Arachnophobia (1990) Reviews

• Freakish thriller

  jhaggardjr2000-11-10

  "Arachnophobia" is a very entertaining horror movie produced by Steven Spielberg. It's takes the fear of spiders to the next level. The film opens with an expedition in South America where a very deadly tarantula puts the bite on an American photographer, killing him in the process. Just before the body gets transferred back to the U.S., the spider sneaks into the coffin. Once in the states, the tarantula quickly mates with a domestic house spider and that creates the ultimate nightmare. Before you know it, a new strain of spiders have been born, that these little creepy crawlers are just as lethal! Jeff Daniels is excellent as the new doctor in town who hates spiders. He begins to realize something strange is happening. A couple of deaths occur, and the doc feels that these unexpected demises might be spider related. And man it's a scary ride to the finish. "Arachnophobia" literally gave me the creeps. And it's also funny. Many of the film's comedy is provided by John Goodman as the town exterminator. He's literally a hoot. The thing about this movie that surprised me is that I was pulled into the story right from the beginning and it kept my attention all the way to the end. "Arachnophobia" was directed by Frank Marshall, Spielberg's long time collaborater, in his directorial debut. Marshall did a very good job his first time out helming a film which looked like a promising career move at first. He made his second film, "Alive" a few years later (I've not seen this one yet). Then he made "Congo", which was one of the worst movies of 1995, and hasn't directed another movie since (at least not to my knowledge). But "Arachnophobia" was an above average debut for Marshall. He's got good potential as a director. This isn't a brilliant movie, but a good one. And it's lots of fun. One word of warning: if you have a fear of spiders, don't watch this. You'll probably hate it. Don't say I didn't warn you. *** (out of four)

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• Ewwww, Spiders...

  ryan_kuhn2005-02-13

  Spiders are not a favorite of many people, something about eight legs does not appeal to the masses. The movie Arachnophobia plays on the fears of an audience, while mixing in enough humor to engage the viewer with a standard horror story. Jeff Daniels plays a big city doctor who moves out into the country to take over the practice of the soon-to-be retiring doctor who has served for about 140 years or so. The Daniels' character is also scared of spiders, so when killer spiders enter the town, we have the standard ingredients to the standard horror movie. The spiders look convincing enough to scare almost anybody, and the exterminator, played by John Goodman, offers enough jokes to lead to an entertaining movie. There is nothing Earth-shattering about the film, but for popcorn season, this movie will not disappoint.

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• Well-done "creature feature"

  gridoon20192017-01-14

  105 minutes may be too many for a movie about killer spiders, but other than that, this is an entertaining, well-done horror comedy, in the "animals/serpents/bugs/birds/etc. attack" sub-genre. The director, Frank Marshall, and the screenwriters, Wesley Strick and Don Jakoby, think of every possible and impossible place to put their spiders, which are a near flawless mix of the real thing and animatronic models (thankfully, this movie was made before the days of CGI - notice how fake the same creatures look in later horror movies). Both the sudden shocks and the close calls are expertly timed by Marshall, and because there are no real "villains" among the humans you don't know who is going to get it - obviously the Spielbergian family is safe, but everyone else is fair game. I do, however, have some reservations about John Goodman's bug-exterminator character: he seems to have stepped in from another movie - "Ghostbusters"! **1/2 out of 4.

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• Spiders!

  theashtonfive2017-10-20

  Arachnophobia deserves a much higher rating and a lot more attention and fame than it got. Jeff Daniels is fantastic in it and John Goodman steals the show as an exterminator who is in way over his head. Julian Sands is also great. It's about super deadly killer spiders who kill a researcher in South America then hitch a ride in his casket back to the United States where they begin a killing spree. This movie is very funny and also has a lot of great scares in it. If spiders make you feel icky and or shiver then this is the movie for you. The use of real non-CGI spiders and good practical effects make the spiders much more menacing.

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• highly recommended

  Special-K882003-06-01

  Dr. Ross Jennings is a renowned doctor from the big city who relocates to a small town in the country. Not only does he not fit in with the local residents, but he also has an uncontrollable fear of spiders which are prevalent in the surrounding area. To make matters worse, a new, lethal breed of spider has made its way from South America to their hometown, and produced a far more deadly breed that's slowly taking over their once peaceful little community. Exciting, creepy thriller with first-rate special effects, hair-raising chills, and an excellent cast. Not for the squeamish or anyone with the titular fear, especially at the film's nail-biting finale. ***

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