Arachnophobia (1990)

South American killer spider hitches a lift to the US in a coffin and starts to breed and kill.

Director:

Frank Marshall

Writers:

Don Jakoby (story), Al Williams (story),

Stars:

Jeff Daniels, Harley Jane Kozak, John Goodman

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeff Daniels	...	Dr. Ross Jennings
Harley Jane Kozak	...	Molly Jennings
John Goodman	...	Delbert McClintock
Julian Sands	...	Doctor James Atherton
Stuart Pankin	...	Sheriff Lloyd Parsons
Brian McNamara	...	Chris Collins
Mark L. Taylor	...	Jerry Manley
Henry Jones	...	Doctor Sam Metcalf
Peter Jason	...	Henry Beechwood
James Handy	...	Milton Briggs
Roy Brocksmith	...	Irv Kendall
Kathy Kinney	...	Blaire Kendall
Mary Carver	...	Margaret Hollins
Garette Ratliff Henson	...	Tommy Jennings (as Garette Patrick Ratliff)
Marlene Katz	...	Shelley Jennings

Storyline

A large spider from the jungles of South America is accidently transported in a crate with a dead body to America where it mates with a local spider. Soon after, the residents of a small California town disappear as the result of spider bites from the deadly spider offspring. It's up to a couple of doctors with the help of an insect exterminator to annihilate these eight legged freaks before they take over the entire town.

---

Plot Keywords:

spider | doctor | death | jungle | venezuela | 

---

Taglines:

The suspense of Alien! The excitement of Jaws! The fun of Back To The Future!

---

Genres:

Comedy | Sci-Fi | Thriller | Horror

---

Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA Venezuela

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

18 July 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aracnofobia

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$31,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$53,133,888 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hollywood Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, Tangled Web Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Finnish Censorship visas " 96861 delivered on 10-4-1991 (theatrical) and # T-96861 delivered on 4-9-1990 (VHS).

---

Goofs

When a mouse is injected with venom from one of the spiders it is placed in a jar and left on the table top. The camera pans to the doctors so that the mouse is not in shot, and when the camera pans back to the mouse you can clearly see the jar being removed and replaced with a dead mouse in a jar. [This is visible only in the full-frame version shown on broadcast TV -- the proper, letter-boxed, version does not show this at all (it's out of the frame).]

---

Quotes

Delbert McClintock: Would anyone object if I tore this floor out?
Molly Jennings: I would.
Delbert McClintock: False alarm then. Lead on.

---

Connections

References Wheel of Fortune (1981)

---

Soundtracks

"Summer Wind"
Written by Henry Mayer, Hans Brudtke and Johnny Mercer
Performed by Frank Sinatra

User Reviews

Freakish thriller

"Arachnophobia" is a very entertaining horror movie produced by Steven Spielberg. It's takes the fear of spiders to the next level. The film opens with an expedition in South America where a very deadly tarantula puts the bite on an American photographer, killing him in the process. Just before the body gets transferred back to the U.S., the spider sneaks into the coffin. Once in the states, the tarantula quickly mates with a domestic house spider and that creates the ultimate nightmare. Before you know it, a new strain of spiders have been born, that these little creepy crawlers are just as lethal! Jeff Daniels is excellent as the new doctor in town who hates spiders. He begins to realize something strange is happening. A couple of deaths occur, and the doc feels that these unexpected demises might be spider related. And man it's a scary ride to the finish. "Arachnophobia" literally gave me the creeps. And it's also funny. Many of the film's comedy is provided by John Goodman as the town exterminator. He's literally a hoot. The thing about this movie that surprised me is that I was pulled into the story right from the beginning and it kept my attention all the way to the end. "Arachnophobia" was directed by Frank Marshall, Spielberg's long time collaborater, in his directorial debut. Marshall did a very good job his first time out helming a film which looked like a promising career move at first. He made his second film, "Alive" a few years later (I've not seen this one yet). Then he made "Congo", which was one of the worst movies of 1995, and hasn't directed another movie since (at least not to my knowledge). But "Arachnophobia" was an above average debut for Marshall. He's got good potential as a director. This isn't a brilliant movie, but a good one. And it's lots of fun. One word of warning: if you have a fear of spiders, don't watch this. You'll probably hate it. Don't say I didn't warn you.

*** (out of four)