Scorpion With Two Tails – Full Moon Features (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1982
Director: Sergio Martino
Writers: Ernesto Gastaldi, Jacques Leitienne, Mara Maryl, Dardano Sacchetti
Cast: Elvire Audray, Paolo Malco, Claudio Cassinelli, Marilù Tolo, Wandisa Guida, Gianfranco Barra, John Saxon, Van Johnson

Release Date: January 24th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 97 Minutes 51 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 English, Dolby Digital Mono English
Subtitles: N/A
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $21.95

"The Scorpion With Two Tails tells the story of a young woman (Elvire Audray, Nosferatu in Venice) who is having gruesome dreams of ancient sacrificial rites. When her husband is murdered in the same ritualistic way, she begins to suspect that someone or something is targeting her, leading her deep into a nightmarish mystery involving death, smuggling and reincarnation." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 2.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "a handsome presentation remastered from the best available materials."

Scorpion With Two Tails comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 19.9 GB

Feature: 17.6 GB

The source used for this transfer looks like something that most definitely predates HD. There is print debris that crops up throughout, the image often looks soft, there is color bleeding, black levels are mediocre, and there are compression-related issues, most noticeable during darker scenes.

Audio: 2.5/5 (Dolby Digital 5.1 English, Dolby Digital Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options: a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in English and a Dolby Digital mono mix in English. Both tracks have similar qualities. Though the dialog comes through clearly enough to follow, both tracks lack depth, and both have sibilance issues. This release comes with no subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include deleted scenes (19 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with non-removable English subtitles).

Other extras include trailers for Maniac Killer, Barb Wire Dolls, Naked Girl Murdered in the Park, Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun, Sexy Sisters, Voodoo Passion, and Women in Cellblock 9.

Summary:

Scorpion with Two Tails was directed by the versatile Italian filmmaker Sergio Martino, who worked in whatever genre was popular at the time. Having said that, he was best known for his work in the Giallo and Commedia sexy all'italiana genres. Notable films he directed include The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh, Case of the Scorpion’s Tail, All the Colors of the Dark, The Violent Professionals, Torso, and The Suspicious Death of a Minor.

The score for Scorpion with Two Tails was composed by Fabio Frizzi, who is most known for his numerous collaborations with Lucio Fulci. If you get a feeling of déjà vu while listening to the score for Scorpion with Two Tails, it is because many of the music cues sound like they have been recycled by Fabio Frizzi from other scores that he has composed.

With Scorpion with Two Tails, Sergio Martino appears to be channeling the vibe of Lucio Fulci’s death trilogy, City of the Living Dead, The Beyond, and The House by the Cemetery. The visuals often feel like something Lucio Fulci would direct, and of course Fabio Frizzi’s score is another link to Fulci.

The narrative is a pedestrian affair that has many sections where it just drags. Despite the fact that there are numerous killings These scenes are all too brief and involve an unseen killer breaking necks and twisting heads around.

Performance wise, all the cast, including a very brief cameo from John Saxon (Tenebrae), all seem to be sleepwalking through their various roles. Ultimately, Scorpion with Two Tails is an uneventful thriller that quickly overstays its welcome.

Scorpion with Two Tails makes its way to Blu-ray via a lackluster audio/video presentation that leaves a lot of room for improvement.

Written by Michael Den Boer