Spider Labyrinth (Il Nido del ragno)

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This little known Italian gem is surprisingly well executed. The plot of a professor uncovering a globe-spanning ancient cult will certainly sound familiar to Lovecraft fans. And what this cult worships is certainly straight out of the pages of a Lovecraft or Clark Ashton Smith story. The ending is a mixed bag to be sure, but I feel it survives the cliches it falls into and remains a worthwhile film. Director Gianfranco Giagni makes excellent use of the Budapest locations; the result is extremely tense and alien even in the most benign situations. Figuring out who is part of the conspiracy is half the fun of this movie. We are introduced to a number of creepy characters who all seem to have something to hide. Sure, that describes most Italian thrillers, but somehow this one does it with a bit more style. At times it feels more in the vein of Hitchcock than Argento.

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- Christian Matzke

An Imperfect Solution
http://www.reanimator.8m.com/

Crawling Chaos Pictures
http://www.www.reanimator.8m.com/ccp.html

H.P. Lovecraft's Nyarlathotep
http://www.miskatonic.net/pickman/mythos/nyar1.html

Propping Up the Mythos
http://www.miskatonic.net/pickman/mythos