‘The Spiral’ Review: Valeria Bruni Tedeschi Is The Devil In Disguise In Paolo Strippoli’s Fiendishly Fun Horror-Thriller – Venice Film Festival
News Source
•Mon, 07 Sep 2026 19:27:39 +0000
📰 What Happened
Deadline reviewed The Spiral at the Venice Film Festival. It is a horror-thriller directed by Paolo Strippoli. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi plays the devil in disguise.
The critic calls the movie loud, unsubtle and fiendishly fun. It plays in the main Competition, not in a side section. That surprised some people, because the film is openly commercial.
The story blends the style of The Great Beauty with the old horror tale The Monkey's Paw. The critic says its themes reach far beyond the horror crowd.
🔍 The Backstory
Venice usually reserves its Competition for serious, artistic films. Commercial horror rarely earns that spot. So The Spiral's place in the lineup stands out.
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi is a celebrated French-Italian actress. She often plays elegant, complicated women. Here she gets to enjoy a wicked, showy role.
This year's Venice lineup is packed with heavy documentaries and political dramas. A playful horror-thriller gives festival crowds a welcome change of mood.
🎯 Why It Matters
Genre films rarely make big festival competitions. The Spiral shows that horror can be just as worthy of awards, and gives audiences a fun pick to watch.
Deadline reviewed The Spiral at the Venice Film Festival. It is a horror-thriller directed by Paolo Strippoli. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi plays the devil in disguise.
The critic calls the movie loud, unsubtle and fiendishly fun. It plays in the main Competition, not in a side section. That surprised some people, because the film is openly commercial.
The story blends the style of The Great Beauty with the old horror tale The Monkey's Paw. The critic says its themes reach far beyond the horror crowd.
Venice usually reserves its Competition for serious, artistic films. Commercial horror rarely earns that spot. So The Spiral's place in the lineup stands out.
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi is a celebrated French-Italian actress. She often plays elegant, complicated women. Here she gets to enjoy a wicked, showy role.
This year's Venice lineup is packed with heavy documentaries and political dramas. A playful horror-thriller gives festival crowds a welcome change of mood.
Genre films rarely make big festival competitions. The Spiral shows that horror can be just as worthy of awards, and gives audiences a fun pick to watch.