ThiefHott Too much of everything

SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Paul Magne Haakonsen I found "Kingdom of the Spiders" by sheer luck while browsing through the horror section, and I do like creature features, so of course I gave this movie a go. I didn't know that the movie was just 2 years younger than me, nor did I know that William Shatner was starring in it.I sat down to watch "Kingdom of the Spiders" without any expectations except than hoping to watch spiders. And I will say that the movie certainly did deliver on that account, because there was a lot of spiders throughout the movie. And it was nice to see all of these actual spiders (as well a fake ones, I am sure) make an appearance in this movie.The movie was entertaining enough, taking into consideration that it was from 1977. And I am sure that it might have been somewhat of a gross and scary movie back in the day, given all the spiders. But by today's standards and expectations, then it was not among the most awesome of creature features. Actually, there was a lack of feeling a sense of danger from the spiders and their nest, especially since tarantulas are not all that deadly."Kingdom of the Spiders" actually had a rather good ensemble of acting talents, and it was sort of fun and interesting to watch William Shatner in a movie such as this. He did is quite alright, but it was just a deviance from what you usually see him in.The ending of the movie was just hilarious with the painstakingly obvious model scale city built up and then covered with fake webbing. But again, it must have been impressive back in the day.

ofpsmith After the monumental success of Jaws, everybody tried to copy it. And it went beyond Shark movies. There were land based terrors as well. Such a film is Kingdom of the Spiders. Although it's pretty ridiculous the suspense of the film actually works all right, and it's actually decent. It's no masterpiece but for what it's worth, it's really not that bad. It actually plays out a lot more like The Birds than Jaws, in that there's a large swarm of the killer animals. The buildup is kind of similar too. The attacks begin early on, and every now and then. Then by the end it escalates into a large scale frenzy. Then again it's not perfect and if you're looking for a really good "nature attacks" film, go see The Birds or Jaws, because they're both much better than this. For what it's worth, Kingdom of the Spiders is an enjoyable William Shatner spider fest.

BA_Harrison I admit that spiders scare the bejeezus out of me and that I'd probably feel a whole lot happier if every last one of them were removed from existence; however, as so many ecological horrors of the '70s have clearly illustrated, meddling with the balance of nature isn't wise, and doing so can only make matters a whole lot worse. For example, in Kingdom of the Spiders, the use of chemicals such as DDT have resulted in an army of resilient, deadly and very hungry tarantulas, five times as venomous as normal and a whole lot more aggressive. They also seem to have become more intelligent, which isn't good news for the good folk of Camp Verde, Arizona, who the spiders have decided to add to their larder.With a few thousand real tarantulas at his disposal, and a game cast more than willing to have the horrible creatures crawling all over their bodies for the sake of their art, director John 'Bud' Cardos delivers a B-movie horror guaranteed to have anyone with even the slightest case of arachnophobia squirming uncontrollably in their seats. Even if the idea of a dozen big-ass hairy spiders in the face doesn't faze you, there are plenty of other reasons to dig this fun drive-in flick: William 'Captain Kirk' Shatner as the hero, gorgeous Tiffany Bolling as his entomologist love interest, and cult actor Woody Strode as the token black guy guaranteed a horrible death; a hilarious scene in which the pilot of a biplane screams like a girl while tarantulas crawl on his head; a crazed steer brought to its knees by the spiders; and the entire town running amok as the creepy crawlies attack.All that and a truly memorable final image make this a hugely enjoyable piece of drive-in entertainment.

slayrrr666 "Kingdom of the Spiders" is a better-than-expected killer spider film.**SPOILERS**Investigating a sick cow, veterinarian Rack Hanson, (William Shatner) discovers something strange with the creature that eventually results in Diane Ashley, (Tiffany Bolling) a professional entomologist, to visit saying that it was a spider bite. Extremely skeptical of the whole affair, he is soon convinced of their presence through a series of spider related animal deaths in town, but their efforts to control them merely infuriate the creatures and send them on a series of attacks on the town. Forced to defend themselves, the remaining survivors, Emma Washburn, (Lieux Dressler) Terri, (Marcy Lafferty) and Linda Hanson, (Natasha Ryan) Vern, (Joe Ross) and Betty Johnson, (Adele Malis) and Sheriff Gene Smith, (David McLean) struggle to find a way of getting away from the creatures alive.The Good News: This one had some really good stuff to it that makes it quite enjoyable. One of the biggest pluses here is the film's 70s-style feel that makes it really easy to find this one believable. From the open-area shots that really give it the out-doors feel to the use of actual spiders seen crawling over everything and even to the dangerous look of the attacks in here, there's no mistaking this one as coming from anywhere but that time-frame, and it really works to the film's advantage. More good stuff includes the massive amount of attacks that take place in here, which is really nice to see. With a sequence in a flying airplane flying over town, filled with them crawling over the pilot as he loses control and eventually crashing to them invading several homes, one unsuccessfully warding them off with gunshots while the other managing to avoid them appearing beneath their child's feet while on a swing-set in a masterfully creepy sequence, this one has plenty of good attack sequences that range the gamut from action-packed to suspenseful. Another action-scene is a surprise appearance in a car causing a massive crash and a gruesome discovery later, while more big suspense encounters are the spider discovery while cleaning up after a shower and a fantastic stalking scene at a picnic that even threatens animals as well as the unsuspecting human target. Each style, though, gets a major set-piece to really set itself apart, and both are real highlight pieces. The suspense one is the bigger, since it's longer, and is the extended hold-out in the lodge. From the set-up of the swarm out in front to the mummified corpse, it starts off wonderfully and transforms into the kitchen ambush, where it gets even more suspenseful with them dropping down unsuspectingly and requiring innovative tactics to stop them. With other big ambushes in the bedroom and then through windows and the fireplace forcing them to race into defense modes in really creepy scenes that are really good just top off the entire segment. The last part in the basement is just as good, with the darkened room and them completely crawling over everything makes it that much better, and the quick shots of them dropping onto him and his reactions are just perfect for the scene and make the entire part all that much better. The action part is the mass attack on the town, and it doesn't disappoint, with the mummified and dying bodies crawling with spiders in an impressive visual, and the mass panic and chaos as the population is shown crawling with them as well as the ground completely covered for the most part is just thrilling and really enjoyable. The action also includes the destruction of a major piece of the town and it looks really good as well, which is always important. The finale is also really good, much more impressive than what would be done today and makes for a fantastic finish that is really chilling. The last plus is the impressive build-up in here, which is handled the right way. From the animal-stalking and talk of spider venom to the subplot of the enormous spider-hills and eventual attacks, it's all good. These are the good parts.The Bad News: There were only a few flaws to this one that hurt it. One of the film's biggest problems is the pacing in here where there's not one single attack on the towns-members until around the hour-mark, which is something that really needed to be fixed. It's still enjoyable in the sense that you don't notice it at all, but the fact remains that there isn't too many attacks until that point, and due to them constantly being featured, it doesn't feel that long but it still could've used another one or two since characters are suddenly found dead in the last-half with no on-screen attack, which could've been shoehorned into the beginning. The main reason why it's so long is due to the large amount of time developing its romance angle, which isn't surprising and doesn't result in anything remotely interesting or even new to the genre. From their dinner meetings and scenes gallivanting around town, there's plenty of time wasted of them getting friendly with each other, and it sort of takes away from the spider angle. The last problem is the few early attacks shown here aren't that long, as most of them are done in a matter of a few minutes. While several of them are supposed to be that way, it's just the length of some could've been extended to make them a bit more exciting and chilling, but these are the film's flaws.The Final Verdict: Not really burdened down by too many flaws, this one actually has a lot going for it so it manages to really feel quite enjoyable and entertaining. Recommended for those who enjoy these kinds of creature features, arachnophobiacs, fans of the cast or 70s horror in general, while those who aren't won't be too objected to it.Rated PG: Violence and Language