The Hound of the Baskervilles

Sir Christopher Lee readily admitted he had a morbid fear of spiders, and the panic on his face during the scene with the tarantula was not due to acting. However, an examination of the scene does not show any shots in which one can see both Lee and a live spider--whenever Lee's face is shown, the spider is motionless --so this may just be publicity hype.

In their discussion regarding the source of the tarantula used to attack Sir Henry, Watson asks Holmes how he knew the spider had not secreted itself with Sir Henry's luggage from South Africa and instead came from the collection of a local and eminent entomologist, Bishop Frankland. In classic form, Holmes says, "Elementary, my dear Watson, tarantulas are not from South Africa." He is wrong, as tarantulas, such as the baboon spider, are native to South Africa. A bit earlier in the film, Bishop Frankland asks if the tarantula in question had originated from one of the village. Here the expert was mistaken as tarantulas are not native to the countryside or villages of England. (To be fair, the good clergyman may have been trying to avoid admitting that a tarantula loaned to him by the London Zoo had gone missing.)

Featured in Aweful Movies with Deadly Earnest: The Hound of the Baskervilles (1969)