa knee-deep in trouble for her involvement in the black-mailing scam), Stefania Sandrelli(as the detective's beautiful and loyal wife)& Claudine Auger(as the main culprit of the black-mailing scam and boss who runs the health spa).
The film's main problem is the twist regarding the identity isn't too difficult to figure out once certain suspects are eliminated earlier on. The murders, in this case, are quite potent and shocking, especially in how the killer likes to plunge his knife into the torsos of the victims after they are paralyzed. The title refers to the method a wasp commits when it paralyzes and disembowels a tarantula as it relates to the psycho's killing style.
Well paced, excitingly photographed giallo entry has an interesting enough premise especially in how the killer murders his victims with them well aware of what is happening to them and who it is doing them in. The plot unfolds nicely even if the end result is strictly so-so. Giannini is quite good as the worn-out cop beaten down by the case he's working on. Some lovely ladies in the cast including Barbara Bouchet(as the nympho/first victim), Barbara Bach(as an employee at the spa knee-deep in trouble for her involvement in the black-mailing scam), Stefania Sandrelli(as the detective's beautiful and loyal wife)& Claudine Auger(as the main culprit of the black-mailing scam and boss who runs the health spa).
The film's main problem is the twist regarding the identity isn't too difficult to figure out once certain suspects are eliminated earlier on. The murders, in this case, are quite potent and shocking, especially in how the killer likes to plunge his knife into the torsos of the victims after they are paralyzed. The title refers to the method a wasp commits when it paralyzes and disembowels a tarantula as it relates to the psycho's killing style.