Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

The Spider Labyrinth Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 30, 2024

One of the absolutely delightful things about this release of the ultimately gonzo The Spider Labyrinth* is that it features a number of academics in some supplements whose focus of interest is "the weird". And in fact some of these talking heads evidently have their degrees in this kind of humorously named study, and have written books on it. Now lest it be thought that studying "the weird" is, at least in collegiate terms, perhaps the equivalent of being given a "participation trophy" in some elementary school event, there actually is some redolent history surrounding the term and this area of expertise, mostly relating back to the venerable H.P. Lovecraft. Quite suitably Lovecraft offered a definition of "the weird" in Weird Tales, offering a differentiation in "weird" outings from gothic horror or ghost stories in that "the weird" has (to quote Lovecraft) "something more than secret murder, bloody bones, or a sheeted form clanking chains". And in fact it's those opaque, indefinable and in fact inexplicable elements that often give Lovecraft stories their rather distinctive edge, and it is an aspect that probably progressively informs The Spider Labyrinth more and more as it goes on, leading to a completely weird and in fact I'd argue gonzo climax.

*Severin has removed the definite article from the cover, but the film's title card has it and so I'll refer to the film with the definite article intact.

While not actually based on a Lovecraft story, The Spider Labyrinth has a certain Lovecraftian air, especially with regard to an emphasis on "elder gods" and a focal character interloping into a strange, seemingly isolated and even abandoned foreign community only to uncover a shocking secret. In this case, American linguistics professor Alan Whitmore (Roland Wybenga) is involved in a mysterious project called Intextus, one that includes a trifecta of movers and shakers from the business, religious and academic communities. Those three men task Whitmore with going to Budapest to see what has happened to another member of the Intextus Project, Professor Roth (Attila Lõte), who has not responded with appropriate research information from this supposedly global effort. When Whitmore gets to the iconic city, he soon finds himself (unavoidable spider pun forthcoming) ensnared in a web that already seems to have subsumed most if not all of the town where Roth lives. Or perhaps more saliently, in terms of this film's accruing body count, the town where Roth lived, as the good professor soon meets his fate courtesy of what seems to be a mutant spider able to wrap a corpse in a veritable cocoon.

Parts of The Spider Labyrinth resonate quite effectively, as an undeniable paranoiac sensibility takes over as Whitmore finds himself confronted with a series of, well, weird goings on and any number of bat guano eccentric characters, including Mrs. Kuhn (Stéphane Audran), owner of the hotel where Whitmore is staying, who perhaps too obviously walks around with a black cat in her arms and who is later seen rocking a bassinet that seems to be very reminiscent of Rosemary's Baby. Those obvious allusions to witchcraft may perhaps be just a bit of a red herring, at least as "witchcraft" is typically understood, but suffice it to say Mrs. Kuhn and any number of other townspeople may be part of a cult which has designs on Whitmore, which of course is going to bring to mind a variety of other probably better known films, including of course The Wicker Man. The fact that several townsfolk are almost "branded" with a spidery scar on their arm adds to the supposed mystery, though there is at least one unafflicted (at least with a scar) person, a disheveled man (William Berger), who repeatedly warns Whitmore that he's in danger.

But it's here where that "inexplicable" piece of the definition above definitely comes into play, because whereas efforts like The Wicker Man or even more contemporary outings like Midsommar at least attempt to weave their "mythology" into developed folkloristic tropes, large swaths of The Spider Labyrinth come off as patently random, to the point that they really don't make a whale (and/or spider) of a lot of sense. Why, for instance, Budapest, in a specific plot point seemingly determined by its understandable provision of scenic locations that nonetheless makes the underlying emphasis on divinities from a bygone age seem like a previously unknown series called Hungarian Gods. And what exactly is the point of it all, including Whitmore's fate? In other conspiracy films there can at least be hints as to what an ultimate goal is, but here I'd simply repeat a question that occurred to me after a calamitous finale involving Whitmore that ends in a freeze frame, "Okay, then what?"

The Spider Labyrinth Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Spider Labyrinth is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Severin Films with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. The back cover of this release states this was "scanned in 4K from the original vault negative at Cinecittà". This is an absolutely fantastic looking transfer for such a little known cult item, with a stunningly saturated palette at the head of its assets. While large swaths of the film offer an at least relatively naturalistic lighting and/or grading approach, some very highly stylized moments may recall the likes of Bava, and flashes of green and purple in particular have decided punch. Fine detail is excellent throughout the presentation, aside from a few passing dimly lit moments, and textures on fabrics of costumes in particular is typically outstanding (pay attention during the opening vignette with the "power trifecta" and look at the fabrics on the suit jackets for just one good example). Grain can be quite heavy in this presentation, especially against some brighter backgrounds, but my hunch is those who pick up Severin's 4K UHD release of this film (which also includes this 1080 disc) may actually end up preferring the 1080 presentation, since the increased resolution of the 4K version only exaggerates an already almost swampy grain field. Occasional minor damage has made it through the restoration gauntlet, including a couple of rather pronounced vertical scratches.

The Spider Labyrinth Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Spider Labyrinth offers English or Italian audio in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The English track is noticeably brighter on the high end, offering quite a bit more hiss (listen to just the first minute or so of the film and toggle between the languages to get an idea of the difference), but perhaps maybe more of a "shock" value in some of the strident, almost Psycho-esque string cues in Franco Piersanti's score. You're getting that oft quoted "loose sync" whichever version you choose, but dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly in both languages. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Spider Labyrinth Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Dr. Will Dodson, Professor of Rhetoric and Media Studies, and Ryan Verrill, Host of The Disc Connected


• Caught in a Web (HD; 45:12) is an interview with director Gianfranco Giagni. Subtitled in English.


• Arachne (HD; 40:41) is an interview with screenwriter Gianfranco Manfredi. Subtitled in English.


• All the Colors of a Spider (HD; 19:58) is an interview with cinematographer Nino Celeste. Subtitled in English.


• Smile of the Spider Woman (HD; 34:07) is an interview with actress Paola Rinaldi. Subtitled in English.


• Death in Stop Motion (HD; 39:10) is an interview with special effectcs artist Sergio Stivaletti. Subtitled in English.


• Web of the Weird (HD; 17:27) is a fun piece that links the film to the "weird" as outlined above in the main body of the review.


• Trailer (HD; 2:01)

The Spider Labyrinth Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Spider Labyrinth is just flat out goofy and might be jokingly called a "shaggy spider story" in the long run. I'd argue that even some Lovecraft stories, as "weird" (or "the weird") as they may be, actually offered more of an underlying explanation than is ever offered in this film, but there's a wonderfully spooky and kind of wacky quality to the proceedings here that keeps things bizarrely interesting. Technical merits are solid and the supplements outstanding. Recommended.