Kingdom of the Spiders (1977)
Genre: Scifi / Horror
Duration: 97 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: John 'Bud' Cardos
Stars: William Shatner, Tiffany Bolling and Woody Strode
IMDb score:
5,7 (7.222)
Releasedate: 24 August 1977
Kingdom of the Spiders plot
"A Living, Crawling, Hell on Earth!"
After the death of countless farm animals, vet Rack Hansen discovers that a number of farms are in the path of a huge herd of migrating tarantulas. Before he can warn the people of the nearby town, the streets are overrun with large spiders and the residents must seek shelter in a remote hotel.
Actors and actresses
Dr. Robert 'Rack' Hansen
Diane Ashley
Walter Colby
Emma Washburn
Sheriff Gene Smith
Linda Hansen
Birch Colby
Vern Johnson
Terry Hansen
Earl Forbes
Reviews & comments
StevenMighty
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- 312 messages
- 275 votes
Saw it again now that it's on DVD, used to see it on TV a lot.
I still think it's great because I admire the fact that they worked with real spiders here (5000 of them!). I also admire the actors who wanted to work with them, because they had to touch them regularly and let them crawl over them. There are more fun things..
I always appreciated the location and the western atmosphere.
I think this is a cult classic.
5 stars
Translated from Dutch · View original
scorsese
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- 13669 messages
- 11436 votes
Good film in which a veterinarian investigates the death of a number of farm animals. A fairly standard structure. This horror film does not want to be really exciting, but it is certainly entertaining. Enough beautiful images of the Arizona landscape and also a few beautiful shots from the perspective of the spiders. Perhaps less fun for the actors, but the fact that real spiders were used definitely benefits the film.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Collins
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- 7652 messages
- 4561 votes
Kingdom of the Spiders is eco-horror and takes its inspiration from the creature horror of the 40s and 50s. The time when people were concerned about the excesses resulting from the use of atomic energy. In Kingdom of the Spiders, it is nature itself that rebels against its exploitation by man. The strange behavior of the spiders in this film are the first signs of resistance from nature. Resistance against man who wants to control nature with the help of chemicals.
In order to give the problem a recognizable face, a normal rural environment was chosen as the location, where down-to-earth people work hard and their existence is closely connected to nature. A small plane flying around and spraying pesticides over the fields in good faith is telling in that respect. After all, pesticides are good for more yields and not harmful to nature, or so they have been told. That credulity is not rewarded is then shown by the spider horror that ensues.
The special effects are provided by, among other things, approximately 10,000 tarantulas. The invasion of the spiders provides excellent horror-worthy images, although I also clearly saw non-moving ones among the thousands of moving creatures. The final shot looks somewhat dated and had a strange effect on me. Instead of a creepy apocalyptic feeling, I got a somewhat sickly Christmas feeling from it.
The story is not very interesting and of course contains a meaningless romantic side plot, in which William Shatner and Tiffany Bolling have more eyes for each other than for the threat of the spiders. The acting is solid and the action is entertaining. Kingdom of the Spiders is fun to watch, but is not a film that will stick in the memory for long.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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