Arachnophobia (film)
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Arachnophobia was an American horror and comedy film released in 1990 directed by Frank Marshall and starring John Goodman and Jeff Daniels.
Plot
A deadly spider from the Venezuelan Amazon is brought into the United States through the inside of the coffin of one of its victims, a dead nature photographer. It then breeds with local spiders, creating a new type of spider that invades a small California town. The film focuses on a physician named Ross Jennings, who is new to the town and faces a lack of patients due to an elderly rival. Jennings' reputation is severely damaged as his few patients begin to die, but this is the work of the spiders rather than his neglect.After the elderly doctor is himself killed by one of the spiders' venom, it is realized that the town is infested with deadly arachnids, and with the help of an exterminator and two experts an effort is made to wipe out the species. Eventually the "queen" is traced back to the Jenningses' own basement, where he manages to kill the creature after an intense struggle and after one of the experts is also poisoned.
Reaction
The film won a Saturn Award 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. The film was a phenomenal success, grossing $55,000,000 in theaters in North America and going on to gross an additional $30,000,000 in video rentals.The film's biggest critical success was very roundabout. The song "Blue Eyes are Sensitive to the Light" was used in the soundtrack and performed by Sara Hickman. The song was actually written by 1980s songstress Martika and inspired by a set of very Aryan-looking male supermodel twins with pale blonde hair and sky blue eyes. Martika's own recording of the song went on to win a Grammy.
The film made use of 374 Avondale spiders, which were picked for their large size, lack of actual venom, and unusually social lifestyle. They were guided around the set by the use of heat and cold, but the large "queen" was an articulated model.
Featured cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Frances Bay | Evelyn Metcalf |
| Roy Brocksmith | Irv Kendall |
| Jeff Daniels | Dr. Ross Jennings |
| John Goodman | Delbert McClintock |
| James Handy | Milton Briggs |
| Peter Jason | Henry Beechwood |
| Henry Jones | Doctor Sam Metcalf |
| Kathy Kinney | Blaire Kendall |
| Harley Jane Kozak | Molly Jennings |
| Brian McNamara | Chris Collins |
| Brandy Norwood | Brandy Beechwood (as Brandy) |
| Stuart Pankin | Sheriff Lloyd Parsons |
| Julian Sands | Doctor James Atherton |
| Mark L. Taylor | Jerry Manley |
Trivia
- Arachnophobia was the first release by Hollywood Pictures, the third filmmaking/distribution arm of the Walt Disney Company (after Touchstone Pictures and Walt Disney Pictures).
- The original posters of Arachnophobia contained the picture of a spider over the moon, but were later removed due to complaints.[link]
External link
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