Spiral of Temptation: Strippoli’s Lurid Faustian Horror Enters Venice

Venice Competition horror The Spiral offers a lurid Faustian fable in which a mother saves her daughter from amputation at the cost of another child, after striking a deal with a chic Satan. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi injects the film with stylish camp energy, and while the aesthetic and performance are standout, the narrative is bogged down by a flashback-heavy structure and a thriller that often trades depth for mood, signaling Strippoli’s rising status as a horror auteur even if the film is more style than substance.