Arachnophobia (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	...	Ross Jennings
Harley Jane Kozak	...	Molly Jennings
John Goodman	...	Delbert McClintock
Julian Sands	...	Dr. James Atherton
Stuart Pankin	...	Sheriff Parsons
Brian McNamara	...	Chris Collins
Mark L. Taylor	...	Jerry Manley
Henry Jones	...	Dr. 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 | arachnophobia | doctor | small town | spider bite | 

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Taglines:

Eight legs, two fangs and an attitude.

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Jeff Daniels came on board to play Dr. Ross Jennings, the film was a serious horror movie, one that Daniels told Philadelphia's "Daily News" was pretty formulaic" "You could tell that the lines were kind of written by computer," he said. He and Frank Marshall were hoping for a more ironic tone, so the script went through several revisions, and the filmmakers studied Alfred Hitchcock films and Jaws (1975) to get the tone right. One key change: Daniels' character was given a fear of spiders.

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Goofs

When Becky is in the shower, the spider slips down her cleavage. When she looks down and screams, you can see a flesh-coloured garment.

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Quotes

Delbert McClintock: Rock and roll!

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Connections

Referenced in 30 Rock: Jack Meets Dennis (2006)

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Soundtracks

Don't Bug Me
Written by Jimmy Buffett, Mike Utley and Jay Oliver
Performed by Jimmy Buffett
Music: Trevor Jones
Courtesy of Reprise Records
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products
Courtesy of Hollywood Records
Through special arrangement with Elektra Entertainment
An ECM Production
Courtesy of CBS Records, Music Licensing Department
Jimmy Buffett appears courtesy of MCA Records

User Reviews

It made my Skin Crawl

As a movie this isn't really all that great. The cast, the script and the direction are all adequate, and there's nothing really special about it as a movie. Yet i have scored it 7/10, seems weird; but let me tell you why.

If the bugs had been something other than spiders then i would have given this a 5 or 6, that is about the score it deserves as a movie, but if your like me, and your an arachnophobe then this movie surpasses this score significantly, it makes your skin crawl and has you thinking every shadow is a spider for weeks afterwards. Aside from scaring the s**t out of me it also made me laugh a lot.

For arachnophobes, who enjoy a fright this is the film for you

7/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

18 July 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Arachnophobia

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,045,760, 22 July 1990

Gross USA:

$53,208,180

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$53,208,180

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hollywood Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, Tangled Web Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1