Web of the Spider (1971)

★ 5.7 1h 42m IMDb

Alan Foster, a professional American journalist, travels to London to meet with Edgar Allan Poe for an interview. While in London, Alan soon finds himself in the company of Lord Blackwood, and Alan accepts a bet to spend a night in his castle

Web of the Spider

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Cast

Anthony Franciosa
Anthony Franciosa as Alan Foster Died 2006 · New York City, New York, USA Anthony Franciosa (born Anthony George Papaleo; October 25, 1928 – January 19, 2006) was an American actor. Franciosa began his career on stage and made a breakthrough after portraying a brother of t...
Michèle Mercier
Michèle Mercier as Elisabeth Blackwood Age 87 · Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France Michèle Mercier (born Jocelyne Yvonne Renée Mercier; January 1, 1939) is a French actress. In the course of her career she has worked with leading directors like François Truffaut, Jean-Pierre Melvill...
Klaus Kinski
Klaus Kinski as Edgar Allan Poe Died 1991 Nikolaus Karl Günther Nakszyński, best known as Klaus Kinski (18 October 1926 – 23 November 1991), was a German actor. He appeared in over 130 films, and is perhaps best-remembered as a leading role a...
Peter Carsten
Peter Carsten as Dr. Carmus Died 2012 · Weißenburg, Bavaria, Germany Weißenburg, Bavaria, Germany-born Peter Carsten was an actor and producer, known for A Study in Terror (1965), 11 Uhr 20 (1970) and Thirteen Days to Die (1965). He died on April 20, 2012 in Lucija, S...
Silvano Tranquilli
Silvano Tranquilli as William Perkins Died 1997 · Rome, Lazio, Italy Silvano Tranquilli (23 August 1925 – 10 May 1997) was an Italian stage, television and film actor. Born in Rome, Silvano Tranquilli attended theater lessons at the Sharoff Academy, and started his st...
Irina Maleeva
Irina Maleeva as Elsie Perkins Age 72 Irina Maleeva is a Bulgarian actress, dancer, vocalist and performer. She was discovered by Federico Fellini in 1968..

Audience Reviews

Wuchak 7/10 Jun 15, 2025
**_A macabre dance at Blackwood Castle in England on All Hallows' Eve_**

In the late 1840s, an American writer (Anthony Franciosa) meets Edgar Allan Poe (Klaus Kinski) on his visit to London and questions the authenticity of his tales. He is thus challenged to spend the night in Blackwood castle, which is reportedly haunted and no one has yet fulfilled the bet and come back alive.

“Web of the Spider” (1971) was called “In the Spider’s Tight Grip” in Italian (translated) and is a remake of the director’s 1964 B&W film “Castle of Blood,” aka “Dance Macabre.” It was erroneously advertised as based on Poe’s “Night of the Living Dead,” but no such story exists (although he has a poem called “Spirits of the Dead”). Scriptwriters Bruno Corbucci (Sergio’s brother) and Giovanni Grimaldi drew from Poe's literary traditions rather than from a particular text.

Franciosa is seriously reminiscent of William Shatner in this particular production, although he was actually older by 2.5 years, not to mention four inches taller. On the feminine side of things, redhead Michèle Mercier is stunning. She was 32 during shooting in March, 1971, but looked older (her character was only 26, but I guess it works out since she’s actually dead). Brunette Irina Maleeva is also lovely while Karin Field is worth a mention, but the latter’s character, Julia, is a turn-off.

I prefer this to “Castle of Blood” simply because it’s in color, not to mention the presence of Michèle Mercier and Irina Maleeva. I also favor Franciosa as the protagonist. There’s an exquisiteness to the proceedings, particularly the pre-Victorian Age costumes and dance sequences, mixed with the creepy ghostly element and the castle setting. I also valued the insights on spectral happenings.

I saw the English version, which runs about 90-93 minutes and is better than the 85-minute German rendition, but I’d love to see one of the fuller Italian versions, which run like 15-18 minutes longer. Needless to say, we’re being shortchanged by the butchered English print!

It was shot at Castello Massimo, which is 37 miles northeast of Rome, and at Dino De Laurentiis’ Italian studio.

GRADE: B

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