Ein Toter hing im Netz (1960)

Director:

Fritz Böttger

Writers:

Fritz Böttger (writer)
Eldon Howard (writer)

Release Date:

March 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

A handful of girls enslaved by a diabolical human beast on an island where there is no way out...

Plot:

Survivors of a plane crash on a remote island find it is covered by spiders. When bitten, the survivors start turning into spiders!

Plot Keywords:

Spider | Crash | Island | Skinny Dipping | Dancer

Cast

Alexander D'Arcy	...	Gary Webster (as Alex d'Arcy)
Barbara Valentin	...	Babs (US version) (as Barbara Valentine)
Rainer Brandt	...	Bobby (as Allen Turner)
Harald Maresch	...	Joe (US version) (as Temple Foster)
Elfie Wagner	...	Linda (US version) (as Donna Ulsike)
Dorothee Parker	...	Gladys (as Norma Townes)
Helga Franck	...	Georgia
Helga Neuner	...	Ann
Gerry Sammer	...	May
Eva Schauland	...	Nelly
Helma Vandenberg	...	Kate (as Helma van den Berg)
Walter Faber	...	Mike Blackwood

Also Known As:

A Corpse Hangs in the Web (International: English title) (literal title)
Body in the Web (USA)
Ein Toter hing im Netz (West Germany) (dubbed version)
Girls of Spider Island (USA) (video title)
Horrors of Spider Island (USA) (reissue title)
It's Hot in Paradise (USA)
The Spider's Web (USA)

Runtime:

89 min | Germany:81 min | USA:77 min

Country:

West Germany | Yugoslavia

Language:

German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:18 (nf) | Finland:K-16 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Nicola, Yugoslavia

Company:

Intercontinental Film GmbH

Trivia:

First released to United States theaters in 1962 as an Adults-Only movie entitled "It's Hot in Paradise". Three years later (1965), trimmed of its nude scenes, it was re-released in the U.S. as a horror/sci-fi monster film, "Horrors of Spider Island".

Goofs:

Continuity: While going through the jungle with the girls, Gary's shirt is ripped, but when they arrive at the cabin, it is whole again.

Quotes:

Ann: Same old story - you're nice to a man and before you know it, he's getting thrashed.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Extra Weird (2003) (V)

Sufficiently Enjoyable Rubbish for Bad Movie Buffs

It doesn't take you long to suspect that this movie was made quickly and cheaply, and the opening scenes with the 'dance girl' auditions is definitely a large signpost which says "Bad Movie Buffs Only".

As you might expect from the title, there needs to be a way to quickly get our girls (and guy) to Spider Island, and the obligatory plane crash helps. It's the highlight of the film, as the stock footage suggests we are no longer watching a DC-3, but rather a Kamikaze plane in a ball of fire rapidly dropping from the sky into a raging sea. The fact that they all manage to survive almost confirms the amazing optimism expressed by the girls manager back on shore, where he tells a distressed relative on the phone "No need to fear the worse, all we know is the plane caught fire and we lost radio contact".

OK, I think its best come clean and reveal that the real horror of Spider Island is the appalling overdubbing of the voices. In fact, after a while, you start listening to the secondary sound effects, to see if they are as equally bad. I particularly like a scene where someone is showering in a waterfall, but the actual sound effect is that of someone gargling water. So, the film does manage in this way to keep your interest.

And, in a strange way, as the plot and women begin to be revealed, you begin to wonder what will happen next, only because you know it will not be logical, and probably will involve women fighting. And the women are great, a flash back to when buxom was in, women could really cat-fight, and they had no trouble in throwing themselves shamelessly at an ordinary man.

So overall, a few agreeable moments for the bad film buff. In particular, I suggest you watch out early on for the logical jump when they find an extended-handle hammer, and the guy concludes: "Ahh, an extended-handle hammer, they must be mining uranium". Now, as well known in bad film land, uranium is the universal cause of giant nasty animals, so you are ready for big spiders to start appearing. Yet, in this film, uranium also seems to be an aphrodisiac, making the extended-handle hammer metaphor even more poignant.

This movie was on the Treeline 50 sci-fi classics compilation – I suspect it is not readily available as a single release. The type of film you wouldn't seek to watch, but if you are stuck on the lounge after a heavy pizza and it came on, you probably would end up watching it.