Kiss of the Tarantula (1976)

A disturbed teenage girl unleashes her pet tarantula against her "enemies."

Director:

Chris Munger

Writers:

Warren Hamilton Jr. (screenplay), Daniel Cady (story)

Stars:

Ernesto Macias, Suzanna Ling, Herman Wallner

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ernesto Macias	...	Walter Bradley (as Eric Mason)
Suzanna Ling	...	Susan / Daughter
Herman Wallner	...	John / Husband
Patricia Landon	...	Nancy Drury
Beverly Eddins	...	Martha / Wife
Jay Scott	...	Bo Richards (as Jay Scott Neal)
Rebecca Eddins	...	Susan / Age 10
Rita French	...	Joan / Susan's friend
W. James Eddins	...	Sgt. Wes Matthews
Jared Davis	...	Dr. Morgan
Stratton Leopold	...	Eric Craig
Mark Smith	...	Joe Penny
Mary Tyree	...	Hamilton / Nurse
Ron Prather	...	Bob Havens (as Ronald Prather)
William Guhl	...	Wayne Richards

Storyline

John Bradley operates and lives in a mortuary along with his wife, Martha, and daughter, Susan, who collects tarantula spiders and has always been ostracized by her friends because... well she's a little bit strange.When Susan discovers that mommy dearest is plotting to have dear old dad killed by her secret lover, who is also dad's brother, she places a tarantula in mommy's bed while she sleeps. Abruptly awakened by the spider, mom dies of a heart attack. This bizarre little episode apparently puts sweet little Susan over the top. Later as a teenager, Susan uses her pet tarantulas in acts of revenge against her terrified classmates, who have been tormenting her for way too long. And innocent looking Susan doesn't stop there, making good plot use of her father's mortuary and her creepy little playmates!

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Plot Keywords:

brother in law sister in law sex | cheating wife | sex with brother in law | sex with sister in law | daughter murders mother | 

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Taglines:

So silent. So deadly. So final.

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Genres:

Horror

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Jay Scott was the tarantula supplier and spider expert on the set. He also played the role of Bo Richards.

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Goofs

When Susan is lying on her bed reading a book, before her uncle enters the room, she is wearing stockings. Moments later when her uncle accosts her and they are wrestling on the staircase, she is no longer wearing stockings.

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Connections

Featured in Trailer Trauma Part 4: Television Trauma (2017)

User Reviews

Largelly lacklustre Carrie clone

I would guess that this uninspiring little film was probably inspired by Stephen King's book 'Carrie', and possibly even Brian De Palma's film adaptation, as while this film was released in the same year; I'm sure that there was more than enough time to write the script and make the film with what was left of it. Spiders are common throughout horror cinema, and big tarantulas are a fear of many people. Adding to this theme is the tried and tested formula of a young female outcast getting her revenge...so really, there's not many excuses for this film not being better. Kiss of the Tarantula hasn't gone on to achieve much acclaim and it's rather unknown, which doesn't surprise me at all. The film focuses on a young girl who likes spiders. Her mother doesn't share this arachnid appreciation, however, and after continually telling her daughter off for playing with spiders, the young girl decides that enough is enough and ends up putting a spider in her mother's bed, which leads to a heart attack. Some years later, the girl is still disturbed; and decides to use the spiders to get revenge on her current enemies.

The fact that this film was shot on a low budget is clearly shown through the use of the spiders; as it can't have cost much to round a few up for filming, and this is pretty much all the film has in terms of horror imagery. The spiders are about enough to pull it through, but the film is otherwise lacking; and I find it hard to believe that everyone except the central character is scared of them. The plots surrounding the spiders isn't too interesting either, with only the idea of the young girl being an outcast for her 'hobby' and a plot involving her uncle and her mother having an affair providing distraction from the central theme. The fact that the film is set in a funeral home is a positive element, as mortuaries often provide an interesting location for horror films, and that works well here. As you might expect given the type of film, the acting is largely diabolical, and I'm not surprised that this was the only film role for Suzanna Ling. Director Chris Munger never made another film after this one also, and overall; Kiss of the Tarantula is almost worth seeing, but you wouldn't be missing anything by not watching it.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

May 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shudder

Filming Locations:

Pickwick Drive-In, 1100 W. Alameda Ave., Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinema-Vu

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1