There's no gore, at least nothing like what you commonly see in today's poor excuses for "horror movies". In fact, the "rat scene" from "Hideous Sun Demon" is probably more of a pure gross-out than anything on camera in this movie. But the *implied* violence is there, in spades. And folks, it's weird. Do NOT expect to sit there and yawn. It may have been done on a low budget, but all that means is that today's directors are wasting money. "Spider Baby"'s director, Jack Hill, did some work with Roger Corman before knocking this one off in a mere 12 days of shooting. The movie was lost in legal limbo for years, and that lack of exposure at a time when it could never have made it to television probably ensured it's future as a true "cult" film.

The print is excellent - no complaints at all. The missing 8 minutes isn't the usual well-deserved cut, either: in this case, they lopped off important background information. (I wish that they had restored it into the film instead of having it as an "extra", but hey! We're lucky to get ANYthing here!)

Bottom line: you can't call yourself a "cult movie fan" if you haven't seen this one. It is in no way similar in plot to "Carnival of Souls", but I'd have to say that it ranks right up there with that classic for pure strangeness.


Gotta love low budget movies...   October 31, 2007
 12 out of 12 found this review helpful

I love a handful of director Hill's films like The Big Bird Cage, Coffy, Foxy Brown, and Big Doll House. I've seen this over a decade ago and didn't like it so much. Sid Haigs role was the only character that stuck to my mine. Now hundreds of exposable films later I found out that I was mad. After watching this last night it turned out to be a fantastic film. Like Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr. (Brono) was allowed to shine in the twilight of his career by a low-budget director who let his actors do what they do best. He watches over the isolated Gothic house where the last generations of the wealthy Merrye clan reside. Cursed by a debilitating disease brought about by inbreeding, the family members have regressed to a state of "pre-human savagery and cannibalism. When some distant relatives and their shyster lawyer appear trying to commit the family to a home and put Bruno out of a job, Bruno knows it's not going to end well for anyone. Yes, those residing at the old family mansion are pretty far gone, but they're much happier than Leather face's slaughterhouse family, marching toward their inevitable doom with cheery, reckless abandon.

He is supported by the incredible talents of Jill Banner who plays the title character, Virginia, who thinks she is a human spider and lurches around the house with daggers drawn searching for prey. Her sexy and disturbing "spider dance" as she taunts her male victim is mentioned in many of the reviews I've read, and with good reason. The eldest, Ralphie (Sid Haig), prowls around the yard snatching up felines to roast for dinner. Carol Ohmart, the stunning beauty who appeared as Vincent Price's wife in "House on Haunted Hill" delivers a thrill by being quite scantily clad by the finale. And The Devil's Rejects (Unrated Widescreen Edition) fans will be delighted by the young Sid Haig's of course with his silent physical performance as the feral and deteriorating older brother

The eerie black-and-white cinematography and freaky performances (tempered by Chaney's laid-back, sympathetic turn as the caretaker) go a long way toward smoothing over the film's low-budget limitations. And, in case you weren't sold yet, Chaney sings the title song, which is a crazy spoken-word anthem about a cannibal orgy that's "strange to behold," with priceless lyrics such as: "Frankenstein, Dracula, and even the Mummy are sure to wind up in somebody's tummy." I can see why some folks wouldn't dig it - the payoff is in creepiness and atmosphere, not in thrills and gore. But for pure gratuitous weirdness, this one is hard to beat.



Yeah Baby, Yeah!   August 8, 2000
 11 out of 11 found this review helpful

I discovered this DVD a few weeks ago whilst browsing Amazon. I had'nt seen or heard of it before and simply bought it on a whim. It now ranks as one of the most enjoyable movies in my collection. 'Spider Baby' is in a different league to most other B-movies. The production is lifted by excellent direction from Jack Hill and by a very capable and likable cast. The real surprise for me was Lon Chaney's performance as the family chauffeur. I'd half expected to see a washed up old horror star sadly trying to emulate his past glories (a la Bela Lugosi in 'Plan 9 From Outer Space'). Instead, Lon Chaney treats us to one of the best performances of his career (honestly!) and shows what a great professional he was. The movie benefits from a marvellous musical score, including the opening theme which is sung by Mr Chaney himself. It really does have to be heard to be believed. The storyline is surprisingly slow paced and there is little on-screen gore or violence. Most of the horror occurs off camera and the film relies on the weird characters and strange goings on to keep viewers capitivated...and it succeeds brilliantly!

On the technical side, picture quality is fantastic - exceptionally clean and sharp with very little sign of wear and tear. The sound is single channel mono and is also very good. The film is presented in its original widescreen 1.66:1 ratio. This is a good size even if you don't own a widescreen set - the movie looked great on my standard size 1.33:1 TV. The DVD also features an interesting commentary by the film's writer and director Jack Hill. Jack has a very easy going style and gives lots of behind the scenes info on the movie, cast and crew. Spider verdict : a thoroughly enjoyable tongue-in-cheek horror that comes highly recommended.


Catch This One! You'll Eat It Up...   April 7, 2004
 11 out of 13 found this review helpful

How does one describe SPIDER BABY? Well, take "The Addams Family", add "The People Under the Stairs", toss in "Arsenic And Old Lace", blend in a tablespoon of the attitude of "Little Shop Of Horrors" with just a pinch of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", and stir violently. That comes about as close as I can get to describing it. Jack Hill has created a macabre masterpiece, full of frights and fun from beginning to end! The Merrye family have "Merrye Syndrome", a rotting of the brain, caused by generations of inbreeding. The kids Virginia (Jill Banner), Elizabeth (Beverly Washburn), and Ralph (Sid Haig) are real cut-ups! They've been isolated in a big, secluded house on a hill, watched over by Bruno (Lon Chaney Jr.) for their entire lives. Now teenagers, things are about to change. A pair of distant relatives (played by Quinn Redeker and Carol Ohmart) have come, with sleazy lawyer in tow, to take control and institutionalize the children. Unfortunately for these invaders, they don't know just how crazy the kids really are. They are also ignorant of the fact that these siblings are cannibals! If they had known, they would never have spent the night! SPIDER BABY relies on a cool story, great acting, dark humor, and creepiness to overcome it's microscopic budget (just think of all those mega-budget stinkers over the years). It's an ensemble effort that pays off. Buy it now...


The itsy bitsy spider threw blood all about. Down came the axe the eyeballs did pop out!   August 1, 2007
 11 out of 15 found this review helpful

Spider Baby is BACKKKKK!!!! You lil darling! You we're out of print
and almost asking prices like SALO??? Not anymore! Your back
and affordable.Spider Baby is a story of the most disfuntional
family in history...I am not going to go in details about it.
FOR YOU MUST BUY! It is like well-well I can't think of anything???
Very funny movie and at times very DARK! Maybe BROOTAL!!!!!
This stars Lon wolfman Chaney Sig Haig and a great cast of
others.There are so many great scenes to this.If you like CULT
FILMS Spider Baby needs to be in your catalog..One of Terry Gilliam's
Fav.movies.No Toby Maguire in this folks!Just good ole fashion HORROR!
There are good bad movies,and there are bad bad movies.And then there's
this:a bad movie so bizarre,so fascinating that it's in a class by itself!
So come meet the family of in-bred whackos who become murderous cannibals
one girl thinks she is a spider and kills in arachnid frenzy fashion.
Spider Baby is NOT to be missed! Should be called The maddest story
ever told! I eat this with a FORK!