Spider Baby (1964)

They're talking about us Virginia..........I know!

My god....this is a cult classic film that I just accidently happened to stumble upon. Without this film there would be no devils rejects, no texas Chainsaw massacre, no rocky horror picture show, not to mention a load of other films. This film is funny....it's more darkly comic than anything else. It should not be taken seriously, and yet there are some truly terrifying moments. Excellent, really excellent. such a shame Jill Banner died at such a young age...she had the makings of a terrific actress. October 23, 2008

Brilliant, one of a kind movie!

One of the greatest movies i have ever seen!!! Great performances by all and especially by Jill Banner(Virginia).

Saw it for the first time a month ago and have watched it 5 times since then. Most movies being made today don't even compare to this MASTERPIECE.

Highly Recommended! June 21, 2008

The Devil's Rejects before they were hip!

Oh boy, this is one family you don't want to visit! They are all afflicted with a genetic disease named after, and prevalent only in, their family. It is a basic regression where your mind develops in a backwards fashion and soon you aren't aware that it is not socially acceptable to eat the cat or murder the mailman.
The "family" is looked after by Bruno, the butler, who is charmingly portrayed by Lon Chaney, Jr., with that sweet disposition and sad eyes that made us feel sympathy for the Wolfman.
He tries to keep everything "normal" during a visit from the greedy uncle looking into his share of the family dough. Well, we all know how that ends up! There is a great scene where the guests are served dinner and you can just feel their pain as one disgusting dish after another is presented to them.
All in all, a very twisted, funny, and entertaining movie.
Also- VERY cool- watch for Sid Haig (the future Captain Spaulding, speaking of Devil's Rejects!) who plays Ralph, the craziest family member who HASN'T yet made the transition to being locked up in the basement!
Gotta love him! He was destined to be a freak! May 22, 2008

Loads of fun.

Spider Baby (Jack Hill, 1964)

Jack Hill and his old pal Sid Haig (Haig, as an actor, and Hill, as a director/writer, both got their respective starts in Hill's The Host) reunite for yet another incredibly silly film, this one involving an inbred family whose children grow normally until they reach the age of ten, at which time they begin a slow descent into psychotic cannibalism. The last three surviving children of the clan, Virginia (Jill Banner), Elizabeth (Beverly Washburn), and Ralph (Haig), are watched over by their late father's longtime chauffeur, Bruno (Lon Chaney Jr.). Everything's going along swimmingly, with the exception of the occasional deliveryman (Mantan Moreland, long known as Birmingham Brown in the Charlie Chan flicks) getting offed by Elizabeth, until the last surviving relatives and their lawyer descend on the house to try and get the girls into school (and claim the family inheritance, naturally). They insist on spending the night in the house. Mayhem ensues.

Now, Spider Baby is not deathless cinema by any standards, but that said, it's an absolute joy to watch. Sid Haig is almost hypnotic. The two girls play the mixture of nubile innocence and murderous rage with a surprisingly nuanced air for such a basement-budget flick. The characters are, for the most part, well-rounded, and there's enough variety in them that they don't resemble a walking buffet, as the camp counselors in so many slasher films do, for example. It's kind of a revelation to find out that even bad horror comedies from the sixties are better-written and more fun than most modern not-scary horror flicks. (Also: how weird is it that so many people involved with this movie died in 1973? THE CURSE OF SPIDER BABY!) Looking forward to the remake, which will most likely be as disappointing as "remake" implies, but I still have some hope. ***
February 12, 2008

Wonderful film! and wonderful version of it

I won't go into detail about how good the film is (which is a brilliant horror/comedy film) but the quality of the DVD. The image transfer is straight from the negative print which is very crisp. Previous editions (if you could find it) of this film were copied from a copied VHS tape. The extras are great if you are a big fan of the film. January 7, 2008

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