The Spiral Review: Paolo Strippoli's Lurid Faustian Tragedy Shores Up His Reputation as Italy's New Horror Virtuoso Paolo Strippoli's "The Spiral" is a film that wears its influences on its sleeve, but in doing so, it may also be obscuring some of its own creative shortcomings.
The Italian horror specialist's fourth feature has been making waves at Venice, with many hailing it as a breakthrough performance by a director who's quickly become the darling of the genre.
The film's use of image and sound to create an unsettling atmosphere is striking from the opening sequence, which features a plane in turbulent flight, setting the tone for the rest of the film with its jarring soundscape and chaotic visuals.