Arachnofobia (1990)

A species of South American killer spider hitches a lift to the U.S. in a coffin and starts to breed and kill.

Director:

Frank Marshall

Writers:

Don Jakoby (story), Al Williams (story)

Stars:

Jeff Daniels, Julian Sands, 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.

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Plot Keywords:

spider | doctor | small town | arachnophobia | death | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

18 July 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Arachnofobia

Filming Locations:

California, 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

Canaima is the name of the avenging spirit of the Guyana Indians. It's also the name the area in Venezuela where the beginning of the movie was filmed and home to the world's tallest waterfall, Angel Falls.

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Goofs

After the Margaret's party where Doctor Jennings (Daniels) is introduced to village residents there is a shot of Margaret's feet as she enters her house followed by a spider. There is a noticeable 'Wobble' and the camera position shifts slightly as the frame is cut after the actress passes before the spider enters. (The spider would have been filmed separately then the shots spliced together.)

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Quotes

Dr. Ross Jennings: Not the Chateau.

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Connections

Referenced in Countdown: Episode #22.12 (1991)

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Soundtracks

I Left My Heart In San Francisco
Written by George Cory (as George C. Cory) and Douglass Cross
Performed by Tony Bennett

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)