I am fairly convinced that spiders are the dominant species on this planet. They're everywhere, the sight of one makes my skin crawl. Statistically, it's said that a human will consume, on average, 6-8 spiders in their lifetimes while sleeping. That terrifies me beyond anything. Just the thought of arachnids makes me want to go to the bathroom, where they're probably hiding. Watching "Arachnophobia" as a little kid certainly didn't help my problem.
The film follows Doctor Ross Jennings (Jeff Daniels) as he and his family move to the rural California town of Canaima. He is taking over as the town's medical practitioner after leaving the hustle and bustle of San Francisco, after the current doctor Sam Metcalf (played by the delightfully grumpy Henry Jones) is forced into retirement. Happening on the other side of the world a few months earlier Jerry Manly (Mark L. Taylor), a photographer from Canaima, meets an unfortunate end after being killed by a new species of giant spider, discovered by entomologist Doctor James Atherton. The deadly arachnoid then hitches a ride in his coffin and back to Canaima, where it mates with a species of house spider, creating a new deadly breed of spider.
The pair of creepy crawlies then make a home in the Jennings's new home, unknown to them or the rest of the town. Soon, they begin to spread out and kill some of the town's population. The town exterminator, Delbert McClintock (played by the extremely fun John Goodman, absolutely killing it in the role) is puzzled by the culprit, a supposed spider. When things escalate beyond control, Atherton is called in to track down and help stop the spread of a new, ultra-deadly spider.
This movie is scary. It totally plays on our fears of spiders. The scenes in the movies deal with spiders hiding behind normal house-hold objects and jumping. JUMPING, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, THE SPIDERS IN THIS MOVIE CAN JUMP ON TO PEOPLE. That's where the majority of the suspense from the film comes from. Director Frank Marshall, will follow the spiders with the camera, or hide them in an object, then have someone come up and grab it. It's really corny and taking the easy way out to create suspense, but holy cow does it work really effectively.
Oh hell no... I've got nothing in terms of a caption for this still from "Arachnophobia."
Jeff Daniels is also great as Jennings, a doctor who is suddenly dealing with a series of deadly spiders, after he himself had a traumatic experience as a little child, setting us up for what will ultimately be the climax of the film (see if you can catch it). He knows exactly when to play up the melodrama (this film is extremely melodramatic) and when to be afraid. Jennings realizes early on that something is not right in the town. Crickets haven't been chirping, dead birds have been turning up, and there is an enormous web in the barn on their property. His calls of attention are ignored by Sam Metcalf, an old fashioned guy in a world that's forcing him to move on.
The comic relief is greatly brought by John Goodman's character, a beer can collecting, self appreciative exterminator who is prepped for any sort of insect or spider problem. Goodman's character is a perfect reflection of the film that he is in. A popcorn character in a popcorn movie, playing the town's only immediate defense against the deadly arachnoids.
Nope, nope, nope, nope... We feel your terror, Mr. Daniels
SPOILERS ABOUT THE ENDING:
The final scene features a great cat and mouse chase between one the giant Venezuelan spider at the opening of the film and Daniels. It is extremely effective and very suspenseful, reminding me greatly of the final scene in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds." Not even to mention that it features, quite possibly, the most satisfying conclusion of the spiders ever, involving a nail guy, electrical box, an egg sack covered in wine. It is over the top, relieving, and scary as hell.Interestingly enough, the film features second unit direction by Steven Spielberg. "Arachnophobia" is about facing your fears. Otherwise, it's just a film about spiders killing people, which in and of itself, is scary enough. The movie is a slick, well played, well written B-movie type picture that plays on the fear and statistical fact that human beings are never more than 6-8 feet from a spider.
7/10
- Rated PG-13
- Directed by Frank Marshall
- Written by Don Jakoby & Al Williams
- Runtime - 103 minutes
- 6.3 stars of 10 on IMDb
- 91% on Rotten Tomatoes
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