THE SECRET OF THE BLACK WIDOW

 

This is another German Krimi feature, one of the dozens made in the early 1960s. It's part of a series of films supposedly based on the works of mystery writer Louis Weinert-Wilton, following up THE CARPET OF HORROR and THE WHITE SPIDER. 

THE SECRET OF THE BLACK WIDOW (original title DAS GEHEIMNIS DER SCHWARZEN WITWE) has a cast (Karin Dor, Klaus Kinski, Werner Peters, Doris Kirchner, Eddi Arent) and crew (director F. J. Gottlieb, music composer Martin Bottcher) that were old hands when it came to the Krimi genre. Despite that, the movie is somewhat humdrum at times, running about 100 minutes. 

Once again, a series of bizarre murders is being perpetrated. The victims are killed by a poison projectile attached to a black rubber spider, and they all were members of an expedition that went to Mexico twenty years ago. The surviving members are now rich businessmen based in London, and they are all major suspects, since whoever survives comes into possession of the Aztec treasure the group smuggled out of Mexico. Another major suspect is Clarisse (Karin Dor), the daughter of the man who didn't come back from the expedition. 

The leading male character in this Krimi is not a Scotland Yard inspector--it's a reporter named Wellby (O.W. Fischer) who happens to work for a newspaper run by one of the members of the expedition. Fischer gives a very off-putting performance--his Wellby is a pain in the neck who is constantly sipping from a whiskey flask, and he seems more interested in annoying people than solving the mystery. 

Wellby also has a (not surprisingly) interest in Clarisse, which means that poor Karin Dor has to fend off the advances of another Krimi leading man. Dor is a bit more involved in the story due to her character's connection with the murders, but you have to wonder if she was tired of these damsel in distress roles. 

Karin Dor in THE SECRET OF THE BLACK WIDOW

Klaus Kinski shows up about every ten minutes or so, and even though he's dressed like a British civil servant, he still gives off a creepy vibe....but the movie doesn't take advantage of his unique presence. The same can also be said for Eddi Arent, who as usual does the cowardly comic relief character. It's as if Kinski and Arent were put into the production because it was a Krimi, and they're supposed to be in it. 

THE SECRET OF THE BLACK WIDOW could have used some sharper editing--it goes on far too long, and a number of scenes seem superfluous, such as a sequence where Wellby takes Clarisse to a nightclub and they watch a emotionless torch singer belt out a song about....a black widow. There's also a mediocre car chase that won't excite anybody. Many sources state that this film was made in Spain, or at least part of it was. Wherever the locations were, they lack the expressionistic and seedy ambiance of the best Krimis. 

Fans of the Krimi genre will want to view THE SECRET OF THE BLACK WIDOW for the cast alone, but don't expect much out of it.