Earth vs. the Spider (1958)

Director:

Bert I. Gordon

Writers:

László Görög (screenplay) and
George Worthing Yates (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

September 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

It Must Eat You to Live!

Plot:

Teenagers from a rural community and their high school science teacher join forces to battle a giant mutant spider.

Plot Keywords:

High School | Cave | Night | Ddt | Giant Spider

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Dec. 26

4:15 AM

AMC

Cast

Ed Kemmer	...	Professor Art Kingman
June Kenney	...	Carol Flynn
Eugene Persson	...	Mike Simpson (as Gene Persson)
Gene Roth	...	Sheriff Cagle
Hal Torey	...	Mr. Simpson
June Jocelyn	...	Mrs. Jack Flynn
Mickey Finn	...	Sam Haskel, Road Foreman
Sally Fraser	...	Mrs. Helen Kingman
Troy Patterson	...	Joe
Skip Young	...	Sam the Bass Player
Howard Wright	...	Jake
Bill Giorgio	...	Deputy Sheriff Pete Sanders
Hank Patterson	...	Hugo the River Falls H.S. Janitor
Jack Kosslyn	...	Mr. Fraser, Camera Club Teacher
Bob Garnet	...	Springdale Pest Control Man

Also Known As:

Earth vs. the Giant Spider
The Spider (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (Certificate #19120) | USA:Not Rated (DVD) | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Trivia:

This was filmed as "The Spider". Prior to completion, the title was changed to "Earth vs. The Spider" and that was used for the main title on the film itself. When The Fly (1958) became a blockbuster for 20th Century Fox, American International decided to ride on their success by changing the title back to simply "The Spider" on all advertising material. The main title on the film itself was never changed.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The spider expert repeatedly refers to them as insects.

Quotes:

Sheriff Cagle: [to a deputy after finding a desiccated body in a cave] Uh, you get back to town and make up a coroner's report. Just put down Jack Flynn as the name and the cause of death... uh...
Mr. Kingman: It was a spider drained all the liquid out of his body.
Sheriff Cagle: [Officiously] Just put down "cause unknown" and let the coroner worry about the rest. That's the trouble with you eggheads - you jump to conclusions! I know what I see and I see a dead man, but, uh, I don't see any spider.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Fly Papers: The Buzz on Hollywood's Scariest Insect (2000) (TV)

Decent

Earth vs. The Spider (1958)

** (out of 4)

Two teens walk into a cave and run out when they see a huge spider. The police think they kill it but soon the spider is terrorizing the town. Director Bert I. Gordon made countless "big bug" films throughout his career and this one here is in the middle but if you're in the mood for a drive-in flick then this one here is a classic. This certainly isn't a very good movie but it manages to keep you entertained for over an hour. The special effects of the spider are downright awful but that's why they're so much fun. The performances aren't any better either but again, that just adds to the films charm.