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.

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Plot Keywords:

spider | doctor | death | jungle | venezuela | 

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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 | Sci-Fi | Thriller | Horror

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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

The sound of a spider being crushed by John Goodman was made by the foley artists crushing a couple of potato chips

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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: [after killing a spider] Therapy.

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Connections

Referenced in Spider-Man (2002)

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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

Ewwww, Spiders...

Spiders are not a favorite of many people, something about eight legs does not appeal to the masses. The movie Arachnophobia plays on the fears of an audience, while mixing in enough humor to engage the viewer with a standard horror story. Jeff Daniels plays a big city doctor who moves out into the country to take over the practice of the soon-to-be retiring doctor who has served for about 140 years or so. The Daniels' character is also scared of spiders, so when killer spiders enter the town, we have the standard ingredients to the standard horror movie. The spiders look convincing enough to scare almost anybody, and the exterminator, played by John Goodman, offers enough jokes to lead to an entertaining movie. There is nothing Earth-shattering about the film, but for popcorn season, this movie will not disappoint.