Frank Marshall’s “Arachnophobia” (1990) remains the gold standard for spider-themed horror movies, an oddity, since this gritty PG-13 comic thriller is actually a Disney movie in disguise.
The premise sounds right out of a Roger Corman movie, as a new doctor in a small town (Jeff Daniels) must face his severe fear of spiders when the townsfolk are suddenly dying from spider bites. A cluster of scientists and even a local bug man (played by John Goodman) are puzzled by the unusual nature of the rising death toll.
Yes, folks, it’s a Disney movie!
Specifically, it’s the first from its Hollywood Pictures, another adult-minded film distributor spin-off, which later released everything from “Alive” (1993) to “The Sixth Sense” (1999). Whereas Touchstone Pictures, the first Disney release label for grown-up offerings, made its debut with “Splash” (1984), this one has a body count, major jump scares and Daniels’ best performance prior to teaming with Jim Carrey.
While not a success on the level of “Jaws” (1975), Marshall’s low-key but effective thriller managed to be a mid-sized, acclaimed hit, with a title that has stayed in the public lexicon.
The only thing about “Arachnophobia” that never caught on was the studio’s insistence that this was a “Thrill-omedy.” That odd, unappealing juxtaposition of two words was in most of the early press releases, for some reason.
Being the first Disney film to be distributed by their newly minted studio and production label, the Mouse House may not have sold us on the coinage of a “thrill-omedy” but they sure got us to remember what Arachnophobia is.
By the way, the original title was “Itsy Bitsy” at one point.
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The early scenes had me worried, as the tone is initially so lightweight, I wondered if the terror this movie once instilled in me was due to my being 13 when it came out. The buildup is akin to the similar “Jaws” (1975), which, likewise, requires the viewer to be patient.
The big jumps are on the way.
As gentle as the character-establishing scenes of “Arachnophobia” are, they give way to what director Frank Marshall (whose best movie this is) and executive producer Steven Spielberg are aiming for: a full-throttle, B-movie scare-a-thon.
By the second act, a playfully nasty, drive-in movie approach takes over.
While the movie is never mean-spirited, gory and overly offensive, it becomes like its central monster: out in the open, unleashed and ready to attack.
Daniels is good at making us feel his character’s crippling fear of arachnids, and it’s impossible not to enjoy Goodman’s extended cameo as a braggadocios bug exterminator. Really, though, the humans are spider food.
The real stars are the eight-legged critters. Daniels even refers to them as “Eight Legged Freaks” at one point, though this is a scarier, better movie than the 2002, David Arquette-starring giant spider monster mash.
I’m not sure if “Arachnophobia” is better than the William Shatner-starring “Kingdom of Spiders” (1977), but I’m still giving this one the edge.
The go-for-broke finale, with Daniels facing an army of arachnids with a flame thrower, plays like the ending of “Aliens” (1986), albeit with more legs scurrying across the floor.
The many scenes of spiders sneaking into the homes and private spaces of local townspeople have the power to fully creep anyone out. For a Disney movie, “Arachnophobia” still has lots of bite.