Audience Member
I has sought out Scorpion w/ Two Tails just for the fact that it had John Saxon in it. Well it must have been a baloney sandwich pay day because he was barely in it before he had fucking his head twisted 180 degrees around ending my personal involvement w/ the remainder of this flix. I shit you not I feel asleep through what was left of this movie after about 15 minutes a total of three times. I was about to abandon all hope & just sorta caulk it up to one of those movies that I made an attempt @ but abandoned but something just kept making me find the last place that remembered nodding off & push the play button again. What a fucking endurance test as it didn't really get any better until the end & even the pay off wasn't worth what you had previously endured. My new cure for insomnia
Rated 1/5 Stars •
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
01/27/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Sergio Martino is hands down one of the best directors in the Giallo genre. Look at this guys credentials: "The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh", "The Case of the Scorpion's Tail", "All the Colors of the Dark", " Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key", and "Torso". These are all fantastic Gialli and makes Martino a contender with Argento and Bava for master of the genre. A Giallo he directed that never makes the list is "Scorpion with Two Tails".... and for good fucking reason.
A young women starts having visions of her archeologist husband being killed and soon it happens for real, just like in her dream. She travels to Europe to find clues and finds a connection between the newly excavated Etruscan tomb and the head twisting murders occurring all around her.
The plot would have been an interesting mix of Giallo and supernatural horror if it weren't for the poor execution. "Scorpion with Two Tails" (also released as " Murder in an Etruscan Cemetery") was originally intended as a two part television made movie before producers at the last minute decided to make it theatrical feature. The film suffers from this decision as the plot is haphazardly cut up in order to fit a 90 minute running time as opposed to 200. Even once Giallo specialist Ernesto Gastaldi can't get this plot to be anything remotely interesting, no matter how many scenes of maggots or head turnings they write in.
Sergio Martino's direction also has a terrible, made-for-TV look about it. His direction is subdued, almost non-existent. By this time Martino stopped using the 2.35:1 widescreen ratio to shoot his films in and thus out the window went his unique camera angles and fast editing. Due to this the film looks sloppy, cheap and rushed. Hell even the score by Fabio Frizzi is recycled from previous films he has worked on, most notably "City of the Living Dead".
The cast is full of recognizable multi-national Euro cult faces, including John Saxon ("A Nightmare on Elm Street", "Cannibal Apocalypse"), Paolo Malco ("House by the Cemetery", "New York Ripper"), Claudio Cassinelli ("Mountain of the Cannibal God", "Island of the Fishmen") and even Franco Garofalo ("Hell of the Living Dead", "The Other Hell") just to name a few. Even with all these notable it doesn't make this forgettable Giallo worthwhile.
Martino will always be a master of the Giallo genre but "Scorpion with Two Tails" was made during at a time when his career was starting to wallow. Hell he even decided to use the pseudonym Christian Plummer to hide him from this boring disappointment. This just lacks the wonderful stylistic edge he had earlier in his career and it lacks the trashy entertainment value of his films to come ("2019: After the Fall of New York", "Hands of Steel"). Due to similar titles people often confuse "Scorpion with Two Tails" with Martino's masterful 1972 Giallo "The Case of the Scorpion's Tail". Do not, I repeat, DO NOT confuse that "Case of the Scorpion's Tail" with this tedious and weary example of the genre.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
01/17/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Originally shot as a 3 hour mini series it was edited down to 97 minutes witch kind of wrecks the story a bit I would like to see the 3 hour version to me it would be an epic horror story better then the movie version. The reason I would like to see the 3 hour version because the movie version there are some Meany hard to follow scenes like we have missed something that's morally the reason and there are so Meany cliff-hangers.
The plot for Scorpion with Two Tails is an unimaginative yarn about an ancient people and death that befalls anyone who trespasses on their sacred tombs. Even though there are a slew of killings the tedious plot never manages to build any tension. Sure there are a handful of characters that get their neck snapped and head twisted around. Visually the film is a pedestrian affair that lacks the style that is evident in director Sergio Marino's best films. Performance wise all the cast (including a very brief cameo from John Saxon) all seems to be sleep walking through their various roles. Ultimately Scorpion with Two Tails is an uneventful thriller that quickly overstays its welcome.
Like I said some things are very quick because they had to edited it down but its still a fantastic Giallo film for its time as well as a horror movie to me its very underrated. The acting I have to say was very good better then I thought it was gong to be I didn't watch the dub so that's a major plus. The special effects are extremely good even though there aren't Meany deaths or gore. I think Sergio tried to make a more kids friendly movie that's still scars them. The music is amazing but the true thing I hated was the pace on how fast it's going and I it stops me from giving it a 100%.
Here are some facts I found.
Originally was a 3 hour + mini series but was edited down to play as a movie. The mini series has yet to be played but some scenes still survive.
Sergio Marino didn't won't too much gore and cut a lot of it out in the final cut he wonted more family friendly entertainment Giallo horror film.
Overall its highly recommended if you can get your hands on it.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
01/13/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Sergio Martino master of the giallo film is back and unfortunately this isn't his best. Plotless but I'll try a woman dreams of brutal deaths that are really occuring. Did she do it?!? Who did?!? Who cares?!?
Rated 1/5 Stars •
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
02/12/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Very little to recommend, except a Fabio Frizzi score and about two minutes of John Saxon.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
02/19/23
Full Review
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