The Spider Labyrinth – Severin Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1988
Director: Gianfranco Giagni
Writers: Riccardo Aragno, Tonino Cervi, Cesare Frugoni, Gianfranco Manfredi
Cast: Roland Wybenga, Paola Rinaldi, Margareta von Krauss, Claudia Muzii, William Berger, Stéphane Audran

Release Date: March 26th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 86 Minutes 35 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo Italian, DTS-HD Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region Free (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $44.95

"When an American professor is sent to Budapest to complete a mysterious research project, he’ll become ensnared in a mind-bending web of sexual provocation, occult carnage and arachnidian havoc." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD), 4.5/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "now scanned in 4K from the original vault negative at Cinecittà".

The Spider Labyrinth comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 61.5 GB

Feature: 59.4 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look correct, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

The Spider Labyrinth comes on a 50 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42 GB

Feature: 26.3 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Stereo Italian), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Stereo English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD stereo mix in Italian and a DTS-HD stereo mix in English. The Italian language track is the stronger of these two audio tracks; it sounds fuller, and the English language track has some background hiss. That said, dialog comes through clearly on both audio tracks. Included are removable English SDH for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 1 second, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Dr. Will Dodson, professor of Rhetoric and Media Studies, and Ryan Verrill, Host of The Disc Connected.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 1 second, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled Web of the Weird – Placing The Spider Labyrinth in the Weird Genre with comments by  Dr. Will Dodson, Ryan Verrill and Erica Shultz, author of The Sweetest Taboo: An Unapologetic Guide to Child Kills in Film (17 minutes 27 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with special FX artist Sergio Stivaletti titled Death in Stop Motion (39 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Paola Rinaldi titled Smile of the Spider Woman (34 minutes 7 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with cinematographer Nino Celeste titled All the Colors of a Spider (19 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with screenwriter Gianfranco Manfredi titled Arachne (40 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with director Gianfranco Giagni titled Caught in a Web (45 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Dr. Will Dodson, and Ryan Verrill.

Summary:

Tonino Cervi, a director known for his films Today We Kill Tomorrow We Die and Queens of Evil, co-wrote and produced The Spider Labyrinth.

An American researcher goes to Budapest to visit a professor with whom he collaborated on a secret project. Immediately after his arrival, a series of strange events unfold, putting his life in danger. Will he find the answers he seeks before he becomes the next victim?

Content wise, The Spider-Labyrinth is a horror film with some giallo elements. And though The Spider Labyrinth is not directly adapted from a H.P. Lovecraft story, the result is a film that has many Lovecraftian elements, notably a cult who worship the elder gods, who were mentioned in multiple H.P. Lovecraft stories. When it comes to the visuals, a clear influence is Dario Argento's use of blood colors and picturesque architecture.

After a very effective opening sequence that provides a backstory about the protagonist's fear of spiders, the narrative has a few lulls before things get weird and the killings start. Fortunately, when things get rolling, it is full steam ahead towards a phenomenal ending that perfectly brings to a head the events that have unfolded.

Italian genre cinema by the late 1980s was a shelf of its former self, so it is not surprising that most of the cast is made up of unrecognizable faces. That said, there are two notable cast members: William Berger (Face to Face), who portrays a mysterious man, and Stéphane Audran (Les Biches), who portrays a woman who runs the hotel where the protagonist is staying. Though no actor or actress really stands out, The Spider-Labyrinth is a film that relies more on mood than performances.

The special effects are something that is going to draw the most attention from most viewers; they are a combination of practical effects and stop motion. The special effects were created by Sergio Stivaletti, whose resume includes films directed by Lamberto Bava, Michele Soavi, and Dario Argento. Needless to say, the special effects do not disappoint, especially when it comes to moments with the spider woman. The murder set pieces are stylized moments of carnage that are reminiscent of Italian horror cinema from its heyday.

From a production standpoint, The Spider Labyrinth is a film that often exceeds the sum of its parts. The premise is well executed, and for the first time, director Gianfranco Giagni’s instincts are always spot on. The visuals are stylish and filled with atmosphere, and they do a superb job fusing the score, creating a foreboding mood. That said, besides the score, sound in general plays a significant role. Ultimately, The Spider Labyrinth is a well-made horror film that fans of 1970s/early 80s Italian horror films are sure to thoroughly enjoy.

The Spider Labyrinth gets a excellent release from Severin Films, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer