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At its peak, the Italian film industry had no qualms about cannibalizing a successful genre until there was nothing left but a picked over skeleton. But in 1971, Argento's The Bird with the Crystal Plumage was still a ripe source of material (and titles) for producers to emulate, pushing the giallo format to new levels of onscreen sex and violence. The Case of the Scorpion's Tail is actually more restrained than some latter titles, but still offers up one heck of a bonkers screenplay by Ernesto Gastaldi and energetic direction from Sergio Martino, the two of whom would collaborate several more times in the coming decade.

After the death of her husband, Lisa Baumer travels to Greece to collect on the million-dollar insurance policy. But her every move is watched by a greedy mistress out for a piece of the fortune and an insurance agent, Peter Lynch (George Hilton) who suspects it's all a big scam. After a series of murders - and an attempt on his life - Peter's investigation turns into a dangerous who-done-it, teaming up with a beautiful reporter (Anita Strindberg) to close the case which revolves around a scorpion-shaped cuff link.

A giallo is only as good as the people behind it, and this one has some real talent. Martino might not have the artistic eye of his peers, but the murder scenes are stylish and intense and the vacation settings are a refreshing change of scenery. Gastaldi's script switches protagonists no less than three times, making the plot enjoyably unpredictable, all leading up to a wickedly satisfying final twist. The Case of the Scorpion's Tale isn't often mentioned among the genre's best, but it should be!

1974's What Have They Done to Your Daughters? is a less playful example of what the genre is capable of. Directed by Massimo Dallam no, whose previous What Have You Done to Solange? (1972) already pushed the boundaries of good taste in dealing with victimized minors, focuses on a headline-grabbing teenage prostitution ring leaving a trail of dead bodies. Opening with the apparent suicide of a 15-year-old girl, the film isn't shy about dropping details of the case, which Deputy Attorney Vittoria Stori (Giovanna Ralli) and Commissioner Silvestri (Claudio Cassinelli) take on personally.

While it features a gloved killer (clad in motorcycle leathers this time around) and a good amount of stalk n' slash action, Daughters refrains from glorifying the obvious exploitation opportunities inherent in the plot. In fact, the script goes out of its way to emphasize the horror suffered by its underage victims (a scene made up of nothing more than a hidden microphone is unnervingly effective). The casting of a powerful female lead is, in itself, an unusual one, and a good signifier that Dallamano was going for something different here. His film is often tough to watch, but masterfully crafted just the same.

While the giallo was specific to Italy, its influence spread around the world, particularly America where the work of directors like John Carpenter and Brian De Palma embraced the overtly sexualized violence and almost operatic visual style. Shot just before his breakthrough success with Halloween, Carpenter's TV feature, Someone's Watching Me! (1978) hearkens back to the genre's roots as a Hitchcock-inspired cautionary tale about a single woman (Lauren Hutton) harassed by a dangerously obsessed voyeur watching her with a telescope from the top of a neighboring high-rise. It might be a stretch to lump this one in with Italy's over-the-top entries (we're talking Network TV, after all), but there are enough connections to see just where Carpenter was headed.

A strong-willed, Howard Hawksian heroine, Hutton makes a good impression here as Leigh Michaels, refusing to run away from her stalker who seems to have complete access to her futuristic - at least for the late '70s - apartment. With the support of a co-worker (Adrienne Barbeau), Leigh takes the initiative and stages a Rear Window-style investigation of her own. The Hitchcock references are all a bit on the nose (Carpenter's script also name drops quite a few of his other influences), but Someone's Watching Me! works fairly well within the limits of its ten-day, set-bound, shooting schedule. As Carpenter's first studio picture working with a union crew, it lacks much of his signature widescreen style. But Halloween fans will pick up on the frequent Panaglide shots that would come to define that film, here getting a good practice run.

Scream Factory's Blu-ray features a new 2K scan with options for TV or theatrical aspect ratios, plus TV spots, an audio commentary with author Amanda Reyes and interviews with Adrienne Barbeau, Charles Cyphers, and John Carpenter, who's surprisingly enthusiastic about his work here.