The Case of the Scorpion’s Tail

Out on:Blu-Ray 16th July 2018


One of the major consequences of Western Europe’s post-war Economic Miracle was the proliferation of international travel. Eager to tap into audiences’ desire to experience the glamour of the jet set lifestyle, the popular filmmakers of the day rushed to make the most of the exotic locales at their disposal.

Arguably no other giallo captured this trend as vividly as The Case of the Scorpion’s Tail. The film begins in London, where Lisa Baumer (Evelyn Stewart, The Psychic) learns that her husband has died in a freak plane accident. Summoned to Athens to collect his generous life insurance policy, she soon discovers that others besides herself are keen to get their hands on the money – and are willing to kill for it. Meanwhile, private detective Peter Lynch (George Hilton, The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh) arrives to investigate irregularities in the insurance claim. Teaming up with a beautiful reporter, Cléo Dupont (Anita Strindberg, Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key), Lynch resolves to unearth the truth… before he too ends up on the wrong end of the murderer’s straight razor.

The second giallo by genre master Sergio Martino (Torso, The Suspicious Death of a Minor), The Case of the Scorpion’s Tail combines stunning views of Athens and the Greek coastline with brutal bursts of violence, a typically tangled script by Ernesto Gastaldi (Death Walks on High Heels), and a cast overflowing with Euro cult talent, including Alberto de Mendoza (A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin), Janine Reynaud (Jess Franco’s Succubus) and Luigi Pistilli (A Bay of Blood).

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
Original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks
Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
Audio commentary with writer Ernesto Gastaldi, moderated by filmmaker Federico Caddeo (in Italian with English subtitles)
New interview with star George Hilton
New interview with director Sergio Martino
New analysis Sergio Martino’s films by Mikel J. Koven, author of La Dolce Morte: Vernacular Cinema and the Italian Giallo Film
New video essay by Troy Howarth, author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films
Theatrical trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon

First pressing only: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Rachael Nisbet and Howard Hughes, and a biography of star Anita Strindberg by Peter Jilmstad

DETAILS

Director: Sergio Martino
Cast: George Hilton, Anita Strindberg, Evelyn Stewart

RRP: £24.99
Region: B
Rating: TBC
Genre: Horror
Duration: TBC
Language: Italian/English
Subtitles: English/English SDH
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audio: Mono
Colour
Discs: 1

Cat No: FCD1760
Barcode: 5027035019291

Gallery

RELEASE INFORMATION

Distributor
Arrow Video
Release date
16th July, 2018

KEY TALENT INFORMATION

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