Spider Baby [DVD]

Until I read that Arrow Video was releasing a restored version of Spider Baby a few years ago, I'd never even heard of the movie. Not that I consider myself to be a connoisseur of B-grade and cult films of previous eras, although I--mistakenly--assumed to have a passing familiarity with the campy, the flamboyant, the grindhouse, the naughty, the just plain weird stuff that failed to make it to the drive-in picture show that served my neck of the woods on the remote High Plains of the Texas Panhandle. Well, not quite, it seems.Spider Baby was filmed over 12 days in 1964 by Roger Corman protege' Jack Hill, who went on to direct a series of exploitation classics starring the fantabulous Pam Grier. When the production company of Spider Baby experienced financial difficulties the completed film languished on a shelf, a term I use loosely since it could as easily have been languishing under somebody's bed. Anyway, the film languished somewhere until being released in a couple of theaters in 1968. Thereafter, it was relegated to obscurity, finally becoming a cult classic on DVD a few decades later. Luckily for us.Since I haven't seen the apparently crappy 1999 DVD release of Spider Baby, I don't have a basis for comparing this 2015 Arrow package. But I will say that, except for one brief scene, the Arrow release looks pretty amazing, especially considering the film's track record. There are numerous entertaining extras included in the Arrow set, and if you're a true fan of the movie, you'll enjoy the interviews and commentaries with Jack Hill, Beverly Washburn, Quinn Redecker, and other cast and crewmembers.The plot--think episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies as directed by Tobe Hooper--concerns the efforts of some conniving big-city-folk to swindle their distant, violently inbred country kin, the Merrye Family, out of the fortune left them by their late father. Little do these schemers know what they're getting into: by the time they arrive, a hapless delivery man (Mantan Moreland, an old veteran of racially insensitive stereotyping) has already been dispatched in a deadly game of spider-and-the-fly. It's an early indication that this movie is willing to go much darker than your average, run-of-the-mill comedy.As Bruno, the kindly, slightly addled, caretaker overseeing the trio of murderously deranged siblings, star Lon Chaney, Jr., gives one of the best performances of his later career. He's funny and touching as he cleans up one ghastly mess after another while attempting to protect his charges and maintain a positive outlook despite the increasingly grim proceedings. He also sings the title song, which is fun in a Boris Karloff/Monster Mash kind of way. Carol Ohmart (Vincent Price's devious wife in House on Haunted Hill) is cast as the principal bad guy--gal--and boy is she rotten. Once she doffs her clothes to lounge about in lacy black nightwear, it's only a matter of time before silent, infantile Merrye brother Ralph (the great Sid Haig) starts hanging around--literally--outside her bedroom window. Meanwhile, shifty attorney Schlocker (Karl Schanzer) and handsome nice-guy Uncle Peter (Quinn Redecker), assess the young women's assets, unaware that they are, themselves, being evaluated as potential spider's prey. Beverly Washburn and Jill Banner are both very good as the knife-wielding sisters, with Banner being especially effective in a role that reminds me of one of the Manson gang. Mary Mitchel, who I recognized from Dementia 13, plays the attorney's flirtatious but somewhat ditzy secretary who also functions as the piece's damsel-in-distress. There's a rather nasty standout dinner scene that gets the evening's festivities underway and that's when the games begin.Spider Baby is a surprisingly bloodless, highly entertaining blend of horror and black comedy that doesn't quite have the bang of an ending I expected but doesn't balk at presenting viewers with squirmy situations without the gore and grue. I enjoyed the movie, the performances and the fact that the movie is as good as it is, given its budget and subsequent treatment by producers. Definitely a cult classic!

When a film opens up with a raspy-voiced Lon Chaney, Jr. ardently singing the title song, it almost comes with a guarantee of a weird trip ahead. Spider Baby (1964) does not disappoint.Some commentators have likened Spider Baby to Eraserhead (1977), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974 ), or TV’s “the Addams Family,” while others have erroneously categorized it as “surreal.” If we have to give comparisons, we might find it to be the most idiosyncratic film in the “Old Dark House” genre (and yes, that includes Rocky Horror Picture Show). Still, even that is not adequate. Spider Baby is a maverick that defies all labels.Writer/director Jack Hill‘s credits include Boris Karloff‘s unfortunate Z-grade Mexican horror films House of Evil (1968), Fear Chamber (1968), Isle of the Snake People (1971), Alien Terror (1971); the women-in-prison jigglefests The Big Doll House (1971) and The Big Bird Cage (1972); the Pam Grier blaxploitation vehicle Foxy Brown (1974); and Switchblade Sisters (1975-the title says it all). All of these are lucid examples of trash cinema; Spider Baby is a one-of-a-kind inbred sibling to the lot.The casting of Lon Chaney, Jr. is, for once, near ideal. 1930s horror icons Karloff and Bela Lugosi each had an air of European mystery in their screen personas. 1940s horror second banana “sort of” horror icon Chaney, Jr was pure American white trash. When Universal tried to cast Chaney in the Karloff/Lugosi Euro mold, the results often ranged from laughable to cringe-inducing.Chaney, Jr was, of course, unfavorably compared to his father and has received a lot of bad raps from critics past and present. Most of those raps are well deserved, but it was not his legendary father who proved to be the ultimate detriment to his career. It was Chaney Jr.’s role as Lennie in Lewis Milestone’s Of Mice and Men (1939) that rendered an insurmountable yardstick performance. Chaney could never equal his Lennie, much in the same way that Lugosi could never live up to Dracula (1931).Unfortunately, off-screen Chaney proved to be considerably more brutish than Steinbeck’s gentle giant, which helped seal his inevitable career failure. Other factors in his decline included alcoholism, drug abuse, typecasting, trying to live up to his father’s image, and (reportedly) self-loathing regarding his latent homosexuality.Executives at Universal didn’t help. After the success of Man Made Monster (1941) and The Wolf Man (1941) Universal cast Chaney Jr. as their new horror star. Somehow the studio was oblivious to Chaney’s strengths and weaknesses. Astonishingly they cast the hulking, phlegmatic actor as a grand guignol romantic lead with a Clark Gable-like mustache in the Inner Sanctum films. Son of Dracula (1943) was an even worse case of miscasting with Chaney as the Transylvanian count who must have been living off an excessively high-calorie blood intake.Few of Chaney’s 200 plus films are of merit, but he did have a handful of good character parts in films which knew how to use him. Spider Baby is among those, featuring his last performance of note. Chaney liked the script so much that he made an extra effort to lay off the sauce, much to Hill’s relief.There is a touch of pathos in Chaney’s performance as the caretaker. He is close to Tod Browning territory here, seeing this misfit ensemble not as inbred cannibal freaks, but as family. Spider Baby is a far better way to remember Chaney than his actual last performances: Al Adamson’s equally trashy but dreadful 1971 duo Female Bunch and Dracula vs. Frankenstein (both of which try hard to make Ed Wood look sophisticated).Chaney is helped tremendously by his co-stars, which include Sid Haig as a bald, deformed version of Carroll Bakker’s thumb-sucking Baby Doll (1956), Carol Ohmart as a well-worn, Z-grade Marilyn Monroe bitch of an aunt, and Jill Banner and Beverly Washburn as psychotic sisters.The Merrye family is dying out, due to inbreeding and a “rotting of the brain.” Bruno (Chaney) is the family chauffeur who acts as their guardian. While Bruno is taking Ralph (Haig, perfectly embodying his character) to the doctor, Elizabeth (Washburn) plays “itsy-bitsy spider” with the mailman (veteran African American character actor Mantan Moreland). Ralph crawls out of the limo like a serpentine chihuahua. Torment floods Bruno’s eyes upon seeing what is left of the unfortunate courier. Virginia (Banner), doing her best Baby Jane Hudson imitation, cannot wait “to tell.” “It’s not nice to hate,” Bruno reminds the family, but it turns out this was simply a case of killing the bad news messenger; the message being news that heir aunt Aunt Emily (Ohmart) will be arriving this very day to throw out the lot of them. Emily brings with her the goofy but amiable protagonist Peter (Quinn Redeker). There is even a slimy caricature of a lawyer who might pass for a cross between Adolf Hitler and John Waters‘ father.The Merrye house has a personality all its own, complete with rickety, ominous elevator shafts and a basement of dreaded family secrets. Alfred Taylor’s cinematography is an enormous asset, nearly masking the film’s meager budget. A perverted veggie “Last Supper” and a “don’t you dare do go there” consummation (which is, thankfully, subdued) are scenes that burn themselves into the memory.Hill, for once not working on commission, conceived his child as a labor of love, and his attitude infected cast and crew. As bizarre as the script and direction is, it is an inspired cast that sells it. Dismemberment, incest, cannibalism and the budding sexuality of serial killers are all carried out with inexplicable charm. Still, even with fine work by all, it is Chaney who is the twinkle in the eye of the film’s hurricane.* my review originally appeared at 366 weird movies

I only stumbled upon this film by accident, but what a classic it is. Crystal clear picture Quality and sound as well.

First off, one must realize this black and white film was made on almost a zero budget, and some of the people involved, such as the cinematographer and the musical score composer, practically devoted their talents for free. This is all explained on the excellent extras. This is NOT a bad movie at all, in my opinion, and the acting is wonderful, but it is a dark comedy -- not designed to "scare" anybody. It has creepy moments, but it is still overall intended to be rather humorous. If you appreciate fine cinematography, this is one reason to view the film -- here the black and white print is crisp and clear (shot in 35 mm), and what's more the principal set had no electricity, so a lot of it had to be lit rather cleverly. I just think it's a real delight, and it is a cult favorite of sorts in the U.S. A really fine job from Arrow, once again.

Spider Baby is one of my favorite movies to watch at Halloween. It just does have a perfect atmosphere. However, I got this only recently, and I simply couldn't put off watching it any longer than a month. My desire to check the transfer and to hear the audio was over powering, as well as simply enjoying the movie which has always inspired me.The video quality is better than you would expect given the age and resources. In fact, it exceeded my expectations so much, that i spent a majority of the time repeating in my head, "I have never seen this movie like this in my life", than actually concentrating on the film. The audio is still poor, yet at the same time, great. That doesn't make any sense right? Well the audio quality was never great to begin with, and i could barely hear it at all on my old DVD copy. But NOW. Well now it's much more audible. It's still not as clear as i wish it could be. But it's as clear as we're probably ever going to get it, and for this i am extremely grateful.Special features are plentiful with documentaries and an early Jack Hill directed short film, which also introduced Sid Haig to the acting world, called 'The Host'. These special features are brilliantly provided by Arrow, who more or less fail at failing. A majority, if not all of their releases are perfection. Booklet and reversible cover is also provided with the original poster on it. But it's hard to not straight up love the artwork Arrow have provided. Still each to their own if you fancy a change of art!Fans of the film, i safely say you can get this. It's the best you're ever going to see or hear it.

Unfortunately the item was cellophane wrapped yet the booklets that should be with the Discs were missing. I have seen the contents of this package in store and it should have the booklet. This was part of the reason for me purchasing this item.

The item came really fast, in perfect condition.Everything is as described.Picture quality is great.This movie is classic, really good horror or dark comedy from 60's.The price is cheap so, I recommend it!