Arachnophobia - for those unfamiliar with the term - is the fear of spiders. So, yeah, you might have guessed it: this film is about spiders.
Spiders. You either hate them, or you loathe them. Sorry, but I can't wrap my head around the thought of 'loving' them. Way too many legs and eyes! I love creepy crawly movies, as they somehow tend to get under your skin. 'Arachnophobia' takes a lighter approach to a rather serious film - a perfect blend of both worlds. Never too serious and never comical, substituting gore for suspense. The suspense is cleverly set up, taking advantage of every opportunity. The equally clever camera work maximizes every effort at creating suspense.
'Arachnophobia' boasts a very good script, very well executed. Great cinematography, very good photography, good performances, and utilizing an age old fear of spiders to maximum effect. Using over 300 real spiders for the film, the suspense and realism of the film is grounded, and its even creepier than it ought to be. The characters are also nicely fleshed out so we care about every one of them. I so enjoyed John Goodman as comic relief exterminator Delbert.
I guarantee you'd want to squash every spider you see after watching this. You might even get an uneasy feeling by simply sitting on your couch! Oh, and check your popcorn...
'Arachnophobia' is a real treat, and scores high on an entertainment level. If you do have arachnophobia, though, you might want to give this one a skip. This film is so well made, it still holds well by today's standards, and is hard to believe it was made over three decades ago!
