*** 1/2 An Arachnophobic's Worse Nightmare.

One of those classic 50's black and white sci-fi/horror movies involving a giant bug (Them, The Deadly Mantis). Somewhere I heard that it's based on some TV show called "Tales of Tomorrow", but whatever it is, it obviously has a tarantula in it.

Through a classic mad-scientist sort of thing, a giant taratula rampages through the dessert, eating everything in site. Nothing seems to stop it, until it is firebombed by napalm. That's it for the spider parts, but there is also a backplot involving strange experiments on nutrient supplements which would either substitute for food, enlarge the animal, or cause death through acromegalia, a disease where the thyroid gland overacts and the person is all smooched up.

This one is a classic "giant-bug on the loose" tail. It involves the special effects process involving a living animal that is filmed and pieced together with other film that makes it look like it's huge. Usually, it's a lame technique, but somehow it works for this one. Through good camera angles, it looks more realistic than other techniques and yet still looks gigantic. They did a good job with a usually lame technique, making it better than you would think at first. The rest of the special effects are good too, except for some minor glitches and the fact that explosions don't even hit the spider, even when they are suppose too. I don't like them torturing a poor little tarantula, but come on, couldn't they have actually hit it with the explosions! They had to torch the thing in the end anyways!

Although the special effects are surprisingly good, the plot isn't so great. Well, actually, it's pretty good, it just because the whole thing doesn't even have to do with giant spiders. It goes on and on throughout 3/4 of the movie on stupid diseases that don't even fit with the spider parts! It seems like they were trying to do two things at once. Plus, the irrelevant backplot takes up so much space; you don't get to see the spider all that much. It even has the annoying part where thing seems invincible, but before it is just about to get to the town and cause havoc, which would pace the thing up and make a great climax, planes come and bomb the thing, killing it instantly. One building, that's it?! Come on, we want to see destruction! All the other movies have it, why not this one? Who knows, who cares?

Anyway, this is still a good movie that is a good watch. Plop it in with "The Deadly Mantis" and you got yourself a cool double feature! It's a great generic 50's monster movie, good for anybody who likes it or likes to laugh at it. Go ahead, rent it or buy it today. It's fun!

Good, but irrelevant, plot.

Surprisingly good special effects.

It's fun!

It's a classic!

Big spider, really big spider!

Plot is totally irrelevant.

Not enough spider!

When you see a pile of gooey white stuff, you should taste it.

"Technically, a giant spider is impossible because their respiratory systems cannot…" "Oh, shut up!"

Yeaha, he's going to destroy stuff! This is going to be fun! What, it’s dead? Cheap shots!

Credits