Introducing..... a new feature of Doomsday DVD Reviews - Doomsday MOVIE Reviews! Enter a set of movies that cannot be ignored just because they lack a quality DVD release. Read on.....and enjoy.....

WEB OF THE SPIDER

A person selecting that perfect movie for their evening may not be able to describe exactly what it is that they are looking for. They may want a movie where the film oozes atmosphere, contains scenes where people are walking down long corridors with a torch and is full of dark, beautiful imagery.....a perfect movie to serve with popcorn with the lights out. Witness Antonio Margheritti's Web of the Spider, starring Klaus Kinski and Anthony Franciosa.

Edgar Allen Poe is telling a story to some friends at a tavern in London. He speaks of wandering around in the dark and encountering a strange force. In the midst of his drunken ranting, an old acquaintance enters the room. Alan Foster, a reporter, wishes to have an interview with Poe. Poe introduces him to Lord Blackwood, an aristocrat who owns an old castle out in the country. Poe reveals to Foster that Lord Blackwood's castle is allegedly haunted, much to Foster's amusement. Lord Blackwood proposes a wager with Foster, betting that he cannot survive a whole night in the haunted castle. Foster accepts, and they head out to the country.

When Blackwood and Poe leave Foster at the gate, Foster enters the castle. He lights a torch, looks around, and encounters a woman. He is instantly attracted to her. She is the Lord Blackwood's sister. He then meets others, and learns of the castle's tortuous and evil history. Jealousy, lust, murder and revenge all characterize the inhabitants of the castle from long ago.

After several confrontations with what are now known to Alan as ghosts, rather than hallucinations, he tries to escape the manor at dawn with his newly-found love. She insists that she cannot leave, and uncontrollably disintegrates. Alan makes his final move to exit the gates of Blackwood Manor just as the sun is rising. However, it may be too late for Alan.....

Web of the Spider is a perfect horror movie for fans of Klaus Kinski, Italian horror or period films. It has a dark and hazy atmosphere that only films of its type can offer. However, it is unfortunate that Klaus Kinski, who delivers a stellar performance as Edgar Allen Poe, is in the film for a total of 15 minutes. Fans of films such as Castle of the Walking Dead (aka The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism) and Amando de Ossorio's Fangs of the Living Dead will find this particular film to their liking.

Other horror movies starring Klaus Kinski:
Nosferatu: The Vampyre
Schizoid
Count Dracula

Other horror movies starring Anthony Franciosa:
Tenebrae

Other horror movies directed by Antonio Margheritti:
Cannibal Apocalypse
Killer Fish