Curse of the Black Widow

Private eye Franciosa is hired by nervy Mills to investigate her husband's death, only to find this leads to a series of murders of men close to her, where the victims are coccooned and filled with venom. Cop Morrow is suitably exasperated and encourages Franciosa to find a solution he can put in a report. This picture allows Curtis full rein to create an outlandish horror story, populated by distinct characters, played by versatile actors. Special effects are excellent and used sparingly. Franciosa is effortless as the insouciant detective whose initial scepticism crumbles as he learns more about Mills family, including mom Lockhart and icy sister Duke.

Were-Spider By Night

Some men are dying in horrific ways in SoCal and a private investigator seeks the answers (Tony Franciosa) while the detective in charge tries to keep a lid on the unusual details (Vic Morrow). A woman hires the private eye, who has a twin (Donna Mills and Patty Duke).

"Curse of the Black Widow" (1977) is similar to other spooky thrillers of the 70s by Dan Curtis, like "The Night Strangler" (1973), "The Norliss Tapes" (1973) and "Scream of the Wolf" (1974), all of which were made-for-TV. One critic said its unintentionally funny, but I didnt see that. Sure, its an outlandish state of affairs, which is acknowledged by the players, but the tone is kept serious with the cast respecting the material.

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