Smartaleck private eye Mark Highbie (a spirited and engaging performance by Anthony Franciosa) investigates a series of baffling murders in which the male victims are found drained of blood and pumped full of spider venom.
Boy, does this 70's made-for-TV horror creature feature offer a wondrous wealth of deliciously kitschy delights: A gloriously ludicrous premise that's played straight by director Dan Curtis, cheesy (less than) special effects, goofy giant spider POV shots, Patty Duke wearing a dark wig and mangling a German accent while acting all crazy, sexy, and mysterious, an obvious stuntman doubling for an actress who takes a fatal spill out of a window, and an "it ain't over yet!" ending that leaves the door wide open for a sequel that was alas never made. Moreover, the able cast do an admirable job of not cracking up over the absurd material: Donna Mills as the distraught Leigh Lockwood, Max Gail as easygoing detective Ragsdale, Vic Morrow as the gruff Lt. Gully Conti, Jeff Corey as sage Native American Aspa Soldado, Sid Caesar as smarmy flesh peddler Lazlo Cozart, and, best of all, Roz Kelly, who provides plenty of spark as Highbie's sassy secretary Flaps. A real hoot and a half.
Boy, does this 70's made-for-TV horror creature feature offer a wondrous wealth of deliciously kitschy delights: A gloriously ludicrous premise that's played straight by director Dan Curtis, cheesy (less than) special effects, goofy giant spider POV shots, Patty Duke wearing a dark wig and mangling a German accent while acting all crazy, sexy, and mysterious, an obvious stuntman doubling for an actress who takes a fatal spill out of a window, and an "it ain't over yet!" ending that leaves the door wide open for a sequel that was alas never made. Moreover, the able cast do an admirable job of not cracking up over the absurd material: Donna Mills as the distraught Leigh Lockwood, Max Gail as easygoing detective Ragsdale, Vic Morrow as the gruff Lt. Gully Conti, Jeff Corey as sage Native American Aspa Soldado, Sid Caesar as smarmy flesh peddler Lazlo Cozart, and, best of all, Roz Kelly, who provides plenty of spark as Highbie's sassy secretary Flaps. A real hoot and a half.