Learning that Eight Legged Freaks was released in 2002 has me feeling more than a little dated. I remember watching this film with one of my close friends when it was released to dvd, actually come to think of it. I think the first time I saw this film was in VHS... Anyway after not seeing it since, I figured after a decade it would be like seeing it again for the first time. Well, yes and no. Yes in the fact that I had forgotten enough of this film that it was enjoyable. But I retained enough that I wasn't surprised that much, since I only forgot a handful of things. First how awesome the character Gladys is, and that Scarlett Johansson is in this film.
The film opens in classic giant monster film fashion with a barrel of chemicals falling off a truck and contaminating a local water source. A week later, Joshua (Tom Noonan), the local weirdo who collects rare and exotic spiders for his spider farm gathers crickets from around the contaminated water source, where the barrel of chemicals has come to rest. Joshua's visited at his spider farm by Mike (Scott Terra), the son of the town sheriff Samantha Parker (Kari Wuhrer). Joshua gives Mike a short tour of his extensive collection of spiders. Which includes Jumping Spiders, Tarantulas, Trapdoor Spiders, and Orb-Weavers. Both male and female and the prize of his collection. Mike notices that all of Joshua's spiders are unusually large, to which Joshua explains that hes been feeding them the chemically tainted crickets that he's caught and plans on selling due to their ability to make the spiders grow. After Mike leaves he's …show more content…
Which is surprising since it's got a couple of pop culture references, though since I am of that era maybe it just seems less dated than it actually is. What really helps is how cheesy Eight Legged Freaks is. The actors all amp up the silly without going so over board that you lose sight that this is supposed to be a horror
The film opens in classic giant monster film fashion with a barrel of chemicals falling off a truck and contaminating a local water source. A week later, Joshua (Tom Noonan), the local weirdo who collects rare and exotic spiders for his spider farm gathers crickets from around the contaminated water source, where the barrel of chemicals has come to rest. Joshua's visited at his spider farm by Mike (Scott Terra), the son of the town sheriff Samantha Parker (Kari Wuhrer). Joshua gives Mike a short tour of his extensive collection of spiders. Which includes Jumping Spiders, Tarantulas, Trapdoor Spiders, and Orb-Weavers. Both male and female and the prize of his collection. Mike notices that all of Joshua's spiders are unusually large, to which Joshua explains that hes been feeding them the chemically tainted crickets that he's caught and plans on selling due to their ability to make the spiders grow. After Mike leaves he's …show more content…
Which is surprising since it's got a couple of pop culture references, though since I am of that era maybe it just seems less dated than it actually is. What really helps is how cheesy Eight Legged Freaks is. The actors all amp up the silly without going so over board that you lose sight that this is supposed to be a horror