The Case of the Scorpion's Tail

• This was Sergio Martino's second giallo, made right after The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (1971). George Hilton came back for it and later called it his favorite giallo he made, tied with My Dear Killer.
• It's an Italian-Spanish co-production put together through Devon Film in Rome and Copercines Cooperativa Cinematográfica in Madrid. Interiors were built at Elios Studios in Rome while the crew shot exteriors in London, Athens, and on the Greek island of Pondikonisi.
• Three credited writers worked the script together — Ernesto Gastaldi, Eduardo Manzanos Brochero, and Sauro Scavolini — typical for how fast these gialli got cranked out.
• Production got moving in Greece in early April 1971; the locations were picked partly for the financial incentives of filming there.
• West Germany released it as Der Schwanz des Skorpions — a literal translation of the Italian title, not the 'case' framing used in English-speaking markets.
• Titanus put it in Italian theaters on August 16, 1971, where it pulled in roughly 687 million lire.

Lisa's death midway through the film rather than at its climax suggests Martino is punishing her for sexual agency — she inherits, she seduces, she travels alone, and the narrative removes her for it. The film's moral economy treats her desire as more dangerous than the killer's blade.

Peter's romance with journalist Cléo plays as more than incidental plotting — it's what humanizes the character the film spends its whole runtime coding as the trustworthy investigator, which is exactly what makes the reveal that he's the killer land. Martino uses the romance to launder Peter's credibility right up until the story yanks it away.

Lisa Baumer's husband Kurt dies when his plane blows up mid-flight, and she's due a