‘Blood-curdling! Hair-raising! Spine-chilling!’
Ein Toter hing im Netz (‘A Corpse Hung in the Web’) is a 1960 West German sci-fi horror film directed by Fritz Böttger [as Jaime Nolan] and produced by Wolf C. Hartwig (The Head, Dead Sexy, Bloody Moon).
The film was dubbed and released in the United States by Pacemaker Pictures as It’s Hot in Paradise (sometimes advertised as just Hot in Paradise) in March 1962.
It was later re-issued by Pacemaker in November 1965 in a 75-minute edited ‘horror’ version titled Horrors of Spider Island. It was also released in the United States as The Spider’s Web and Girls of Spider Island.
Pacemaker Pictures specialised in releasing European imported movies, bolstered by their lurid ad campaigns, such as The Slaughter of the Vampires, Terror-Creatures from the Grave and Bloody Pit of Horror.
Blu-ray release:
Horrors of Spider Island was released on Blu-ray by Severin Films on May 26th 2020 with both the original, uncut version, scanned from the negative and the alternate U.S. version (as It’s Hot in Paradise), scanned from a low-con film print. Special features:
Horrors of Spider Island – original, uncut version of the film
It’s Hot in Paradise – U.S. edit of the film
The History of Spider Island with Professor Doctor Marcus Stiglegger
Audio interview with actor Alexander D’Arcy by film historian David Del Valle
Alternate clothed scenes
Trailer
Blu-ray review:
Severin finally gives fans of this sleazy trash classic the chance to see the original uncut German version in superior quality (albeit with a few blemishes that add to the retro aesthetic), including its brief scenes of nudity! The glimpses of pulchritude are hardly earth-shattering and very tame and yet they provide a much better viewing experience for those who crave the real exploitation deal. Even the shorter It’s Hot in Paradise English language version is better quality than all previous DVD incarnations which can be donated to your local charity shop.
There is also the option to watch the movie in its original language with English subtitles which provides a completely different, more serious take on the shenanigans that take place on the island as opposed to the hilarious international dubbed version.
It’s a shame Severin couldn’t find an exploitation sinema expert or two to provide a lively audio commentary. Still, we do get an informative fifteen-minute video overview of the movie (‘The History of Spider Island’) and German cinema of the era by the rather dapper Professor Doctor Marcus Stiglegger who is thankfully not the dry academic type that sometimes provides disc extras. Producer Wolf C. Hartwig’s extensive oeuvre is mentioned – it includes the equally trashy 1959 film The Head and the dodgy 70s Schoolgirl Report series – plus some amusing details about star Alexander D’Arcy’s varied dalliances in the movie industry. Actor Rainer Brandt’s infamous alternate dubbing career is also mentioned in which he ad-libbed dialogue with often sexist lines.
Horror historian David Del Valle – who admits having never seen the movie at the time – provides a brief (two and a half minutes) audio interview with actor Alexander D’Arcy in which the latter claims that director Fritz Böttger had no idea what he was doing so he had to step in and assist with giving pointers to the amateurish actresses!
Needless to say, the Severin Blu-ray release is highly welcome.
Adrian J Smith, MOVIES and MANIA
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