After the chilling allure of The Holy Boy (2025), Paolo Strippoli proves with his new film The Spiral that he is a true heir to the tradition of Italian fantastique cinema epitomized by Dario Argento. A mother from a wealthy bourgeois family makes a pact with a mysterious woman to save her daughter, who is in danger of losing her leg after a dog attack. But the devil never extends a hand without demanding something in return. The price draws the entire family into an endless spiral of tragedy. Evoking Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite (2019), the film also offers a pointed reflection on the Italian bourgeoisie of the 1980s, whose selfishness invites the devil into its own home. Against hypnotic, dreamlike Baroque-ish visuals, Italy’s leading actors Adriano Giannini and Jasmine Trinca generate palpable tension, while Valeria Bruni Tedeschi transforms into a startlingly demonic presence, delivering a performance unlike anything we have seen from her before. An elegant nightmare in which horror, class, and desire coil together like a spiral.
Born in Corato, Bari, Italy in 1993, he studied Performing Arts at Sapienza University before studying directing at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia (CSC) in Rome. In 2019, he won the Franco Solinas Award for Best Story for the co-written short screenplay The Unhappy Angel. His Netflix original film A Classic Horror Story (2021), co-directed with Roberto De Feo, won the Best Director award at the 67th Taormina Film Fest, and his psychological horror film Flowing (2022) was selected for the competition sections of the Sitges Film Festival, Austin Fantastic Fest, and Rome′s "Alice nella Città." His third feature, Holy Boy (2025), screened out of competition at the Venice Film Festival to critical and audience acclaim. The Spiral, starring Jasmine Trinca, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, and Adriano Giannini, had its world premiere in the main competition at the 2026 Venice Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Golden Lion.
From Busan International Film Festival 2026, No. 31
