Arachnophobia (film)
Encyclopedia
Arachnophobia is a 1990 American comedy
horror film
directed by Frank Marshall and starring Jeff Daniels
and John Goodman
. It was the first film released by Hollywood Pictures
.
The story centers on a newly discovered Venezuela
n spider
being transported to a small American town that produces a new race of deadly spiders, which begin killing the town's residents one by one.
Shooting took place in Venezuela and California
and the film was released in the United States
on July 18, 1990. It was a commercial success, gaining $53.21 million at the box office. It received generally positive reviews from critics.
with the hope of discovering new species of insects and arachnids. After descending into an enormous sinkhole
, they identify a new species of spider
which (unknown at the time) carries a type of venom
that causes near-instantaneous death to its victims. The spider is captured and chloroform
ed for research. A nature photographer, Jerry Manley, takes a rest under the tree where the spider was found, and a spider jumps into his backpack, later sneaking into his sleeping bag and biting him on the hand. Jerry promptly has a massive tetanic seizure from the venom and dies. The remainder of the scientists take his body back to the US
, in a wooden box, with the original spider from Venezuela
inside, blaming Jerry's death on a pre-existing fever.
Jerry's body arrives at the funeral home in his home town, Canaima, and the mortician Irv Kendall does not notice the spider inside the coffin when he opens it. He is disgusted to find Jerry's body mummified, and completely drained of bodily fluids. As Irv is speaking on the phone with the Manley family about funeral arrangements, the spider heads outside, only to be picked by a bird. But before the bird gets back to its nest, the spider manages to bite it, and it falls to the ground, right in front of the barn of the Jennings family. Ross Jennings is a family physician
, who had moved to the small town from San Francisco, and faces a lack of patients due to elderly rival Sam Metcalf, who was supposed to retire and shift his patients to Ross, but decided to maintain his practice.
The spider mates with a domestic house spider and makes a nest in Jennings's barn, producing hundreds of infertile, but still deadly, offspring. Ross, along with his son Tommy, has arachnophobia
(fear of spiders), making them targets of ridicule among Molly and Shelly. His first patient and new neighbor, Margaret Hollins, dies after being bitten. The town's residents believe that she died from a heart attack despite Ross' suspicions that something else was at work since she seemed to have had seizures before her death. After a football player is also killed by a spider, a death which is attributed to a football injury, Ross is known to the town as "Dr. Death", because each of his patients coincidentally dies after having seen him. Soon, Dr. Metcalf himself is bitten on the toe, has a seizure and dies. Like with Margaret, the initial suspicion is a heart attack, but Ross now has the idea that the town could be infested by deadly arachnids.
After Ross and the county's coroner
Milton Briggs perform an autopsy
on the victims and confirm Ross' suspicion that the deaths were caused by spider bites, he, along with Dr. Atherton, his assistant Chris Collins, Briggs, Sheriff Lloyd Parsons, and exterminator
Delbert McClintock investigate and eventually discover that the killer spiders are descendants of the new species James discovered earlier and, due to being born a mixed breed, have a short-life expectancy
. Atherton tells them that the spiders are soldiers, eliminating potential threats for the general spider. He also informs that the general spider also produced a queen
, which it likely mated with to produce a second nest, guarded by the queen, which could produce fertile offspring. Atherton elaborates that, due to the constraints of the spider's original habitat, it was left unable to expand its territory; however, now that such constraints have been eliminated, the spiders can progressively expand their territory, possibly culminating in their worldwide dispersal. With these revelations now at hand, the group sets out to destroy the second nest and kill the queen and general. Atherton is bitten on the arm and killed by the general after he discovers the first nest's location and disturbs its web while trying to capture it.
After Ross, Chris, and Delbert trace the nests to Jennings' own property, Ross sends Delbert to destroy the first nest at the barn while he and Chris try to help the family escape from their own house. Spiders begin to appear all over the house as Ross enters. Molly, the children, and Chris make it out through the window, but Ross finds himself trapped until he falls through the floor into his wine cellar, which turns out to be the spiders' second nest. Outside, a fully equipped Delbert makes his way to the house and begins to exterminate the baby spiders. Back inside, after electrocuting the queen, Ross battles the general, attempting to destroy the second egg sac along with burning the spider to death with an aerosol can and a lighter. However he becomes trapped underneath fallen debris and when the spider is about to deliver the killing strike Ross flings the spider into the fire with a board that has fallen on his chest.
When the egg sac hatches, the general, now entirely engulfed in flames, jumps out of the fire, refusing to let Ross leave the basement alive. Ross shoots it with his nail gun
and the projectile
sends the burning spider into the nest's egg sac, effectively destroying the nest with fire and ending the plague. Delbert is able to reach Ross and get him to safety. Having enough of the country along with the near-death experience, the Jennings family immediately move back to San Francisco, appreciating city life once more, despite minor tremors disrupting them.
was involved with Arachnophobia, with one of his earlier producers Frank Marshall directing for the first time. Spielberg and Marshall are both the executive producers of the film. Marshall meant for the film to be like Alfred Hitchcock
's The Birds
, and added, "People like to be scared but laughing, like a roller coaster
. No one wants to be terrified."
Jamie Hyneman
, of MythBusters
fame, stated in Popular Mechanics
that Arachnophobia was one of the first movies he worked on and that he often relied on simple magnets for several of the effects.
The film made use of 374 Avondale spiders, from New Zealand, which were picked for their large size, unusually social lifestyle, and because they are essentially harmless to humans. They were guided around the set by the use of heat and cold, but the large "queen" was an articulated model.
The movie was actually filmed in Cambria, California
. All the school scenes were filmed at Coast Union High School. Students and staff were used in the football scenes and group events. The locker room and players were the actual students and players from CUHS.
To create the sound effect
s of spiders being stepped on or squished, Foley artists stepped on mustard
packs or squashed potato chip
s.
. Amblin Entertainment
also helped produce it. Advertisers were uncertain as to whether they should market the film as a thriller or a comedy. Therefore, television spots promoting the film billed it as a "thrill-omedy."
calls the film a "slick comic thriller" and approves of the acting, warning, "Not recommended for anyone who's ever covered their eyes during a movie." Newsweek
associated the film with B movie
s "about the small town threatened by alien invaders
," and said it was well made but "oddly unresonant." Roger Ebert
said it made audiences "squirm out of enjoyment, not terror," and listed details in the film that he felt were typical of such films, including "the bright young doctor, whose warnings are ignored" and "the loyal wife and kids," as well as "the usual cats and dogs, necessary for the obligatory scene in which they can sense something even when the humans can't." He gave the film three stars.
On the review website Rotten Tomatoes
, 83% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 24 reviews, and an average rating of 6.5/10
The film drew protests from some people interested in spiders, as they believed the film tarnished the public image of spiders.
from The American Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror films for Best Horror Film and Best Actor (Daniels). Young actress Marlene Katz was nominated for a best actress award from the Young Artist Awards.
for the film, also called Arachnophobia, was released in 1990. It included Trevor Jones
's instrumental music from the film as well as dialogue excerpts and songs such as "Blue Eyes Are Sensitive To The Light" by Sara Hickman
, "Caught in Your Web (Swear to Your Heart)" by Russell Hitchcock
, and "I Left My Heart in San Francisco
" by Tony Bennett
. The European version of the album has the same cover art, but more score tracks, fewer songs and no dialogue.
European release:
Songs that aren't included within the soundtrack are:
Unusually, the A video game version of Arachnophobia
was also released in 1991, for Amiga
, Amstrad CPC
, Commodore 64
and DOS
.
There is also a novelization of Arachnophobia written by author Nicholas Edwards.
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
directed by Frank Marshall and starring Jeff Daniels
Jeff Daniels
Jeffrey Warren "Jeff" Daniels is an American actor, musician and playwright. He founded a non-profit theatre company, the Purple Rose Theatre Company, in his home state of Michigan...
and John Goodman
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
. It was the first film released by Hollywood Pictures
Hollywood Pictures
Hollywood Pictures is one of The Walt Disney Company's several alternate movie divisions. Like Disney's Touchstone Pictures brand, it produces films for a more mature adult audience than Walt Disney Pictures.-History:...
.
The story centers on a newly discovered Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
being transported to a small American town that produces a new race of deadly spiders, which begin killing the town's residents one by one.
Shooting took place in Venezuela and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and the film was released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on July 18, 1990. It was a commercial success, gaining $53.21 million at the box office. It received generally positive reviews from critics.
Plot
A group of scientists, led by entomologist Dr. James Atherton, head to the AmazonAmazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
with the hope of discovering new species of insects and arachnids. After descending into an enormous sinkhole
Sinkhole
A sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes — the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes for example in sandstone...
, they identify a new species of spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
which (unknown at the time) carries a type of venom
Venom
Venom is the general term referring to any variety of toxins used by certain types of animals that inject it into their victims by the means of a bite or a sting...
that causes near-instantaneous death to its victims. The spider is captured and chloroform
Chloroform
Chloroform is an organic compound with formula CHCl3. It is one of the four chloromethanes. The colorless, sweet-smelling, dense liquid is a trihalomethane, and is considered somewhat hazardous...
ed for research. A nature photographer, Jerry Manley, takes a rest under the tree where the spider was found, and a spider jumps into his backpack, later sneaking into his sleeping bag and biting him on the hand. Jerry promptly has a massive tetanic seizure from the venom and dies. The remainder of the scientists take his body back to the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in a wooden box, with the original spider from Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
inside, blaming Jerry's death on a pre-existing fever.
Jerry's body arrives at the funeral home in his home town, Canaima, and the mortician Irv Kendall does not notice the spider inside the coffin when he opens it. He is disgusted to find Jerry's body mummified, and completely drained of bodily fluids. As Irv is speaking on the phone with the Manley family about funeral arrangements, the spider heads outside, only to be picked by a bird. But before the bird gets back to its nest, the spider manages to bite it, and it falls to the ground, right in front of the barn of the Jennings family. Ross Jennings is a family physician
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
, who had moved to the small town from San Francisco, and faces a lack of patients due to elderly rival Sam Metcalf, who was supposed to retire and shift his patients to Ross, but decided to maintain his practice.
The spider mates with a domestic house spider and makes a nest in Jennings's barn, producing hundreds of infertile, but still deadly, offspring. Ross, along with his son Tommy, has arachnophobia
Arachnophobia
Arachnophobia or arachnephobia is a specific phobia, the fear of spiders and other arachnids such as scorpions. It is a manifestation of zoophobia, among the most common of all phobias. The reactions of arachnophobics often seem irrational to others...
(fear of spiders), making them targets of ridicule among Molly and Shelly. His first patient and new neighbor, Margaret Hollins, dies after being bitten. The town's residents believe that she died from a heart attack despite Ross' suspicions that something else was at work since she seemed to have had seizures before her death. After a football player is also killed by a spider, a death which is attributed to a football injury, Ross is known to the town as "Dr. Death", because each of his patients coincidentally dies after having seen him. Soon, Dr. Metcalf himself is bitten on the toe, has a seizure and dies. Like with Margaret, the initial suspicion is a heart attack, but Ross now has the idea that the town could be infested by deadly arachnids.
After Ross and the county's coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
Milton Briggs perform an autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
on the victims and confirm Ross' suspicion that the deaths were caused by spider bites, he, along with Dr. Atherton, his assistant Chris Collins, Briggs, Sheriff Lloyd Parsons, and exterminator
Pest control
Pest control refers to the regulation or management of a species defined as a pest, usually because it is perceived to be detrimental to a person's health, the ecology or the economy.-History:...
Delbert McClintock investigate and eventually discover that the killer spiders are descendants of the new species James discovered earlier and, due to being born a mixed breed, have a short-life expectancy
Life expectancy
Life expectancy is the expected number of years of life remaining at a given age. It is denoted by ex, which means the average number of subsequent years of life for someone now aged x, according to a particular mortality experience...
. Atherton tells them that the spiders are soldiers, eliminating potential threats for the general spider. He also informs that the general spider also produced a queen
Eusociality
Eusociality is a term used for the highest level of social organization in a hierarchical classification....
, which it likely mated with to produce a second nest, guarded by the queen, which could produce fertile offspring. Atherton elaborates that, due to the constraints of the spider's original habitat, it was left unable to expand its territory; however, now that such constraints have been eliminated, the spiders can progressively expand their territory, possibly culminating in their worldwide dispersal. With these revelations now at hand, the group sets out to destroy the second nest and kill the queen and general. Atherton is bitten on the arm and killed by the general after he discovers the first nest's location and disturbs its web while trying to capture it.
After Ross, Chris, and Delbert trace the nests to Jennings' own property, Ross sends Delbert to destroy the first nest at the barn while he and Chris try to help the family escape from their own house. Spiders begin to appear all over the house as Ross enters. Molly, the children, and Chris make it out through the window, but Ross finds himself trapped until he falls through the floor into his wine cellar, which turns out to be the spiders' second nest. Outside, a fully equipped Delbert makes his way to the house and begins to exterminate the baby spiders. Back inside, after electrocuting the queen, Ross battles the general, attempting to destroy the second egg sac along with burning the spider to death with an aerosol can and a lighter. However he becomes trapped underneath fallen debris and when the spider is about to deliver the killing strike Ross flings the spider into the fire with a board that has fallen on his chest.
When the egg sac hatches, the general, now entirely engulfed in flames, jumps out of the fire, refusing to let Ross leave the basement alive. Ross shoots it with his nail gun
Nail gun
A nail gun, nailgun or nailer is a type of tool used to drive nails into wood or some other kind of material. It is usually driven by electromagnetism, compressed air , highly flammable gases such as butane or propane, or, for powder-actuated tools, a small explosive charge...
and the projectile
Projectile
A projectile is any object projected into space by the exertion of a force. Although a thrown baseball is technically a projectile too, the term more commonly refers to a weapon....
sends the burning spider into the nest's egg sac, effectively destroying the nest with fire and ending the plague. Delbert is able to reach Ross and get him to safety. Having enough of the country along with the near-death experience, the Jennings family immediately move back to San Francisco, appreciating city life once more, despite minor tremors disrupting them.
Cast
- Jeff DanielsJeff DanielsJeffrey Warren "Jeff" Daniels is an American actor, musician and playwright. He founded a non-profit theatre company, the Purple Rose Theatre Company, in his home state of Michigan...
as Dr. Ross Jennings - Harley Jane KozakHarley Jane Kozak-Life and career:Kozak was born Susan Jane Kozak in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Dorothy , a university music teacher, and Joseph Aloysius Kozak, an attorney. She has seven siblings: brothers John, Joseph, Peter and Andrew and sisters Dorothy, Mary and Ann. Harley is the youngest of...
as Molly Jennings - John GoodmanJohn GoodmanJohn Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
as Delbert McClintock - Julian SandsJulian SandsJulian M. Sands is an English actor, known for his roles in the Best Picture nominee The Killing Fields, the cult film Warlock, A Room with a View, Arachnophobia, Vatel, the television series 24 and as Jor-El in the television series Smallville.-Career:Sands began his film career appearing in...
as Dr. James Atherton - Brian McNamaraBrian McNamaraBrian McNamara is an American actor, known for his portrayal of Dean Karny in the TV Movie Billionaire Boys Club for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a supporting role.-Biography:...
as Chris Collins - Peter JasonPeter JasonPeter Jason is an American actor who performs in many plays, movies, and TV commercials, including Desperate Housewives and Deadwood. In his free time he makes his own furniture out of wood. He has appeared in 12 Walter Hill films, 7 John Carpenter films, has acted in over 100 commercials and...
as Henry Beechwood - Henry JonesHenry Jones (actor)Henry Burk Jones was an American actor of stage, film and television.Jones was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Helen and John Francis Xavier Jones. He was the grandson of Pennsylvania Representative Henry Burk...
as Dr. Sam Metcalf - Kathy KinneyKathy KinneyKathy Kinney is an American actress and comedian. She gained considerable popularity in the late 1990s for playing Mimi Bobeck, the outrageously made-up, flamboyantly vulgar, and vindictive nemesis of Drew Carey on the sitcom The Drew Carey Show...
as Blaire Kendall - Roy BrocksmithRoy Brocksmith-Biography:Brocksmith was born in Quincy, Illinois, the son of Vera Marguerite and Otis E. Brocksmith, who was a mechanic. He graduated from Quincy University in 1970. He then moved to New York City where he began a career on Broadway...
as Irv Kendall - Stuart PankinStuart PankinStuart Pankin is an American film and television actor.-Early life:Pankin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended Dickinson College, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and Columbia University.-Career:...
as Sheriff Lloyd Parsons - Frances BayFrances BayFrances Bay was a U.S.-based Canadian character actress, best known for playing quirky, elderly women on film and television...
as Evelyn Metcalf - Garette Patrick RatliffGarette Ratliff HensonGarette Patrick Henson is an American actor, best known for his role as Guy Germaine in The Mighty Ducks trilogy.- Biography :...
as Tommy Jennings - Mark L. TaylorMark L. TaylorMark L. Taylor is an American actor. He was born in Syracuse, New York.Taylor has appeared in various shows such as Seinfeld, Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, Chicago Hope, Ally McBeal and Boston Legal...
as Jerry Manley
Production
Filmmaker Steven SpielbergSteven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
was involved with Arachnophobia, with one of his earlier producers Frank Marshall directing for the first time. Spielberg and Marshall are both the executive producers of the film. Marshall meant for the film to be like Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's The Birds
The Birds (film)
The Birds is a 1963 horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on the 1952 short story "The Birds" by Daphne du Maurier. It depicts Bodega Bay, California which is, suddenly and for unexplained reasons, the subject of a series of widespread and violent bird attacks over the course of a few...
, and added, "People like to be scared but laughing, like a roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
. No one wants to be terrified."
Jamie Hyneman
Jamie Hyneman
James Franklin "Jamie" Hyneman is an American special effects expert, best known for being the co-host of the television series MythBusters. He is also the owner of M5 Industries, the special effects workshop where MythBusters is filmed...
, of MythBusters
MythBusters
MythBusters is a science entertainment TV program created and produced by Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The series is screened by numerous international broadcasters, including Discovery Channel Australia, Discovery Channel Latin America, Discovery Channel Canada, Quest...
fame, stated in Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics is an American magazine first published January 11, 1902 by H. H. Windsor, and has been owned since 1958 by the Hearst Corporation...
that Arachnophobia was one of the first movies he worked on and that he often relied on simple magnets for several of the effects.
The film made use of 374 Avondale spiders, from New Zealand, which were picked for their large size, unusually social lifestyle, and because they are essentially harmless to humans. They were guided around the set by the use of heat and cold, but the large "queen" was an articulated model.
The movie was actually filmed in Cambria, California
Cambria, California
Cambria is a seaside village located midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the California State Route 1 . The name Cambria was settled upon in 1869 .It is a census-designated place in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States...
. All the school scenes were filmed at Coast Union High School. Students and staff were used in the football scenes and group events. The locker room and players were the actual students and players from CUHS.
To create the sound effect
Sound effect
For the album by The Jam, see Sound Affects.Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media...
s of spiders being stepped on or squished, Foley artists stepped on mustard
Mustard (condiment)
Mustard is a condiment made from the seeds of a mustard plant...
packs or squashed potato chip
Potato chip
Potato chips are thin slices of potato that are deep fried...
s.
Release
Arachnophobia was the first film released by Hollywood PicturesHollywood Pictures
Hollywood Pictures is one of The Walt Disney Company's several alternate movie divisions. Like Disney's Touchstone Pictures brand, it produces films for a more mature adult audience than Walt Disney Pictures.-History:...
. Amblin Entertainment
Amblin Entertainment
Amblin Entertainment is an American film and television production company founded by director and producer Steven Spielberg and film producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall in 1981. Amblin is only a production company, and has never distributed its own movies, nor has it fully financed its...
also helped produce it. Advertisers were uncertain as to whether they should market the film as a thriller or a comedy. Therefore, television spots promoting the film billed it as a "thrill-omedy."
Box office
The film was a financial success, grossing $53,208,180 domestically and going on to gross an additional $30,000,000 in video rentals. This allowed Spielberg to be the fourth wealthiest entertainer of the year, having previously been the second wealthiest.Critics
In his book, critic Leonard MaltinLeonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
calls the film a "slick comic thriller" and approves of the acting, warning, "Not recommended for anyone who's ever covered their eyes during a movie." Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
associated the film with B movie
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
s "about the small town threatened by alien invaders
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
," and said it was well made but "oddly unresonant." Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
said it made audiences "squirm out of enjoyment, not terror," and listed details in the film that he felt were typical of such films, including "the bright young doctor, whose warnings are ignored" and "the loyal wife and kids," as well as "the usual cats and dogs, necessary for the obligatory scene in which they can sense something even when the humans can't." He gave the film three stars.
On the review website Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, 83% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 24 reviews, and an average rating of 6.5/10
The film drew protests from some people interested in spiders, as they believed the film tarnished the public image of spiders.
Awards
The film won a Saturn AwardSaturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
from The American Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror films for Best Horror Film and Best Actor (Daniels). Young actress Marlene Katz was nominated for a best actress award from the Young Artist Awards.
Merchandising
A soundtrack albumSoundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
for the film, also called Arachnophobia, was released in 1990. It included Trevor Jones
Trevor Jones
Trevor Jones may refer to:*Trevor Jones , Australian Deputy Chief of Navy *Trevor Jones , South African orchestral film score composer*Trevor Jones , English cricketer for Somerset...
's instrumental music from the film as well as dialogue excerpts and songs such as "Blue Eyes Are Sensitive To The Light" by Sara Hickman
Sara Hickman
Sara Hickman is a rock/folk/pop/children's music singer, songwriter, and artist.-Biography:Hickman was born in Jacksonville, North Carolina. She grew up in Houston, Texas, where she attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts as a vocal major. In 1986, she graduated from the...
, "Caught in Your Web (Swear to Your Heart)" by Russell Hitchcock
Russell Hitchcock
Russell Charles Hitchcock is an Australian musician and one half of the group Air Supply. He formed the group after meeting Englishman Graham Russell in 1975 on the set of a production of Jesus Christ Superstar....
, and "I Left My Heart in San Francisco
I Left My Heart in San Francisco
"I Left My Heart in San Francisco" is a popular song, written in 1954 by George Cory and Douglass Cross, and best known as the signature song of Tony Bennett...
" by Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
. The European version of the album has the same cover art, but more score tracks, fewer songs and no dialogue.
Soundtrack
US release:- Blue Eyes Are Sensitive to the Light - Sara HickmanSara HickmanSara Hickman is a rock/folk/pop/children's music singer, songwriter, and artist.-Biography:Hickman was born in Jacksonville, North Carolina. She grew up in Houston, Texas, where she attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts as a vocal major. In 1986, she graduated from the...
(5:11) - Atherton's Terrarium (:21)
- Arachnophobia - Brent Hutchins (4:53)
- Miller's Demise (:37)
- Spiders And Snakes - The PartyThe Party (band)The Party was an American pop band. The group was composed of Albert Fields, Tiffini Hale, Chase Hampton, Deedee Magno, and Damon Pampolina, all of whom were cast members of The All New Mickey Mouse Club.- History :...
(3:40) - Offspring (:51)
- Boris The Spider - Pleasure Thieves (2:59)
- Delbert Squishes the Spider (:49)
- Spider And The Fly - Poorboys (2:52)
- Web Photo (:26)
- Caught In Your Web (Swear To Your Heart) - Russell HitchcockRussell HitchcockRussell Charles Hitchcock is an Australian musician and one half of the group Air Supply. He formed the group after meeting Englishman Graham Russell in 1975 on the set of a production of Jesus Christ Superstar....
(4:28) - Main Title (5:36)
- Don't Bug Me - Jimmy BuffettJimmy BuffettJames William "Jimmy" Buffett is a singer-songwriter, author, entrepreneur, and film producer. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett's musical hits include "Margaritaville" , and "Come Monday"...
(3:27) - The Casket Arrives (1:55)
- Delbert's Theme (2:04)
- Canaima Nightmare (6:21)
- Along Came A Spider (2:37)
- Cellar Theme (1:20)
- End Title (3:54)
- I Left My Heart In San Francisco - Tony BennettTony BennettTony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
(3:02)
European release:
- Main Title (5:38)
- Photus Manlii (2:24)
- Bob Hitches A Ride (4:18)
- The Casket Arrives (1:53)
- Blue Eyes Are Sensitive to the Light - Sara HickmanSara HickmanSara Hickman is a rock/folk/pop/children's music singer, songwriter, and artist.-Biography:Hickman was born in Jacksonville, North Carolina. She grew up in Houston, Texas, where she attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts as a vocal major. In 1986, she graduated from the...
(5:05) - Molly's Web (3:29)
- Arachnophobia - Brent Hutchins (04:48)
- Delbert's Theme (2:32)
- Spider Lamp Shade (1:55)
- Under The Bleachers (2:05)
- Along Came A Spider (2:25)
- Bugs "B" Gone (3:04)
- Canaima Nightmare (3:45)
- Life In The Country (:56)
- The Cellar (1:17)
- End Title (3:52)
- Don't Bug Me - Jimmy BuffettJimmy BuffettJames William "Jimmy" Buffett is a singer-songwriter, author, entrepreneur, and film producer. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett's musical hits include "Margaritaville" , and "Come Monday"...
(3:27)
Songs that aren't included within the soundtrack are:
- Summer WindSummer Wind"Summer Wind" is a 1965 song, with music by Heinz Meier and lyrics by Johnny Mercer, Original german lyrics by Hans Bradtke. The song is a nostalgic tale of a fleeting romance, first recorded by Wayne Newton who had the first national chart hit with the song in 1965, peaking at number 78."Summer...
- Frank SinatraFrank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the... - Goin' Ahead - Pat MethenyPat MethenyPatrick Bruce "Pat" Metheny is an American jazz guitarist and composer.One of the most successful and critically acclaimed jazz musicians to come to prominence in the 1970s and '80s, he is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works and other side projects...
Unusually, the A video game version of Arachnophobia
Arachnophobia (video game)
Arachnophobia is a video game based on the film Arachnophobia. It was developed by BlueSky Software and Disney for the MS-DOS, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, and Amiga platforms....
was also released in 1991, for Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
.
There is also a novelization of Arachnophobia written by author Nicholas Edwards.
See also
- List of American films of 1990
- Cultural depictions of spiders
- Ice SpidersIce SpidersIce Spiders is an R rated 2007 horror/Sci-fi movie that premiered on June 9, 2007 on the Sci Fi Channel. Ice Spiders stars Patrick Muldoon, Vanessa A. Williams, Noah Bastian, K. Danor Gerald and Matt Whittaker and was released on DVD in 2007.- Plot :...
, a film that also involves spider attacks