LogFAQs > #923824043

36. Arachnophobia

KBM - 16
Genny - 22
Charon - 24
Karo - 24
Johnbobb - 34
JONA - 35
Scarlet - 37
Snake - 37
Inviso - 40

KBM - This one surprised me quite a bit. I wasn't expecting to have so much fun with a giant creature feature; I particularly wasn't expecting to have so much fun with a movie all about killer spiders. I'm personally not super arachnophobic, but I can't say I'm a big fan of spiders either but what really elevated this movie was its brilliant sense of humor, and extremely charismatic lead performance from Jeff Daniels. Managing to make you squirm without QUITE crossing a line of grossness, it even manages to have a bit of a satirical bent to it, taking the mickey out of American small-town culture without feeling too mean or cynical about it. John Goodman also gives a great, hilarious supporting turn as the town's crazy exterminator. It's certainly not one that will win over any extreme arachnophobes, but if you can stand watching a movie with spiders that doesn't go too over-the-top with its scares, this is a good, fun time, with some strong practical effects that gel surprisingly well with the actual footage of spiders.

Genny - I do not have arachnophobia. Spiders are awesome though like most people I don't like when they're crawling on me. Even though it's campy as hell this movie does a pretty great job at conveying the irrational fear that someone with this affliction undergoes in the presence of these arachnids. I could really do without Exterminator Meatloaf and that whole scene in the basement- sorry- the WINE CELLAR though. The comedy stylings presented here are just too much. 7.2/10

Charon - A blend of silliness and the very real fear of spiders, this film tackles the monster movie in a more eloquent way than other over-the-top heavy handers. As one of the monster films on this list, I was surprised to see that there was no humanoid spider or gargantuan spider of unreal proportions to appear. I appreciate that they kept some element of realism intact as I feel it enhanced my ability to become more immersed in the universe. That said, this film still never takes itself that seriously. Some of the deaths here are played up as humorous and of course, you can't forget John Goodman stomping around as an exterminator with a god complex. Still I feel it was well made, and played things straight enough not to make me question the horror elements of the film.

Karo - A group of scientists discover a new species of spider in the unexplored rainforest. This arachnid looks exactly like a tarantula, except it is not its an evil death spider from hell that has venom that can kill in seconds. One of these eight legged terrors gets shipped to the U.S. in a coffin because apparently nobody thought quarantining a dead body that died of unknown causes in a third world country was a good idea. It then mates with a normal spider which is totally how spiders work maybe and baby spiders overrun the countryside and bite everyone. The whole thing is incredibly stupid, and the ridiculous climactic scene where you have hundreds of spiders crawling out of the fucking plumbing and every other crevice is even stupider. It is nothing more than idiotic horror shlock.

Johnbobb - Honestly, kind of boring. It picks up a bit in the second half, but from there, it just sort of goes from boring to "watch a bunch of people scream and flail around from spiders." Which, sure, that's kind of what I expected given the title, but I was really hoping this movie would have more of its own identity. But it just... doesn't. I've heard Arachnophobia talked up plenty before too, but I'm not sure where the hype is coming from.
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