Spider Labyrinth aka Il Nido del Ragno(1988)(Review)

Alan Whitmore is a young American researcher whose been working on a secret research project titled “Intextus” for years. He travels to Budapest to visit a colleague named Professor Roth whose been collaborating with him on this project due to his vast knowledge on ancient texts, religions, and language. But as Alan meets with Professor Roth, everyone around him begins to warn him that he is in danger… right before meeting a grisly fate themselves.

This movie had a strangely nostalgic vibe going on. I’ve never seen this before, but I could have sworn I’ve seen this exact story play out many times before. The serious repetition of a researcher going to a foreign land, only to be approached by mysterious characters who give him one extra piece of information before suddenly dying, and then with a strange conspiratorial coverup going on… I just feel like I’ve seen this before somewhere.

However, it would be foolish to just lump the film into a category like that and discard it. This film is bananas. The mystery does unfold in a very entertaining way, the violence hits levels of creative madness that remind me of Dario Argento (specifically ‘Suspiria’ or ‘Tenebrae’), and the complete revelation at the end of the film is one for the books. On a surface level this seems like a traditional whodunnit, but that’s simply what lies on the surface. Deep within is a web of mystery, illusion, and craziness that’s been hard to find for years, but now exists on a beautifully-printed collector’s set.

3.5/5
“Spider Labyrinth” is currently available on limited edition Bluray & DVD from Severin Films

‘Til Next Time,
Mike Cleopatra